Tools for the Christian Walk-A Sanctified Mind 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Pick and bring reconciliation to relationships that are estranged. He can take children to ride and bring them back on Center. He can open up doors of opportunity for gainful employment. You've been trying for the longest, but what happens if you haven't talked to God

Amen, amen. Thank you men. Thank you so much. amen men The only way the world is going to know. is if we each other A man that is the truth. Nobody's going to know about the goodness of the Lord unless we tell him in fact Paul says how shall they hear without a preacher? And how can he preach unless he be sent. How beautiful are the feet of him upon the mount that brings Good Tidings of Peace? Amen. Amen. Does praise God for the men today praise God for you being here today in Mount Olive praise God for what he's doing here in this place in this time in history a menfolk getting saved getting baptized getting healed. We have to just give God praise and now

amen

Thank you. God for this day. We thank you for your goodness to us. We thank you Father for how you have continued to work and I working. We pray that will God that you is only you can father would have your way Lord. Let the words of my mouth meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. Oh Lord my strength and my redeemer father for the one who doesn't know you we pray to God that today. They would come to know you are the one who is estranged from fellowship and friends and family pray that they might consider being a part of this family of God lord. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen.

It is the single most powerful tool. in the Christian toolbox

without it there would be no forgiveness. Orlando prayer fact there's some folks who've already. Coined the phrase that a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

The word mine is mention no less than 97 times in the Bible.

So the subject is Warfare. The objective is your defeat. His tool is deception. And his focus is your mind. I know my Bible is turn to say Corinthians chapter 10 verses 3 to 6. The Apostle Paul is speaking to a very should we say a very very different type of Christian? For they are very carnal and immature group of people. Who are rather be an impressive than honest? Savvy then spiritual fornicate then faithful He's talking to a people who are so wrapped up in themselves that they are legends in their own mind. They are charismatic. They are Charming. They are gifted. But Paul now in this letter as he makes the defense for his apostleship brings home to him to them some major concerns.

He brings to their attention. That we are in the midst of warfare. So it there and I'll first couple of verses the Apostle Paul addressing the issue. He says first of all in these verses for though we walk in the flesh. We do not war after the flesh. He said I don't know about you, but some of you should we say seasoned enough to remember that day which lives in infamy December 7th 1941. For the rest of us remember that we were someplace. on September 11th When we were then brought to our attention if you will let someone decided to crash their Jets objects. into the Twin Towers I remember I was at my grandmother's house. I just come in from sitting on the porch on what they would call kidding awake at the time and that's how I walked into the house. I was sitting by my grandmother who was been convalescing. Washington Today Show and that's why I was watching it today. So I noticed that they flashed over to the screen and when they flashed over to the next screen, I saw a plane flying to one of the Twin Towers. Talk to myself. I said well that must be an accident.

But when they flew in the second when I said we are at War right now, but love it. I want to let you know that when you became a Christian it became a declaration of war. You need to wake up and understand that I wore is unique because it's not one that uses the regular weapons of our world that world uses impressive credentials Out World uses influence. Our world uses education. Our world uses politics and power. But the Apostle Paul says we don't war after the Warfare of the way folks do in the world. Since I wore here, we have to understand that though. We walk through the world. We are in our flesh. He says I wore his unique is in our flesh but not on that. It is in the spiritual realm that we wore. But he says this here in first 4 for the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, but doesn't want you to understand something that that and I were at the work. That's right. The first of the word Warfare he is the word we use for a strategy. And the witness that he speaks of here for believers here is a different type of it's very simple. In what minute is it is prayer. The whip it is obedience. The weather is nice things because in doing these things we are able to accomplish what it is that God calls. Is it in for our weapons? He says and verse for is our mighty. They're my teeth are Mighty because they are spiritual and not physical a minibus. We are fighting battles with fighting Wars. We're fighting against people and we are dealing with the physical. We think that dealing with the physical is going to help us get by no. No, you're really dealing with something behind the physical. But we wrestle not against flesh and blood. but against principalities evil wickedness in high places. We don't fight a regular Warfare you trying to figure out why this situation continue to happen to you my question to you was all you using your weapon. Give me example Incubus have this one time. I had the unfortunate situation happen to meet up locking my keys in the car. Whenever you lock your keys in your car. You always do it at the most inconvenient time. You're on your way to somewhere. You got to be and you patch a pocket. And you know is that ups? I don't have my keys. So you look around you're just to see all they only Dustin when you open it just throw it away. I didn't put them in there, you know, okay, they're not they're they're not in your jacket pocket and then after while they might be in the car when you think you know what you do and I sitting on the seat of the car. Put the door lock.

Do not usually Zaycon set up. Now. Most of us are nebulae the car will automatically help a lot for you. But no not so what I did was sit there and try to figure out how I was going to get my keys out of cups used to use a coat hanger can use go. Hang on these cars.

So what I did was see if I didn't have enough of that stuff that fills the green stuff to be able to do it. So I'm trying to figure out man. I just got so I walked to my residence and I never get one day my brother says to me.

Why you call me?

Why don't you pick up the phone? Just call me. I could have helped you with that. God say why did you call me?

The financial situation why you just call me I could have helped you with that. Your kid is acting crazy. Guess what? Why don't you call me? Do with that your white your husband could have helped you with that because the weapons of your world fair enough physical you sitting here arguing with them. You need to be talkin to me. You argue with them. You don't know to talk to me you got held up in your house cuz you not talkin to me.

Yes. I weapons of spiritual did not physical. So God calls on us you and I to pray. Do you know what I need watch this not just pray, but get on your knee. There's something about bow in the knee that's different. So you need to let us know that God is who he says he is and we are his servant but but but but you need to pray. because that's the most powerful weapon that you and I have it's like a Communications officer in the military on the field. The people that snipers want to take out the quickest or Communications officers because if they take you out they don't know where to drop off your rations. They don't know where to drop off your ammunition. They don't know how to Target anyone and if you had a 4oz operating point where you sing at the front telling him how to identify different targets. Yeah. Yeah. We need to get rid of you. Pratt so that God can put his strategy at work and I weapons are spiritual not physical and also he says there are powerful and not weak. He says they're Mighty what treaty says right there. He says they are Mighty for pulling down strongholds if you will. Through God to the pulling down of strongholds another world those things that we have been dealing with for years.

4 year what year God can pull down in a matter of seconds some things and God just by you talkin to him over a. Of time. He can take care of those thing. He can bring reconciliation to relationships that are estranged and bring them back on Center. He can open up doors of opportunity for gainful employment. You've been trying for the longest, but what happens if you haven't talked to God so he says you need to understand first of all that I was unique. The Flash Send the spiritual realm that I weapons are mighty. Mighty through God Not Mighty through your physical strength But Mighty through God, not only that their spiritual and not physical.

They also powerful. And not weak assures this Victory imagination that this is where it begins beloved it begins in the mind. That's where I'm at relations take place. It takes place in the mind you get do you know what happens within the Mike what happens to a person who allows the devil to make a nest in their head? The deception the delusions the lies that he tells us that we believe ourselves even about other people. Do you know how many you know how how many people are depressed because of what's going on right here? The four categories of a milk. One of the music is just straight out depression depression is probably be most debilitating of the mental illnesses that exist today much of which is self-imposed in some respects because we continue to allow those things to remain resident and resonate in our own minds. We continue to allow them to be entertained and I mine. Okay. And so what happens is the enemy takes advantage of those things. We say things to ourselves that we wouldn't say to help yourself like I can never do that. I'm never going to be successful. Is that why I couldn't do that. I'm not that smart. So I can't do that. I'm not that attractive. So I I can't do that or you can't do that. You can't you can't do that. Who told you you could do that. I mean, you're not smart for the wrong neighborhood.

cuz the enemy Has the stuff going on in your mind? Why would you ask God for something like that? God doesn't hear you always call it the deception. It's the it's not just a deception. But it is this. What I call of avalor mint. This is enticing. Where the devil is whispering in your ear something about you and you think that is you but it's really him. I remember the movie Inception. Was very very destructive for me and understanding this. I thought Planet so deeply in your subconscious that you think that is your thought but it ain't The enemy who's telling you these things you might have grew up in a family where your father mother told you work with recording. So back in the back of your mind. You think I am You become a workaholic you if you become a perfectionist B you becoming obsessive compulsive. Because I'm so busy trying to get off Monday. You ain't working for. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Somebody is told you something else about yourself imaginations every imagination you're casting down the road casting needs to be you're destroying them. How do you destroy something you shine the light on in the truth? Shiga says that you are fearfully wonderfully man. Oh, yeah, no matter what's going on. We need to understand that but I also just for a few of us that got what I called the big head. He says even or not best day. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. Because he said it was We believe We are the greatest thing since sliced bread and some of us need to get the bubble pop roof because we walk around here and we feel we are entitled. We have the cash down those wrong imaginations and the Apostle Paul. Also, lets us know that we have to do it by not being conformed to this world but being renewed and I Mine by the scripture you are so that we may be able to prove that good that perfect and acceptable will of God. Why because that mine is the thing that informs everything else we do if we have the wrong mindset about life. Guess what happens if it determines our attitude. Did you know that a synonym for the mind is attitude? When Paul is talking in Philippians chapter 2, he's talkin the greatest passage of the New Testament that isn't Philippians 2 kenosha's pageant. He said let this mind watch this this attitude being you which was also in Christ Jesus who did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but he made himself of no reputation and when he was found in fashion for men with what he did was Pee sacrificed himself, behalf of you and I

condescended Do not allow hid the fact that he was God In the Flesh to thwart God's agenda because he was humble.

He says casting down imagination, but I'd only that number three number to capturing wrong thoughts. We don't have enough. We don't have enough scripture to check.

Sumo cyco signing on bad things, but we need to have enough scripture to check a thought right at the door. So hideous and roll around on my continuing consecutive to the point that we are functioning under false pretenses.

If he would have said God didn't say that. Adam you need to handle this. Did you mad at dad would have said God said don't eat of the fruit that they did we do. We shall surely die. We not going to even touch the fruit. Because they didn't check what he said. Bail out what he said to influence him and now all of us in a world of hurt. Because if you check us out. Some of us we allowed the world to give us a picture of who we are. We have to look a certain way sounds do I smell in a certain way dress a certain way in order for us to feel like we are doing the right thing. But the reality is we need to capture that thought because it's the wrong so stop that the world wants to put upon us. I saw the Apostle Paul also says that on that to be cast down imagination. I don't catch it should be over Disobedience. Somebody gets the 5 and 6. He says he says it and every High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to The Obedience of Christ watch this and having and Readiness to Revenge all Disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

The Apostle Paul is dealing with a group of carnal Christians. Please call Chris just haven't figured out yet. You haven't figured out yet that the stuff that they're dealing with his worldly. This idea that the church is made up of the gifted and talented the town of the temp and you will the folks who are Prudential the function look good smell good up the folks who got all the stuff going for them.

We're fine if those individuals who are supposedly disqualified the world. Are those annually most qualified for the kingdom. And those individuals who are what we would consider most qualified in this world on them folks were disqualified because they will not watch this and race that they need. I'm smart. I am intelligent. I have credentials. I have a position I have power and so what do I need God for when I have all dressed up. I mean, I'm big up in the world. I'm going to see I'm a lawyer. I'm at this time of that. So what do I need to do that? They going to do what I'm saying? But all the rest of us poor folks because we need God to help us.

Because we realize that we were.

We need him. So we find that those individuals. Who have that type of influence? But have that type of power or less inclined. The hold on to our Lord. So what Paul wants to do with these Christians? Is bring them all under obedience and in bringing them into obedience. The thing that happens is he's able to accomplish the task at the church has to accomplish. He's able to accomplish and do what God Said do because now he can turn the church to function under God's word and instead of the influence of those Rich influential people. Oh Lord have mercy I I know that if Heaven could be bought George Soros or or some other Rich. Jeff. Bezos would have bought it by now and would be how much in tickets to get in. Thank God for Jesus.

so when we come to this issue of the Mind. This issue of our attitude. Because ultimately this attitude that we have determined a lot of things. There was a German scuse me a Jewish.

Holocaust Survivor What time he was inside of the prison if you will his name was Viktor Frankl?

While suffering in the concentration camp he came to the conclusion that everything that a man has can be taken away from him except for one thing. his choice his choice to have the right type of attitude about things. Chuck Swindoll says the longer I live the more. I realize the impact of attitude on life. Is more important than the past? Is more important than education than money? Ben circumstances, then failures and successes. Then what other people think or say or do is more important than appearance giftedness or skill it make it will make or break a company or church or home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude. We will Embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people acting a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that is our attitude. I'm convinced that life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitude. What's a you this morning?

What's saying you are you at the attitude that though? I am a person who may be estranged from God that I don't need God. Is that your attitude this morning? That you don't need God or are you at the attitude that here? I am even though I am a believer. I don't need to pray.

Did I can just live life as I please? I think the Apostle Paul was different from you from that and more importantly God would so as you're standing on your feet today.

And you're standing on your feet if you were here in the sound of my voice. You need to know that Jesus Christ. the righteous one Jesus Christ Our Savior and Lord

today he has offering unto you. help he says come unto me all ye that labor. in a heavy laden

very very poignant word Thank you for joining us today. If you happen to be in the Washington DC area. Feel free to join us at the Mount Olive Baptist Church 11 46th Street Northeast, Washington, DC 20002. Again, thanks for listening. God bless you, richly and have a great week.