Part III Dr. Kenneth Jones Pastor, Practical Living Ministry
Fear Strongholds/Thoughts/ Mindset Heaviness Spirits Depression Anxiety Unforgiveness Complacency Ignorance Bitterness Apathy Lack of Self Control Passivity Hopelessness Gluttony Lasciviousness Controlling Unclean Accusation Passive Slothfulness Error
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. In order to change our thoughts, we have to change our minds (or at least mindset) A transformed mindset comes from a renewed mind. Ephesians 4:23 - and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 6/14/2017 3
Defined A habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations Based upon this definition, it is vital that we renew our minds so that we will interpret our thoughts and actions according to the Word of God which will also guide us in how we respond to situations in life. Rom 8:6-8 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. KJV
Spiritually minded means you have given the Holy Spirit control of your thinking. The Spiritual Mindset is one that is submitted to God and allows God s Spirit to provide reasoning, principles, and peace. Ask yourself, if what I am thinking or allowing to manage or control my thoughts and actions bringing me peace and life? Col 3:15 And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ's] one body you were also called [to live]. AMP
Pride Pleasure Priorities Proverbs 16:18 Galatians 5:1 Galatians 1:10 Arrogance and Vanity We place ourselves on the same level as God Prevents you from humbling yourself before God to receive deliverance Put Self Before others Focus on sex, substance, and self gratification Associated with the spirit of Perversion Inhibits Self control, & sanctification, preventing us from being Pure before God God is never first Seeks to please men Motivated by fear and unbelief Hidden in Good Intentions Blocked from Considering your ways (Haggai 1:5,7)
Prayer/praise Presence/power purpose Stills the Enemy and the Avenger (Psalms 8:2) Allows for communion with the father (Psalms 16:11) Requires submission of our will Focus is on God and Not Self Intercession is for others Praise Encourages Us as We Bless the Father Prayer of Repentance will break the Strongholds in our lives In His Presence is fullness of joy & Strength (Psalms 16:11) which overcomes depression and Anxiety In His Presence, God s Power is released to Heal, strengthen, Bless, Increase wisdom & Knowledge, Reveal and Expose Strongholds, & Comfort, Reviving the Soul There is also Peace, Mercy & our Faith is Built Up (Jude 1:20) Purpose to Choose and Purpose to Obey Reconcile with and Restructure your thoughts consider your ways (Haggai 1:5,7) Will cause you to hide God s Word in your heart (Psalms 119:11); Order Your Thoughts and Your ways (Psalms 119:113) Without purpose there is no desire nor motivation to change
Change Your Mind Repentance Leads to a change in actions Romans 12:2 (a): And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed (to change into another form) by the renewing of your mind Change Your Way of thinking - Renewal Transformed Life Begins with a Renewed Mindset Change Change Must Be Biblical - Requirement Having a Clean Heart and a Right Spirit for this New Life (Psalms 51:10) Change Your Identity - Restoration Restored to Our True Identify through a Restored Relationship (Hosea 6:1) 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Hosea 6:1 - Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. Repentance is the way to restoration. You will not find deliverance through any other path. It s discouraging why so many church shy away from the word, Repent and wonder why so many are struggling If you are wounded today, bound by sin, strongholds, and oppression, God is able to forgive, heal and restore
When we find ourselves struggling spiritually due to strongholds, we need to consider the following: I need to think differently or change the way I think How do I view or perceive these thoughts as it relates to God s Word? Does Victory over these thoughts require a lifestyle change? Where or who can I go to if these strongholds are too overwhelming? Keep in Mind: Spiritual Strongholds Cannot Be Broken by Fleshly Means
Scared Straight Ads and Warning Labels Are Not Working to Deter Drug Use Over the last 30 years, America has been on an Anti- Drug Campaign spending billions of dollars to discourage alcohol and drug use and abuse. They have tried several messages, slogans, using movie stars, and other organizations. So what have we achieved?
Nearly 52 percent of the deaths were related to prescription drugs. (National Institute on Drug Abuse) In 2010, there were 80,000 drug and alcohol overdose deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER database. Half of these incidences are at the pharmaceutical level So Just Having a Message does not truly change a person s condition. It takes God s Grace, a person s faith, repentance (to change one s mind) and submission to the Holy Spirit Producing Biblical change to experience true & sustaining deliverance from strongholds such as addictions.
Drugs have a Proven Connection with Sorcery and Witchcraft Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The Bible warns believers to not be intoxicated by alcohol, and (by implication) others stimulants such as drugs which distorts our thinking or alters our ability to control our behavior Ephesians 5:17-18 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit...
First of all, most preaching today, even in good Reformed circles, lacks substantial biblical & Doctrinal content. The most dangerous stronghold that most Christians are unaware of is IGNORANCE. Hosea 4:6 - My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 st Corinthians 1:22-24)
Complacency - Complacency is the inability to have motivation and bring about change, which then prevents us from walking out of strongholds and achieving total victory. Complacency is a temporary satisfaction of the flesh that will go away Ignorance Ignorance provides an open door for deception. Ignorance concerns wrong thoughts, words, and actions that a person receives or carries out while having no knowledge that they are wrong. Apathy Reflects a lack of interest to the point that one overlooks sin in one s life. Spiritual apathy closes your mind to the truth, hardens your heart to sin, and partners with impatience and temporal contentment in order to breed failure and stagnation. The dangers of these three strongholds is that it keeps Christians from being energized or zealous to make a change or deal with the stronghold
The Wizard of Oz: The Deadly Poppy Field symbolizes the dangers of apathy and complacency. Now, with the grander meaning of the Yellow Brick Road in mind, let's see what Wizard of the Oz says about poppies: these flowers together Had an odor so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers, he sleeps on and on forever. This reflects many in the church today, sitting in the pews, sedated by church performances and a non-challenging message, falling asleep and unable to rise up and fulfill their Godly assignment. Note: While I use this as an example, I do not endorse the Wizard of Oz as it portrays magic and Eastern Mysticism
Jeremiah 8:11 - For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11 - "They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, `Peace, peace,' But there is no peace. (NASB) The lion received a Badge as a Gift of Courage This is artificial courage, just symbolic, but not substantive deliverance or wholeness Deliverance from strongholds cannot be accomplished through superficial or carnal means, but by biblical repentance, renouncing our participation in the devices of satan, transformation by renewing our mind according to the word of god and submission to the power of God s spirit operating daily in our lives.
For some of us dealing with our strongholds are like trying to tear down a large building with a small hammer We find ourselves just Tapping at our strongholds rather than demolish them for a variety of reasons For some, our strongholds define us and provide us with attention, pity, and support For others we focus too much on the what we consider a loss rather than what we can Gain We don t have the knowledge as well as the right tools to deal with the strongholds that we face We withdraw from the task of pulling down strongholds as it will require a change in thinking and even a change in behavior
Repentance To change One s mind; To move beyond the sorry for sin confess repeat cycle and to look for permanent and lasting change. Renounce -To "renounce" means to "give up, refuse, or resign by formal declaration." Whereas repenting is directed toward God, renouncing is directed toward the enemy. Remedy Many are looking for a Pain Reliever, instead of a Remedy leading to recovery and redemption Restoration Matthew 5:15: And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. Recovery Now you should be involved in the recovery process of others who are snared and incapacitated by their strongholds (2 nd Timothy 2:24-26)
Many Christians and Unbelievers Do Not Like the Remedy that the Word Provides Just as Many of Us Hated Castor Oil in the Old Days. Can t I at least Get A Spoonful of Sugar to make this Word Go Down. However, just as the Castor Oil has a purging process, God s Word does the same as we accept it as the Remedy for our lives. Too many churches are trying to water down or sweeten God s Word through Compromising principles, so that Carnal Christians can endure it, unbelievers can ignore it, and religious folks can feel justified and go home.
Keep Your Mind pure - Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. Have you noticed a pattern in the temptation in your life? Do you typically fall into sin at the same places or with the same people? Do associations with certain people, places, and things produce thoughts of fear, depression, anger, bitterness? Choose to stay out of those places or stay away from those people and activities that would cause you to have ungodly or improper thoughts.
Be Careful What You Allow Before Your Eyes - Psalm 101:3 I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. Do you have a stronghold of lust because you are always on the internet observing pornography? There is an expression, Your eyes are the entry to the soul. We should be careful what we place before them for long periods of time.
Establish Accountability to Someone if these thoughts are overwhelming you Hebrews 10:24,25 says we should not neglect the fellowship of believers and Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22 say that we should surround ourselves with counselors. If you are struggling with certain thoughts, find someone that you trust and with wisdom that you can talk to about it accountability weakens the influence of sin that comes through Secret-ness, Ignorance, and tolerance Fill your mind with the Word of God If you remain in My Word, you will truly be My disciples; and you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. (John 8:31-32) Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Carnality Rebellion/Rejection/Religion Ego developed from pride Elevation of Self over the nature of God Doublemindedness Indecisiveness to trust in God s Word A creed (also known as a confession, symbol, or statement of faith) is a statement of the shared beliefs of a religious community in the form of a fixed...
2 Timothy 2:24-26: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. Strongholds are tools of the enemy to hold people captive and ensnares them As ministers we must be patience and teach the Word so that people will come to themselves, meaning to awake from a deep sleep, and then, to come to a right mind The snare of the enemy is to keep one in a sedated, taken, or stupefied position and the enemy can do this through error and demonic influences which can lead to spiritual strongholds
How Should I Change the Way I Think, I Believe, and Respond? To be able to Demolish mental and spiritual strongholds, we must have a perfected knowledge of God, His Word, and of the deceptive operations of the Enemy If I receive or reflect upon a thought and realize that it doesn t bring me life and peace, it impacts the way I view God, His Word, and life situations, and it does not reflect the character of God then I need to change the way I am viewing and reflecting upon these thoughts and repent and renounce them right away
Janet Glascow: The Process of Biblical Change, believes that Biblical change is a result of a new heart that only God provides to those who are saved (Romans 3:23) Godly fruit is a result of what we think, desire, believe in our hearts, and that this kind of fruit is a result of a proper root system. Ephesians 3:17 - That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, Having no root in Christ leaves one susceptible to withering and drying up (Matthew 13:6,21 Therefore to change the way I behave I must be firmly planted and rooted in the right ground, where I can grow and prosper
Practical Living Ministry exists to assist individuals, groups, and organizations to operate to their full God-given ability by sharing life changing principles for spiritual growth and development. If this message touched you, please let me hear from you. If you would like to encourage us financially to keep sharing these kind of messages, please go to our donation section on our website at www.practicallivingministry.org If you would like to contact Dr. Jones for a speaking engagement at your church or event concerning biblical leadership, mentoring, and Christian culture. Please contact Pastor Kenneth Jones at copyright@plm Practical Living Ministry, Inc. kenjones@practicallivingministry.org 6/14/2017 28