Untitled Sermon (2)

Thoughts

Who do you listen to?

Open in Prayer

Alright—don’t overthink this.

When I say go, I want you to start counting quietly in your head from 1 to 10. And when I say now, I want everyone to say their name outloud. Ready…Go……..5 sec “NOW”....

What happened to the counting??? [wait for their thoughts]

It stopped…..But why did it stop?

Because our mind HAS to stop and listen to our mouth.

Pause

What we SAY OVERRIDES what we think….That’s not random. That’s how God wired us.

What you say…. has the power to interrupt what you think.

Your thoughts didn’t politely fade away—you overrode them.

Here is the Real Battle: Your Mind Is Not Neutral.

Most of us live in what I call mental ping-pong: we get caught up in the mental ping-pong game of life, good thougths bad thoughts, this back and forth,

“I’m good enough.” “No I’m not.” “God’s with me.” “But what if He’s not?” “I can do this.” “I’m going to fail.”

We are trying to think good thoughts, NOT bad ones. The pattern goes on and on. It just happens, but how do we stop that?

We think the solution is: “I just need to think better thoughts.”

But Scripture doesn’t treat thoughts as neutral or automatic.

The Bible says thoughts are territory. That this is not passive—this is warfare:

Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. Let’s look at the paraphrase of The Message for another viewpoint:

“The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools to smash warped philosophies, tear down barriers erected against the truth of God, and fit every loose thought, emotion, and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.

That’s not acceptance. That’s aggressive reorientation.

Meaning: You don’t let thoughts live rent-free in your head. You decide what gets access.

Guy’s We have to say something… we have to… we have to interrupt the argument with a Voice, and that's what's gonna stop it. The counting exercise we just did. Depending on how fast you counted, most of you got to 5, so when I said now 6, 7, 8 didn’t come to mind because you said your name. We had to stop the thought of counting with our voices. God is saying, if you want to start winning some of those thoughts, you need to say something, we need to capture those thoughts and make them obedient to Jesus. Guys, I need to frequently….I mean, frequently…. need to speak His truth into my life from scripture, NOT what I feel or what I want to happen; that's not what God says.

Let me be honest—this takes discipline.

I don’t naturally want to say:

“God is faithful”

“I am loved”

“This season has purpose.”

I want to say:

“I want to feel better”

“I want this to change”

“I want them to act different”

But there’s no power in my wants.

Power comes from God’s truth.

So instead of:

“I feel anxious.” Say: “God has not given me a spirit of fear.”Instead of:

“I’m not enough.” Say: “I am created in God’s image.”Instead of:

“I’ll never change.” Say: “He who began a good work in me will finish it.”

You don’t wait until your emotions agree. You speak until your mind listens.

We Don’t Just Reject Thoughts—We Replace Them

Here’s what Scripture makes clear:

Mental discipline isn’t just about saying “no” to bad thoughts. It’s about filling your mind with better ones.

Paul says in Romans 12:2

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Another way to say it… Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

That word renewing literally means rewiring.

You don’t just unplug lies—you install truth.

Paul gets very practical in Philippians 4.

He says: Think about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and excellent.

Here are some other verses that might help.

There are plenty of others, but here is a start.

Psalms 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. NLT

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Deuteronomy 31:8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. NLT

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 … “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. NLT

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Notice the shift:

Not just what to reject

But what to focus on

Because empty space doesn’t stay empty for long.

If you don’t choose what fills your mind, something else will.

Why Your Voice Matters So Much:

That’s why just thinking the truth often isn’t enough.

You have to say it.

This is where your voice comes back into the picture.

Thinking truth helps, but saying truth changes things. Speaking truth aloud carries power that silent assent does not—because the loudest voice always wins.

Peace doesn’t come from having no thoughts. Peace comes from directed focus.

And focus is trained—not wished for.

And I will say again that’s why just thinking the truth often isn’t enough.

You have to say it.

Just like the counting stopped when you spoke your name, Negative thoughts stop when the truth is spoken out loud.

You didn’t argue with the numbers. You interrupted them.

That’s how spiritual transformation actually works.

Closing Challenge

So here’s the question tonight:

Who do you listen to?

Because thoughts are not harmless. They shape your peace. They shape your faith. They shape your future.

Your mind is territory—and God has given you authority.

This week, when the argument starts in your head: Don’t stay silent.

Say something. Interrupt it. Replace it. Take it captive.

The loudest voice wins.

And when truth speaks, lies don’t get the final word.