Discerning The Source of Thoughts

It's the Battle for the Line, which we've now called Volume 1. We're about to start Volume 2 in this series here tonight. But one year ago, we began to deal with this battle of the line. This series came out of me waiting upon the Lord for three weeks, seeking how he wanted to speak to us. Little did I realize how momentous the year was going to be. No one could have comprehended what was ahead of us in the year that has just gone by. But one thing I do know, these messages about the battle for our lines, to guard our lines, to be careful of the thoughts of our lines, this was laid upon me very strongly through that three-week period. It was confirmed again and again. And so when I began in January 2020, I knew this was the word of God for you, for me, for us as a church. I was fully convinced of it. And little did we realize in March that we would have the first lockdown and the beginning of this COVID crisis, which was going to test the minds, the thinking of everyone in our world. It is also one year ago, almost exactly, the week of the diagnosis that Candace's condition was terminal. There's nothing the doctors could do. All of the seven messages I'm about to mention came just before that. Do you know that God speaks to you before a crisis? Do you know he speaks to the preacher before the crisis? Amen. I need the word of God as much as anyone. And so last year, we preached our top seven messages on our Wednesday nights. Number one, we dealt with the Holy War, that warfare of the spiritual mind and of the mind of the flesh that we read about in Romans chapter 8. The second message was, as a man, thinketh, so is he. The third message was the human brain, showing that the brain is different than the mind. The brain is a physical part of your body. It's a member of the body, whereas the mind is what operates through that brain. The fourth message was the mind, the brain, and the Bible. The fifth message was, how do you renew your mind? And I wish I could preach that again. Part six was pulling down strongholds. And part seven was discerning the thoughts or the source of thoughts. We are now returning back. And tonight, I'm going to go back and preach the seventh message again, which is discerning the source of thoughts. We are about to go on to volume two, or part two of a series. And I want to start here, discerning the source of thoughts. Let's go to a few scriptures here. And I'm just going to remind you by reading a few scriptures here that we've already dealt with in these previous series, and we will come back and mention them again. But I'm just reading them, and then we're going to our message. And so tonight, our message, discerning the source of thoughts. You can listen if you don't have time to go to the scriptures, but beginning with Proverbs 23, and verse seven. Listen carefully, there's a dynamic scripture. For as a man, or as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. In other words, this is fundamental to our teaching. How you think you are. In fact, your thinking defines who you are. You're nothing else than how you think. And many people in the church try to say, my thought life is separate from who I am in Christ. That is not true. How you think is who you are. And so the Proverbs says that. As he thinketh in his heart, so is he. And we see the mind does affect the heart of a man. How you think is in your heart, or a part of your heart. Then there's Romans chapter 12, verse two. And it says, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Third of all, you have 2 Corinthians 10, verse four. It says, pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity, listen to this, every thought. Do you think every thought doesn't matter? I wanna tell you, the Bible says you're to bring every thought into obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every thought does matter, because every thought undealt with affects your life. Somehow, you better tonight discern where your thoughts come from. You're to take captive every thought and bring it into obedience to Christ. And then last of all, 2 Corinthians 11, verse three. These are the classic scriptures that we have already dealt with one year ago. And please hear me, go back and listen those previous six messages. They're so important as we begin on this again. If you miss the messages, they're online, only audio messages, not video, but you can follow up here. 2 Corinthians 11 and three. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted or wasted or withered from the simplicity that is in Christ. Let's pray together here tonight. Father, I do thank you for the word of God, the truth of God, this challenge to us that you brought one year ago. Lord God, teaching us how to take every thought captive. Lord God, showing us the importance of how we think and what we think and why we think. Father, I pray here tonight, will you grant us that anointing of the Holy Spirit to minister in the person of Christ. We want a renewed mind. We want the mind of Christ. We want a sanctified mind. Lord God, we want that new mind. Lord God, that comes by the new birth, that spiritual mind to operate in each one of our lives. Will you help us tonight? In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Our message, discerning the source of thoughts. And I want to exhort you tonight, as we begin again, looking at the mind, are your thoughts, the thoughts that go on in your mind. I want to challenge you that we are to discern the source of thoughts. We are actually to test where our thoughts come from. All thoughts do not have the same origin. And we're going to see it tonight. I'm dealing with four different places that thoughts come from that affects your life. And I want you here tonight to discern where your thoughts come from. Do they come from God? Do they come from Satan? Do they come from others? Or do they arise from yourself? I want you to discern tonight. It actually says in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 21, prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Do you know what that means? It means to test, examine, to discern all things. You are to test the thoughts of your mind. You're not to be an open sewer. You're not just to be an open highway for every thought, every imagination, every idea to drop into. You're actually to judge. You're to discern. If you don't do that, you're still a babe in Christ, at best, at best you are. If you just allow your mind, everything to flood into it, you haven't grown, you haven't matured. You're not going on in perfection in Christ. Because I tell you a part of maturing is to take thoughts captive. That's what makes you grow in Jesus Christ. So we see that we're to discern the source, the origin, where thoughts arise, where they come from. You are to test your own thoughts and say, is this from God, the devil? Is it from others? Is it from me? Where does it come from? You see, our minds that we've read about in these scriptures, that's taught about all through the Bible, the mind is that realm of thoughts, imaginations, of dreams, where you consider the word of God or the things of life. This is the mind. And you're to discern the thoughts that pass through it. Do you remember when we taught on this, we defined what the word thoughts, individual thoughts or your thought life, what does the Hebrew word actually mean? Sorry, let me take that word. The word thinketh in the Hebrew. Do you remember what it means? It means to be a split door, to be a door that opens to let something through. That's what your thoughts are. That's what your mind is. You know, if you want to understand your mind and your thought life, it is like a door. Either you shut it to keep certain things out or it is open to let everything in. That's what your thought life is. And do you know what? Your thought life protects your heart or it actually opens up your heart to attack. You see, everything that gets into your heart first comes through your thought life. What is allowed in your thought life becomes your heart and flows down into your heart. It's a vital part. And so this process of thinketh in the Hebrew means a door that opens and shuts. It can be shut hard or it can be left wide open. But it also means the doorman, the man who stands on the door and he says, no, I'm gonna close the door or no, I'm gonna open the door. So it means both of these things. It means the door and it means the doorman, the guard on the door. Can I ask you here tonight, how is your thought life operating? Are you discerning it? Are you guarding it? Are you watching over it? Do you know where the thoughts are affecting the decisions of your life, the direction of your life, the actions of your life? Are you watching over your thought life? Do you realize you don't say anything without thoughts passing through your mind? Do you realize you don't do anything in your entire life without thought process? This is a dynamic part. Do you realize this is fundamental to sanctification, to becoming more like Christ Jesus? If you don't understand this, how are you gonna grow in Christ? How are you actually gonna grow in your relationship with others if you don't understand this? It is utterly vital for what does it say in Proverbs? For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. So we see that the thoughts, the individual thoughts, the thought patterns, the ideas, the suggestions, the guidance, the direction, the theory, the revelations that come to you all come by thoughts and you need to test them because they'll become a part of your life. They're gonna mold your life to be what it is. There is a vital connection between the process of thinking and the condition of your heart. Your condition of your heart is molded by your thought life, by that whole realm of the mind and the mind falls within the realm of what is taught in the Bible of the heart. The mind is part of the heart and yet it's separate from the heart. It's different and yet it's a part of your heart. What your mind is, your heart is. So you are nothing more than your thought life. It is a vital part of who you are. When we taught about this one year ago, we actually told you and I'm not sure if you've tested it over this past year, but every single day, unconsciously, they estimate that every person thinks between 30,000 and 180,000 thoughts a day. The average person thinks about 50,000 unconscious thoughts. I mean their unconscious mind. You don't think about breathing. You don't think about walking. I rarely think about driving. It's an automatic thing. I had to train that mind. I had to train that brain and now it becomes automatic. It's in that subconscious mind. And so I'm not sure if you counted your thoughts in the past year, but this is what they say. Every single second, you have about 40 unconscious thoughts, but we're not talking about that realm. We're talking about the conscious thought life. And when we come to the conscious thought life, the experts, the professionals, they say that we have a thought every 10 seconds. We have a thought that we're deciding, that we're putting into operation in our life. Every 10 seconds, that means every minute you make six decisions about something. It is conscious. You know what you're doing. You're aware of it and you're responsible for that. You know, I feed into my unconscious mind. What is there operating? Don't think you get out of this by saying, oh, I'm not responsible for my unconscious mind. Like a computer, you program that as you walk with Jesus Christ. What you make conscious in your mind flows over to become a natural part of who you are. And it is who you are in your heart. Saints, I'm already showing you, as we return to this series, the importance of your thought life. Here tonight, discerning the source of every thought that comes to your mind. We're gonna look at four points here. First of all, God's thoughts. Discerning the source of your thoughts as God's thoughts. It says in Isaiah chapter 55 and verse eight, listen carefully, we're dealing with God's thoughts. Thoughts that come into your mind that are a part of your thought life, and they come from God. God wants certain thoughts in your mind. It says in Isaiah 55, verse eight, for my thoughts, notice here, God has thoughts. He has actual thoughts. God thinks thoughts just like you do. God actually has thoughts. He has a thought life just like you do. I know it's different, but it is the same principle. He says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts. And this is the first thing I want you to see. Your thoughts, how you think, is different than how God thinks. They're not the same. They're different. They're distinct. They're radically separate. But God has thoughts and you have thoughts. What I want you to see or discern tonight is are you living by your own thoughts or the thoughts of God? Do the thoughts of God actually operate in your mind, in your heart, and in your life? God says, my thoughts are not your thoughts, not naturally, apart from God working in your life. You do not think like God. I'm shocked by how many people in the church, they think they think like God. They don't, when I go to the Bible, when I go to this book, I find out they think very radically different than God. They say, oh, God's thought. I believe God is saying to me. I believe God wants me to do this. And I say, but the Bible says, and this is where we separate. You see, you have man's thoughts and you have God's thoughts. God says, we don't think the same. Neither are your ways my ways. Notice that your ways, what's that? Your actions, your life, who you are, how you operate, come from thoughts. Your ways are not the same as God's ways. Neither are your thoughts the same as his thoughts. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts and your thoughts. Do you see how the heavens are so far away from the earth? That's how far God's thoughts. Do you know what? They're spiritual. Your thoughts naturally aren't. His are heavenly. Ours are earthly. Ours are natural. His are remarkable. Since there is a separation between God's thoughts and our thoughts, and there is a great divergence, we've got to realize this. Do you know how to discern if you're thinking the thoughts of God are your own thoughts? Can you tell the difference? Are you able to stop a thought and say that's from God or that is from me? This is basic to the Christian life. If you do not know how to discern that a thought, an actual thought is from God or if it's from you, you're in a very dangerous place. And I want to tell you, I've met thousands in the church that cannot tell the difference. That's a dangerous place. You'll never grow. You'll never go anywhere with God because you can't even tell the difference of the most obvious things possible. And he says, listen carefully, he's explaining about these thoughts. How do these thoughts come down into man? He says, for as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not hither, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth the buds and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goeth out of my mouth. Do you see how God's thoughts come to his church and to his people? It comes down like the rain. It comes down like the snow. It begins to water the ground. He's talking about how he gets his thoughts into our minds, into our hearts. How does he do it? It comes down like the rain. It comes down like the snow. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. Do you know if God's going to get his word or his thought into your mind? Do you know how he does that? Do you know how you begin to think the thought of God or think like God because there's a radical difference? How do you begin to think the thoughts of God or to have the mind of God or to know what he is thinking? How do you get those thoughts into you? We are meant to have the mind of God. We are to think the thoughts of God. Do you know how it happens? By God speaking his word. He speaks his word. That's where you get his thoughts. If you try to say you've got God's thoughts, but yet it's contrary to this book, you do not know the thoughts of God. You see God's thoughts come into your life, his thoughts on every aspect of life. I mean, every single aspect about your family, about your workplace, about your money, about every decision of life. How do you get the thought of God? How do you think like God? How do you get it that your mind isn't of this world and carnal or worldly or of the devil? How do you have a mind that actually is filled with the thought of God? It comes through the spoken word of God. God speaks his word. It comes like rain. It comes like snow. It is watering. And do you know what happens? A harvest comes out of that. Do you realize that if you have your mind watered with the word of God, I mean soaked with the word of God, if it comes down like snow and rain upon your mind, do you realize there's gonna be a harvest in your mind? If you allow your mind to be washed in the word of God, renewed by the word of God, sanctified by the word of God, you are gonna have the thoughts of God springing up. You're literally gonna have a mind that operates. Go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter two. And we see this further concerning God's thoughts. 1 Corinthians chapter two and verse 11. And it says, for what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. How can you know anything of God, the thoughts of God? How can you know his desire, his burdens, his thoughts, his wishes for your life? How do you get those thoughts operating in your life? How do you go? I know the mind of God. I know what God would do in this situation. How do you get that? Well, we're told only the spirit of God can know the mind of God. Only the spirit of God really knows the heart of God. And it says there in verse 12, now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the spirit which is of God. So look at it. Only the spirit knows the mind of God. We, if we're born again, have received the Holy Spirit of God, but the spirit which is of God that we might know. Do you know no one is of the mind? If you know the things which are given by God, that's your mind. You have understanding. You have intelligence. You perceive. How do you know what God has given you? By the Holy Spirit sent down. Only the Holy Spirit knows the things of God. And it's not of this world. That's why when the church operates according to this world, they know nothing about the spirit of God. They don't know the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They don't know what it means to be led of the Holy Spirit. You see them saying, I'm led of the Holy Spirit. And they act like an idiot in the church or in life. They're not a member of a church. They don't give to God. They have no desire to walk right. They don't separate from sin, but to say I'm being led of the spirit of God. I have the mind of God. No, they don't. They absolutely do not. It says, verse 13, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth. Now notice carefully, he's gonna compare something here. Man's wisdom being taught to you. He's gonna compare man's wisdom with the teaching of the Holy Ghost. Can I ask you here, you want the mind of God, the thoughts of God, how God thinks. Have you been taught by man's wisdom or by the spirit of God? Do you know? Do you actually know if you've been taught by man? And believe me, if I've misled you, you're in trouble if you think this is God. See, if I'm not speaking from God, and if the Holy Spirit isn't using me to teach, but you think it's God, you're deceived. You're walking down a blind alley. You're the blind being led by the blind. What a deception. You better make sure the Holy Spirit is teaching you that you're taught of the Holy Spirit of God. It's vital that you understand this. So how do you know that you're taught by the Holy Spirit, that you have the thoughts of God operating in your life? Listen, it says, not on the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches. How does the Holy Ghost teach you? How do you get the thoughts of God? You get it through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. But how does the Holy Spirit teach you? Well, it tells you here. It says, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. You compare the spiritual with spiritual. So you have the Holy Spirit comparing spiritual with spiritual to teach you. This is how you get taught. Do you know what it means for the Holy Spirit to teach you? This is compared with man's wisdom in the church trying to teach you what he knows. There is a big difference here. How does the Holy Spirit teach you? He compares spiritual with spiritual. Now, the word compare is the Greek word, subkrino, subkrino. The word krino is to judge, use your mind. You're to lay things out and you judge, you compare, you make a decision. Well, the word subkrino here means you gather everything. You know what the spiritual things are that you're to judge is the Word of God. How does the Holy Spirit teach you? Scripture with scripture. He teaches you from Genesis and Revelation and Daniel and from Matthew. That's how the Holy Spirit teaches you. And you are actually to be taught. How do you get taught by the Holy Spirit? You're comparing spiritual things Bible truth with Bible truth, fact with fact, here a little, there a little, you know, line upon line, doctrine upon doctrine. This is how the Holy Spirit teaches you. Do you know what? That's how you become filled with the mind of God and the thoughts of God. Some people say I'm being led of God, but they don't have the Word of God. They don't have the mind of God. They don't have the thoughts of God. We looked at this in one message where in Ephesians chapter four and Colossians chapter three, it talks about put on Christ. You as a believer, you're to put on Christ. How are you to put on Christ? I mean, do you wanna put on Christ? I mean, all this provision, all this provision, how do you put on the Lord Jesus? Listen, in Ephesians four and Colossians three, it says by renewing your mind. That's how you renew. So as the Word of God renews your mind, you are putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. You can only be Christ-centered if you're Bible-based. If you set aside the Word of God, you're not Christ-centered. You're not putting on Christ. You're not thinking the thoughts of Christ. You don't have the thoughts of God. If you neglect the Bible, you're neglecting being taught of the Holy Spirit. If you keep your Bible closed, you're saying, don't teach me. If you don't come and listen to preaching, you're saying, don't teach me. You see, I do believe if a preacher is faithful, he submits himself to God. The Holy Spirit teaches through him. There's no doubt that that actually happens. Paul goes on further. He says, but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Notice again, spiritually discerned. That means that you individually test thoughts. You have to test things, or else you cannot discern the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Listen to the last verse here. But he that is spiritual judges all things. We're talking about being taught of the Holy Spirit. How do you know the Holy Spirit's bringing a thought to you that's gonna impact your life? You're gonna have to judge. You're gonna have to discern. You're gonna have to test. You're gonna have to use your mind. What, I thought I could be taught of the Holy Spirit, but set my mind aside, close it down. Oh God, just leave me. No, I'm sorry. I know this means work, but you're gonna have to study the Word. You're gonna have to pray. You're gonna have to search. You're gonna have to say, guide me. You're gonna have to test your actions, your words, your thoughts with the written scripture. That's how the Holy Spirit actually teaches you. And then listen to what he says. He says that he himself is judge of no man for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ. That's what I'm talking about, thinking the thoughts of God. How do you get it? You're taught of the Holy Spirit. Do you wanna think the thoughts of God? Do you want God's thoughts becoming your thoughts? This is how it happens, through the Word of God, being taught by the Holy Spirit, comparing scripture with scripture. You see, what is God's thoughts about your family life, about your personal life, how you speak, how you think, your attitudes, your heart, how you use money, what you do in the workplace with your time, your holiness of life, each one of your relationships. How do you get the mind of God? Through the Word of God. God conveys his thoughts by a spoken word, by his written word, by his testable word, by the written scriptures inspired of the Holy Spirit. This book is given by the Holy Spirit. He has given it so he can teach you. Can you imagine someone giving you all of their thoughts, all of their teachings, and say here, you will know me if you read this book. You see, if you listen to all the sermons I've preached for this seven years, you know what I believe. Isn't that true? How much more then, do you not know the mind of Christ and the teaching of the Holy Spirit? It is all here. He has given this book. You can test any thought, any manifestation, any preacher, any church, any manifestation, any prophecy. You can actually teach it all. When I was 21 years old, a crisis came in my life and I done something that was radical. I soaked myself in biblical doctrine. I mean, I gave myself to read this book, to submit myself, to let the Holy Spirit teach me. I was saved at four and a half. I loved Jesus Christ before that, but it was a major change in point in my life, a radical change in my entire walk with God. You see, there are times where thoughts come. I can tell you at the time, one Monday morning, I woke up, it was my day off. We'd had church all day on Sunday. Many years ago, I was 21 years old or maybe just a bit more. And as I sat there reading the word of God, God spoke to me. How did he speak to you, Keith? A thought. How do you know it was God? Well, I'll tell you. I was sitting there and all of a sudden, a thought dropped into my mind. You've got guest speakers coming next Sunday, a week away on Sunday night, a whole team and a guest speaker. And this thought came, they're not coming. I want you to preach this message. Just a thought, come. They're not coming, they won't be here and you need to be ready to preach. Well, I only have believed that it was a thought. But you see, if I wasn't served in the word of God, why would God drop a thought like that? Very specifically to guide me. Well, it got to 45 minutes before the meeting on Sunday. I checked earlier. Yes, we're coming. Yes, we're on our way. Yes, we'll be there. 45 minutes before the meeting begins, we get a phone call. We've broken down. We won't be there. We'll come to you next week. And my heart sank. I only have prepared. I did believe, but I didn't believe. I said, I'm sure they're gonna be there. I think this is just my thoughts. But do you know what? It was God's thoughts. I could give you many examples of how God's thoughts, just a thought. You say, how does God speak to you? I wish I could get him to speak to me as much as I want to. But I tell you, the times a thought has come, and when I know that's God, have affected my entire life dramatically. That's one source of thoughts, is God's thoughts. Second of all, Satan's thoughts, Satan's thoughts. You see, there's not only thoughts that come from God to guide your life. There's thoughts that come from Satan to destroy your life. All of you have experienced it. I'm sure if I asked you, I'd say, has the devil ever dropped thoughts in your mind? You go, oh yes, he sure has. If I say, has God dropped thoughts in your mind? You go, hmm, I wonder. Do you know what? You've got more confidence the devil speaks to you than God speaks to you. You have more confidence. You go, I know the devil speaks to me. Does God speak to you? Well, I don't know. Sometimes, maybe. Do you realize thoughts are used of God and of the devil? This is the second realm. You need to discern the source. You need to know thoughts that come from the devil. You've gotta have the ability to discern them, to stop them, to close the door, to stop them before they get into your heart or affect your life. Since I watched it in the church too often, a thought comes and it leads someone in a direction, to marry someone they should never marry, to move to a city they should never have moved to, to go into a job they shouldn't be a part of. I could tell you so much of this and I believe those thoughts. You see, they thought it was their thinking. Oh, I've made a decision. Have you? Did you really make that decision or is there someone else dropping thoughts in? Do you understand what I'm saying here tonight? 2 Corinthians 2, verse 11. It says, less Satan should get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. He's speaking of church. He's just told them to forgive someone in the church. He doesn't want unforgiveness in the church. And he says, less Satan should get advantage. Unforgiveness. You refuse to forgive someone. Do you realize who is behind that? When you go, I won't forgive. Oh, you think it's your thoughts. No, it's not. Do you realize Paul is saying here, less Satan should get advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. Now we know the statement, not being ignorant, untaught, undiscerning about Satan's devices. Notice that word, devices. Satan's devices. The Greek word is the same as thought in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and five. Bringing into captivity every thought. It's the same word for devices. The exact same word. So to take every thought captive in a subjection to God, it's the same word used for, do not be ignorant of Satan's devices. In fact, before the King James Version, Wycliffe and Tyndale, in the first English translations of the Bible, in their translation of this, they spoke about, do not be ignorant of Satan's thoughts. That's how they translated it. So they said there's a way Satan thinks, it's the thought life of Satan. You're not to be ignorant of. You should be able to discern the thoughts of the devil. You should be able to test it. How? With the word of God and say, this is a thought. This is a strategy. This is a plan from the devil and that you can discern it for yourself. You see, what is this device? It is the mind, the perception. It is when the mind is exerted, it is its final output. It is the result of much thinking, the product of the mind, of intelligence. Are you able to judge, discern the thinking of Satan in your life? The thoughts that come floating down from heaven. So you think it's like the birds that fly over your head. They're indifferent. Are they? Don't you know the devil fires his arrows? Do you know he's got a thought art, intelligent plan for your life and he drops thoughts. And then he says, that's yours. It's like a baby being dropped at your door. Someone knocks on the door, you open the door, the person's run off and there's this crying baby at your door. And you know what the devil says? It's yours, it's yours. This is your screaming baby. It's on your doorstep. Do you know what most of you do? You pick it up, you hug it and go, poor baby, I need to look after it. Whose baby is that? Don't you realize the devil does that? He'll heap condemnation or guilt or say, there's, do you know, old man, you know, you know what this is like. We're talking about the battle for our thought life. And he says, less Satan should get advantage of us. Do you know if you don't discern the thoughts of Satan in your life, if you cannot discern and tell when a thought is from Satan, he could get advantage of you. He could, talk about believers. What does advantage mean? It means to trick someone, to reach out into their life where you shouldn't have your hands. You know, if I'm walking down the street and I find somebody else's hand in my pocket, that hand should not be there. You're up to no good. Now, I know it would never happen in this city, I'm sure. You see, they have overstretched. Your hands are going where they ought not to go. And any young ladies ought to be careful of that as well. Do you know what someone is trying to take advantage of you? The devil is in it. The devil is in it. It is him overstretching, getting one over on us. Do you like somebody getting one over on you? They get one over and they laugh. They laugh about, I got one up on you. You know what the devil does that? He goes, I got one over on you. I tricked you, I fooled you because I dropped a thought and you picked it up and said, I'm gonna do this. And it led you into this world. It led you away from the blessing of God and the word of God. It means he got the upper hand. He has cheated you out of something that belongs to you. He has defrauded you. Have you been defrauded tonight? Are you sitting here as a believer defrauded out of the blessing of God? You've been tricked by the devil. You've been fooled by the devil. And you know how he done it with your thought life, with a thoughts coming against you. That's how he actually done it, to take advantage. It's like a chess game. Lest Satan should get an advantage. You better not be ignorant about the devil's thoughts. He tries to drop thoughts or make suggestions. I think you should do this. Do you think the devil ever does that? I think you should go this way. Or he brings before you, if you follow God, there's the consequence. And if you go the way of the world, look at all these things you can have. Did he do it to Jesus? Look at all of these kingdoms. I have them, they're in my power to give. I can give them to you. Just bow down and worship me and I'll give them to you. Do you know the devil offers you things? He said, if you walk this way, I'll give you this. I'll do it. Believe me, you do hear the voice of Satan, you do. You do, you have, you will do in the future. Even a preacher will be tempted the same way. Being offered things. Saints, we're meant to judge or discern the thoughts that come against us. It's very real. See in this context, the previous 10 verses about this, about the devil taking advantage. Do you know what the context is? A member of the body has sinned in the church and the church won't forgive him. He now comes back with tears, repentant, broken over his sin, his sexual sin. And that church will not forgive him. Do you know what Paul says? If you don't forgive him, Satan has gained an advantage over you, the local church. If that's true repentance, you better forgive him. You know what this Corinthian church had done before? They actually ignored his sin. Do you remember that? In 1 Corinthians 5, he was sitting there and all the mature believers, they had their chest puffed out and went, we believe in grace. We're not dealing with them. Brother so-and-so who's committing incest, we're able to forgive. Paul pulls out his hair and he says, what are you doing? You know what? You're being tricked by Satan. This false grace message is from hell. It was perpetrated by the devil in the church. Hyper grace, doesn't matter how you live, doesn't matter about your thought life, we're under grace, we're in Christ. Don't think about the bad is from the pit of hell. But also don't go the other way. When your brother repents, forgive him. Oh, I don't trust him. Should I trust you? Who are you to trust other saints? I'm telling you, we're a church of grace, but not hyper grace. We need a balance in this. We need to be very careful. Forgive those who truly repent, because the devil will send us to different extremes. What is the mind of Satan? In Isaiah 14, we have it. And God speaking about the devil, for thou said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation and the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. This is the thinking of the devil within his heart. I will, I will, I will. It's pride. It's utter pride. Do you know that every proud thought that rises up in your heart, I know where it came from. You're proud towards your brother. Oh, look at them. Oh, look at that one. Look at those that are playing around out there. I'm better than them. Be very careful. Pride goes before a fall. It really does. It's such a dangerous thing. The devil's thinking is proud. It is arrogant. He always exalts himself. You begin to understand the thinking of Satan when it comes into the church, where you see arrogance and pride and ministry and churches and movements. We are the people. There is no one like us. You're on dangerous ground. You think you forget that you're washed from your sins and saved by the grace of God and that you're no better than any sinner out there. You are in a dangerous place. The devil fell from a great height. I wanna assure you. But look at the thinking of the devil. We see it all through the Bible. In the Garden of Eden, the thoughts. Do you know what the devil was doing having a conversation with Eve? Trying to drop some thoughts. Did God say, did he really? Did he really mean that? Does the Bible really mean that? Maybe you've misinterpreted it. Maybe you're being too extreme. Maybe that's Old Testament. I mean, that's the God of the Garden of Eden. Did he really say that? Now we're under grace. Do you know the devil was trying to drop thoughts? Did God say, and then he comes and says, you will not die. Do you know what that is? That's a thought. That's the thinking of Satan and he's trying to destroy Eve and it brought about the fall. What about Job's wife? We first see in Job chapter one, a conversation in heaven. Between God and Satan. Do you know what Satan says? You've guarded this man, Job. You put a hedge around him. Move the hedge. Let me come and attack him. And you know what he'll do? He'll curse you to your face, chapter one. So God allows him to do certain things and then the devil comes back again and says, look, let me touch his body and then he'll curse you. God lets him touch his body. Do you know, it's only three verses later. On earth, in the home of Job. Mrs. Job turns to Job and says, curse God and die. Where did she get that? Do you know what I believe? Satan took that thought. That was the message of Satan and he put it right into that marriage, right into the mouth of Mrs. Job and she is now speaking it. She is saying to Job what the devil himself was saying. Where did that thought come from? Do you realize you could be speaking words that come from the devil? Do you realize you could discourage someone, hurt someone, mislead someone, give someone the wrong advice? You don't have right to give your own advice. Oh brother, don't worry about sin. Sure, we're all sinners. We've all gone through it. Sure, God will forgive you. Is that what the Bible says? Does the Bible say minister to that person like that or is that your opinion? Is it because of your own weakness, your own defeat that you're now ministering out of your lousy sloppy Christianity instead of ministering the mind of God? Do you see how dangerous this is? What about when the devil comes and provokes David to number Israel? He stirs him up. David, go number the people. This is about numbers. You know who was behind that? The devil. What about Judas? It says in John 13 that Satan put into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. It didn't originate with himself. It wasn't a natural thought. A strong thought can sell Jesus for 30 bits of silver. Go buy that little house that you've always wanted. You know where the plan came from? The devil. That stinking house that was gonna damn his soul was actually the thought and plan of the devil for him. You can have that house and heaven as well. No, you can't. It damned his soul to the lowest hell. He went out and committed suicide. What about Ananas and Sapphira? Why did they lie against Peter? Why did they lie to the Holy Ghost? Listen, it says in Acts 5, Peter says, Satan has filled thine heart. Thank God there was a preacher who says, I can discern the thoughts of the devil. Why did you do this? Don't you realize it wasn't you doing this? It wasn't a natural thought. Satan filled your heart that you agreed with your wife to lie publicly in the church and to lie to an apostle of God. And now you're gonna pay the consequence. Don't you know that was the thinking of Satan? You see, your life can be affected by the thoughts of God or the thoughts of Satan. Do you see that here? Do you see even in the church of God, you are being bombarded by thoughts from two different sources. But there's more to this, saints of God. There's more to this. There's far more. Man, I need to preach about five messages, I can assure you. But in Matthew chapter 16, we read also about Simon Peter answering Jesus when he said, who do you say that I am? I, the son of man, who do you say I am? Well, they said, some say that you're a prophet. Some say you're Jeremiah. Some say you're John the Baptist. But he says, who do you say that I am? Well, Peter spoke up and he said, thou art the Christ, the anointed one, the son of the living God. Listen to what Jesus said. Jesus answered, blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. How did he know it? Did he hear a voice? Did he see a vision? Did he have a dream? No, see in his heart, he instantly knew that Jesus is the Messiah. He knew with his mind. He said, you're the Messiah, the one that's prophesied all throughout the Old Testament. I know who you are. You're the fulfillment of the scriptures. You know, it was a mind. The Father revealed it unto him. He didn't speak audibly. He didn't show him a vision. He didn't come down mystically. It was actually the thinking, the mind of God in him. He said, I know exactly who you are. And you know what? Some of you in here had that experience. There was a day and a time where you go, I know exactly who you are. Oh, you didn't hear a voice. You didn't have a flash in life, but you go, you are the son of God. You're the Messiah. You know what that is? The mind of God, the thoughts of God. I wish I could stop there. What happens immediately after it? It says from that time forth, Jesus began to show unto his disciples from that time, how that he must go up to Jerusalem and he must suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again on the third day. He began to preach suffering, the cross, the way of the death. Surely Peter knows this is the message of God, doesn't he? He can discern a real word from God, real preaching, can't he? Listen, then Peter took him. He grabbed a hold of Jesus and he took him and he began to rebuke him. Can you imagine this? Talk about getting it wrong. This is the biggest clangor ever. Oh yeah, one minute he's getting praised. The father has taught you. He has revealed things to you. Peter, you get an A. Boy, you get an F on this, I can assure you. He begins to rebuke Jesus. You're not gonna suffer. You don't need to go the way of the cross. No one's gonna kill you. What a remarkable thing is this compassion. Is it Christian sentiment? Is it love? You see, we've traveled a lot in previous years and we go somewhere and someone has dealt with the word of God and they begin to cry and you get some older Christian going over and putting their, now this is a lousy, rotten person here who's doing things they shouldn't be doing. And sometimes we've known about it and the person begins to cry and feel sorry for themself and the older Christian puts their arm and goes there, there, there. The Lord loves you. The Lord understands. And Candace and me are almost screaming, saying leave them alone. Leave them alone. Does Peter love Christ here? No. Is he caring about his safety? No. Look, I'm telling you, sometimes you can't discern what is of the devil. You've got to discern the thinking. When Peter begins to say, you don't need to go the way of the cross. You don't need to suffer. You don't need to die. You know where it came from? The devil. It was a thought from the devil. Listen to what Jesus says. Get thee behind me, Satan. He knew where those words are from. They come out of the mouth of Peter but they're from the devil. Peter's an apostle. He's a preacher. He's a miracle worker. He's a disciple of Christ. He's really born again. And yet the devil has sown a thought. He wasn't demon possessed. It wasn't the devil manifesting through him. It was just a manner of thinking. The devil had thought that and said, that's terrible. He shouldn't go the way of the cross. God would never let him suffer. Really? So you think God would never let you suffer? It's not God's will for you to suffer or to do without or have a financial crisis. You think God would never allow that in your life. Do you realize the devil can come in in the back of these things? Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offense unto me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. I know exactly where this message of encouragement comes from. This love, this sympathy, this care. I know the devil is in it. Do you see how dangerous this is that we can have ministry in the church, counseling, inner healing, psychology, prophecies, words of knowledge, and they could be from the devil? Do you realize it could take you away from the cross rather than taking you straight into the will of God? I'm very glad to say, when you turn in your Bible to 1 Peter 4, verse 19, and this Peter writing many years later, what does he say? He speaks about those who suffer according to the will of God. He got it, saints. He didn't get it over in Matthew 16, but he certainly got it by the time he's writing his epistle. You know what he's saying? He's talking about the righteous suffering. He's talking about those that live godly suffering. He's talking about the believer in Christ suffering. In fact, when you go to 1 Peter, chapter two through to chapter five, do you know he mentions the word suffer six times, suffered five times, and suffering one times? From chapter two to chapter five, the whole thing, 12 times, he's talking about suffering, how you can be in the will of God, how you can be righteous, how you can be godly, how you're growing in Christ, and yet you're gonna suffer. You see, that shows that you could have thoughts from Satan. There's teachings in the church from Satan. They are wrong teachings. God would never let me suffer. How do you know that? Do you know I've had my heart broken at times? Do you know my heart is broken in two at times? I've been dying over the decades, and you know what? It's never once destroyed me when the will of God is in it. It made me grow. It made my roots go deeper. It made my branches spring out. It brought forth fruit in this life. I wanna tell you, there is a mind of Satan. There is a way of thinking, and you've gotta discern it. You've gotta judge it. There's also the mind of God, and you can discern that. Saints, I'm not gonna finish this message. You can either go online, you can go back and listen to that previous message. I'm repeating the message just to bring you back in again. First of all, it is thoughts from God, God's thoughts. Then secondly, Satan's thoughts. But let me just summarize and finish here on the last two points. Man's thoughts and your thoughts. What are man's thoughts? You see, God created us for friendship, fellowship, relationship, and communion. You're created for that, not only for God. You're actually created to have fellowship with other people. You need other people in your life. God has ordained it that way. They may be few, or they may be many. I understand that, but I tell you, you are created to be in a relationship somewhere with someone in fellowship in the local church, to have an association with others. But listen, this is the third realm. Thoughts can come from others, not only from God, not only from the devil, but they can come from other people, those closest to you, your family, your neighbors, church members, friends, husband, wife. Thoughts can come. You need to discern, is it God, the devil, or is it just other people's thoughts, their opinions? It says in Psalm 1, verse 1, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. The word counsel there means the advice, the advice, the plans, the thoughts, the opinions of others. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Do you know, if you're allowing the ungodly to bring advice to you, do you know what thoughts are coming from them? I think you should raise your children like this. I think you should do this. If I was you, I'd kill them, I'd wring their neck. Do you know what? They're all thoughts being fed into you. Do you know how to deal with all of those thoughts? Do you realize you could have thoughts dropped that aren't your thoughts? They're not directly from God, not directly from the devil. They're directly from others. Someone could be trying to manipulate you. They walk away. They're not gonna go speak to that person. They get you angry. Have you ever had that? You speak to someone, and when they leave you, you're angry with someone that you weren't before. I know all of you are saints, so it's never happened to you. It's only happened to me. But I've literally stood there, and someone's left me. I am shaken. I go, man, and I go, hold on. Where did that thought come from? See, a thought came. Words came. Opinions came. This is the whole third realm of where actual thoughts can come from. Your family members, your mommy, your daddy, your children who think they know it all, all these thoughts come. Oh, dad, move with the times. Oh, son, I think you should do this. Who's influencing your life? Can I ask you that? Who is actually bringing thoughts that are lodging in your mind, going into your heart and affecting your life? Who actually sews thoughts into your life? You see, are you shutting certain thoughts? There's certain family members you should not let their thoughts into your life. Their opinions, their ideas, their hypocrites. There's some people sitting in churches that have been saved 30, 40 years, and I'm telling you, you shouldn't take their opinion. You know why? It's not according to this. I value mature believers, but I tell you, if they advise you and say, I think you should do this, and it's not according to the Word, you better know what thoughts to take on board, what to reject. There's nothing like godly counsel. You are being bombarded in this room by other people every single day. You're bombarded absolutely with information, especially the past year. Governments are now after your mind. Scientists, social experts, they are after your mind. Do you realize what we've walked through the past year? We have gone through a massive experiment for the last days. We're getting ready for the last time, and I assure you, governments, experts in all manners of science are after your brain. The news media are brainwashing you. You sit there and watch the googly box in the corner, the television, and you go, well, BBC said it, so it must be right. You're on very dangerous ground, I wanna tell you. You look at Facebook, YouTube, Google. I'll just Google it. Do you know how to handle Google? We now have the 21st century pacifier. It's a dummy tit for the 21st century for highly intelligent young people. It's a new babysitter. It is the new thing for the 21st century. It's internet. You can't stop looking at it. You go there for all your information. What's Sally doing? What's Jimmy doing? What's Billy doing? You know what? You're being babysat. The news media, Google, Facebook, YouTube are having their way. You're being bombarded with information. Never have we been more, less able to diagnose all the information. Can you keep up with things today? I can't. I mean, thoughts are coming from everywhere. I'm having to shut myself away. I'm almost feel like locking the doors in. Please don't send me any more videos. Please don't send me any more emails. Please don't send me any more advice or counsel. I almost want to go underground. You know why? We're living in an hour where the thoughts of men are exploding. Information is exploding from people, your family, from family traditions, national traditions. Can you discern? Are you able to discern? Saints, I want to tell you, I'm closing now. The last is from yourself. Do you know where thoughts arise from your own heart? Adulteries come out of your heart, the heart of man. Anger, murder, wanting to throttle someone, that comes out of your flesh. Do you realize evil thoughts come out of the heart of men? You don't need God to bring a thought or the devil to bring a thought or others to bring a thought. Do you know there's a fourth realm where it comes out of yourself? Can I ask you, have you experienced thoughts coming out of your flesh? Your flesh creates thoughts. Thoughts come up out of your flesh that could move you in a certain direction. Do you know thoughts come out of your body? I'm tired. I'm not going to go and do something spiritual. I'm tired. See, your physical body can create thoughts. I'm hungry. You've only missed one meal fasting, but I'm dying. You don't understand. I get all shaky, yeah, like a drug addict. Take drugs away from a drug addict, he shakes. Or alcohol away from an alcoholic. You know what? Take food away from a foodaholic and they begin to shake. I've got a splitting headache. I can't think straight. I think I'm going to die. I think I'm having a heart attack. No, you've done without one meal. I'm telling you, thoughts come from your natural body. They arise from your flesh. But listen, let me finish on this note. There's also the mind of Christ. There's the new nature. The word of God says he'll write his word on your mind. You get a new spirit. You get a new heart. And do you know what? Out of that new heart, that new creature, that born again experience, I do get thoughts. I love it when I meet a new Christian. They're only in the door. They haven't even read the Bible. And they say, I love to go to church. I just want to live right. I don't want to touch the drink anymore. And I don't want to go sleep with my girlfriend anymore. And I'm there looking going, he hasn't even read all the scriptures yet. Where do those thoughts come from? Where did all these thoughts from a new creature? I want God. I love God. I'm thankful to God. You're an old gripe before. You're a critic before. And now you're there going, I love people. You didn't do that before. Where did that thinking come from? The new creature, a new heart that thinks in a new way. Thanks. Tonight is just a summary to remind us where we were one year ago. We are now starting then. And I'm going to begin to show you concerning the mind of Christ, how to think the thoughts of God, how to make this operate, how to have a sanctified mind, how to have a renewed mind, how to walk with God, how to have a heart that's affected by a mind that's sanctified by the written scriptures. This is wonderful what we're going to be dealing with. And we need to pray, oh God, teach me. I want to be taught of the Holy Spirit. And this is why I want you to go back and listen to previous messages. I want you to sit down with your Bible. I want you to sit down and say, oh God, I want to be taught of the word of God. I want to be taught by the spirit, not just messages on a Wednesday night, not just me preaching messages. Saints, let's give ourself over these coming weeks to say, I want to be taught of God. I want to be a part of a church that's being washed, that's being renewed by the word of God, that areas in your life are going to be changed. Things are going to be broken. Patterns of thinking are going to change. And I assure you, you're in a warfare here tonight. You're going to have to fight for your mind to say, I'm not having the devil influence it. I want the spirit of God to renew my mind. Stand with me here tonight as we close. Thank you, Lord God. Oh, hallelujah. Father, we thank you, God, tonight. My God, we pray, oh God, that you'd wash us, that you'd renew us, that you'd sanctify us, oh God. Lord God, we want the mind of Christ tonight. We want to be taught of the Holy Spirit of God. We want your thoughts, oh God, to come to bear, even within.