Sunday May 2, 2021
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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 their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”
WINNING THE WAR IN YOUR MIND!
This is a battle that you and I have to engage in! But not only engage in but use the right weapons!
GOD’S MIGHTY WEAPONS!
3 of God’s mighty weapons to win the war in your mind!
- Prayer
I know, I know, that’s what pastors are supposed to say!
But I’m not just talking about drive-thru prayer, I’m talking about practicing God’s presence!
Listen to Paul’s prescription for anxiety.
Philippians 4:6- “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”
You win the war in your mind when you use God’s mighty weapon of prayer!
WHEN JESUS WAS FIGHTING A WAR IN HIS MIND
Matthew 26:39- “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
PRAYER WORKS. PRAYER CHANGES THINGS. PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANT, PRAYER CHANGES YOU. PRAYER CHANGES YOUR BRAIN.
Dr. Caroline Leaf, a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist, said the following.
“It has been found that twelve minutes of daily focused prayer over an eight-week period can change the brain to such an extent that it can be measured on a brain scan.”
Prayer changes your brain and moves your life in a positive direction!
Romans 12:2- “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.”
Prayer is choosing to trust the promises and power of God!
Prayer is deciding to turn to and surrender our feelings and control of our lives to God, trusting His promises and power!
That’s what we’re going to do, pray in faith!
ANOTHER OF GOD’S WEAPONS
2. Praise
Psalm 150:1-6- “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven! Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness! Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Praise becomes a weapon when I praise God for Who he is and not just for what he does!
Acts 16:25- “Paul and Silas, undaunted, prayed in the middle of the night and sang songs of praise to God, while all the other prisoners listened to their worship.”
Everything must have been going great in their lives! NOT SO!
Acts 16:23-24- “They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.”
They weren’t praising God because He showed up; God showed up because they praised him!
Hebrews 13:15- “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.”
Now that Jesus was the final sacrifice for our sins the only sacrifice we have to offer is PRAISE!
GOD’S WEAPONS FOR WINNING THE WAR IN MY MIND; PRAYER, PRAISE AND
3. Personal Declaration
Revelation 12:11- “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.”
Their personal declaration came into alignment with the victory Jesus Christ won when he was crucified on the cross and resurrected from the grave!
THIS IS ABOUT AN ATTITUDE OF MY HEART
TO WIN THE WAR IN MY MIND I FIGHT THE BATTLE FROM A PLACE OF VICTORY!
Philippians 2:9-11- “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
HE IS LORD! VICTORY IS MINE! I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING!
I’M COMING INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST!
Romans 10:9-10- “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
WINNING THE WAR IN YOUR MIND!
PRAYER PRAISE PERSONAL DECLARATION
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through this message?