Twisted Mind and a Crooked Heart

2 Corinthians 10:1-5

1 By the meekness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you -- I, Paul, who am "timid" when face to face with you, but "bold" when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

How people stink I mean think, and peel, I mean feel is the subject of today’s message.

I hope to show you that a very large percentage of your thinking stinks.

Of course there will be some “saint” or “pillar of the church” that will automatically think they are not a stinking thinker which proves that their thinking stinks.

Oh well; stinking thinker, thinking stinks, stinker thinking, stinker thinker, or thinker stinking, they all boil down to one thing; a Twisted Mind and a Crooked Heart.

God knows the thoughts and intents of your heart…

I just want you to know that I love you all with all of my …

1. Filling a car with new oil after an oil change. Always buy six quarts of oil.

Shalimar by Coty Story. (Memory)

J & B 61

Ham in the Pan Story (habit, memory, patterns of thinking).

Temperament thinking.

Introverted Sanguine fear rejection and perceive rejection where there is not rejection.

Most of you are M and deal with anger.

Sanguine fear rejection.

Phlegmatic are team players.

Choleric do not like to be taken advantage of by others.

Let’s talk about emotional disturbances (stinking thinking).

How many of you remember bad things that happen to you? Good things? Which do you remember most?

Disadvantage thinking from birth due to the Old Sin Nature.

How long have you been a Christian? Prior to that you were totally carnal in your thinking. Time is needed for transition to the Godly way of thinking.

Like an occasional cold, headache or upset stomach, simple minor emotional disturbances (thinking) are a part of life for everyone. It is fairly common for a person to be quite upset over some petty annoyance or worried about some insignificant trifle; or feel tense or "down in the dumps" about "nothing at all." Reactions of this kind come last a while and then disappear.

But there are disturbances (thinking) which don't go away, which linger on for days or even weeks, become deep and intense, and affect one's overall behavior, feelings and thoughts. When a condition reaches that stage, it is no longer just an upset or disturbance, but an actual mental or emotional illness.

This kind of disorder has definite causes, upsets the system, and makes it behave abnormally. It should be regarded with the same attitude as we regard a physical illness.

How can you be upset and distressed over a major crisis in an intimate relationship if you can’t think about it?

Your heart is still there functioning but your mind determines your mental status.

HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN? Strongs 2352 Evil Thoughts

Most troubled people, people with mental problems, don't start out that way. Each one of us is born with the capacity to be gentle, friendly, loving, and kind. We also have in us the capacity to be fearful, suspicious, angry, destructive, and cruel. (Pretentions)

Emotional difficulties (stinking thinking) develop from early experiences which distort the normal emotional responses, and set up inappropriate and ineffective ways of dealing with life situations. Negative emotions develop in response to life experiences, especially those of early childhood.

Looking for a historical precedent of the origin of the lie is very important.

1. AID (Arrested identity development)

A mental or emotional illness (stinking thinking) may be rooted in:

Dysfunctional points.

1. A long and wearing siege of trouble, sickness, tragedy or hard luck. This can condition a person to be on a constant alert for trouble, trigger‑ready to flight or fight, and always expecting the worse.

2. A constant air of doom and gloom in the home. If a child is surrounded by an air of arguing and complain, they may grow up feeling that the world is hostile and no one is to be trusted. These negative, self‑defeating, pessimistic, attitudes will carry into adulthood.

3. Neglect or rejection in childhood. A child who is ignored or disliked may tend to feel that he lacks the qualities to make him lovable and acceptable. The self‑deprecating child becomes an adult full of insecurity, self‑doubt and fear, lacking confidence and expecting to be hurt, ignored and rebuffed.

The negative emotions grow out of such experiences may serve the purpose of self‑preservation.

Confronted by a tense or challenging situation, the person yields to fear and escapes, or else turns on the source of danger and tries to destroy or overcome it.

If the person is made to feel continually defensive or hostile, this kind of response becomes a fixed pattern of behavior, even when no real threat is present.

There is an answer:

5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ!

Turn to 1 Cor. 10:12-13

Strengthened and Renewed by the Holy Spirit: Strongs 2584

Ps 51:10, Isa 40:31, Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 4:16, 2 Cor. 10:5

Psalm 44:5 5 Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. (NIV)

1 John 5:4-5 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (NIV)

Revelation 15:1-4

1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues -- last, because with them God's wrath is completed. 2 And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. (NIV)

THE EMOTIONALLY DEPENDENT PERSON:

The emotionally dependent person is the individual in the relationship who is the primary dependent. This person views connection to another person as the essential source for their self-esteem and security. This is the weaker of the two people in the relationship who leans on the stronger, yet controls the stronger with their manipulation and their great neediness.

THE CO-DEPENDENT PERSON:

The co-dependent person is the individual in the relationship who is stronger but easily controlled by the neediness of the weaker, emotionally dependent person. The co-dependent will compromise their own well-being to meet the needs and to protect the feelings of their leaning, emotionally dependent family member, friend, or co-worker.