What's On Your Mind | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from at church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

What's on your mind?

Okay, that's going to be the question that we're going

to talk about. Turn to the person next to you

and ask them what's on your mind? Are you already

thinking about lunch? Or what time is past? The glory

ending today's message okay? Or the things that I need

to do for this week?

Right?

Sometimes there's just a lot of things in our minds right, endless,

Sometimes our mind doesn't stop right. And it just got

me thinking because you know, my line of job, a

lot I do with is working with people. And when

you work with people, it's a lot of mindsets that

you're working with, you know, And I always wonder that

how how do people think in such a way to

respond and to make certain decisions?

Right?

And a lot about our mind is got to do

with what we feed it with, right, And that is

how we think and make decisions. And if you've read

the Bible, you would see that there are so many

scriptures that God teaches us about our mind and how

powerful a weapon it is. Okay, so let's just start

with a scripture here from Romans Chapter twelve Versus one

to two. Okay, some of you would have, you know,

read this. Okay, let's look at Romans twelve. Are all there, okay,

So let's look at what the scriptures tells us here. Okay, brethren,

by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies

a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God, which is your

reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that

you prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect

will of God.

Right.

So the scriptures here reminds us to not be conformed

to the world, okay, but be renewed in our minds.

Okay.

And as we read the remaining scriptures that comes after

that Versus three onwards in the same chapter, then we

see that it talks about serving God, Okay, how we

call to serve It even talks about the different spiritual

gifts and abilities that God has given to us.

Right.

And so it got me thinking that in order for

us to do all this right, to answer the will

of God to serve him, we've christ first got to

work on our minds, because if not, we can never

get it. You know, why do we need to give

God our best? Why do we need to serve him?

Right?

Or why do we need to follow the commandments that

God has given to us?

Right?

We have these questions and sometimes we're figuring out because

there are things in our minds, whether it was through

our past experiences or things you have heard of that

we still do is don't get it? And that is

what we call mindsets.

Right.

Every individual sometimes have your own mindset because of your

fashion of experiences. And that is how powerful the word

of God is. It brings us true and understanding. And

that is why it starts off in this chapter here

to first be renewed in our minds. Then we will

be able to do all this that He has called

us to do to serve him.

Yeah.

So when we read this scripture here, you will see

that it's mentioned, you know, in verses two. Okay, that

to prove what is good and acceptable and a perfect

will of God. Let's talk about the will of God.

What do you understand about the will of God? When

you say it's the will of God, we always use

that right in church.

Let it happen.

If it's the will of God, what does it mean

to you? He decided for us. Okay, he decide for us.

Anyone else like to try God's purpose?

Yes, very good act of surrender. Not the easiest, yeah,

but that is the will of God.

Okay.

Now, let me just break this down to you, because

it's good for us to understand what we say. Even

if we pray the Lord's Lord's prayer, you will be done.

Right.

So it's good for us to understand what it means.

But we can break it down to tree meaning right,

when they say the will of God, it just means

how sovereign God is. Like what Eline says. You know,

God's purpose, He makes a decision for us. He's just

big and great, you know. So he is in control.

So we can be very much assured that whatever that

we see happening aroun, God is sovereign. You know, God

is sovereign. We can see, you know, mistakes happen, problems happen, right,

but at the end of the day, he's still their great, bigger, strong, mighty, right,

he is sovereign. That is the will of God. The

other one is the revealed will of God in the Bible.

So if you see what the Bible teaches us, you know,

it gives us different commandments, different guidance. You know, do

not steal, do not lie, you know, do not murder,

all these commandments that He has given to us. So

that just means what is important to him to be

holy as I am holy?

Right, So that is who God is. Well. The other

meaning of the will.

Of God, when we use the term right, it just

means that there is a part of wisdom and spontaneous

godliness where we consciously apply the word of God to

the different decisions that we make.

Right.

So there's this will of God that he knows the plan,

he knows the purpose, He makes things possible. And then

again we yes believe us children of God, we have

the ability to also consciously respond to it. So when

we go through different moral obligations or decisions to make

you know, or you're in this cross, or you're thinking, okay,

should I make the right thing or the wrong thing?

But if you're walking enough with God, if you're fed

your mind with all of His word and his knowledge,

you would consciously do what is right in the eyes

of God. Are you following? Do you get what I mean?

Yeah?

That is what we mean by the will of God

as well, because there's no point when we say, Okay,

let God's will be done, but we go on doing

our own thing.

Right? Makes sense? Right? If not, how are we welcoming him?

Because at the end of the day, he gives us

a free will, right, he gives us a free choice

to decide every other day.

So what he wants of us?

When we say, do not be conformed to this world,

but be renewed in your minds, it also means how conscious,

how intentional are we with our decisions? Right according to

the will of God? And to me, when we say

the will of God, it takes a lot of your

relationship with him because you've got to discern, right, You've

got to taste and know that he is God. You've

got to know his voice, right, and that is when

you can see for yourself which part am I going

to go with? Are we good?

Yeah?

So, just trying to get us to understand because you know,

we often use this term the will of God, but

how we do apply the will of God in our lives? Right?

How do we apply it? Yeah?

So, now let's go on to this scripture. When we

speak about the renewing of our minds, it's not just

so much of the external but it's what happens in

the internal as well, right it Matthew thirteen forty three.

It says, then the righteous will shine forward as the

sun in the kingdom of their father. He who has

years to hear led him hear. So whatever that has

been transformed in the internal, it's very hard to miss out.

You can see express in the external. You know, when

someone comes out and share a testimony, for example, you

can see the joy in their countenance. Right, it's because

it's what that has worked within. You've experienced him, You've

seen God moving. You know, it's not just another person's story,

but it's your story. So you are shining fath right,

And so when we talk about renewing of our mind,

it is what happens within the internal. Yeah, and when

we say transformation, is not like we are just trying

to switch what I should do, right, like a to

do list kind of thing, you know, all laws again,

and that is why sometimes our faith can become a religion.

Let's be very careful with that.

When we read the stories during Jesus' time on earth,

that is how the Pharisees were living. Right, you shouldn't

do this, you shouldn't do that. You can't speak to

this person.

But they were not.

Even conscious enough to know that Jesus was right in

front of them, right. They were not conscious enough to

know that I'm actually called to be for the least

that is loved by the community, right to.

Help the sick.

They were just so caught up with their pride and

their religion. Yeah, and if you're not careful, that is

where we can get ourselves into. And that is when

we see our faith as Oh, I've got to work

hard for God to love me, right, But how many

of you know that even if you don't do anything,

God loves you right because you are His creation. And

that's just how it is. Without Father in heaven, he

loves you. Yeah, of course there are ways that we

need to live our lives right, but it doesn't mean

that we've got to strive to earn his love.

Right to earn his love.

So it is something that happens as not just a

step by step law that we've got to follow, but

it is a transformation that happens within us. If you

look at Galicians chapter five, Okay, you can turn your

Bibles to Galiicians five Versus nineteen. Again, let's see what

Paul teaches us here when we talk about transformation. Are

you all there, all right, Galiicians Chapter five Versus nineteen.

So this is the beginning of this scripture.

He lists out all the works of the flesh, okay,

that you shouldn't be doing this, this, this, right, and

then he truns, you know, he moves on in transitions

to the fruit of the spirit, which is what we're

trying to say that when we want to, you know,

follow the ways of God or the will of God,

it's not so much about I shouldn't do this, this this,

I should you do in a certain way, but it's

about what we allow God to move in our spirit,

our inner men. Yeah, let's read the scriptures here Versus nineteen. Okay,

it says here now the works of the flesh are evident,

which are adult tree fornication, uncleanliness, ludeness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,

outbursts of word, selfish ambitions, decisions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries,

and the like of which I tell you beforehand, just

as I also told you in time past, that those

who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

So that's how sovereign God is. He is very clear

of what he wants of us. Right, And then it

says in verses twenty two, but the fruit of the

Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,

self control. Against such there is no law. Do you

see what it says? There is no law. Yeah, So

this list of the fruit of the spirit, it's not

just a nice looking words, you know, as crazy something

we put in our house as a frame, right, or

a message we send to people. But it is essential

for us to be transformed. So if you want to

see if someone is actually transformed, you know, walking in

the likeness of God, living in His will, they have

this food of the spirits in their lives.

Yeah.

Love, You see love abounding in them. You see joy

as they serve others. You see such joy abounding. You

see such peace beyond the storms that they go through.

There is that peace, is long suffering.

What does it mean?

You go through trials, but you just don't give up,

You just keep pursuing. When you look at some of

our fellow brothers and sisters and different nations, when they

go through persecutions, they keep going right, they don't give

up their faith. That's long suffering. So how many of

this fruit of the spirit we have in our lives?

Good time, you have a check in ourselves, right, because

we're all growing right and wanting to be more like God. Goodness, kindness, faithfulness.

These are the fruit of the spirit that transformers from within.

Because all the things that was listed before that you

can only overcome those things, not just because you're a

very disciplined person that you abstain from all of this. Well,

you can't use your human will power.

Yeah, we're human.

At the end of the day, we fall their temptations.

In fact, we live in a world that is full

with temptation. So how then do you overcome You can't

do it by your own flesh, only by the spirit.

Okay.

And that is when when we say renewing of our minds,

when you read the scripture just now, when we say

do not be conformed to this world. I want us

to just understand that it's not just so much about

what I want to do or don't do, or I

keep away from this, but it's also about relying on

the Holy Spirit.

We need more of the Holy Spirit, especially.

In the times we're living in we hear so many

things that are going on around us. And always remember

there is that realm of spirit as well. In the

Book of Romans we read, right, it's principalities. Sometimes there

are things that are always trying to keep us away

from God. Right, it's always trying to take away our time.

The enemy wants that from us. You know, it's not

going to mess around people who are out there partying

on a Sunday morning, is going to be trying to

distract us. So it's trying to make time for God. Right,

and that is even more important that we save God

our faith and walk in spirit. So when times like that,

you know that I've got to be alot.

Be watchful.

That's the word of God says, right, be watchful and pray. Yeah,

So don't be just in your own dreamland walking. You know,

you've got to be watchful as believers. You know how

soldiers are, right, Armies they're not. They're always on guard.

They're always looking out where is the enemy, and they

march on. And that is how we should be as well.

Always be watchful, not in fear. Do not walk in fear,

but walk in faith, Walk in the Spirit. Amen, are

we getting something right?

Yeah?

So when we speak about transformation, it is true, the

transformation of the Holy Spirit. Second Corinthians three six. So

what does it say here for the letter kills but

the spirit gives life. What does it say when you

say letter meaning you're talking about law? Okay, Sometimes you

can impose all the law on someone and say you

shouldn't do this, shouldn't do that. That person can drift away. Yeah,

but if that person has actually experienced God for themselves,

they've seen the transformation of the spirit within them. That's

why the Word of God says, teastes and see that

the Lord is good. You've got to teaste for yourself.

That is when it gives them life. If you can

think back about the first time that you accepted Christ,

okay or some of you. Maybe you came from a

Christian family and there was a turning point that you felt,

I wonder, follow Jesus. I'm sure there's something you fell

within you. Right. It was not just because everyone raised tense.

I hope it was not that I wanted to not

miss out, Yeah, but it was because you felt it

for yourself and yes, to follow Jesus. Right, it is

what happens within that is transformed in the outside.

Amen.

Right, let's look at Philippians four. Okay, Philippians, for it

says here in verses.

Four, Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again, I say, rejoice, Let your gentleness be known to

all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. Let

your requests be made known to God. And the peace

of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts

and minds.

Thrue Christ Jesus.

So again they see this scripture that reminds us about

guarding our hearts and our minds. Now, let's talk a

little bit about our minds, Okay. I just I was

just more interested to read up a little bit more

about our minds and how our brain works, you know, because,

like I said, I work a lot with people and

sometimes I'm just wondering, how can I get this person

to understand, to help them see things a little bit different?

Right, And so then I came across this podcast.

I was listening to it, and you know, it was

not in the context of Christianity, okay, but it was

very scientific. Yeah, And so you're talking about the power

of our minds. And you know this whole thing about

meditation and being mindful, right, And there's just tons of

research that talks about how you can achieve great things

if you just know how to steal your mind.

Okay.

And so there's this thing called alpha, you know, that's

a part of your mind where the first thing in

the morning, if you don't touch your phone, and if

you just think of you know, think of your day,

think of what you want to achieve. Apparently research shows

that you can actually achieve.

Those things, right.

And as I was listening more of this, I was

just thinking, what more else when we know the truth?

Right?

These are people out there who, of course scientists and

the knowledge that they have, and they're emphasizing on the

importance of our minds and our brains and the importance

of mindfulness. But how many of us know that this

thing was long written in the Bible already, right? And

what more, when we know the truth that is never changing.

You don't need to pay thousands of dollars to a

meditation guru to learn how to guard your minds.

You can actually do.

It if God is in your room, if you can

make space, and of course a little bit of discipline

as well. Yeah, and so as I was just learning

about our minds, he came across this image. Get you

know that we have two minds. We have one brain,

two minds. Yeah, and we have this thing called the

conscious and the subconscious mind. Right, So if you can

and relate, you know, when you talk about some conscious minds.

Sometimes you wake up in the morning. What's the first

thing you do? Fresh date? Okay, you go fresh date?

These things, right, are your subconscious or sometimes when you're driving,

you always drive to the same destination. You sometimes don't

realize I was thinking about something, but somehow I arrived

that place. I was in my deep thoughts, but I

arrived in that one destination so quick. Those are your

subconscious thoughts, right. And the interesting thing about our subconscious

thoughts is that it makes up ninety five percent of

the way we respond, okay, which it includes the habits

that we are formed from young Remember it starts all

from our young days. Our emotions sometimes, you know, you

may have different tragedies that you've gone through or different

you know, big moments in life where it has formed

certain things. When it comes to your emotions, your belief systems, right,

your values, all these things, right, is actually your subconscious

When I say it's your subconscious meaning you feed into

your subconscious. Yeah, whereas if you talk about your conscious,

it's only five percent of your mind. So you sitting

here could be a conscious part because you know, I

am seated. I hope you know you're seated here. Okay,

you're seated here, you're listening. You know who's beside you. Right,

it's your conscious thoughts, and it's usually it's what you're

aware in your surrounding. I ordered a food, Okay, I

audited these noodles. I know I'm eating noodles. I'm conscious

about it. Yeah, So what does this tell us when

you look at the percentage for a subconscious.

Meaning how much you feed into.

Your subconscious mind is how you're going to respond. And

so sometimes you wonder why it's so hard to actually

develop a prayer life or to read the word regularly,

because not fed enough to it. But if you have

had the discipline, right, maybe you have set certain routines.

That is why they say twenty one days to develop

a habit.

Right.

These are not just you know, some some mandra or

you know things that are made up, but these are

just practical disciplines, right, So if you've set certain habits,

eventually the subconscious mind is going to say, Okay, I'm

going to do this. You don't have to try so hard,

but you're just going to take that step and do it, okay.

So that is what differentiates a person who can have

a discipline in doing things right compared to someone who

is struggling well just because they're subconscious is not fat enough?

Or if you think about sometimes children even you know

when you know older ones or parents have fat thoughts

into their minds from a young age, or you're not

good enough, or you know you are, you can't pass

your exams, you know, all those negative thoughts, and then

as they grow up as an adult, it still affects them.

So they could be working in a big corporate company

and all that, but there's still that insecurity because you

know why my mom used to tell me I was

not good enough. Right, So you remember the importance of

what you feed into yourself. You know, well, if you've

had that kind of a childhood, it's still possible to

reverse because remember how identity is found in God. Yeah,

but what you're trying to say is that the things

that are formed your values. If someone's going to ask

you today, what are your values? What do you believe in?

Do you have a firmansa? Because if you do have,

that's going to be fed into your subconscious thoughts. Yeah,

why am I showing us this today is because you know,

when we spoke about the will of God right, him

being sovereign, that's the part that we have a conscious

decision that we can take as well, and that comes

with what we feed into our minds. And until and

unless we align our subconscious thoughts to God's.

Word, to his will, to his ways.

It's going to be easier for us to draw closer

to him. It's going to be easier for us.

To be renewed.

And that is why the Bible reminds us so much

about renewing our minds. Do you see how important it is?

Right?

It always talks about our minds and our hearts. Again,

it doesn't just say, okay, build muscles right or be

fast because those things can be very external. You can

see a very buffed up guy with muscles, but yet

it can be an emotional cry baby inside.

Okay, it's what.

Happens internal, what happens within you.

Yeah, what happens within you.

So if our conscious thoughts can align with God's ways

to fade in rise tr submission to his teachings. You

know where we choose to promote justice, righteousness, mercy, grace,

we are quick to forgive others right or the fruit

of the spirits that were listed out just now. Then

all this beliefs, because it's part of our subconscious, will

begin to affect our deeper layers, which is the subconscious

and the conscious mind as well.

Right.

So, when God says in his word that we are

beautifully and wonderfully created, he has needles together in our

mother's womb. I'm just always amazed when I read that

scripture because that's how detailed God was, and that's exactly

how we created our minds as well.

You know where He.

Gave us that ability to have a free will. At

the same time, he presents to us his will and

then he wants to see how do we respond to it?

Yeah, So when you and the more you learn and

the more you read, you'll realize how much of potential

we all have.

You know, if you're seated, you're thinking what else can

I do? What else can I achieve.

You know what else is there?

Let me tell you there's so much more hit because

if not, God wouldn't have created you and me. Right,

there's so much potential if our minds are created that way,

what more our heart, our entire being? Right, He is

so detailed in that way. But it goes back to

how do we want to respond? Yeah, and so my

question for all of us today is could we align

that the will of God, the sovereign that he is,

to our values, to our beliefs. And sometimes it's what

you consume on a daily basis as well. When you

go into your social media. What's the first kind of

things that you read? Who are the followers that you

follow social media? Are these people that are able to

feed you in with the right knowledge, with the will

of God, you know, the word of God? Yes, sometimes

it can just be even you know, influential people not

necessarily always following past us and speakers. Right, But are

these value adding to our lives or they just taking

our time that we go scrolling through one after another

looking at a funny looking dance that you're making. This

takes time, right, Yeah, sometimes I wonder it takes just

so much of our time it consumers, but how value

adding it is to us. Right, let's think about it,

because time is precious. Every time that is wasted never

comes back.

Okay.

And sometimes you don't realize this when you're young because

you think that you've got a long way to go.

Well, yes you do. But imagine the things that you

can achieve at this young age. And then one day.

When you're older, you're you know how an influence you

could be to others. Right when we saw Judas speaking

in the friend well, he's our future leader, right, he

is here sharing his testimony one day, is going to

preach the word. But it all starts with that tender

age first when he's helping others, when he understand what

it means to help others. Right, it's what we sow

into our lives. And the more and the faster we

realize this, the faster we get to achieve the potential

that God has for us.

Yeah, so what do you choose to think? Right?

Every day we are given this choice, the part of

the spirit or the part of the flesh. Galicians five seventeen.

He tells us here, Okay, Galleas five sixteen to seventeen.

It says I say, then walk in the spirit, and

you shall not fulfill the last of the flesh. For

the flesh last against the spirit, and the spirit against

the flesh. And these are contrary to one another, so

that you do not do the things that you wish.

So can you see how it cannot go together? You

can't see I need I need to feed my flesh.

I need to feed my spirit. Okay, if you give

too much room for the flesh, you're gonna miss out

on the spirit. And that is why we fast and pray. Right,

when you take away something that you consume, feeding your

your your flesh, and make room for the spirit, you

tend to grow your spiritual muscles as well. Yeah, So

it is a choice that we have every other day. Yeah,

and we've got to also understand that as children of God,

we are saved by grace. Remember, it's never about working true,

there's something we learned at homes as well.

Right, you cannot work hard to be saved. It's saved.

You're saved by grace.

And the moment you say yes to God, when you

receive him as your savior, you have a new heart,

you have a new identity. Yeah, you have the mind

of Christ. But how many of us are exercising that

new Sometimes you can buy a new thing and you

keep it in the wardrobe for a long time, right,

and then you are wondering, why am I still not

using it? Or why is it still boring? Or why

am I not being able to do this? You've got

to put on God gives it to us, He offers

it to us. But we've got to put on that

identity when you.

Walk out of church.

Like I always say, the real deal starts when you

walk out of this doss What kind of identity do

you want to carry yourself with when you go into

your workplace?

Who do people see you as? Right?

Who do people see you as? Because bringing the Word

of God is not just about bringing your Bible with you,

but it's about how you speak, how do you, you know,

connect with others. It's not just about my world, but

it's about others as well.

Yeah, so let's choose to walk in the spirit.

The part of the flesh naturally leads us to thoughts

that are you know, impure, falls right or full of doubt?

You know, but it will also affect the way we

respond in our actions. Okay, So it's it's important that

that we are focused. Like some of us, we can

already smell the braid right taking our thoughts away.

Okay, so we focused. Yeah.

So the Bible and the Holy Spirit is our mental

and spiritual guides. It's there to guide us, to save,

guard us, and to help us keep our thoughts and captive.

But what we have from our part is about being intentional.

The spirit enables us, but we must be willing to

obey God in the process of renewing our minds.

Yeah, so how is it usually reflected?

When you see someone who is being transformed from within?

You can see it reflected from their thoughts what they see, Okay,

you can see it reflected from their you know, their minds.

So if you can have a simple conversation, it's very

easy to gauge, you know, if they're going to just

be full of doubts and say it cannot lack cannot

you know, I'm going to definitely feel it's going to

be so hard. You know, I'm not smart enough, So

be careful of your words. You become dead then, Okay,

so your your whatever you say is reflected from what's

within you. Yeah, it says in Matthew twelve thirty four.

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

So you can dress your best, you can give your

best smile, but if your heart is still not right,

what you see it's what people hear, right, and then

you're seen as that person. This person always gets angry,

it's alwaysn't always gets upset aboutthers right. It comes out

of the abundance of your heart. Luke six forty five

reminds us a good man brings good things out of

the good stored up in his heart, and an evil

man brings evil things out of the evil stored up

in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart.

Is full of.

So what are we storing into our hearts? If you

can think about your heart, now, what's the first thing

that comes to your mind? Yeah? Or what is in

your thoughts now? Bread we're all thinking of that.

I think.

Deli breid, Yes, God is our delibraid. Yeah.

So this highlights that we are connected. Our minds, our hearts,

our tongue, they're all connected. Not lie to anyone, No,

you can't lie to yourself by just putting a smile,

right and not being convinced within you right. Let's be truthful,

truthful to God, truthful to ourselves. That if there are

areas in our lives that we need a transformation, ask

the Lord. If there's something that you're if there's someone there.

So finding it so difficult to forgive, ask God because

harboring unforgiveness or bitterness is never the best, not just

to our spiritual life, but your physical You know, you

can go grow older and sick just by having so

much of unforgiveness. And I say older, you look older, okay,

but some older people you see them, you still see

so much of grace and love countenance. Right, It's about

the countenance because of what's within them. Yeah, what's within them.

So it's out of what's in your heart that comes out.

The heart is also known as the inner men when

we say inner man, right, it's the core of our being.

So that is why the Bible emphasizes so much about

guarding our hearts and guarding our minds.

Yeah.

So my prayer is, you know, every time I pray,

when you ask forgiveness from God, I always say, God,

could you give me a soft heart?

Always? Because a heart and heart would.

Just mean that anything that comes in just doesn't go

in God, it can you tell you something, it just

doesn't penetrate. Right, But if you have a soft heart,

it's easier, like because the word God says, right, break

my heart for what breaks yours? Right, David was after

God's heart because he could speak to him. He could,

you know, be ministered by him. He could listen to

his voice.

So let's long for a soft heart.

A hardened heart would just mean I want my own way,

my own mind, my own thoughts, everything is mine, right.

But a soft heart would just mean that every time

someone God speaks to you, you receive it and you

allow God to transform, to move you, to change you

in his own ways. Yeah, so let's pray and desire

for that. Jesus teaches about the heart in Marks seven

to twenty three. Okay, it says, yeah, what comes out

of a person is what defiles them. For it's from

within out of a person's heart that evil thoughts come, sexual, immority,

to have, murder, adultery, greed, malice, right, it goes on arrogance,

and we all these evils come from insight and defiles

a person. So if there's anything that we can do,

you know we are you know towards the you know,

coming towards the end of the year September now, right,

If you can just do one thing to get closer

to God is to just have a check of our hearts.

Can you just tell, you know, God, I want to

move on to the next month not carrying any heaviness

in my life. Yeah. And sometimes there are things that

we've got to deal with and you need someone to

journey with you. Remember, being a believer or growing in

a church doesn't mean your journey alone. It is about

having someone with you. And you're saying, you know, I

have this thoughts in my mind. I just need help,

someone to help me process, help me pray, pray along

with me so I can be accountable, accountable in the

sense where you're not just telling everything right, but it's

just someone to actually check in with you and say, hey,

you're not alone in this journey.

Yeah.

And so if you need that, come, come and speak

to any of us. Because God is always so big

about our growth of our heart, and that is why

sometimes it's hard to answer God's calling in our lives.

You know, God can be calling you and saying it

comes serve the church. You know, we'd be saying, hey,

let's serve the house of God. You know, let's give.

But we are holding back because there are still things

that we are heard from past, maybe from a previous church.

Sometimes you can be hurt by fellow Christians because you're

all humans. Right, But remember why are we doing all this?

It has to go back to God. Yeah, so let's

work with what needs to be cleared out first. You know,

if you want to fill a bag with things, you've

got to clear what's on the all first, You've got

to remove and then bring the new. And God sometimes

wants to open new doors into our lives, right, He

wants to bring new beginnings, good things. But if you're

not getting rid of the old that's in our minds

and in our hearts, it's going to be hard for

God to feel in Remember, we have a choice for

God's will to be done in our lives. Yeah, so

let's have a check in of ourselves. Yeah.

So what does your speech? Is this thing of this question?

What does your speech reveal about the condition of your

heart and the state of your mind? So the next

time you speak, let's be more watchful. Okay, what does

it say about the state of your mind and your heart. Okay,

and sometimes I think it's just good to check on

your own homies. The next time someone says something, say, hey,

be carefuler, what's in your heart? What's in your mind?

Right?

Not to judge, but to just keep each other in check, Right, souness,

You've got to remind it you don't be too negative.

Right? Is God your lord? Right? Is his sovereign?

If he is sovereign, then I'm sure he can take

care of that. Don't be too worried. Yeah, don't be

too troubled. Yeah, anyone who believes and receive Jesus as

their savior. In Greek, you know, it says the word

zohome each means too safe.

Okay.

When we say someone is being safe. Salvation, it just

means so. It means a spiritual salvation, something that happens

from within. So that's why when someone takes their baptism

as well, we give room for the person to share

their testimony because it's not only about that physical act,

but it's about also reflecting on what God has done

in their lives. Right, a spiritual awakening, and that means

wholeness in terms of healing, Okay, experiencing healing deliverance and

even breakthrough in your body, mind and soul.

So if you're.

Seated here believing for healing in your minds, remember God

can do that because you know what the Word of

God tells us. I've given you a spirit of power,

love and sound mind, not a troubled heart, you know.

And sometimes, you know, we catch ourselves feeling that way

and there's so much of worry and things to do.

Snap out of it and say, no, God has given

me a sound mind. I can think right. I'm not

absent minded. I don't just make hash hash decisions right,

but I can do things right because God is by

my side.

Yeah.

So, just coming towards an end, you know, for today's message,

I hope you're catching something right.

You know.

It's a very basic understanding, you know, when we speak

about our mind our hearts, but at the same time,

we miss out a lot on it thinking that we've

got to understand the big things. But like I said,

it's very easy to miss out on the big things

if we don't focus on what's important for our hearts

and our minds.

Yeah.

So again, just to leave you with three thoughts, you

know about spiritual disciplines for our mind. If you're thinking,

how do I get started? Okay, if I want to

put my mind in discipline, if I want to get

into this rhythm of being renewed. You know, when you're praying,

God give me a renewed mind, it's not about just saying,

God give me a new mind. Just sits still right.

There's something that we've got to do as well. Yeah,

Number one is prayer and the word. Okay, echoing what

Pasta Matt shared with us the other day, apply that.

Cultivate the communication that you have with God. Cultivate reading

of the Word. Choose a Bible that you can understand,

get deeper into it because the more you see yourself

having a desire and a longingness to know God's word,

it just shows that your minds are aligning with God.

It works very automatic. I've experienced that as well. Yeah,

being from a younger believer, and as you journey with him,

you know, reading the Bible doesn't just become a chore

or like I said, a religion, but you look forward

to it.

You just want to read.

You're not just reading a chapter because I have to

do it, but I want to know what God is

telling me today. Right, So it becomes a lifestyle again.

It starts the discipline.

First. Thessalonians five sixteen.

What it says, rejoice always, pray without ceasing everything, give

thanks for this is the will of God in Christ

Jesus to us. So if you want to know what

the will of God is is to pray without ceasing. Yeah,

pray without ceasing and to give him thanks. You don't

have to look for big you know, big instructions we

were waiting from God. If you ask him, God, what

is your will in my life? Where He's going to

tell you close your door, pray, Go down to your knees, pray,

seek me what God says, right, knock and it shall open.

Seek and you shall find. It's all these simple truths

that we shouldn't forget. Yeah. The second one is worship.

Praise and worship. Cultivate your own praise and worship. You

don't have to only be a.

Church to lift your hands up, to clap your hands.

You can do it in your old space. You can

do it while you're driving.

Sometimes when I'm driving to work, I just put on

a praise song and sing praise scot. Yeah. In Ephesians

five eighteen, it says, but be filled with the spirit,

speaking to one another insums and hymns and spiritual songs,

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

giving thanks always for all things to God and Father.

So it says to sing spiritual songs. And you know,

the irony is that sometimes when you're going through a

down moment, but if you still choose to praise good,

you see a change within you. Yeah, you're not trying

to fit things because at the end of the day,

God still deserves our praise. Right, God doesn't change. He's

always constant, So why do our praise need to be

ever changing? We can still praise God your own way

sometimes I understand physically we may not feel that way

emotionally when you're going through tough days, But in your

own space, in your own way, why don't you just

speak a song that you enjoy and sing it unto

the lot? Right, sing it unto the lot. And the

last is confession. Make it a point to confess your

sins to Him every other day. It has become a

habit for me. Every time I pray, I say, God,

could you just forgive my sins in ways knowingly or unknowingly,

that I've seen against you. Because sometimes there are things

that we may have not be aware of, things that

we have spoken to someone, or our thoughts went different places. Right, confession,

because confession is sometimes the open door, yeah, towards.

Experiencing the more of God.

Because when we are not confessing, we're keeping to our ways,

our always, we're not forgiving or we're not letting go.

It's hard to get what.

God is trying to tell us. So he may be

speaking to you, it may be giving you a word.

He might be giving you a direction or an open door,

but we're just not catching it yet because we are

still caught up with not confessing. Yeah, So make it

a practice to confess, to confess to God, just bring

it all to him, because it reveals things to us,

things that are not seen yet. Yeah, it says in

James five sixteen. James five sixteen, it says, confess your

trespasses to one another and pray for one another that

you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a

righteous man avails much. Yeah, the effective fervent prayer of

a righteous man of much.

So confess.

Yeah, let's be quick to just say sorry, Let's be

quick to say to forgive, you know, don't hold on

to ego. Be humble, right, The more humble we are,

the more closer we are to hear God, to experience

Him as well.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit as church org. We

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this week is going to be a good week. I

hit for you. God bless