Your Mind Affects Your Life More Than You Think

there is a battle for your mind a battle between good and evil the Bible tells us in second Corinthians chapter 10 verse 4 to 5 that the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty in God for pulling down strongholds casting down arguments and every High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and pay attention to the last part of this verse because it says bringing every thought every thought into captivity to The Obedience of Christ when it comes to what goes on between your ears remember that the Bible tells you to take every thought into captivity to The Obedience of Christ and allow me to put it a different way guard your mind guard yourself against everything that can influence your thinking in a negative or worldly way and this means that there are some people you should not be friends with because they affect your mind they affect your spirit there are some books you should not read because they plant seeds of thought that are contrary to God's word there are some TV shows you shouldn't watch because they feel your mind with unclean images there are some relationships that are no good for you because they weigh you down and bring Strife into your mind there are even some songs you shouldn't listen to because they pollute your mind in every Department of your life make sure that you are guarding your mind guard it when it comes to what you meditate on guard it when it comes to what you dwell on let it be God first in all that you do let it be God always and forever God first and last God under my feet God above my head God all around me when it comes to Faith in Jesus Christ there is no such thing as a neutral stance you cannot have one foot in and one foot out when it comes to the things of God you can't ever be on the fence when it comes to serving Jesus Christ or not the Lord doesn't tolerate a lukewarm person you're either hot for the Lord and burning for him or you are cold and you reject him there is no middle ground the Bible tells us in James 4 verse 8. come near to God and he will come near to you wash your hands you Sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded if we claim to be followers of Christ we cannot be split down the middle we need to be all in for God then he will draw near to us and Supply us with all that we need to live that radical yet rewarding life consider Jesus's words in Matthew 6 verse 24 no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve God and money now here's an exercise for you replace the word money with anything you cannot serve God and your career you cannot serve God and validation from others you cannot serve God and your addiction if we're not completely devoted to God then we are not truly his followers in some ways being a half-hearted Christian is even worse than not being one at all Listen to How strong these words are in Revelation 3 verses 15 and 16. I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot I could wish you were cold or hot so then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth if you can truly understand the offer that Jesus is laying before you you have a choice to make give your entire life to him and allow him to transform and bless you or you can insist on doing things your way and God can become an afterthought we have a choice Saints surrender or Rebel bow down to Christ or bow down to the devil serve Jesus or serve this world there is no third option you are in one camp or the other you can never be in both camps at the same time first John 2 verse 15 says do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father but is of the world this might seem harsh but what John means here is that our love for the Lord must be so great that we're willing to give up everything for him even the things we love most we must count them as loss compared to the treasure that we have in Christ would you give up anything for Jesus Christ I believe that we can all be found guilty of loving the world more than we love God so often our Focus tends to be on Earthly things rather than the things of God the truth is we can't pursue God half the time and worldly pleasure the other half we can't be a friend of God and a friend of the world God deserves our complete and undivided devotion so what should we do in light of these things we absolutely need to pursue the things of God pursue his presence in your life pursue Revival in your heart don't be double-minded fix your eyes completely on Jesus and he will help you turn away from every other distraction consider this for a moment the Bible says as a man thinks so is he the thoughts and inclinations of the heart shape the reality of Who You Are they shape your thinking which will ultimately shape your actions what you think is what you become you could even say that the quality of your thoughts determines the quality of your life and so the question becomes how do I filter my thoughts so that they are constructive instead of being destructive how do I eliminate the sinful thoughts the ungodly thoughts the lustful thoughts because we need to realize that we are bombarded by the things of the world each and every day our thoughts are invaded by what we see what we hear the people we spend time with but my brothers and sisters instead of being polluted in your mind by this world I urge you to take a minute and think just think what are God's thoughts towards me in those moments when my own thoughts tell me that you can't do this God's word says yes you can you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you when I hear that's impossible or that'll never happen I tell myself Luke 18 verse 27 all things are possible with God when you feel lost when you feel alone and isolated tell yourself Hebrews 13 Verse 5 where God says I will never leave you or forsake you when you're overwhelmed with your problems meditate on First Peter 5 verse 7 cast all your burdens on God for he cares for you when you find yourself thinking that your situation or struggle is too much you're too tired God says come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest when you start thinking thoughts like I can't figure this life out I don't know what my purpose is Psalms 37 verse 23 tells you that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord so make a conscious decision to win the Battle of your mind today don't let negative thoughts or negative words contaminate you the scripture tells us to guard our minds because the mind is a doorway and you are the only one who can determine what goes in and what stays so immerse yourself in God's word so that you can realize who you are in Christ you are well able and strong in the Lord you are a winner you are the head an