Spiritual warfare is not what you see from Hollywood. No one is going to fall on the floor, roll their eyes back and drool on the carpet. This battle is in our mind. The only thing big about a demon is his mouth. Religion doesn’t stand a chance against the spirit of darkness. We are not just playing a game; our destiny in God will not just be handed to us. It’s time to get aggressive.

 Eph. 6:10-13 (PPB): “Finally, Gill is to be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Gill is to put on the whole armor of God that he may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For Gill’s wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, Gill should put on the whole armor of God, that he may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.” It is our choice to: Be strong, stand firm, resist.

 We are in a spiritual battle. It’s not about what I wear on the outside. Does short hair or long hair matter? If I wear a suit or sweats? Tattoos or not? No! What matters is my relationship to Jesus. Acts 19 tells the story of the sons of Sceva. Seven men try to cast out a demon by saying, “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The problem was they had no relationship with Paul or Jesus, it was just a formula. The result was that the demon possessed man jumped on them and all seven left bloodied and naked. It can’t be something you read out of a book. 2Tim. 3:5 says some hold to a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. According to Eph. 6:10, I must be strong in the Lord, not strong in myself. I should not be devil conscious but rather God conscious. I don’t go looking for a fight, but I must recognize that life is a struggle, it is combat. It is up to me to: Be strong, stand firm, resist.

 Give your life to Jesus and you’ll never have problems? Eph. 6:13 admonishes us to resist on the evil day. There will be times of refreshing and seasons of conflict. Not every day but there are days. We need the right stuff on the inside. If I don’t take a stand, I lose by default. I am a threat to the enemy if I am in Christ. He will oppose me. Matt. 7:13 warns there is an easy way but it leads to destruction but God calls us to the narrow gate, the difficult way. Welcome to life.

 1Peter 5:8-9 (PPB): “Gill must be sober, self-controlled and watchful. Gill’s adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Gill must withstand him steadfast in his faith, knowing that his brothers and sisters who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings.” Why does a lion roar? To paralyze with fear, to intimidate. If you are just playing a game, there is a target on your back. We must be fixed and focused.

 I have authority in Christ. I won’t back down from a defeated foe. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus warns that the devil comes to steal the seed. Our choice to win is: Be strong, stand firm, resist. 1John 5:18 promises that the Devil can’t touch us if we are in Christ. Col. 1:13 tells us we have been translated into the kingdom of His Son. It is time to enforce the victory Christ already won. Standing takes preparation and knowing who I am and whose I am.

 We are considering a repositioning cruise. This occurs when the cruise company recognizes that their ship is not in the right position for the maximum benefit. Evaluate your position and then reposition.

 Understand positioning:

1. Christ’s position. Rom. 5 shows us that our spiritual man is connected either to Adam or Jesus.  If I am connected to Jesus, I have strength, power, and authority. Are you barely getting by? It is time for mind renewal, understanding Christ’s position and our place in Christ.
2. Devil’s position. He is stripped of his power.  He has influence only if I give him an open door. Heb. 2:14 says, “that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Jesus put him out of job, he is unemployed. We hire him back by our words, by our choices. Give him his pink slip, send him packing.
3. My position in Christ. John 15:5 (PPB): “I (Jesus) am the vine. Gill is a branch. If Gill remains in Me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit, for apart from Me, Gill can do nothing.” Stay joined to the vine. 2Cor. 5:17 (PPB) “Therefore if Gill is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.” I am not a “sinner saved by grace”. Yes, I was a sinner, but now in Christ I am a new creation. Rom. 5:17 promises that I reign in life through Christ. My authority comes because of my position in Christ. Again, in Christ: Be strong, stand firm, resist.

 Israel was delivered out of Egypt by great signs and miracles. But when they came up to the border of the Promised Land, they forgot all that God had done and then fear and disobedience kept them from stepping into their authority. The result: they wandered in the desert for 40 years until God could raise up a generation that would be obedient. How often we wander around experiencing the same defeat over and over? Get dressed right. Finally: Be strong, stand firm, resist.

Rom 8:21 tells me I have the glorious freedom of the children of God.  Is that the freedom to party, get drunk, sleep around? 2Peter 2:19 warns I become a slave to whatever I surrender myself to. Paul in 1Cor 10:23 tells us, “All things are legal but not all are profitable.” Gen 25 demonstrates what is called the Esau syndrome. Esau comes in from a day of hunting to find Jacob preparing bean soup. He wants some so badly he trades his birthright as the firstborn son to Jacob. How often do we trade away God’s blessing in order to satisfy a short-term appetite?

1Pet 2:16 tells us to live as free men, but do not use our freedom as a cover-up for evil; instead we should live as servants of God. It is the paradox of the Gospel: to live free we must be slaves.

Col 2:14-15 promises my guilt was nailed to the cross. Freedom from guilt, fear, condemnation. Freedom to rejoice, laugh, dream. Freedom to face eternity with confidence. Freedom from bondage, freedom from my past. Recognize that hope is more important than faith. Heb 11:1: “Faith is substance of things hoped for.” Faith has nothing to work on without hope. The Bible is the book of hope. It gives us the picture of where we can go in life. Then faith can grab ahold of that and take us to our destiny.

Why do I think the way I think? 2Cor 5:17 tells me in Christ I am a new creation, but new comes from the inside. If I still think the same, I am still yoked up with old mind sets and listening to devil. His only power is deception. John10:3 tells us His sheep know the shepherd’s voice. John 8:32, 34-36 PPB: “Gill will know the truth, and the truth will make him free. Most assuredly I tell you, if Gill commits sin, he is the bondservant of sin. A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever. If therefore the Son makes Gill free, he will be free indeed.” Don’t lose that: Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Do we seek affirmation through sex, drugs, alcohol, food, money? James 1:14-15 PPB: “But Gill is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, brings forth death.” This is not physical death but spiritual death, death of freedom. 2Cor 4:4 warns that the devil wants to blind me to who I am. The devil is the accuser. No freedom in religion: Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, even Christianity if it is religion. Freedom is based on relationship. For years and years I worked hard to earn God’s love, but that was empty religion. It wasn’t until I entered into relationship with the living God that I began to experience His love.

“Freedom isn’t free.” I must pay a price for freedom 2Cor 10: 3-5 PPB: “For though Gill walks in the flesh, he doesn’t wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of Gill’s warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds, throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We are in a battle for our way of thinking, for our mind.

Essence of freedom is trust. Mat 6:25-33 PPB tells us:

²⁵Therefore, Gill shouldn’t be anxious for his life: what he will eat, or what he will drink; nor for his body, what he will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and Gill’s body more than clothing? ²⁶See the birds of the sky, they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Gill’s heavenly Father feeds them. Isn’t Gill of much more value than they? ²⁷“Can Gill, by being anxious, add one hour to his life? ²⁸Why is Gill anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, ²⁹yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. ³⁰But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t He much more clothe Gill, despite his little faith? ³¹“Therefore Gill should not be anxious, saying, ‘What will I eat?’, ‘What will I drink?’ or, ‘With what will I be clothed?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, but Gill’s heavenly Father knows that he needs all these things. ³³But Gill is to seek first God’s kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things will be given to Gill as well.

Trust principles:

1. Who is number 1 in your life? That sounds worldly but #1 better be God. If it is God and I seek Him first then my trust is in the right place.
2. Just do it. That is not just for Nike. Do it now. Act with what you have, where you are. If I wait to clean up my act in an area I’ll never move forward. Let’s put feet to our faith and live out the commitment to trust.
3. I am in debt. To Jesus who paid the price for my sins, to those before me who brought the message of Jesus through the generations. Our trust is in Jesus who paid the price for our sin.
4. Live like a river, not the Dead Sea. In Israel, you can travel down the lush green Jordan river valley but eventually you come the a desolate, dead body of water: the Dead Sea. The difference? The Jordan River gives and flows, the Dead Sea holds onto everything it receives and the result is stagnation, decay and death. Do I trust God enough to give my life away? Being a giver shows our trust in God. We make a living by what we work for, we make a life by what we give away.

 Storms should not define who we are. How will I respond? Will my decisions, my choices take me higher or take me in a downward spiral? The Bible cannot change you (but as you take action to implement what it says, you will be changed). It is the book of hope, it gives you a vision, a dream and then we must step up to exercise our faith to see that dream come to pass.

 I need vision in the storm. In Mark 4 the disciples in the boat were afraid of the storm because they lost their vision of reaching the other side.. In Matt 14 Peter walks on water until his eyes move off of Jesus and onto the circumstances. If I can’t see it, I can’t seize it. Heb 11:1 tells us hope is that vision of the future that allows our faith to rise up and move toward it. Without hope, my faith has nothing to work with. Prov. 29:18 says, “Without vision, people stumble around.” What do you see? In Acts 20:22-24 Paul was faced with persecution and death but he said, “None of these things move me.” because he had a greater vision, a greater hope. I hate driving in the fog. Why? Limited vision. Does your life seem pointless and futile? You need a vision, a hope. If I look at the waves I lose direction. “If I have no hope for the future, I have no power for the present.” John 12:46 says that Jesus is the light of the world to give us vision for the path we must walk.

 Mat 6:22-23 says that if the eye is good, my life is full of light. I will always follow the dominant vision in my life. Luke 4:18 tells us Jesus came to give recovery of sight to the blind. Heb 12:2 says ”For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross.” He had a vision of salvation for mankind that carried Him through the suffering and shame.

 Vision comes with renewal of our thoughts. Read Prov. 4:5-6 We don’t need a miracle to turn our life around, we need wisdom. What am I doing today to have a different tomorrow? Just pray and wish? No, read, study, learn. How do I improve at pushups? By doing pushups. Read to improve your reading skill. Prov. 1:5 says ”A wise man will hear and increase in learning.” We will invest in what we see as valuable. God sees you as valuable, He invested His Son for you. Invest in yourself.

 Why does someone spend hours on the basketball court practicing free throws? A dream of the NBA. Why does someone drop out of high school? Lack of vision and hope. Catch the vision. What do you see when your eyes are closed? What do you see in your future? One year, five years, 20 years. What direction is your vision taking you? Habakkuk 2:2 “Write the vision, make it plain.” Here is the challenge: write your vision for all aspects of your life: physical, spiritual, relational, work and ministry.

God has given you a vision, a hope, an expectation, a dream. Let’s get our faith in action to see that come to pass.

 If you played football or other sports in high school, at halftime you’re down 24-0. What is the coach’s comments during halftime? “Great, just keep doing what you’re doing.” or “How bad do you want it? Are you willing to give it all you’ve got?”" Are you going to just give up or make a change? Are you hungry? Do you really want change or do you just want the pain to stop? Luke 7 Simon vs. the woman who anointed Jesus. Which one was really hungry?

 What does it take to receive from God:

1. Contrite heart  Is 6:5-6 Woe is me for I am undone. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to kiss a burning coal to receive cleansing? Repentance attracts God. 2Cor 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Not just sorry you got caught. Psalm 51: 7-12 Broken fellowship. Rom 8:1 No condemnation.
2. Passionate pursuit. Zacchaeus - rich, drove the best donkey, hated by society, but he pursued God with passion. If God’s going to show up, be there. Luke 18 Bartimaeus Woman with bleeding. Four friends. Insanity is… Time to take a new path.  Prov 18:12 Way that seems right. Jer 29:13 Seek with all your heart. Overcome or be overcome. Going after God as much as for example money.
3. Receive the Word as spoken by God. 1Thes 2:13 Curse of familiarity. Mat 13:54-58 Carpenter’s son. Not out of Readers Digest or downloaded from the internet. Heb 4:1-2 mix faith with the Word. How is God going to help you?
4. Overcoming faith. What obstacles do you face? “Your faith has made you whole.” Come to see what is happening or decided to press in. That determines your future.
5. Ready for expansion. Ready to be stretched. Is 54:1-3 What size is your faucet?

 Eph 3:20 more than we could ask or think according to the power working in you. Take the lid off. Rom 12:2 Mind renewal. If I change for a time then go back to old ways it is because I have not changed my thinking. Hang around turkeys and eventually you’ll end up being dinner. It is time to go higher!

 Luke 2:41-52 Mary lost Jesus. Was there a time when you felt close to Jesus but now He seems distant, a time when you were on fire but now it is hard to open your Bible? I have a ringtone assigned to my wife’s calls. “Corinne’s calling. Better answer the phone. It’s Corinne.” I know what voice I better listen to. What voices are important in your life?

 1 John 2:15 “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.” Mat 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Romans 8:7 Focus on self, a fleshly mind is an enemy of God. Deut 6:5 Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength.

 Mat 13:3-9 Seed among thorns is the busy-ness of life. Mat 7:24-27 Built on the rock or built on the sand. On sand means no commitment, easily move, only follows when everything is going right. On the rock, will stand in time of adversity and trial. In Acts 20:24 Paul has described persecution, imprisonment, stoning, shipwrecks but he concludes with: “None of these things move me.” That is focus. Better be prepared beforehand or you will be moved by circumstances.

 Romans 12:1 Living sacrifice is our reasonable service. To be a living sacrifice takes determination, follow through. I made a decision for Jesus at 12 but had no follow through. Again at 24 but no follow through. Again at 32 and that one stuck. All that time I was religious on the outside but only going through the motions.

People in the Bible who had focus: Mark 5:25-34 Woman with a bleeding condition. Mark 2:4 Four friends carrying the paralytic. Mat 14 Peter walks on water until he lost focus. Others got off focus: Gen 19:26 Lot’s wife. Exodus 16 Israelites wanted to go back the Egypt.

 Discipline and perseverance. 2Tim 2:3 The discipline of a good soldier. Heb 6:12 Through faith and perseverance we will inherit the promise. Heb 12:1-2 Surrounded by cloud of witnesses, run the race with endurance. Who for the prize set before Him endured the cross. I could not pay the price for my sin, but Jesus did. That is worth my focus.

 Getting focus:

1. Plan  Make the decision. Luke 9:62 Any man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom. James 1:8 Double minded man. No plan B.
2. Prepare Luke 14:28 Before building a tower first count the cost. Eph 6:10-19 Armor of God Training
3. Press Phil 3:13-14 Press toward the goal.

 Where’s Waldo? I don’t really care. In your life, where’s Jesus? “Thinking is the hardest thing we as humans do. That is why so few do it.” It is time to plan, to prepare, to press.

Col 1:13-14 Delivered from the power of darkness. Purchased. 2Cor 5:17 New creation. Remade.  Will the battle ever end? No, but we will reach new levels, deal with different strongholds. What are my automatic reactions? We were traveling and I grabbed the toothpaste from my travel kit. I was going to comment to my wife that it was the worst toothpaste I had ever tasted when I turned over the tube and saw it was Benedryl anti-itch cream. I was on auto-pilot. Knowledge doesn’t change me. I must get it down into my soul, renew my mind, change the way I think. Salvation is in an instant, character must be worked out. Get in the battle. Ever pray “Oh God, change me!” God will not change me it is up to me to change.

Will I play church or experience true transformation. Stick with it. Talk and act in new creation life. Overcome or be overcome. Rom 8:37 More than a conqueror. 1Cor 10:12 Take heed how you stand. Rom 12:2 Msg “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” How I live is based on my thoughts. Prov 23:7 As a man thinks in his heart so is he.
Prov 6:6-11 The ant is self motivated. If I am lazy, complacent, stopping at “good enough”,  I will not grow. Something must rise up inside. Phil 2:12 Work out salvation with fear and trembling. “It’s too hard.” Christianity is not for the weak. World medicates with alcohol or drugs. That is weakness.

Eph 4:22-24 vs 23 Ampl Mind renewal is not one time. Constantly. Vs 22 Msg everything of the old life must go. Is there an area that is hands off: porn, unforgiveness, pride? Open up to the light and experience freedom. Rom 6:14 Sin no longer has dominion.

Finally, take it easy on yourself. Change doesn’t happen overnight. Rom 8:1 Condemnation doesn’t help us to change. 2Cor 12:9 His grace is sufficient when we fail. Romans 2:4 The goodness of God leads men to repentance. Little by little. Moving forward. Grow together. Draw strength from others. Prov 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Eph 4:23 Be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Amplified says “Have a fresh outlook. Be constantly renewed.” It’s not a one time thing. We are constnatly bombarded with unrenewed thoughts from TV, radio, magazines, conversations and we  need to clean them out. It’s stinkin’ thinkin’ and that leads to stinkin’ talk, stinkin’ actions, and a stinkin’ life.

Someone may tell you, “If you give your life to Jesus, your life will turn around!” Wrong. Mind renewal isn’t optional, it is a command. Rom 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” You can’t just say a prayer and have everything trun around in your life. God will do His part by providing you grace but you need to do your part as well. It’s time to grow up! I blame the devil. I blame God. Do I have the honesty to blame myself? Christianity is about change. It begins on the inside.

When you look in a mirror, what do you see: “failure, disappointment, dumb, addict,…” We are brainwashed with negative. A baby elephant is trained by tying a heavy chain to his leg and tying it to a large stake. The baby elephant will pull and fight until he eventually decides that’s just the way life is. At that point they can replace the chain and stake with a light rope and small peg. The elephant will grow into a many ton monster but he will not pull lose of that rope because his mind tells him it is no use. We have areas where we don’t even try, but it is all in our mind. We try different coping mechanisms like alcohol, drugs, sex, butthey are all  just temporary. We need that mind change. The only thing that is going to produce lasting change in our life is out thoughts. When we change our thoughts to agree with God’s Word, then we will have the mind of Christ and experience what He desires for us to have.

Phil 4:8 Several years ago, I was driving to work listening to Christian radio. The announcer came on and said, “Hold that thought, the one you were just thinking. Now compare it to Phil 4:8.” I had to admit I didn’t compare too well. I was thinking about the tasks that were ahead of me that day and whining to myself about them. How I think determines my outlook on life.

Victor or victim? Victim keeps you down, dependent on the viewpoint of others. Elevators: take you up or take you down. Those around you take you up or take you down.

We need Godly perspective, Godly imagination, images in my mind that are not perverted. If we could replay your thought on the TV: what rating would they have? G, PG, R, X? The good news is I’m not stuck where I am. I can change.

Luke 6:45 The good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things. What am I marinating in? If I marinate in the world then nothing will change. 3John 2 Just as your soul (mind, will and emotions) prospers, so will your life. Prosper inside first. Old thoughts will eventually take us out. Think  like the world thinks and you will get what the world gets. Keep your mind in the right place. Psalm 1:1-3 “In His Law he meditates day and night.” What am I meditating on? What am I marinating in? Marinate in the Word. Joshua 1:8 Meditate on God’s Word day and night. I don’t have to stay the way I am and it is His Word that will change me.

How will you win over temptation:

1. Believe that you can resist temptation. “When that happens, I always fall apart.” My words are important. Start believing. 1Cor 10:13 God gives a way of escape. The greater one lives in me. James 4:7 Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee.

2. Be prepared. I must spend time with God to strengthen me against the world chewing me up. Know Him personally for yourself. In Matt 4 Jesus is in the desert being tempted by Satan. What is Jesus’ weapon? The Word. “It is written.” But be careful. The devil knows Scripture too, better than we do.  What does the devil use to steal your joy, your peace? Determine that you are not going to live like this anymore. You don’t change because you listen to preaching. You change when you apply the Word to your life. Mat 25:1-13 Wise virgins were prepared so their lamps would not go out. The foolish didn’t want to do anything extra. Their attitude was, “You do it for me”.

3. Be careful who you spend time with. Who do you hang out with? Who do you listen to? What do you watch on TV? It’s not that I am too good to be around unbelievers, but I must make sure that I am affecting them and they are not infecting me. You know the dangers of hanging out with your old friends. Would you keep a snake to not hurt its feelings? Psalm 1:1-3 Don’t sit there and soak it in. Is my life different? Am I a light? Prov. 5:8 Avoid the places of temptation. Am I trying to see how close I can push the limits or am I drawing close to God? Flee from temptation. Run! Play with a snake and don’t be surprised when you get bit. I can’t sit with sinners and think it’s not going to affect me.

4. Don’t trust yourself. Prov 3:5-8 Lean on God. I want to do it myself so I can get the credit. That is pride. Psalm 138:6 The humble get God’s help; the proud He ignores. Gal 3:3 Perfection doesn’t come from the flesh. Gal 6:9 In due time you will reap if you faint not. 2Cor 1:8-10 Trials are given to keep us from trusting in ourselves. The time we are most vulnerable is not when we are weak but when we are strong, when we think we can handle temptation on our own. 1John 4:4 Greater is He who is in me than he that is in the world, but I’m not greater. James 1:12-15 I will receive the crown of life if I endure. My own flesh draws me into temptation. Sin leads to death. Prov 14:12 A path that seems right but leads to death. John 15:4 Stay connected to the vine. Prov 4:23 Guard your heart.

Summary: 1. Believe. 2. Prepare. 3. What company? 4. Reject pride.

 When will you stop feeling sorry for yourself? When you realize it’s not doing you one bit of good. Guilt is useless. Stop living by feelings, live by the Word of God. I can’t change yesterday, but I have the choice to make today better. Do you have baggage of guilt that you put under your chair, forget about for a while, but then pick it up and leave with it? Am I going to focus on what I have done wrong or on what God has done right? Romans 6:2-11  I am dead to sin. Sin is alive and well but I am a new creation. Sin no longer has dominion. Ezek 11:19 God took out the stony heart and put in a heart of flesh.

 I don’t fall into sin, I choose it. I won’t fall off a cliff unless I go close to the edge. If I understand who I am in Christ, I have a new heart that doesn’t want to sin. Jesus took sin to the cross as our substitute. At that moment sin lost its power over anyone who will believe in Jesus Christ. Identification: Baptized into His death, raised with Him to a brand new life. Baptism isn’t just a bath, its identification. My identity is not “sinner”. When Satan tries to load me with guilt, “I don’t belong to you; I belong to the Kingdom of God.” (Col 1:13)

 God sees your heart. If you are looking for an excuse to sin, God knows it. If you are serious, if you really love God, He knows it. There is nothing you have done wrong that God can’t fix through the blood of Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 The bad news: all have sinned. The good news: all are made righteous. Why am I still dragging the guilt around? Do you believe, “The worse I feel about myself the more godly I am?” Where is that in the Bible? You won’t find it.

 Rom 6:11 Consider yourself dead to sin. Or do you see sin as a big problem? How do I resist temptation? Not by my power. Devil is saying, “You’re a failure.” “You’re a terrible person.” “God can’t love you because …” I go to God not by my good works, but by the blood of Jesus. Heb 4:15-16 Come boldly before the throne of grace. Jesus went through the same temptations. He understands. Phil 3:13-14 See the goal and let go of the past. What is guilt but holding onto the past?

 God knew what He was getting when He called us. Heb 12:1 Heaven is cheering us on. Rev 12:11 Use the word of our testimony to defeat the feelings. Enter the new life and be light in a dark world. Heb 10:12 One sacrifice for all time. When I get ahold of that truth, I can live free of guilt. Change your address. Regret Place or New Beginnings Blvd.?

Romans 12: 2 The mind is the battlefield. What I think directs my actions. My actions become my habits. My habits determine by destiny. My confidence must be in who I am in Christ. Believe what the devil says and go down, down, down, _down. 2 Cor 10:5 Or take every thought captive, pull down the strongholds. Luke 4 The devil came at Jesus. It is written, it is written.

Romans 8:4 Led by the Spirit, not controlled by the flesh. Where the mind goes, your actions will follow. Think about what you are thinking about. Phil 4:8 Pay attention. Prov 23:7 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Gal 5:22 Fruit of the Spirit comes when we exercise control over thoughts. “I just can’t help it!” 2Tim 1:7 Not given a spirit of fear. I don’t cower before the enemy but I have discipline and self control. Never say, “I don’t have self control.” Say what God says. Don’t say what your feelings tell you, what your family says, what friends think of you. 1Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith. Next time you find yourself in a lousy mood ask, “What have I been thinking about?” There will be thoughts that led to that mood.

Col 3:1-2 Seek the things above. Not about angels with harps, it’s about living the life here He wants for us. Freedom, peace, hope. Higher things. Or will I wallow in my mess. Eyes on what I’m going through or what I’m going to. My childhood, this debt, the system, them.  Speak the Word. I must do it for myself. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ. Wimps or warriors. Deut 28:44 Head and not the tail. Study your identity in Christ until you get it. Are you righteous? Yes. 2Cor 5:21 Not trying to be, not someday I will be. Yes, by the blood of Jesus I AM righteous.

2Cor 10:4-5 We have mighty weapons for this warfare. Will I cower in the corner or step up to the battle? Where has the devil built a stronghold in your mind? It took years to build it, why do we expect to tear it down in one evening? It is a battle. It doesn’t matter how much I read my Bible if I don’t apply it, make it a reality in my life. It doesn’t matter how many sermons I hear if I don’t change my mind.  Joshua 1:8 Meditate over and over. I have to talk to myself. My life will change not because of a miraculous touch of God but because I have made up my mind.

Get it first on the inside: seed form. For the seed to produce a plant above the ground it must first send down roots. What I feed in my life will get stronger: the new man or the flesh. I will never be free until I stand up. Part the whiskers. Gal 5:16 Focus not on what not to do, focus on what is right. Luke 11:24-26 Seven demons. Nature abhors a vacuum. A mind full of love and goodness has no room for depression, self-pity, criticism.

Declarations:

I am not quitting.

I will not be controlled by the devil.

I will be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

I am victorious.

I have decided to change my mind.