Training Your Mind

Welcome to Verde Valley Christian Church
September 8, 2019 / / / Mastermind / / / Week 2-Training Your Mind.

Too often we become prisoners to thoughts telling us to worry, or telling us that we aren't good enough, or that we can't ever change our behavior. Join us in MASTERMIND, a series designed to shine a light on the dark strongholds that hold us down. Through the healing power of Christ and practical focused thinking practices we can renew our minds and be transformed for the better forever.
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Title: "Training Your MInd"
Speaker: Jim Hammond
Series: MASTERMIND

Review: Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.

Review: God's Word and science agree: 1) We can train our minds. 2) We can deconstruct harmful thought patterns and replace them.

I. THINK about what you THINK about

A. Use God's FILTER

Philippians 4:8 (NLT2)
…Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Whatever you are streaming in your thought life will become your life movie.

B. STORE the right stuff

Luke 6:45
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Psalm 119:11 (NIV2011)

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV)

I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

meditation: to engage in mental exercise;
to focus one's thoughts on God's truth.

NOT the practice of "emptying" one's mind
to achieve an altered state of consciousness.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

C. DEMOLISH the wrong stuff

2 Corinthians 10:4-5
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 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.

diabolos ( διάβολος ), "accuser" is used 34 times as a title of Satan, the Devil (the English word is derived from the Greek).

The Devil's lie: Your identity comes from what you have done.
God's truth: Your identity comes from what God has done for you.

The Devil's lie: Your identity comes from what people say about you.
God's truth: Your identity comes from what God says about you.

The Devil's lie: Your behavior tells you what to believe about yourself.
God's truth: Your belief about yourself determines your behavior.

II. REWIRE your brain and body

A. WRITE the wrong thought—confess the lie

B. REWRITE it to make it the right thought—affirm the truth

C. AUDIBLE your faith affirmations

Making your faith thoughts audible is part of the training practice built into the Hebrew word for "meditation".

Joshua 1:8
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

D. PRACTICE new behavior projects

Dear God,
We need Your help. It's not easy changing the way we think, and we can't do it without Your power. Holy Spirit, give us the strength to speak God's Word to the lies and negative thinking in our brains. Jesus, thank You for Your grace that heals and restores us as we seek You.
In Your name, amen!