Mind Games | Part 3

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S.O.A.P. – “Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer”

Who are the three most influential people in your life? Who do they learn from?

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:1–8 NLT

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 NLT

Where do you “fit” in the family of Jesus?

Are you using your God-given gifts well?

How are you training your mind to think with God’s wisdom so you can be truly successful?

Lord, help me to have an open mind, a humble heart, and searching eyes that learn your ways, wisdom, and will! Thank you for allowing me to have life through Jesus. Thank you for allowing me to share real life with my brothers and sisters in Jesus’ family!

What do you plant with your words? What is growing in you and others as a result?

The LORD gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

“O Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The LORD replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” Jeremiah 1:4–10 NLT

The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Psalm 103:8–14 NLT

As God’s prophet, Jeremiah was called to “uproot” and to “plant.” The first thought you should plant in your mind: I am in God’s story.”

You were known to God before your mother even knew you existed. How does God’s creation of you and care for you impact your view of yourself?

How have you seen God’s kindness in your life?

Do you “fear” God?

Lord, before I had thoughts, you knew me. Before I could imagine you, you created me. You are the only powerful and kind God, good in all you do and trustworthy in all things. I know you don’t act according to my imaginations or expectations. Teach me to trust you and follow even when life doesn’t meet my expectations.

What were your parent(s) attitudes towards your unique traits as a child?

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:1–16 NLT

Sermon Insights:

God wants you to “plant” these thoughts: I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and my life has purpose! You didn’t make God in your image. God made you in his image. And in Christ, we reflect his image.

Have you challenged your attitudes towards yourself to see if they come from God?

What are some good sources for you to identify and feel God’s attitudes towards you beyond (and in agreement with) the Bible?

Lord, you teach me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and my life has purpose! I did not make you in my image; you made me in YOUR image. Fill my life with forgiven, Holy-Spirit-filled people who can help me hear and feel your genuine love for me! And help me to be that person for others!

If you had to choose between only seeing clearly up close or far away, what would you choose?

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:1–11 NLT

Sermon Insights:

The next thought to plant – I claim the power of the cross!

What has your intentional focus today: the worries of today or God’s power in your life?

Why, according to this Scripture, is faith essential to our standing before God?

Describe the many things God has accomplished for you through Jesus.

Lord, you have given me so much based on Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. I don’t deserve your kindness, and yet you have poured it out in amazing ways. You have made me right with you, given me peace with you, promised that I will share your glory, given me courage to face my trials with peace, saved me from your condemnation, and made me your friend. I am so blessed and grateful!

How have the thoughts you intentionally planted this week affected you?

Yes, you who trust [Jesus] recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:7–9 NLT

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5–11 NLT

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:35–37 NLT

Sermon Insights: Thoughts to plant in your mind for today: I serve the Lord! Jesus is Lord! God turns evil into good!

How will you serve the Lord – today?

If Jesus is your Lord, how will you center your mind and heart on him today?

Have you surrendered your worries about today’s difficulties to Jesus? How is it affecting you?

Lord, thank you for creating me, empowering me, and placing me where I am at today. You have provided all that I need for today—particularly your presence in my life. Teach me to walk confidently with you today!

Mind Games | Part 3

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