February 2016 - As You Think

Lies, Lies, Lies

February 25, 2016

I recently heard someone say, “One of these days when you cross over into eternity to stand before God and you’re able to see your adversary, the devil, you’re going to say, ‘Are you kidding me? This is the little wimp that caused so many problems?’”

Before you start accusing me of minimizing satan’s influence, let’s remember this, he is a created being. That means he’s lower than God. Much lower than God. I believe he gets credit for a lot more than he should. His greatest weapon against us is not his supernatural ability to do weird tricks through Ouija boards. His greatest tool is deception. Lies. He is the father of lies. (John 8:44)

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

If this statement by Jesus is true, then what do lies do for us? They bind us.

They hold us back from fulfilling the purposes of God. How does the devil lie to us? Obviously he doesn’t just walk up to us and whisper in our ear, “hey, you want to hear a good lie?” He deceives us through thoughts, and those thoughts are built through our experiences, religious training, and yes, even our DNA. There was a popular comedian in the 70’s who’s most famous line was “the devil made me do it!” It was good comedy, but in reality the devil doesn’t make us do anything. Through lies he influences our thoughts and our thoughts make us do bad things.

There is good news, however. There is truth to destroy and replace every lie from the enemy. The greatest example we have of this Jesus Himself. When He was in the wilderness fasting for forty days, the devil came and tempted Him three times. Each time, the Son of God used the word of God (“it is written”) to silence the tempter. You can read it in Matthew 4:1-11. This is why it is so necessary that we have a close relationship not only with God, but also His written word. I love the way Psalm 1:1-3 reads in The Message version:

“How well God must like you – you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead you thrill to God’s Word, you chew on scripture day and night. You’re a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.”

I have personally become aware of three areas in which the enemy of our soul can bind us through deception:

The nature of God. (Who He is and what He is like)
My identity. (How God created me and what He thinks about me)
The future. (Why am I here and where am I going?)

We are going to look at each of these areas in the next three blogs. I hope you’ll join me and get a taste of the freedom I’m experiencing. You’ll see how the truth really can set you free! See you next week!

Kevin

Hospitals and Boats

February 18, 2016

There I stood, face to face with the chief liver transplant surgeon of Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. “Mr. Sherman, your wife is too sick right now. If a liver was to become available, it would be too risky to attempt a transplant. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to remove her from the waiting list.” I pleaded with the doctor, but to no avail. I felt helpless. My sweetheart was laying there in the ICU in a coma. Her liver had almost completely stopped working, and her kidneys were shutting down. She was dying. How would I tell the boys?

Thoughts were at war in my head. I recalled the promises God had spoken to me and the many prophetic words of encouragement given to us in the preceding months and days, not to mention the many faithful friends and family who were praying. Yet, the ugly specter of death was seemingly laughing in my face. I had to make a decision in that moment. What thoughts would I allow and which ones would I refuse? Everything happening in that moment seemed to contradict what I knew deep within me.

We can’t always control the events and circumstances of our lives, but we can control our reaction to them.

Ultimately, the outcome was good. Less than 36 hours later, she was in surgery receiving a new, healthy liver. But at the time I didn’t know what the ultimate outcome would be, all I knew was that God was with me. I felt His presence. I had to make a conscious choice in that moment to reject those negative thoughts and hold on to the good ones.

Philippians 4:8 (NLT) says, “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.”

What are you saying here, Kevin? Just think nice happy thoughts and everything will be ok? No, it’s more than that. There is a peace that goes beyond human understanding. That peace is born in trust. Let me sum it up this way – I know He is with me, He loves me, and therefore I can trust Him.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in Mark 4:35-41. I’m going to paraphrase it for you. Jesus tells His disciples “get in the boat, we’re going to the other side.” While they were sailing He fell asleep and a windstorm came. They were being tossed in the waves and they feared the boat would sink. They woke Jesus up and said, “Don’t you even care that we’re about to die?” Then Jesus gets up and says to the sea, “Peace, be still!” The wind stopped and the sea was calm. Then Jesus says to them, “Why are you so fearful? Don’t you have any faith?”

There are many messages within this story, but what stands out to me is this – The fact that Jesus was able to sleep in the midst of the storm. Why? Because the peace that was within Him was greater than any storm. And because that peace was greater, He could bring peace to it. Why did He rebuke the disciples for their lack of faith? After all, they were mere men, right? He rebuked them because they didn’t believe what He had told them. He told them they were going to the other side. It had already been settled, they were going to get to the other side, come what may!

There is an unexplainable peace that fills us when we simply take Him at His word.

If you find yourself right now in the midst of chaos, turmoil, or uncertainty, remember what He last spoke to you. If you’re not sure, here’s some truth you can hold on to –

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

That’s not a doctor’s opinion, or a storm’s. That’s what He thinks!

Let His thoughts become your thoughts.

In the words of a great song….”so let go, my soul, and trust in Him, the waves and wind still know His name.”

In Him,

Kevin

It’s All In Your Head

February 11, 2016

“Nothing ever goes right with me.” “I’m really worried about what might happen to me.” “I hope they suffer for what they did to me!” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “I always get sick this time of year.” “I can’t help but be anxious about it, anxiety runs in my family, you know.” “I’m stupid.” What do all of these statements have in common? They’re toxic thoughts.

What are toxic thoughts?

Dr. Caroline Leaf says, “Toxic thoughts are thoughts that trigger negative and anxious emotions which produce biochemicals that cause the body stress. They are stored in your mind, as well as in your body.” Wow! No wonder so many people are sick – physically and mentally. In fact, scientific research has shown that 75 – 98% of mental and physical illnesses come from our thought life.

Why would these toxic thoughts be responsible for such widespread damage? Because they are contrary to the original design. We were originally created for perfection. We were wired for love. We were designed for dialogue and relationship with our Creator. We’ve chosen thoughts that result in death rather than life. The words that God speaks are life. (John 6:68)

These toxic thoughts grow like little trees in our brain. They have branches that grow every time we think. God has graciously given us the ability to choose what kind of trees we want to grow in our brain. Do you want healthy trees full of life, or do you want toxic trees full of death?

Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live.”

Did you catch that last part, “so that you and your descendants might live?”

Not only do our thoughts affect us now, but also our children, and their children, and so on. Our DNA is actually changed either positively or negatively through the biochemicals released every time we have a thought, whether it be toxic or healthy.

I would like to share with you some practical steps I have used to renew my mind and thereby change my brain.

Catch your thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV says, “For 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, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” We must recognize those thoughts that are opposed to the truth of God’s word. When we catch them and bring them into the light, then we can begin the process of destroying them and replacing them with healthy thoughts.

Replace it with the truth. Find out what God says about it. What God says about us or about any situation is truth. We replace lies with truth. It is His truth that sets us free. (John 8:31-32).

Meditate on it daily. When you find this healthy replacement thought, then you make a conscious decision to think about it throughout the day. Psalm 1 speaks powerfully to this. I encourage you to read it.

It has been proven that it takes at least 21 days get rid of a habit and replace it with a new one. We didn’t build these toxic thought patterns overnight, and we won’t get rid of them overnight. It’s a process that will take perseverance and most importantly partnering with the Holy Spirit.

You can begin by starting your day alone with Him. Thank Him, praise Him, and worship Him. Then ask Him to show you a specific toxic thought that needs to be destroyed. He is more than willing to reveal it to you. Chances are, you already know what it is! When you know what it is, write it down. (I suggest you get a journal if you don’t already have one).

Then, ask Him to show you the healthy replacement thought. You may already know. Write it down. Go over this thought at least 7 times or more during the day. Do this for at least 21 days. I’ve been doing this daily for the past year and it has changed my life.

Change your mind, change your life!

Yours in Him,

Kevin