2025 Back to Basics: Our Thoughts

2 Corinthians 11:3

We are getting back to the basics for 2025… and this often takes a reset. Not a pause… But a reset.

Sometimes we need to reset our devices, computers, or our phones. There is something going on that is slowing us down. There is something going on, so that it cannot perform as it once could. It is lagging. It has some issues to resolve in order to function properly and efficiently.

Sometimes… we need to hit the reset button for our own lives. There is something that is causing us to lag. There is something slowing us down. There are some issues going on within us that is keeping us from functioning properly and or effectively/efficiently.

As individuals and as a church… we need revitalization...

What do we need to do? Hit the rest button… Not the Pause button.

In July 1961, Vince Lombardi kicked off the first day of training camp for the 38 players on his Green Bay Packers football team. The prior season had ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after blowing a lead in the 4th quarter of the NFL Championship Game.

When the players came in to start training camp, they expected to immediately begin where they left off and work on ways to advance their game and learn fancy new ways to win the championship in the new season. When they sat down and began, Vince Lombardi held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football!”

He then had everyone open up their playbooks and start on page one, where they began to learn the fundamentals – blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, etc. That was clearly not what they expected as players who were at the top of their game.

This hyper-focus on fundamentals allowed them to win the NFL Championship that season 37-0 against the New York Giants. Vince Lombardi went on to win five NFL Championships in seven years. He never coached a team with a losing season after that and never lost a playoff game again.

What was the Coach convinced of? They needed to get back to the basics. The team had wondered away from the basics...

The Coach hit the rest button. The Coach and the team got back to the basics and it made the difference.

We are resetting for 2025. We are looking at our game plan for this coming year. We must get back to the Basics. For it is on the basics, that we can grow and build.

Just as the coach help up the ball...

(We hold up the Bible) This a Bible, God’s Holy Word. Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds of the mouth of God. All Scripture is breathed out by God and it is profitable for us. It is living and active. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Christians... people of God… Live by the Word of God.

(We lift up prayer today) This is prayer. Prayer is connecting with God. Prayer is communication and communing with God. Prayer develops, cultivates, and deepens our relationship. Prayer changes us. Prayer strengthens our faith. Prayer keeps us growing. Prayer is like breathing for a Christian, and we cannot live without it.

These are our basic means of God’s grace for life and living.

So here we are, in 2025, hitting the rest button… not the pause button…

We just don’t want to stop and pick back up where we left off… and keep doing the same wrong things...

We are hitting the reset button and we are getting back to the basics:

We are reading, studying, fasting and praying. We are asking, seeking and knocking on the Lord’s door as we obey what He leads us to do. We are reading and studying God’s Word as individuals, as a family, and as a Church...

We are starting this season the right way: Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.

We want God. We want to grow. We desire to be more Christ-Like.

In order to do so: We just might have to Hit the Reset and Get Back to the Basics.

And today, as we continue on: We are hitting the reset on the Mind:

Verse 2 - Paul has a pastor’s heart for these people, for this church. He is jealous for them. This is a godly jealousy… I jealousy that seeks the wellbeing, safety, and protection of another. He has this zeal for them… He does not want His people deceived. He does not want the evil one deceiving the people of God. These are his people. These are his church family...

Verse 3 - But… I am afraid of something… I am afraid that like Eve was deceived and led astray… so will you be led astray. Just as Eve was led away from God, from simple and pure devotion to the Lord… So will you be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Out of love for his people he says this… He is afraid that the evil one is gaining ground in their lives. Deception has moved in… He warns them...

Church family: I am afraid that this is happening. Guard your minds. Fill your minds with the right things and do not be led astray by the wrong things… by the wrong thoughts… or by the lies any longer.

Is this a word for all of us today? I think so.

We can be led astray. We can be deceived. The enemy is crafty. We have been led astray. We all can be guilty of letting the evil one distract us and to led us away from simple devotion to Christ.

Satan is a roaring lion, seeking to devour, and he can swallow up nations...

Is there any hope for us today? Yes! If you have the Spirit of God inside of you… Yes!

1 Peter 1:3-3 - Through the Spirit of God, through the divine power given to us, we have everything needed to make progress in the Christian life.

There is divine power that is given to the Christian for life and service. There is divine power given to us, grace given, to know the truth and live by it.

1 Corinthians 2 - God’s wisdom is given to us by the Spirit of God within us.

Do you want to know the mind of God, the wisdom of God? Do you want to know spiritual things and grow in them? The Spirit brings the mind of Christ to the believer.

What does this have to do with spiritual warfare with the enemy? Because he goes after your minds. He destroys people with lies. He deceives people and guides them into wickedness… Through the mind...

The unbeliever’s mind is not alive to the things of God and remains in the dark...The unbeliever cannot understand the spiritual… it is foolishness to them.

2 Corinthians 4:4 - Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ...

The Spirit within you, the Christian, has opened your eyes to God, to Christ, and to His ways… and He can open your hearts and minds to understand God’s will and God’s ways better… And we can make progress one day at a time.

Our Thoughts

*Lets confess with humility: “I can be led astray and I need help...”

I can be deceived and led astray… But I see that by the Spirit’s help, I can have victory. I see that as a Christian, I have the Holy Spirit… and He can and reveal the Mind of Christ in me...

I can see, by the Word of God, I can make progress. My thinking can change. I do not have to think the same things. My mind can be renewed and my life can change as a result.

And even that right now… This truth is changing mindsets, removing strongholds and is setting people free… I do not have to stay here. I do not have to think this...

Romans 12:2 - Christian… be transformed… by renewing your mind.

Ephesians 4:23 - Be renewed in the spirit of your minds.

Ok, fine… But How can I yield to the Holy Spirit so that this can happen?

A. You are off to a fine start with Absorbing God’s Word, fasting and prayer. Do not stop doing this. You are already on your way!

This is going to require discipline, repetition, and denying self. All of this will be used to train and transform your minds.

You are going to read, mediate on what your read, memorize some of what you read, and pray about what you read. You are going to repent, request, and rejoice is what you read. You are going to give thanks to God and praise Him as you read.

All of this will be used to transform the mind and the heart.

When you pray… You are going to submit your problems, concerns, questions… all at the feet of Jesus and talk to Him about these things, because He cares for you… and He is going to bring your minds to a peace, and bring strength to the mind as well.

Fast and pray, drive the mind to God today, so that... it will not be led astray.

What else can we do?

B. Do not feed the mind the wrong things.

Job 31:1 - I have made a covenant with my eyes… (In other words) I am making a vow with myself… I am not going to let my eyes go there.

Psalm 101:3 - I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless… nothing wicked or evil...

And right now… you might be thinking of examples… Write them down!

We must guard our minds and hearts, for out of them flow the streams of life. We must practice radical amputation… as Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:29-30. We must cut out and cut off things or even people in our lives that are leading our minds and hearts in the wrong direction...

This is a deep statement: Influences influence.

Media, movies, music, books… and so on... Sometimes… people must be cut out to make the negativity stop.

Influencers… influence. There are children you do not want around your children and grandchildren. There are young adults that you do not want around your family. You are jealous for them… You desire to protect them and keep them from all wickedness and evil… Good! Great! Amen!

And your heavenly Father… does not want His children to be influenced by wickedness either… For He is jealous for you and your heart...

Beyond hanging out with liberals, gang members, PETA members and the like… What about hanging around those who sow discord, gossip, slander, and the like…?

They will feed your sin nature and they will cause you to think, sound and act just like them.

We don’t need to feed the sin nature.

We are to feed the spirit, spiritual things. We are to fill our minds with Holy Spirit inspired words, music, pictures… and the like...

Romans 8:6 says that the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

Colossians 3:2- Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth...

Reading our Bibles on a regular basis is going to help us tremendously. Focusing on the Word, meditating on the Word, praying the Word, singing the Word… is all going to help us greatly… Taking our minds to the promises of God and the Hope of Christ is going to fill us with life...

So, can we take and use that saying once more? WE are what we eat.

We are what we consume. That is why Christ says, “Take me eat, eat my flesh and blood; consume my life… for in Him there is real life...”

So, the picture is pouring in the clean water and the good food from God… and cutting out the junk, and the life within… will come out of us.

Church family:

Minds are being led astray. Minds are being corrupted. Minds are leading us into bad decisions… And it is mainly our fault. We are allowing this to happen. We are not serious about the Christian life and about renewing our minds.

Romans 12:1-2 - Present your bodies… all of you… as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...

Christians can make progress in this. Christians must make progress in this.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - Take captive your thoughts to bey Christ...

This is a great battle for us all. It is the battle for the mind, to renew it for the Lord, by the Word of God. This takes real, deliberate, and aggressive effort. It involves taking in, cutting out, and filtering all things that come around… in order to take hold of the ungodly or untrue thoughts and to remove them from us... before they do harm.

Here is somewhat of a filter that is given in Philippians 4:8-9 - Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praise worthy… things that you learned from the godly man, Paul...think about these things… those things… practice these things… and then the God of peace will be with you.

We are getting back to the basics for 2025… and this often takes a reset. Not a pause… But a reset.

WE do not want to carry on in the way we have been. We do not want to stop and just keep going in the wrong direction...

We want to hit the reset button and get back to these basics.

This is a football...

This is what we have to work with. This is your mind. This is how you handle it. This is how you think about life. This is where you take your mind so that your life will be filled with peace and godliness...

Our minds need protection, guidance, and direction. Our minds must be informed of truth and must be guided into purity, holiness, and the like...

Your pastor is jealous for you… Because your God is jealous for you!

But… I am afraid of something… I am afraid that like Eve was deceived and led astray… so will you be led astray. Just as Eve was led away from God, from simple and pure devotion to the Lord… So will you be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Is this me? Is this us? Is the main thing the main thing?

There is this God. There is this life. There is this Savior. There is this message. There is this church. There is this mission.

This life and this church is about knowing God, worshipping God, serving God, enjoying God… and reaching the world for Him… all for Him.

Simple… pure… devotion to the Lord… day by day...

Hit the reset… and let’s go!

Get back to this. Don’t leave this. Do not let your minds… your minds… be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ...

The mind that is on the Person of God/Christ, the Gospel, the Kingdom of God, God’s business… a mind that prays, seeks God, worships, is about God’s work, and is bringing God’s business into dialogue with others…

That mind, or those minds will be filled with life.

Where is your mind today?

Close.