Topic: Mindset

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

• What you believe about Jesus determines your eternal outcome but your behavior determines the quality of life you experience now as a believer in the earth.
• What you think about the most, you will eventually believe. What you believe, you will say with your mouth. What you believe in your heart and say with your mouth shapes your life experience.

• Being a Christian is not about behavior modification!
• Being a Christian is about transformation – becoming someone brand new.

Some think that renewing the mind is simply replacing the worldly value system that you have had and replacing it with God’s value system or removing old standards and replacing with new ones. Renewing does not mean learning.

Romans 12:1-2 | TPT (1) Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. (2) Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

The word “transformed” is the Greek word that we get the English word “metamorphosis”.

Metamorphosis – a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.

• God is interested in something supernatural happening on the inside of us that changes us on the outside.

The Bible is very clear in teaching us that the way that we change is by changing the way that we think.

Other translations speak about the “renewing of the mind”.

So, if there are behaviors, habits, etc. that we have in our lives, then they can be changed or eliminated by changing the way that we think.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 | KJV For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds😉 (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Four Levels of Mental Activity:

1. Thoughts
2. Imaginations
3. High things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God
4. Strongholds

2 Corinthians 10:4 NKJV (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,

What is a stronghold? In the Greek, it is defined as a fortification such as a high-walled city or castle but this word can also be translated as a prison with high walls and fortifications.

We are talking about patterns of behavior that have been built in our lives, mostly over long periods of time that started with thoughts and have been established as strongholds or habits.

Habit – a pattern of behavior that we do enough until it has become almost involuntary.

I believe there are habits that we can build in our lives and some we can even overcome just through discipline. But there are others that are going to take more than just discipline; they are going to require supernatural weapons.

Isaiah 10:27 KJV And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Breaking Bad

You can gain the victory over the bad strongholds (habits) in your life!

1. Be willing to identify the stronghold.

Proverbs 28:13 NIrV (13) Anyone who hides his sins doesn’t succeed. But anyone who admits his sins and gives them up finds mercy.

Darkness cannot continue in the light.

2. Fast and deny the desires of the flesh to amplify the anointing.

Part of this is to deny your mind the triggers. Only YOU can identify these.

Isaiah 58:8 AMPC (8) Then shall your light break forth like the morning, and your healing (your restoration and the power of a new life) shall spring forth speedily; your righteousness (your rightness, your justice, and your right relationship with God) shall go before you [conducting you to peace and prosperity], and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. [Exo 14:19-20; Isa 52:12]

3. Pray and ask the Lord for help and He will answer.

Isaiah 58:9 NKJV (9) Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’…

4. There must be some Word push-back by you.

Luke 4:4 NKJV But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD.’ “

Jesus answered him the same way in verses 8 and 12.

5. Deal with one stronghold at a time.

Deal with the strongholds in the descending order of their impact on your life.

You will find that sometimes they are connected in that one habit opens the door for another.

Don’t let the enemy get you busy fighting more than one fire at a time.

6. Don’t try to be a hero. Get help if you need it!

Proverbs 18:1 AMPC (1) HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out against all wise and sound judgment.

Genesis 2:18 NKJV (18) And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

7. Receive your freedom by faith!

Psalms 37:39-40 TPT (39) But the Lord will be the Savior of all who love him. Even in their time of trouble God will live in them as strength. (40) Because of their faith in him, their daily portion will be a Father’s help and deliverance from evil. This is true for all who turn to hide themselves in him!

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV (3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Four Levels of Mental Activity:

1. Thoughts (selection)
2. Imaginations
3. High things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God
4. Strongholds

High things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.

2 Corinthians 10:5 AMPC (5) [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),

If the enemy wants to shape the decisions that someone makes that is not a believer, then all he has to do is keep them away from the truth either from a Christian or in Church.

But how does he work in the life of a believer that is hearing the Word of God? How does he endeavor to affect the decisions that a believer is making who is consistently exposed to the truth of the Word of God?

The only way that he can have any influence on the decisions of a believer is to bring you a second word in a way that is deceptive or subtle enough to get you to believe the second word over the first Word from God.

Once a person has heard the Word, the only thing he can do is bring an alternative word that he convinces you to buy in to.

Genesis 3:1-6 NKJV (1) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

God had already brought the first Word to Adam and Eve:

Genesis 2:16-17 NKJV (16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Satan manages to bring a second word that is subtle and cunning to produce the deception to Adam and Eve.

There are some earmarks that will be consistent with the second word when the enemy brings it to you:

1. It always begins with a question.

Genesis 3:1 NKJV “…Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

To the extent that you truly know what God has said, you are vulnerable to the question marks that the second word will bring to you.

Eve misquoted what God said because it was a little fuzzy in Eve’s mind as she really was not sure what God had said (reflection on Adam).

2. There will always be a direct contradiction in the second word.

Genesis 3:4 NKJV (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

Along with the contradiction often times will be accompanied by a direct shot at the character of God.

Genesis 3:5 NKJV (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

3. Always appeals to the flesh.

Genesis 3:6 NKJV (6) So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

The second word will often take the responsibility off of you for your actions and this appeals to the flesh (God could have allowed that situation to teach you something…).

1 Kings 13:1-24 NKJV And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. (2) Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ” (3) And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” (4) So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. (5) The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. (6) Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. (7) Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” (8) But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. (9) For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’ ” (10) So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. (11) Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. (12) And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. (13) Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, (14) and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” (15) Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” (16) And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. (17) For I have been told by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.’ ” (18) He said to him, “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (He was lying to him.) (19) So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. (20) Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; (21) and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, (22) but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ” (23) So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. (24) When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse.

The second word will always cost you in life.

• The Word of God was questioned by the King and then by the Old Prophet.
• The Word of God was then contradicted by the Old Prophet when he said that the angel had appeared unto him to tell him the young man should some to his house and eat, but he was lying.
• He was tired and hungry and thirsty and therefore the invitation appealed to his flesh.
• The enemy is referred to as being like the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. When the young prophet gave heed to the second word, it opened the door to the devouring ability of the lion on the road.
• Most likely Satan is not going to come to you through a serpent. You are probably too smart for that and would not give in to that.
• But we do see something different here in that the enemy may use someone that you allow to speak into your life to bring you the second word.

What is the defense against the second word?

1. Know beyond any shadow of doubt what the written Word of God has said for yourself. You must be grounded in the Word of God.
2. Where the will of God is concerned that is not directly addressed by the written Word of God, you are to follow after the inward witness of God’s spirit in your heart.
3. God never deals in second words. He always has the best idea the first time. You will know the voice of your Shepherd. (John 10)
4. God always comes to you with a conviction and a knowing in your heart.

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

What you believe about Jesus determines your eternal outcome, but your behavior determines the quality of life you experience now as a believer in the earth.

Your behavior is shaped by your decisions and decisions are shaped by our thought patterns.

The Process of Renewing the Mind

Romans 12:2 TPT (2) Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

The transformation of our lives is contingent upon the renewing of our minds.

How do you renew your mind?

It is a process of taking out and putting in. (Housecleaning and refurnishing)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV (3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Four Levels of Mental Activity:

1. Thoughts
2. Imaginations
3. High things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God
4. Strongholds

There is no place in the Bible that says that Satan is able to place thoughts in our minds. That premise implies that he is omniscient.

There is only One who knows the thoughts and intents of the human heart and that is the Lord.

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV (7) …For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Satan is a fallen angel and is not all powerful, everywhere at once and does not know what you are thinking.

There is no such thing as a blank mind. Your mind is in operation all the time.

Our thoughts are a process of moving through the circumstances of our everyday life.

Thoughts are introduced to you by the observation, association, teachings, and the circumstances of life.

You determine the thoughts that you take or reject.

1. The first level of mental activity is the selection of thoughts.

Matthew 6:25 KJV (25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:31 KJV (31) Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

The word “saying” in the Greek is “lego” meaning you are laying it out and systematically communicating your thoughts and relating them to you. You are connecting it to you.

You take a thought by attaching words to it and saying it out of your mouth.

2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

The thoughts that come to you that do not correspond with the standards of God’s Word, you do not put words to them, and you don’t take them.

The thoughts are in line with God’s Word or the dream He has placed in your heart, you take those by putting Words to them.

2. The second level of mental activity is imagination.

Imagination – the process of mental imagery.

Mentally imaging your circumstance and the thoughts you have taken building an image of what your life can be as it relates to that thought pattern.

This is the level where behavior comes into play as you begin to visualize your life in one way or another.

Genesis 11:6 AMPC (6) And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them.

• • • The process of visual imagery is what leads to behavior.
    • The process of repetitive or consistent behavior will only take place if there has been repetitive or consistent visual imagery.
    • Patterns of behavior that can be defined as habitual start this way.

3. The third level of mental activity are high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.
4. The third level of mental activity is called a stronghold.

We are created by God with the ability to create habit patterns to make us more efficient so that eventually you can do things without having to consciously think about them.

Example – when we were young we had to remind ourselves or someone else remind us to go and brush our teeth in the morning.

Habit – behavior that does not rely on a recurring mental process and becomes a stronghold. It literally can become an enemy fortification if Satan becomes involved.

Habit (Dictionary) – an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

How do you begin the process of renewing your mind and changing your thinking?

Ephesians 4:23-24 AMPC (23) And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], (24) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.

Someone might ask, “Well, what am I supposed to think about?”

Philippians 4:8 AMP (8) For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

We must then begin the building process of selecting thoughts and then spending time building imaginations around thoughts from the Word of God.

To put the right things in your mind you must simply reverse the process:

1. Establish in your heart where you find the things to place in your mind: the Word of God.

The Word is the standard of measurement.

Joshua 1:8 NKJV (8) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

2. Keep the Word of God before you and in your mouth.
3. Build a mental image of your life being lived within the parameters of God’s Word and changing your behavior.
4. Stay consistent with the process of renewing your mind – day and night.
5. You can build a new habit pattern in 21 days based on behavioral studies that have established that. If you stay with this process you can change in less than a month!

At the maximum, you can build a new habit after doing something 30-40 times.

Luke 21:18-19 TPT (18) But don’t worry. My grace will never desert you or depart from your life. (19) And by standing firm with patient endurance you will find your souls’ deliverance.”

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

Some may think that you are living out of your spirit. You actually are living out of your thoughts. Your actions always follow your thinking.

Proverbs 23:6-8 TPT (6) Be sensible when you dine with a stingy man and don’t eat more than you should. (7) For as he thinks within himself, so is he. He will grudgingly say, “Go ahead and eat all you want,” but in his heart he resents the fact that he has to pay for your meal. (8) You’ll be sorry you ate anything at all, and all your compliments will be wasted.

Isaiah 55:7 NKJV (7) Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

The way that someone returns unto the Lord is in your thoughts first.

As a believer you have a choice to think in line with your spirit or in line with your five physical senses.

Which way the mind swings determines the direction of your life.

What controls your dedication to the things of God is your thinking.

What changes you from being shaped like the world is your thinking.

What you believe about Jesus determines your eternal outcome but your behavior determines the quality of life you experience now as a believer in the earth.

Our behavior produces the kind of life that we have and if we will adapt our behavior to the standard of God’s Word, we will enjoy His blessing and involvement in our lives.

We make hundreds of decisions every day – about 20% are conscious decisions and the other 80% are reflexive. This speaks to the need for preconditioning in our lives to make sure that we reflexively respond the way should and make good decisions.

The things that exercise the greatest amount of influence in our lives, are the things that help shape the decisions that we make on a regular basis.

God labors through your recreated spirit to influence your decision-making process. (1 John 4:15)

Your body is influenced by the sensory perceptions it has to provide influences in your decision-making process.

Your soul is the seat of your decision-making process.

Your soul is comprised of your mind, will, and your emotions.

Your mind is the deciding factor in which course you will follow.

Romans 8:5-6 NKJV (5) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

How do we get from being carnally minded to being spiritually minded?

The process is called to renewing your mind.

Romans 12:2 NKJV (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 12:2 TPT (2) Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.

The transformation of our lives is contingent upon the renewing of our minds.

Some think that renewing the mind is simply replacing the worldly value system that you have had and replace it with God’s value system or removing old standards and replacing with new ones.

Renewing does not mean learning. Paul was writing to people who were Born Again and had a basic knowledge of the Word of God.

Renewing the mind means taking what you already know and refilling and replenishing in the continuous present sense.

Refilling and replenishing the mind with things that you have already learned is a continual ongoing process.

How do you renew your mind?

It is a process of taking out and putting in. (Housecleaning and refurnishing)

Don’t have a mental garage sale, just burn it.

You would not go out and buy new furniture and then squeeze it in next to the old furniture and make it fit, no you get rid of the old and replace it with the new.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV (3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (4) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Four Levels of Mental Activity:

1. Thoughts
2. Imaginations
3. High things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God
4. Strongholds

There is no place in the Bible that says that Satan is able to place thoughts in our minds. That premise implies that he is omniscient.

There is only One who knows the thoughts and intents of the human heart and that is the Lord.

1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV (7) But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

Satan is a fallen angel and is not all powerful, everywhere at once and does not know what you are thinking.

Our thoughts are a process of moving through the circumstances of our everyday life.

There is no such thing as a blank mind. Your mind is in operation all the time.

Thoughts are introduced to you by observation, association, teachings, and the circumstances of life.

Matthew 6:25 KJV (25) Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

You determine the thoughts that you take or reject.

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

Luke 24:1-4 NKJV (1) Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. (2) But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. (3) Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

The Scripture says that they were very much perplexed or troubled or worried. (perplexed – surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.) They are worried because they are believing the wrong thing.

• Worry is a result of believing the wrong thinking.

They believed incorrectly that Jesus was dead.

They were the last ones to see the dead body of Jesus. They saw his bloodied, beaten and mutilated body and were there when it was placed in the tomb then they had to sit on that for 24 hours because of the Sabbath.

In their minds they are expecting to come back and see what they had seen before.

The angels began the process of bringing them out of their worried and anxious state.

Luke 24:5-8 NKJV (5) Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? (6) He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, (7) saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” (8) And they remembered His words.

Jesus talked about this so much that even His enemies were aware of it because they stationed guards at His tomb so that the disciples could not steal the body to prove Jesus’ statements.

But His own disciples forgot it. It never really registered to them what He was saying. Not one disciple was waiting at the tomb on that morning but it did not keep Him from rising from the dead.

• When you forget the Word that you have heard and don’t do it, you fall into a misbelief and believe the wrong things.

As a result of believing the wrong thing, you will be filled with worry and anxiety.

Luke 24:9-12 NKJV (9) Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. (10) It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. (11) And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. (12) But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

They are in doubt because they do not remember what Jesus said nor do they believe what the women told them.

Luke 24:13-26 NKJV (13) Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. (14) And they talked together of all these things which had happened. (15) So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. (16) But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. (17) And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” (18) Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” (19) And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, (20) and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. (21) But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. (22) Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. (23) When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. (24) And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” (25) Then He said to them, “O foolish ones (KJV – fools), and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! (26) Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”

Jesus does not speak any Word that is not divinely chosen by God. He called them “fools” but He was not insulting. He was simply saying to them, “You have been fooled.”

• The disciples were fooled by their own physical senses which told them something different than what Jesus had said.

They believed He was dead because that is what their senses told them.

Luke 24:27-32 NKJV (27) And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. (28) Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. (29) But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. (30) Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. (31) Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. (32) And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?”

Jesus manifested Himself to them, but the manifestation came after the teaching of the Scriptures. Instead of just showing the scars, He takes them through the Word of God and shows it to them from the Word. Only after that is He manifested.

• Before you ever receive a manifestation from God, you must first receive and believe His Word.

He convinced them with the Word, not the manifestation.

• We must incorporate God’s information into our thinking to change our believing and eliminate worry.

James 1:21 NKJV (21) Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

James is telling us that we do not need new roots. We got new roots when we accepted Christ. Our branches are part of the tree and are a picture of your mind.

It is up to us to take off the bad branches one by one and begin to replace them with God’s branches so that we can begin to produce the right believing. God’s branches are not native to us but can be grafted into us.

We learn to take God’s Word and replace our old way of thinking and believing into God’s way of thinking.

James 1:22-25 NKJV (22) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; (24) for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (25) But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

James says that God’s Word is a mirror that sets me free.

• God’s Word does not show you the way you were or are but it shows you what you can be with Christ. It shows you that you are free.

What we have to do is go to the Word of God and begin to change our thinking and engraft His promises into our thinking and thus change our believing and wipe out worry for good.

• Worry is a result of wrong belief.
• We believe the wrong things because of wrong thinking.
• We have wrong thinking because we have been receiving the wrong information.
• We have to incorporate God’s information into our thinking to change our believing and eliminate worry.

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV (1)  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. (2)  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Mindset: a mental attitude or inclination, a fixed state of mind

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV (23) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:15 NLT (15) All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

The spirit of man is the eternal part of you. It is the part of us that makes contact with God.

The spirit of man is where God lives in you and this is where He speaks to you.

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV (23) Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

Issues of life = resources of life; the outflow of life

Guard your heart – same as building a wall around a well

The spirit of man is the place from which answers from the Lord come. It is the place where He reveals His solutions to us.

Worry and anxiety is the direct result of a fruitless search for life’s answers out of your human mind.

Your mind is a wonderful tool, but your mind can only give out what you put into it. If you do not put the information into your mind, you cannot ever retrieve that information.

Your mind does not always do a perfect job of giving you back everything you put into it. It can sometimes give back what you put in it in a way that is a little bit inaccurate. Studied in school but still did not make a 100.

If there is an answer that you need, and your mind has never known the answer, then you will never be able to recall or get that answer from your mind.

There are just some things that your mind does not have.

Proverbs 16:1 NLT (1) We can make our own plans, but the LORD gives the right answer.

If you face a new problem, then the answer is going to have to come from the Lord.

When you are searching for the answer in your mind by going over and over the problem to look for the solution, you only cause yourself more anxiety and frustration.

1 Peter 1:13 NKJV (13) Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

You have to control your thoughts and prepare your mind for action.

Don’t follow every thought that pops into your mind and every “rabbit trail” they can produce.

Chasing after all these thoughts is where confusion comes from.

Confusion = lack of clarity or distinction, perplexity or bewilderment.

1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV (33) For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

In this story we see two principles that will help us to overcome worry and anxiety in our lives and show us where the answer comes from:

2 Chronicles 20:1-11 NKJV (1) It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat. (2) Then some came and told Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, from Syria; and they are in Hazazon Tamar” (which is En Gedi). (3) And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. (4) So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. (5) Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, (6) and said: “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? (7) Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? (8) And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, (9) ‘If disaster comes upon us–sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine–we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’ (10) And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir–whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them– (11) here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit.

1. Recall the promises of God’s Word, place your focus on them and pray over them.

2 Chronicles 20:12-13 NKJV (12) O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.” (13) Now all Judah, with their little ones, their wives, and their children, stood before the LORD.

Notice he did not just leave his statement at, “We don’t know what to do.” He ended it with, “…but our eyes are upon you.”

2. You must get peace in your mind so that you can get the answer you are seeking from God.

The peace comes when you begin by saying, “My mind does not have the answer but my God and His promises do have the answer.” If you don’t have peace first, the answer or solution does not come and it comes from your spirit.

Philippians 4:6-8 NLT (6) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (7) Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (8) And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. 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.

There is always a way! There is always a solution!

God has a thousand answers or solutions to every problem we face. All we need is one.