Participants:
Series Code: SCM
Program Code: SCM200002S
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00:01 A great controversy rages between good and evil
00:03 and humanity is caught in the crossfire. 00:06 Satan has crafted his most cunning end-time deceptions 00:09 but his plans are doomed to fail. 00:11 Get ready to anchor your minds in truth 00:13 as the Bible exposes his lies and prepares us 00:17 for our soon-coming Savior. 00:18 And now live from the Campus Hill Church of SDAs 00:22 in Loma Linda, California we bring you this presentation 00:25 of: 00:32 Hello, and once again we want to thank you for joining us 00:34 from around the world. We're here in Loma Linda, CA. 00:38 We're having a great time in the Lord. 00:40 I hope you just were able to watch and view the first hour. 00:43 We had some incredible music. 00:44 I started getting chill bumps back there and had to 00:47 kind of rub them down. They were gettin' all over me 00:49 under the anointing of the Holy Spirit under the music. 00:52 But it's my privilege tonight to introduce a long-time friend 00:57 and a minister of the gospel. 00:59 One of the greatest voices on the planet 01:03 if I can say that. I don't think I'm the only one 01:05 that thinks that. Millions of people agree with me on that. 01:08 But what I love about Pastor Wintley Phipps 01:10 is he gives all glory and honor and praise to God. 01:13 I love his wife Linda. She's over here... a beautiful wife 01:17 and supports him. They've supported each other. 01:19 Wonderful marriage; great kids. 01:21 I appreciate what you do, Linda, for the cause of God 01:26 and your love for Jesus. It shines through. 01:28 And we're so thankful for Pastor Phipps. 01:31 Now he's going to be speaking tonight: 01:33 The Battle for the Mind. 01:35 But I wanted to tell you that he just told me... I said: 01:38 "Is anything big? " just a moment ago. 01:40 "Something I can tell the folk? " And he said: "Yes, 01:43 if you go to my website wintleyphipps.com 01:46 the song he's about to do, and many of you probably 01:49 have heard this before... I think I heard it the first time 01:51 he did it at Carnegie Hall I think with the Gaithers maybe. 01:55 Amazing Grace. He said: "If you go to the website 01:58 you can download it absolutely free. 01:59 Listen to it; enjoy it. " 02:02 So once again I appreciate Pastor Phipps 02:04 that he's not only the pastor of a church but he's an evangelist. 02:07 He travels around the world and has had a tremendous influence 02:11 on many of our political leaders. And if any time 02:14 in our nation's history that our leaders need to 02:18 see somebody they can depend on and somebody's that's willing 02:21 to talk to them about Jesus I think it's now, don't you? 02:24 So I'm thankful that God has given him these open doors 02:27 to meet so many people and to influence an entire nation. 02:31 So without further adieu again it's my privilege 02:34 to introduce my brother Pr. Wintley Phipps. 04:04 Amazing grace, 04:11 how sweet the sound 04:17 that saved 04:20 a wretch 04:23 like me. 04:29 I once 04:32 was lost 04:37 but now I'm found... 04:42 was blind 04:47 but now 04:50 I see. 04:57 Through many dangers, 05:04 toils, and snares 05:09 I have 05:12 already 05:17 come. 05:22 'Twas grace 05:25 that brought me 05:31 safe thus far 05:36 and grace 05:39 will lead 05:42 me home. 05:50 And when we've been there 05:57 ten thousand years 06:02 bright shining 06:06 as the sun 06:15 we've no 06:19 less days 06:23 to sing God's praise 06:29 than when we first 06:35 begun... 06:42 Hallelujah! 06:46 Hallelujah! 06:49 Amen! 06:59 Amen! 07:07 Will you pray with me? 07:08 Father, as we open Your Holy Word 07:13 I ask that You would cleanse me of all unrighteousness. 07:17 Fill my life with Your Holy Spirit's presence and power. 07:23 Speak to me, through me, and for me. 07:25 I promise you, Lord, I'll always give You the honor, 07:30 the glory, and the praise. 07:33 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen... Amen! 07:40 And I want to thank this ministry - 3ABN - 07:46 for what God has done through it all around this world. 07:50 Amen! Let the church say "Amen! " AMEN! 07:56 My message tonight: 07:58 The Battle for the Mind. 08:04 The Bible tells of a day when Jesus and His disciples 08:09 climbed out of their boat. As they waded to the shore 08:13 they were startled by the sight of a man 08:18 running towards them. 08:21 His flesh was torn and bloodied. 08:23 His eyes covered by long, matted hair. 08:28 He looked more like a wild beast than a human being. 08:33 According to the Bible, this man who lived in the cemetery 08:37 near the shore... his mind was possessed by demons. 08:44 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles 08:46 with superhuman strength he would break the chains apart. 08:52 No one it seemed was strong enough to subdue him. 08:57 Day and night he wandered through the cemetery 09:00 howling and screaming and cutting himself 09:04 with sharp stones. 09:06 He was so dangerous 09:08 no one dared approach him. 09:12 That day as he ran towards the disciples 09:15 half naked, bleeding, foaming at the mouth 09:19 the disciples considered it the better part of valor 09:24 to run the other way 09:27 rather than confront this man whose mind was demon-possessed. 09:34 As they ran, they looked back to see how much distance 09:37 they had created between this madman and themselves 09:42 and what they saw left them startled and astonished. 09:47 There was Jesus... not running with them. 09:51 Instead, Jesus was standing in front of that madman 09:56 calm and confident, 09:59 composed and self-assured. 10:02 Jesus raised His hands in a quiet gesture of authority 10:07 and the possessed man stopped dead in his tracks. 10:12 The Bible then tells us that the demons who controlled 10:16 the mind of that man began to speak. 10:20 The Bible says in Luke 8:28 10:23 "When he saw Jesus he cried out and fell down.. " 10:42 The demons addressed Him: 10:45 "Jesus, thou Son of God most high. " 10:50 You know what? Every demon in hell 10:53 knows who Jesus is. Amen! 10:57 Every demon in rebellion knows who they are up against. 11:02 My Bible says: "Every knee shall bow 11:06 and every tongue shall confess. " That means to me 11:10 every demon will one day acknowledge Him as Lord. 11:14 Amen! The demon inside the man shouted: 11:18 "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus? Why are You interfering 11:21 and bothering with me? 11:23 Did You come here to torture and punish me? " 11:27 And then Jesus asked the demon-possessed man: 11:30 "What is your name? " 11:33 He said: "My name is Legion. 11:35 There are many of us demons living inside the mind of 11:40 this man. " The chief demon said to Jesus: 11:44 "Give us permission to leave this man's mind 11:49 and enter the herd of pigs over there. " 11:52 Jesus said unto them: 11:54 "Permission granted... but you must leave at once. " 11:59 And then suddenly with the might and power 12:02 of a cleansing wind those unclean spirits 12:07 left the mind of that possessed man 12:10 and entered into the herd of pigs 12:13 and then threw themselves off of a cliff 12:17 into the waters below. 12:19 The farmers who owned the pigs 12:21 ran back to the village testifying: 12:25 "Come see a Man who has the power 12:28 to triumph over a demon-possessed mind. " 12:32 "Come see a Man who has the power to bring back sanity 12:37 and stability to a mind that is not thinking straight. " 12:43 "Come see a Man who has the power to evict demons 12:48 seeking to rid your soul of righteous thoughts 12:53 and spiritual thinking. " 12:55 "Come see a Man who has the power to be victorious 12:59 in the battle for the control of the human mind. " 13:03 When the villagers arrived they saw that same man 13:06 who had terrorized the countryside 13:09 sitting at the feet of Jesus calm and collected, 13:15 rational and sensible. 13:18 And that same man who had flung threats and curses at them 13:23 they now saw him singing the praises of God 13:27 and glorifying His name. 13:30 Those villagers wondered aloud: "What kind of Man is this 13:35 who can with a word liberate a mind 13:39 from the control of demons? " 13:43 "What kind of Man is this who can rescue a mind 13:48 from damnation and death? " 13:50 Oh, I love the way the Bible says it. It says: "When the 13:53 people came to Jesus they found the man out of whom the devils 13:58 were departed sitting at the feet of Jesus, 14:01 clothed, and in his right mind. " 14:07 Now I admit to you as a young man listening to 14:12 preachers waxing eloquent on this scripture 14:15 what I heard seemed so poetic 14:18 simply because they left out the comma. 14:22 Look at it: Luke 8:35. It says: 14:25 "Then they went out to see what was done 14:28 and came to Jesus and found the man 14:32 out of whom the devils were departed 14:35 sitting at the feet of Jesus, 14:39 clothed and in his right mind 14:41 and they were afraid. " 14:43 But what I heard those preachers saying was: 14:45 "He was sitting at the feet of Jesus 14:48 clothed in his right mind. " 14:56 Anyone here know today it is a blessing 14:59 to be clothed in your right mind? Amen! 15:06 All of us are in a battle for the mind, 15:09 and this battle manifests itself in the severity of 15:12 the opioid crisis that we see and the drug epidemic 15:17 in a nation awash in beer 15:21 and liquor! One of the reasons I don't drink 15:25 is because as much as possible 15:28 I want to be "clothed in my right mind. " Amen! 15:33 I want to be in control of my mind. 15:37 Reminds me of a story I read of a drunk husband 15:42 who snuck up the stairs after being in a fistfight 15:46 at a local bar. 15:48 He quietly went into the bath- room, looked into the mirror, 15:51 and he bandaged up all the bumps and bruises 15:55 he saw on his face. And then he climbed into bed 15:58 smiling at the thought that he had pulled one over 16:02 on his wife. When morning came 16:05 he opened his eyes, and there stood his wife over him. 16:10 She said: "You were drunk last night, weren't you? " 16:13 "No, honey, " he replied. "I wasn't drunk. " 16:16 "Well then, " she said, "who put all those band aids 16:21 on the bathroom mirror? " 16:29 It's a blessing to be clothed 16:34 in your right mind! 16:38 And every day, whether we realize it or not 16:42 all of us are engaged in spiritual warfare. 16:46 And this battle for the mind began in the very courts 16:50 of heaven. In God's perfect heaven 16:55 the devil gained control 16:59 of the minds of a third of the angels! 17:04 And ever since then the devil has been in a vicious battle 17:09 for the mind. It was in heaven where he learned 17:12 that the way you gain control of minds 17:17 is through the use of lies, 17:20 falsehoods, and deception. 17:24 It was Adolf Hitler who once said: 17:27 "To control the minds of people 17:30 you have to tell really BIG lies 17:34 and tell them often. " 17:36 And in the Garden of Eden he told Eve one of the biggest 17:40 lies that has ever been told when he said to Eve: 17:44 "You shall not surely die. " 17:47 That was a lie, but it wasn't the biggest lie he told. 17:50 The biggest lie the devil told 17:53 was the biggest lie in the universe that can be told: 17:56 that God doesn't always tell the truth. 18:02 "You shall not surely die. " 18:06 You can't get a lie bigger than that. 18:09 In 2007 after seeing hundreds of tornadoes 18:14 hit his state State Senator Ernie Chambers 18:18 of Nebraska filed a lawsuit against God. 18:24 Yes! Seeking a permanent injunction 18:28 against God's harmful activities. 18:32 He said: "The lawsuit accused God of not being kind 18:37 and loving as He portrayed Himself to be. " 18:40 Oh, and I love this... I love this: 18:42 the suit went all the way to the Nebraska Supreme Court 18:46 where it was finally thrown out - dismissed - 18:49 I love this - because God could not be properly 18:54 notified 18:58 because He has an unlisted home address. 19:05 Throughout history 19:08 the devil has accused and impeached the character of God. 19:13 He's charged God with lying 19:16 and false misrepresentation 19:18 and through treachery, lies, and deception 19:21 he has won the battle from so many minds. 19:24 Oh, but friends, somewhere I read in Titus 1:2 19:35 Friends, God cannot lie. Amen! 19:41 And John 8:44 says: 20:04 And why is the devil battling for the human mind? 20:07 First of all, the human mind is amazing. 20:10 It was William James who once said: 20:13 "The greatest discovery of my generation 20:16 is that a human being can alter his life 20:20 by changing his mind. " 20:23 If you continue to believe as you've always believed, 20:27 you will always feel like you've always felt 20:30 and you will always continue to act the way you've always acted. 20:35 But if you want different results 20:38 in your life or in your work 20:41 or in your marriage or in your home, 20:44 what you have to do is change the way you think. 20:51 This year... this year I've been married for 44 years 20:56 and early in my marriage 20:58 I settled it in my mind 21:01 there is nothing - and I mean NOTHING - 21:05 my wife can ever say or do 21:09 that will cause me to be angry with her. 21:16 Yes, I said it. 21:21 In other words, if you change the way you think 21:26 it will change the way you feel 21:30 and that will change the way you act. 21:33 It was John Alston who once said: 21:35 "If you don't control your mind, someone else will. " 21:40 Controlling what enters your mind 21:43 is critical to your spiritual survival. 21:46 Now the ability to think is the most important gift 21:50 we have as human beings. 21:52 Years ago a man who bought a new gadget - 21:55 unassembled, of course. 21:57 You know, like at Christmas you buy all this "stuff" 21:59 and none of it is assembled. 22:01 And he read and re-read the instructions 22:04 and as much as he could, he couldn't figure out 22:06 how to put it together. 22:08 Finally he sought the help of an old handyman 22:11 who was working in his back yard. The old fellow 22:15 picked up all the pieces, studied them carefully, 22:18 and then began assembling the gadget. 22:21 In a short time he had put it together. 22:24 "That's amazing! " said the man. 22:27 "And you did it without even looking at the instructions! " 22:32 "The fact is, " said the old man, 22:34 "I can't read. " 22:38 And then he said: "And when a fella can't read 22:42 he's gotta think. " 22:48 Because we can think we can choose. 22:52 And because we can choose we can love. 22:56 For without the power of choice we cannot love. 23:00 And because we can think, with God's help... 23:03 With God's help we... because we can think 23:06 we can mold our lives into har- mony with the character of God. 23:12 Friends, our minds are the fountain of our choices, 23:15 the foundation of our spiritual lives. 23:17 And that's why our minds are the focus of the enemy's wrath. 23:22 Because it is in our minds that we get to emulate 23:27 the character of Christ. 23:29 Amen! It is in our minds 23:32 that we get to grow every day 23:35 to more closely resemble, reflect, and reveal 23:39 the character of God. Amen! 23:42 And that's why the devil is battling for the human mind. 23:45 Because it is with our minds that we get to give God glory 23:50 and the glory of God is His character. Amen! 23:54 The mind is the foundation upon which we build godly 23:59 and Christ-like character. 24:00 And if the foundation be destroyed, 24:03 the Bible says: "what can the righteous do? " 24:07 Well, the devil knows if he can control our minds 24:10 he can chip away at the foun- dation of our spiritual life. 24:14 If he can control our minds, he can erode our character 24:19 and our resemblance and our likeness to the character 24:23 of God. Oh, I just hope you're listening to me today. 24:30 Jesus gives one of the most sobering warnings 24:34 about the devil's ability to deceive our minds. 24:39 Matthew 24:24 says: 25:01 Now those words "if it were possible 25:04 they shall deceive the very elect" 25:07 is a warning that says the devil is able to deceive 25:12 in such a way that not even the elect - 25:16 not even God's chosen people - are safe. 25:21 He is able to deceive even the very elect 25:25 so that not even God's remnant people 25:28 are immune from the danger of being deceived. 25:33 Without God's help, not even the most spiritual among us 25:38 are safe from the ability of the devil to deceive. 25:43 You see, for millenniums 25:45 the devil has been practicing how to do battle with 25:49 and how to capture the minds of the most spiritual among us. 25:55 I'm an avid student of history, and I can tell you 25:58 that in every era and every age 26:01 the battle for the human mind has been raging. 26:04 I can tell you that throughout history 26:07 the devil has demonstrated a knack and an uncanny ability 26:12 to deceive some of the most select and elect 26:17 and privileged servants of God. 26:21 I think it was about 30 years ago as a pastor 26:24 I began asking myself this question: 26:27 "Why do Christians who know so much about Jesus 26:32 consistently behave so badly? " 26:37 How is it that devout, Bible-carrying Christians 26:42 can be so easily deceived? 26:45 First of all, that's what happens 26:47 when being like the character of Christ is not the central 26:52 focus of your faith. 26:54 So you embrace doctrine and you don't see the need 26:58 to continue to be like Christ. 27:01 How is it that even elect, spiritual people 27:05 can be so easily deceived? 27:07 Well think about this: 27:08 how do you go from being a Noah - 27:12 a righteous preacher for 120 years, 27:15 a preacher who found grace in the eyes of the Lord, 27:19 survived the flood - to ending up being in a naked 27:23 drunken stupor? 27:25 How do you go from being an Abraham - 27:29 the father of the faithful - 27:31 to lying about your wife not being your wife 27:34 but being your sister and then telling another man 27:37 "You can take her with you? " 27:40 How do you go from being a humble, godly woman 27:43 like Sarah to forcing your husband to have sex 27:47 with another woman with your knowledge and consent? 27:52 How do you go from being a Moses - the humblest, 27:55 meekest man on the face of the earth - 27:57 to losing the ability to enter the Promised Land 28:01 because of your inability to control your anger 28:05 and cool your temper? 28:07 The enemy, brothers and sisters, has the power 28:10 to deceive even the very elect. 28:15 How do you go from being a faithful priest of God 28:18 like Aaron and still you build an idol to a false god 28:23 after watching the Red Sea part? 28:27 How do you go from being a Miriam, rescued from the grip 28:31 of slavery and prejudice, and then yourself show 28:35 racial prejudice to a woman of color because she married 28:39 your brother? 28:41 How do you go from being an Elijah - 28:44 the prophet hero at Mt. Carmel - 28:46 and then run from the threats of an inept, wicked queen? 28:50 How do you go from being a Saul - chosen by God 28:54 to be king of Israel - and then become a psychotic 28:58 paranoid maniac? 29:01 How do you go from being a David - 29:06 writing "The Lord is my Shepherd? " 29:09 He wasn't his Shepherd that day. 29:15 How do you go from being a man after God's own heart 29:19 to being a sex-driven, lust- filled adulterer and murderer? 29:24 How do you go from being a Solomon - the wisest man 29:28 in the world - to doing something as dumb 29:32 as marrying 700 wives 29:37 and having 300 mistresses? 29:40 Nothing smart about that I don't care how you cut it. 29:45 You only do something like that when you've lost 29:47 your "cotton-pickin' mind. " 29:53 How do you go... check this out: 29:55 How do you go from being a Martin Luther - 30:00 the spark of the Protestant Reformation, 30:03 a pioneer of religious freedom and religious liberty - 30:06 to calling Jews dogs and devils 30:10 and advocating that their homes and synagogues 30:13 be burned to the ground in honor of our Lord? 30:17 How do you go from being a Martin Luther - 30:20 the spark of the Protestant Reformation - 30:22 to writing that when it comes to Jews 30:25 God will not hold it against us 30:28 if we kill them all. 30:32 That's what he said: "We are not at fault in slaying them. " 30:36 That's because even the very elect 30:43 can be deceived. 30:45 How can the brave, righteous Pilgrims 30:48 who fled religious persecution in Europe 30:51 and come to these shores of America led of God 30:54 and then turn around and persecute and torture? 30:58 Yes they did... Pilgrims! 31:00 They tortured other people. They did something called 31:04 flailing... flailing a person alive. 31:07 You peel the skin off of their head and their face 31:11 while they were living. 31:13 How do you do that? 31:17 Because Jesus warned that "even the very elect" 31:21 can be deceived. How do you go from being 31:24 a church-going, God-fearing Christian like Geo. Washington 31:29 to owning black people as slaves 31:32 and cruelly shipping members of the same slave family 31:36 thousands of miles away because of an infraction 31:40 against the rules on your plantation? 31:42 I am amazed how brilliant spiritual minds 31:48 can be so easily deceived. 31:51 And you are deceived if you do not think 31:56 it can happen today 31:59 and is happening today. 32:07 I know without the help and protection of God 32:09 he can deceive any one of us. The devil can deceive 32:12 any one of us in here. 32:14 And so I asked God: "Show me some of the weapons 32:18 the devil has used successfully throughout human history 32:22 to corrupt and capture the minds of perfectly spiritual people. " 32:28 I asked God: "Let me peek into his bag of tricks. 32:32 Show me what he uses 32:35 to deceive even the very elect. " 32:39 And God showed me four stra- tegies the enemy of our souls 32:44 uses effectively in his battle for the human mind. 32:48 The first is power. 32:53 Power. 32:55 When Christian people get power: 32:59 worldly power, economic power, military power, 33:03 and yes, political power... 33:07 That's right. When Christians get political power 33:12 that power turns intelligent Christians 33:16 into immoral Christians. Amen! 33:22 And hear me. I'm going to say some tough things today 33:25 but God's with me. Amen. 33:27 Christianity without the character of Christ 33:31 is the very definition of corruption. Ooh! 33:37 And you can "couch it" in your religiosity 33:42 in policy, um-hmm. You can dress it up in rules 33:46 and carefully crafted committee-endorsed, 33:49 well-worded statements but if your policies 33:53 are not in harmony with the character of Christ 33:57 you might as well throw them in the garbage. 33:59 Your Christianity is corrupt! 34:03 When ministers, though... I'm going to... You praying for me? 34:07 Amen. When ministers jockey and scheme 34:12 and politic for temporary title and positions 34:16 this is not reflective of the character of Christ. 34:20 Look at what the servant of the Lord says. 34:22 She says: "It is a mistake 34:25 for a conference to select as a president 34:29 one who considers that his office places unlimited 34:34 power in his hands. " 34:37 And look at this. She says: "A man's position 34:41 does not make him one jot or tittle 34:45 greater in the sight of God. 34:48 It is character alone that God values. " 34:54 God is not impressed with your title! 35:01 A Christ-like character 35:04 is more valuable in the eyes of God 35:08 than having president in front of your name. 35:11 Amen! 35:14 And so sometimes... sometimes you have to look beyond 35:18 the veneer of fake holiness and speak clearly 35:22 when people condone unChristlike methods that hurt other people. 35:27 When you stand by silent when other people are being wronged 35:32 and harmed by those who have power 35:34 that is unChristlike. Amen! 35:38 To be silent when leaders that we "like" 35:43 are hurting other people 35:46 and hurting other people because they have power 35:50 that silence is unChristlike. 35:55 So often the temptation to rule over other people 35:58 corrupts our spiritual sensibilities 36:01 and hijacks all that is honorable and virtuous 36:05 and good in us. The temptation to rule 36:08 over other people perverts our powers of righteous reasoning 36:13 and honorable conduct. Power is a temptation 36:17 that has deceived even the very elect 36:21 and chosen of God's servants. 36:24 So power is the first strategy the devil uses in the 36:27 battle of the mind. The next weapon the devil uses 36:31 in his battle for the mind is pride. 36:37 The promise of the serpent in the Garden of Eden to Eve 36:40 was: "You will be as gods. " 36:42 This appealed to Eve's pride, and pride is well capable 36:47 of corrupting the minds of the most devout spiritual 36:52 people. "I am the smartest. " 36:55 Whoever told you a thing like that? 36:58 "I am the most intelligent. " Pride! 37:02 Amongst other things pride is the temptation 37:06 to feel superior to other people 37:10 physically, culturally, 37:15 financially. Pride, my friend Dr. E. E. Cleveland used to say 37:20 that "better off doesn't mean better than. " 37:24 The moment you begin to believe you are better than 37:28 your heart is filled with pride. Whoever told you 37:32 that different meant deficient? 37:39 Pride is the temptation to be seen as superior 37:42 to others, and the enemy has used pride 37:45 to deceive even the most spiritual of minds. 37:49 It is pride that causes us to forget as the Word of God says 37:52 in Acts 17:26 38:04 You know, I was in the crowd that welcomed Nelson Mandela 38:09 when he came out of prison. 38:11 And one of the things about apartheid that was said 38:14 but you didn't read the other part of that scripture. 38:16 It says: "God has appointed bounds of habitation. " 38:19 And they interpreted that to mean that it was God's will 38:23 that people of different shades of color 38:25 be separated by geographic boundaries. 38:30 Pride! 38:32 It is pride that makes us forget as Galatians 3:28 says: 38:52 It is pride that makes us forget what Romans says 38:55 in Romans 2:11 39:02 Pride of race can be so seductive and deceptive 39:07 that some Christians will put their race 39:10 above their redemption. 39:15 They'll put their pride of race before their Christ. 39:20 Pride of race is a lie 39:22 that deceives even the very elect of Christians. 39:26 I heard a man say: "Well I can't help it 39:28 if my race is smart and good looking too. " 39:34 Pride. The next weapon the devil uses 39:37 in his battle for the minds of spiritual people 39:41 is presumption. 39:43 Presumption is the mistaken belief 39:46 that you can enjoy the blessing of God's promises 39:49 while refusing to comply with the conditions 39:53 God has placed on those promises. 39:56 Presumption is believing that God does not require 39:59 you to always live in harmony with His character 40:04 and His principles. Presumption is: "Yeah, me... 40:07 I can get a day off from being kind when I want to. " 40:14 Presumption is the belief that if I hurt others 40:18 in pursuit of noble ends God will understand... 40:23 even if it means to support the torture of others 40:26 and denies other people their God-given freedoms 40:30 and blessings. God will understand. 40:32 Look at what the servant of the Lord says. 40:33 She says: 40:50 My God... presumption. 40:52 It is one of the weapons the devil uses skillfully 40:55 in his battle for the mind. 41:26 Whoo! 41:29 The next weapon in his arsenal that Satan uses 41:32 to deceive even the very elect 41:35 is pleasure. Genesis 3:6 41:50 Pleasure! I John 2:15 42:01 Friends, pleasure is when the desire to feel good 42:07 becomes more important than the obligation to do good. 42:12 Pleasure is when the temptation to feel right 42:15 "Oh, this feels good! " 42:18 when it overwhelms the sense of duty 42:22 to do what is right. 42:23 And throughout history these four: 42:26 power... What did I say? 42:29 Power. The next one is? Pride. 42:33 Presumption and Pleasure. 42:37 These have been the devil's most successful weapons 42:42 in his battle for the mind. 42:44 These are the weapons that have consistently 42:48 deceived the very elect. Power, 42:52 pride, presumption, and pleasure. 42:56 And before I leave you tonight 42:58 I want to tell you about the greatest weapon God has 43:02 given to us in the battle for the mind. 43:06 It's found in the book of Isaiah chapter 26 verse 3. 43:10 Look at what the Word of God says there. It says: 43:30 Brothers and sisters, we are up against ways of thinking 43:35 that have invaded and corrupted the church 43:38 and are compromising the purity of the church's 43:41 mission and the integrity of its witness. 43:44 And these ways of political thinking are powerful 43:48 enough to deceive even the very elect. 43:52 Can I talk it straight tonight? 43:56 If you find yourself 43:59 quoting more of what you hear on CNN 44:04 than what you have read about in the Word of God 44:08 about the character of God, 44:10 the devil is winning in the battle for your mind. 44:15 If you find yourself quoting 44:18 more of what you heard on Fox News 44:22 than what you have read about the character of God 44:26 in the Word of God, the devil is winning 44:30 in the battle for your mind. 44:35 I believe God has personally given me a quote 44:39 that has been a blessing, and I hope it will be a blessing 44:41 to you. Look at what God told me one day. 44:43 God said: "If your faith gives you permission 44:49 to be anything other than Christ-like 44:53 at all times, your faith has been corrupted 44:59 and compromised. 45:02 If your faith... If you've got the kind of faith 45:05 that gives you permission 45:08 to be anything other than Christ-like at all times, 45:12 your faith has been corrupted 45:18 and compromised. 45:20 Look at what the servant of the Lord said. She said: 45:41 Amen! 45:42 Hallelujah! Amen! In II Corinthians 5:17 it says: 45:57 That includes your mind. Hallelujah, God! 46:01 If you let God, God will renew your mind! 46:05 He'll give you an ability to manage 46:09 the influences that are trying to determine your destiny. 46:17 That's why David... In Psalm 26:2 46:20 that's why he said: "God, continually... " 46:22 "Examine my mind... examine me. " 46:26 He wasn't saying: "Look at my foot; look at my hands. " 46:28 No, no, no. "Examine my thoughts. " 46:32 "Examine me; prove me. " 46:36 "Try my mind and my heart. " 46:39 And then II Timothy 1:7 46:52 God has promised us victory in the battle for the mind. 46:56 And can I give you before I leave... 46:57 This is your most important powerful weapon in the battle 47:01 for your mind: Isaiah 26 47:11 Why should we keep our mind stayed on God? 47:13 Look at what Ellen White says. This is awesome! She says: 47:27 Now look at this one. I love this! 47:29 "Walk with God like Enoch walked with God. Keep your mind 47:34 stayed on God. " And how do you walk and talk with God? 47:39 You know, God gave me this perspective. 47:42 We see lives as a symphony of activity 47:47 punctuated by moments of communion with God. 47:52 I think you need to turn that on its head 47:54 and see your life as a symphony of communion with God 48:00 punctuated by distractions. 48:04 And when the distractions are over, go back 48:09 to that symphony of communion, maintaining a mind connected 48:15 with the mind of God. 48:17 Constantly monitor your thoughts. 48:19 And God gave me this when I was preaching the other day: 48:22 think about what you're thinking about! 48:28 Think about what you're thinking about. 48:32 Look at what Ellen White says. This will "blow your mind. " 48:35 Look at what she says. She says: 48:59 That's the only way to be safe: 49:02 keeping your mind connected with the mind of God. 49:05 The only way to be safe. 49:07 "Well Pastor, can I do that and brush my teeth? " 49:09 Oh yes you can! 49:13 You'd better talk to God. 49:15 "Can I do that while I'm talking to my children? " 49:18 The most important thing you could ever do is 49:20 talk to your God while talking to your children. 49:23 Amen. 49:25 Oh yeah, and talk to the Lord while talking to your husband 49:27 too. 49:31 And when your thoughts stray, bring them back. 49:34 When you keep your mind stayed on Jesus - 49:37 I love this! you keep the enemy off balance. 49:42 You keep him baffled. 49:44 When you keep your mind stayed on Jesus, 49:46 you keep demons confounded. 49:49 AMEN! Amen! 49:51 When you're not thinking about anything 49:54 train your mind to have a default train of thought. 49:58 Hey hey hey, I'm about to give you something blessed. 50:02 When you're not thinking about anything 50:04 train your mind to have a default thought. 50:07 And what should that default thought be? 50:11 Let that default thought be 50:14 "God, what can I do to honor You next? " 50:21 "Just show me what can I do! " 50:26 Let that be your prayer. 50:30 Servant of God said: 50:40 Amen. 50:41 So listen to this song: Why should I feel discouraged? 50:45 Why should my heart be lonely? 50:51 Hallelujah! Listen to the message in this song. 50:56 Hallelujah! 50:59 The battle for the mind. 51:04 Keep your mind stayed on Jesus 51:11 'cause His eye is on the sparrow. 51:17 Keep your mind stayed on Jesus. 51:25 Why should the shadows fall? 51:30 Why should my heart 51:34 feel lonely 51:38 and long for heaven 51:41 and home? 51:45 When Jesus 51:48 is my portion... 51:53 my constant Friend 51:57 is He. 52:02 His eye 52:04 is on the sparrow 52:10 and I know 52:12 He's watching over me... 52:19 His eye 52:22 is on the sparrow 52:28 and I know 52:31 He's watching over me. 52:38 I sing 52:41 because I'm happy! 52:45 Oh Lord, I sing 52:48 because I'm free! 52:54 For His eye 52:58 is on the sparrow 53:04 and I know 53:06 He's watching 53:09 over me... 53:13 His eye 53:16 is on 53:19 the sparrow 53:23 and I know 53:25 He's watching over me. 53:28 I know 53:30 He's watching over me... 53:33 I know 53:35 He's watching over me. 53:41 I sing 53:44 because 53:46 I'm happy! 53:50 Oh, Lord, you know I sing 53:53 because I'm free! 53:59 For His eye 54:03 is on 54:06 the sparrow 54:10 and I know 54:12 He's watching 54:15 over me... 54:19 His eye 54:22 is on 54:25 the sparrow 54:30 and I know 54:33 He's watching 54:35 over me... 54:41 yes, yes, yes... 54:45 I know 54:48 He's watching over 54:53 me! 55:16 Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! 55:23 Will you pray with me? 55:25 Father, teach us 55:31 how to walk with God 55:34 like Enoch walked with God. 55:39 Teach us in this wicked, whirling world. 55:46 Father, keep our minds 55:50 stayed on Thee. 55:53 Teach us 55:56 how to be victorious 56:00 in the battle for our thoughts, 56:04 for our thinking, 56:07 and for our minds. 56:10 Lord, we know this is a battle that we will be in 56:14 until Jesus comes. 56:18 We will be in this battle 56:21 until we close our eyes in death 56:26 or until our eyes behold the glory of God. 56:32 Show us how to be victorious 56:36 and walk with Jesus 56:41 moment by moment day by day. 56:45 This is my prayer for all who hear this call from God today. 56:52 In Jesus' name I pray, Amen! 56:58 Amen. Amen? Amen! 57:01 and Amen. Amen! 57:04 Let us not be seduced by power... |
Revised 2020-03-18