Positioning Yourself to Prosper 3
3-11-07 Positioning Yourself to Prosper III
I. A life-changing lesson
A. If you pay careful attention to what I am about to reveal to you today, and consider carefully what you hear, you can dramatically change how you live the rest of your life.
B. The principles I am about to discuss are clearly revealed in the Scripture and if applied diligently in your life it will position you to receive bountiful blessings from God
II. The Fundamentals- we will go back to the beginning and learn a fundamental law of God
A. THE LAW OF REPRODUCTION
Ge 1: 11 Then God said, ALet the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.@ And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1: 20 And God said, ALet the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.@ 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Ge 1: 24 And God said, ALet the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.@ And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
1. EVERY SEED PRODUCES AFTER ITS OWN KIND
2. EVERYTHING PRODUCED HAS SEED IN IT TO AUTOMATICALLY CONTINUE ITS REPRODUCTION.
3. These are laws of God
B. Consider the process
1. One Apple seed planted in the ground may produce one Apple tree
a. By law it cannot produce a peach, an orange, or pecan tree.
b. It must produce after it=s own kind
2. Then, that one Apple tree will produce multiple apples that will have seed to produce unmeasurable additional Apple trees.
a. And all of this from one seed
3. Thus, a single seed if nourished and provided with the proper environment can grow to produce a forest of its own kind
4. Thus one seed has the ability to produce fruit that has more seed in it to produce more fruit.
C. Jesus also compared your belief system to a seed when he said
Lk 17: 6 He replied, AIf you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, >Be uprooted and planted in the sea,= and it will obey you.
1. He compared faith to his seed because faith is a way of thinking and thinking produces thoughts that are seeds.
III. THOUGHTS ARE SEED
A. KJV Jeremiah 6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil (Bad, trouble, wickedness) upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts,(Imaginations, thinkings) because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
1. Thoughts produce fruit.
2. Consider everything that exists, exists as the results of a thought
3. All things created by man were born as a thought of a man
a. Those thoughts are the sown by the words of man
b. And then germinate in the minds of other men
4. Thus we see that thoughts will produce fruit and that fruit will contain the seed that causes a thought to manifest itself into reality.
B. Thoughts are powerful seeds that produce fruit of enormous results
1. They begins small but they can grow to tremendous heightsheights to tremendous to tremendous
2. What is faith? Consider it:
a. Faith is a way of thinking based upon a certain belief.
C. What makes a man distinctive among all of the animals God created?
1. The lion has power and strength
2. Birds fly
3. Fish swim
4. What makes a man different and what gives him the edge so that he has dominion over all the earth?
a. God gave man a tool that is vastly superior to all the creatures he created.
b. Unfortunately most people do not realize its value and allow it to be missed used or totally neglected.
5. I am speaking about the mind of man and his ability to use it to think.
IV. How Seeds Grow
A. SEEDS GROW THE EARTH
1. When a farmer plants a seed. He does not make it grow, the earth does and what ever he plants the earth brings it up.
**** Mk 4: 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grainCfirst the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
2. Once planted in the earth, if the process is not disturbed, and allowed to develop, it will produce after it=s own kind.
3. It is the earth=s job to produce the fruit of the seed that is sown
4. God has given us all types of seed. It does not matter to the earth what seed the farmer plants whether it be
a. Tomatoes or corn or opium or marijuana, it will come up
b. He may even choose to plant thorns, it will come up
c. The earth will produce what ever the farmer plants
(1) it is its job to make it come up and become reality in life
(2) this is because man has dominion over the earth
5. It is up to the farmer to decide what type of harvest as he would like to receive. God gives him the freedom of choice to decide what to plant.
6. Another law say,s AWhatever a man sows, that shall he also reap@.
B. SEEDS GROW IN YOUR MIND
1. Now, does not God say that we are made of the earth? Therefore, your mind is like the earth. The seed that is sown on it are your thoughts. It does not care what seeds are planted in it. It will simply reproduce after its own kind and bring into reality the manifestation of what has been planted in it
a. It is the mind=s job to produce the fruit of the seed that is sown
2. You have the ability to do this is because of your being created in the image of God. Who himself created the universe by his thoughts, his words and his actions.
3. Again, it must be understood is AWhatever a man sows, that shall he also reap@.
a. You have a choice of the thoughts you think and you will reap the manifestation of those thoughts be them good or evil.
4. You may allow your mind to think positive or negative. If you allow both, most certainly the prosperity that God desires for you to have will never come to pass because negative will choke out the positive
Pr 4: 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
V. THE POWER OF YOUR THOUGHTS
A. What you think will affect your belief system. What you believe will come to pass affecting your environment and your life.
Mk 9: 23 A >If you can=?@ said Jesus. AEverything is possible for him who believes.@
1. What a person believes is what he thinks. His thinking has caused him to believe.
B. Remember the woman with the issue of blood
Mt 9: 20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, AIf I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.@ 22 Jesus turned and saw her. ATake heart, daughter,@ he said, AYOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU.@ And the woman was healed from that moment.
1. This is a very insightful Scripture: what we learn is that the process of our thinking dramatically affects the condition of our bodies.
2. For 12 years after seeing many doctors this woman could not be healed. But when she began to think and believe to herself she could be healed by doing a certain thing. She was healed.
3. Her faith, her way of thinking, affected her belief, and her belief caused her faith to grow so that she could be healed.
a. Thinking affects your health.
4. Do not let this lesson soar over your head. Remember this:
5. YOUR PHYSICAL CONDITION CAN BE POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY THE WAY YOU THINK!
6. Remember what happened to Cain: his face was downtrodden because of his attitude, his thinking, towards his brother.
7. Therefore be on your guard as to what you allow your mind to think. It is hazardous to your health to allow your thoughts to settle on things that are negative. GOD SAYS:
PHP 4: 6 DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT ANYTHING, BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, WITH THANKSGIVING, PRESENT YOUR REQUESTS TO GOD. 7 AND THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS.
PHP 4: 8 FINALLY, BROTHERS, WHATEVER IS TRUE, WHATEVER IS NOBLE, WHATEVER IS RIGHT, WHATEVER IS PURE, WHATEVER IS LOVELY, WHATEVER IS ADMIRABLECIF ANYTHING IS EXCELLENT OR PRAISEWORTHYCTHINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS. 9 WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEARNED OR RECEIVED OR HEARD FROM ME, OR SEEN IN MECPUT IT INTO PRACTICE. AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU.
C. God destroyed the world with a flood because of man=s wickedness and the thoughts of man inclined him to continually do evil
Ge 6: 5 The Lord saw how great man=s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
1. It was man=s thoughts that caused him to do evil.
D. After the destruction God made a pledge that would allow man the freedom to choose his thoughts B for good or evil
Ge 8: 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ANever again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.
E. Then he confirmed the stability of the order
Ge 8: 22 AAs long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.@
1. What ever fruit of man=s thoughts produce God will allow it.
Je 6: 19 Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.
2. God will allow you to think anyway you choose to think and to experience the consequences of your own thinking.
F. Have you ever noticed that there are some people who seem to prosper in everything they set their hand to do. While there are others who seem to fail at all they do. If you would examine each person very carefully, you will find that successful people think on positive things. And those that are slaves to their environment allow their thinking to be polluted with negative and destructive thoughts and refuse to uproot them. Rather, they allow them to thrive.
G. You must therefore be diligent in guarding your thoughts Christ gives us an example of what the enemy does to destroy the proper harvest.
Mt 13: 24 Jesus told them another parable: AThe kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 AThe owner=s servants came to him and said, >Sir, didn=t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?= 28 A >An enemy did this,= he replied.
1. Satan will attempt to plant negative thought seeds into your mind so that those thoughts will damage the good that God desires for you to do
H. I am delivering to you today one of the most powerful principles you can ever learn in your life. As you listen to me today many of you will use what is being said and this very moment will position your life for true prosperity and success. However, Christ has already stated that as you hear this word of life some of you
1. Will be like the path
2. Will be like stony ground
3. Will be like word sown among the thorns
4. Will hear the word and apply it so that it will produce bountifully in your life
I. Your thought life is a weapon of warfare that you are to use to counteract the forces of evil that are arrayed against you to keep you from prospering
2 Co 10: 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
1. There is power in your thinking. You must be careful what you think about
a. Anything in your life that is contrary to the word of God must be taken captive and forced to be brought in line with what God=s Word is.
b. How can you be blessed by the word of God if your thinking does not line up with that word.
c. God is a holy God, he honors all of his word.
VI. A Word to the Wise
A. Avoid negative seed and cultivate positive accurate seed. Remember your mind will reproduce the seed that is planted in it
B. What you think and how you think will ultimately determine what your future will be.
C.
D. The entire Bible restates this all throughout.
Pr 23: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
E. You have the ability to become whatever you desire to be to the power of Christ
F. It is that which is inside that affects the outside.
G. Therefore be careful how you think it will affect your life for the better or the worse.
1. Jesus cautions us about our thinking.
Mt 5: 27 AYou have heard that it was said, >Do not commit adultery.= 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
VII. Summary
A. You on the verge of a better life. It is all up to you and it begins with you planting seeds, thoughts that are accurate that will manifest positive results in your life
B. The size of the seed is of no consequence if it is nourished it will grow
C. You are not limited by race, sex, education or finance. The force of the will of God, will cause the seed to produce fruit.
1. Choose your thoughts carefully. What ever you think will come to pass. God created you this way
2. Everything that exists today created by man began as a single thought in the mind of one man
a. The inventor, the poet, the musician all began their work from thoughts and then began from those thoughts to produce the works that they have thought about
3. The universe grew out of the mind of God
D. Consider the building that we are in. A simple thought developed into reality.
1. Any drain a passion that you have if you will focus on it with a sincere heart and appeal to God for its manifestation, nothing in the world, nothing demonic or spiritual can prevent it from coming to pass in your life.
2. You control your destiny by your thinking.
E. Therefore, DARE TO THINK BOLDLY!
1. God will do more than you can even think about for your behave. You must release him to do so by your thinking which is your faith.
F. Some of the greatest people who ever existed accomplish greatness by allowing their mind to dream.
G. The wealthiest people in the world today acquired their wealth not by the labor of their hands but by the seed thoughts of their minds.
1. Bill Gates
2. The Google brothers
3. Donald Trump
4. Oprah Winfrey
5. It is all about thoughts they had.
H. The more efficient you are and utilizing this invaluable tool that God has given you the sooner you will be able to realize the kingdom lifestyle that God has prepared for you
1. Consider a computer operated by two different individuals.
a. Who is apt to get more out of the computer faster
(1) the one with the knowledge of how it operates
(2) or the one who is not at all familiar with the program
2. The fact that one can extract the data faster than another in no way implies one person is smarter or has more intellect than the other
a. It simply means one has learned how to utilize the resources of the computer
3. In a like manner, you must learn to utilize the awesome computer that God has given you: your mind
I. You have the master of the universe inside of you to bring to pass what ever things you desire. Learn to believe and learn to receive.
VIII. Summary
A. It is time for you to grow, I therefore beg you
Pr 9: 6 Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.
1. Use what God has given you!
B. Focus on the Word of God to give you the strength, knowing that because of it you will prosper
1. Do not let circumstances negatively affect your thoughts, God=s word is your confidence
a. Don=t base your life on others, the power of God in you is enough, Moses, Daniel, David, Shadrack, did not focus their thoughts on the lives of others
b. Remember Satan will offer contradictions and plant other seed in your minds
c. Just because things look bleak don=t let it affect your thinking
2. Where God gives the vision - the thought - he also will provide the provision for the vision - your thoughts
C. Now having heard these words,
1. Begin positioning yourself for success, not failure by your thinking
2. You are a winner because you are a child of God
D. The test of time has proven that only the strong positive minds survive and thrive
1. Martin Luther King
2. John Kennedy
3. Winston Churchill
4. Gandhi
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. George Washington
7. Jesus Christ
E. History has shown that negative thinkers do not prosper. Though they may thrive for a moment, they will soon wither like grass.
F. Christ, our example, focus was always on the positive that was accurate about life and people
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03/17/07
IX. In order to improve our lives we must first improve our thinking which will affect our speaking and our actions. THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL LIFE BEGINS WITH A SUCCESSFUL THOUGHT LIFE. Satan is aware of how God has designed us and he is aware of how I thinking affects our lives. He therefore seeks to manipulate our thinking to cause us to think and act contrary to the will of God to set into motion the consequences of our thinking and actions.
A. Therefore we are told to guard our hearts to protect ourselves from his influences.
1. He influenced Eve=s thinking in the garden to ignore God=s word
2. Peter=s thinking to challenge Christ=s to ignore God=s word
Mt 16: 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ANever, Lord!@ he said. AThis shall never happen to you!@ 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, AGet behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.@
3. Ananias and Sapphira to lie and ignore God=s word
Ac 5: 3 Then Peter said, AAnanias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4. He challenge Christ in the wilderness to ignore God=s word
5. He will challenge you in any method he can to contaminate your thinking to cause you to have an inferior thought pattern that will deprive you of the benefits of the kingdom of God.
6. He wants you to ignore God=s word. To disregard it.
7. However, you have the ability to resist his schemes, by simply submitting to the accurate word of God.
B. The principal influences of our thought life are
1. Our family
2. Our society
3. Our church
4. God=s word
5. Of these four only God=s word can truly be relied upon to be accurate.
6. Satan will always seek to provide a substitute for the word of God and attempt to infiltrate the thought processes to influence our thinking with that substitute.
7. No matter how we think we must come to realize that only God=s word can give us the certainty of the right way to think.
C. The conversations: the book called AThe Secret@. Called Aa new era for humankind@
1. AThe secret that has influenced so many of the world=s greatest thinkers@
2. A book that implies if you just have faith, you can do anything. You can get rich, lose weight, get out of debt, fall in love, cure cancer, have whatever you want. All you got to do is think positive.
a. This is new age. Just like the da Vinci code
b. They call it the Law of attraction. That if you think positive, positive will come to you. If you think negative, negative will come to you.
c. We as human beings are referred to as energy. And our thought processes control this energy.
d. Their faith is based upon the energy of the universe. That there is a force of love in the universe that embraces all.
3. They correctly understand that thoughts are seeds that can dramatically affect your life.
a. Oprah Winfrey says you should teach this to your children.
4. This book teaches a fundamental doctrine of life and is based upon the truth of the word of God, but it is not the whole truth. It does not give the glory to God. Nor his son Jesus Christ.
a. You are to Ask believe and receive, but no mention is made of Christ
(1) They are saying, think and act and everything will be possible to you.
(2) they have forgotten that Jesus said Aall things are possible only with God@
5. This all sounds good....
**** 2 Ti 3: 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of GodC 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
**** 2 Ti 4: 3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
6. Yes it says, thoughts are seeds and indeed they are. But the Bible says:
Lk 8: 11 .....The seed is the word of God.
a. God=s word is the seed that should be sown, not just positive thoughts
7. The best book of all is God=s word. It is the only true method of cleansing that will wash away all of the emotional hurts and pains that have been caused by life=s wounds and replace them with love and power and sound mind.
8. The principles of positive thinking have been around for generations but it is inferior to AAccurate Thinking@.
9. I will then now begin to stop emphasizing positive thinking, since this may be confused with the ways of men attempting to apply godly principles but denying the God of the principles.
10. I will henceforth refer to the principle of Accurate Thinking to separate from the inferior methods chosen by the world called Positive Thinking.
a. A thing may be positive but not accurate.
b. It may be good but not accurate.
(1) remember Saul with King Agag
(2) Uzzah touching the Ark of the covenant
(3) Peter speaking positively to Christ regarding his trip to Jerusalem
11. I will refer to negative thinking as that which is contrary to God=s Word
12. There are many, many books that you may choose to read but know this, and this is what Solomon the wisest man that ever lived said to his son
**** Pr 4: 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man=s whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
***** Ec 12: 12 .................Be warned, my son, .......... Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. 13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
a. He is clearly stating that there will be many good books that are written, but there is only one book that is important and truly accurate. It is from it that the deeds of a man will be judged.
13. If you desire to read something other than the Bible, then at least read books based upon the Bible and not just the wisdom of man
a. Ordering your world
b. John Maxwell -thinking for a change
c. Rick Warren - the purpose driven life
d. Joel Osteen - your best life now
e. Miles Munro
f. Norman Vincent Peale
D. ACCURATE THINKING IS GOD=S WAY OF THINKING. IT IS BASED UPON THE WORD OF GOD.
1. It is not based upon the philosophies of man. It is based upon what God says and not upon your condition or situation.
2. A positive thing may not necessarily be God=s way. It may not be accurate even though it may be or seem positive
**** 2 Ti 3: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
E. NEGATIVE THINKING IS ANY TYPE OF THINKING THAT IS CONTRARY TO THE WORD OF GOD.
**** Pr 14: 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
X. Now, as stated by God in Psalms 1. You must separate yourself from the negative (things contrary to the word of God) and develop yourself accurately in the positive.
It is important to separate yourself from things of the negative, including people. They will contaminate your thinking and called you to experience an inferior lifestyle. This is revealed to us in this Scripture
**** Ps 1: 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel (Listening to their way of thinking) of the wicked or stand in the way (Participating in their actions) of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers(being a party to their words.)
A. An analysis of the words:
1. Wicked - ungodly - those persons whose inclination of their thoughts is always on evil
a. This is confirmed by the word counsel. Their way of thinking
2. sinners -- offenders; trespassers; those who violate the word of God by their actions
a. Confirmed by the word way; their way of acting
3. mockers -- scornful; those who talk and arrogantly boast whose words mock what God says
a. Confirmed by the word sit that is listening to their talking
B. Happy is the man who separates himself from negative thoughts and negative people and replaces them with meditation on the word of God.
1. These people have been broken by Satan and he uses them to break down others
C. Some of these people are well meaning, but are ignorant of the power of God and their ignorance will do you much harm. Their contaminated and corrupt thinking will cause you to adopt some of their ways and prevent you from reaching your divine potential.
1. Negative thoughts such as worry, doubt, jealousy, fear, envy, hatred and the likes of, are of Satan and will ultimately destroy the person harboring them.
2. Persons who have such negative thoughts will ultimately speak them. Remember it is the words of people that plants the seed in the hearts and minds of others.
a. You must be careful what is sown in your mind. For what is planted in the mind will become a reality in your life.
D. I hope you have come to understand that an inferior thought pattern will cripple your ability to experience God=s best in life. Therefore God desires that you do not associate with others who exemplify negative thinking, speaking and actions
**** 2 Corinthians 6: 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?..... 17 ATherefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.@ 18 AI will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.@
**** Galatians 5:9 AA little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.@
**** 1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: ABad company corrupts good character.@
1. This indicates to us that we must learn to separate ourselves from those things of the world.
2. Though we are in the world, we should not be of the world.
3. We must separate ourselves from those of the world whose behavior is contrary to the accurate word of God.
E. Superior thinking can never be achieved as long as the mind is polluted with untruths of the world. The accurate truth of God=s Word shall make you free.
1. Free to experience the truth prosperity of God=s will
2. Failure to accept the truth as God defines for your life will mean your experiencing a dismal deteriorating life and ultimately encountering destruction.
3. The problem with Eve was that she allowed Satan to manipulate her thinking
a. her thinking which caused her to sin and caused an inferior lifestyle for all of us
4. You must learn to separate yourself from negative thinkers and negative things contrary to God=s word.
5. Such people can influence you to accept their inferior lifestyle by you coming to accept their behavior as normal. Their influence will affect your thinking, your speaking, and your actions. As their ways began to influence your life you will suffer the consequences of God=s judgment causing you to also experience an inferior lifestyle.
6. This is Satan=s greatest desire for you. You must separate yourself from them.
7. You were called to mount up wings and soar as an eagle. You cannot do this if you continue to flock with chickens.
F. Rather than being openly wicked, sinners or mockers, negative people may appear in other forms. Stay away from them - you can be sure they=re thinking is polluted
1. Accuser=s - Those who are always accusing others for their failures. The reason they did wrong, was because of something someone else did. The Bible says everyman is accountable for his own sins. You are master of your own destiny by the choices you make. These people to shift the blame to others and therefore will never achieve their divine potential. The choice of every man=s future is within his own hands.
2. Drainers - Those persons who always call upon you to help them with their problems. They are always telling you about what=s wrong in their life and they need your help. They are very draining people.
a. My mom and her friend always crying on her shoulder.
b. Remember your mom said she had to stay away from her because she pulled her down with her problems.
c. I am not advocating insensitivity, merely encouraging you to encourage others to seek the strength of the word of God.
3. Complainers - Persons who are always complaining this is what is wrong that is what is wrong. This would be better if, they don=t know what they=re doing. Such a person is always grumbling. Nothing seems to go right for them or for others for that matter.
4. Downers - Persons who have low self-esteem. They always seek to build themselves up by putting others down. They will find fault with what you do and always say they could have done it better. They will always do value your thoughts your opinions or your accomplishments
5. Gossips these are persons whose talk makes you think negative of others. What you can be sure of, if they gossip about others they will also gossip about you
6. Manipulators these are persons whose focus is always on themselves and seek to control others to cause them to do as they choose. They will use any means at their disposal to accomplish their goals even if it means hurting another.
G. God calls us to separate from something so that we may be separated for something. He is separating you for his glory. He does this by positioning you.
1. This is why you must be careful of the people that are around you
a. At home
b. At work
c. At church
2. As you separate from these type of people we will see that God is calling us to associate with godly people.
H. Because of the mercy of God your negative thoughts only subtract from your life.. Consider the negative symbol minus(-). Negative pulls away from you. This happens slowly but in the long run it is damaging. God gives us time to change our thought life.
1. Because of the grace of God positive accurate thoughts multiply to your advantage.
2. Therefore it is important to focus on the positive and accurate God=s word so that your life might be improved. God has given you his Bible to assist you with knowing what is accurate and the right for your life.
3. It is acceptable to be aware of the negative but it is destructive to dwell on it
a. Therefore see things as they are, now see them as they are!
(1) you must not however dwell on the negative
I. Do not allow your thoughts to dwell on the negative about people or things
1. From the past
a. Refuse to give life to that which is dead. It is gone. Let it go!
2. In your present. Be careful not to glorify it so that it becomes a mountain in your life
3. Anticipated in your future. To do so allows time for fear to develop
a. Remember Jesus with the woman caught in the act of adultery
(1) he did not bring up her past
(2) he did not condemn her in the present
(3) he blessed her with the future
b. Do not create a negative future for yourself with the thoughts you have today
J. Your negative thoughts will produce reality and God will hold you accountable for them
1. We must learn to control our thoughts or they will control us
Jas 1: 13 When tempted, no one should say, AGod is tempting me.@ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire,(a thought) he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire (his thought) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Therefore
2 Co 10: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
K. In regards to your thinking about human beings, you must remember they are CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, therefore by whatever means necessary, avoid thinking negative of your brother or sister. By your thinking you may be committing manslaughter.(The unintentional killing of a human being) God defends the innocent
1. The measure in which you think negative of them, will be the measure in which negative will come upon you. You sow what you reap
2. If you look for negative in a person, you will see it.
a. No one will ever do good if all you can think of them is that they are no good. Even the good they do is viewed in the light of negative.
(1) We then begin to judge their motives
b. For what a fool believes, he sees.
c. There truly is no good that can come out of a person you think negatively of.
3. If you have only one person you think negative of,
a. You can=t stand their guts.
b. They just make you mad
c. They get on your last nerve
d. You don=t like the attitude
e. He is gay, she is a lesbian and you can=t stand them
f. He has this problem, she has this one (remember all of us have problems)
g. Who are you to be a judge of another person=s faults
h. What are the thoughts you are thinking of others?
4. Remember what a man sows, that shall he also reap. Therefore do yourself no damage by thinking negatively of your brother or sister.
a. then as you think of them, your thoughts will manifest the same reality in your life.
Ps 140: 1 Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men; protect me from men of violence, 2 who devise evil plans in their hearts and stir up war every day. 3 They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent=s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.Selah
Ro 3: 13 ATheir throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.@ AThe poison of vipers is on their lips.@ 14 ATheir mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.@
5. Recognize this: You have allowed an open door for Satan to enter your life and given him license to impose negative upon you.
a. If you do it to the least of these, you have done it unto him.
6. Therefore: Do not spend time thinking negatively about people. It is a waste of time. You cannot change them anyway.
a. Negative thinking damages the thinker, not the one thought of
7. Consider this:
a. Small minds think negative about other people
b. Average minds think about current events
c. Great minds think about ideas
d. Visionary minds think about the unseen and cause it to exist
L. Negative thoughts, if not challenged, will ultimately destroy the thinker and will pull down those that are around them
1. Negative thinkers create negative people
2. Negative people destroy visions and dreams
a. Where there is no vision people perish.
b. Negative people have the ability to destroy your life.
c. You must learn to stay away from them
M. Your future direction in life is determined by the focus of your thoughts. Therefore:
1. Do not become passionate about a negative thought whether it be about a thing or a person. It will bring about terrible destructive forces in your future.
2. Do not desire negative things(things which are contrary to the will of God
3. Do not be passionate in your dislike(which is negative) of a person or thing
N. A mind focused on the negative is a mind focused on death
Ro 8: 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
1. The spiritual minded person is focused on accurate things - associate with people like this
2. The carnal minded person is focused on negative things - separate yourself from them
Ga 6: 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Jas 1: 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
O. It is time you begin to establish some Anever again@ and some Afrom now on@. For every Anever again@ you must be ready to replace it with Afrom now on@.
1. You have the power to change your destiny right now with in your hands.
2. God has given you this church to assist you in modifying your thinking so that you might prosper.
3. God has given you the people that are next to you with the same mindset so that you might join in prayer and faith for us superior lifestyle for all of God=s children.
P. You must have your thoughts focused on the accurate in order to empower your life to prosper.
1. The only certain and true accurate thing in life is God=s word
2. Therefore focus your mind on his word that you might begin positioning yourself to prosper
Q. One more thing: just as being around negative people can affect the quality of your life, the opposite is also true. Being around accurate thinking people can be to your advantage.
XI. It is time to make a decision about Christ and accepting this as your church home. If you refuse to listen to God and he is calling you to this alter, to accept Christ are to become a member of his church, if you refuse
Pr 12: 26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Pr 13: 20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Ps 1: 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
Pr 27: 17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
A. You will cripple yourself and your children by exposing them to an inferior Christian lifestyle
1. God called you here so that you might hear how you may be blessed
B. You will miss the door of opportunity God has for you in the right church to develop you to your full divine potential
C. You will miss the next level of growth because you are spiritually malnourished
D. You will rot your marriage of the impact and the influence of godly examples necessary to endure the storms of life
E. You could retard your own growth and development with the absence of the proper example God has provided for you
F. It is time for you to make a decision
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XII. Our thought life must be changed in order to produce prosperity in our life. God encourages us to focus on things that are accurate
**** Ps 1: 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
A. To be transformed from the State that your in, to a superior state requires the renewal of your thinking. God calls you to separate from the world and its ways so that he may cause you to start thinking differently.
1. God will cause a revolution in your way of thinking that will bring about a revelation of what he desires for your life. That revelation can bring about an instant change in your life. For instance
a. Moses life was changed forever by revelation at the burning bush
b. Gideon=s life was changed forever by revelation involving a fleece
c. Jeremiah=s life was changed for ever by revelation at the Potters House
d. You can leave here today with your life changed for by the revelation of God=s truth of who you are
B. God=s Word gives you the ability to develop a life of power and of sound mind overcoming the forces of evil and self-defeating habits.
1. The word of God helps you to become free no longer the slave to the world=s order of things. You become the master of your own destiny.
2. Circumstances no longer hold you hostage to them. You are able to break free and achieve the destiny that was provided for you through Christ Jesus.
C. Through the process of meditation you begin slowly but surely to modify your thinking that ultimately determines what you will become.
D. Your thinking rather than your current situation in life has a greater impact upon your future state
KJV Ne 4: 6 So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.
E. The meditation process upon God=s Word has the ability to alter
1. your thinking
2. your speaking
3. your environment
**** Jos 1: 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
4. Most of us don=t spend enough time thinking on God=s word.
5. You come to church, you hear his word but this is not enough.
a. the word must become real in your life daily
b. it becomes real by your thinking on it
Is 26: 3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
F. Be in a bold and courageous in your thinking. God has created you in his image so you have no limitations.
1. If your mind can conceive it you can achieve it.
2. Remember man can not create anything. Therefore if the thought comes to your mind, you have the ability to accomplish it when you line your words and your actions up with your thinking.
G. God wants you to meditate on his word in order to cause you to be able to visualize what he is saying about your life. If you can visualize you will begin to verbalize, and if you verbalize, you will begin to realize.
H. Remember this: If all you can think of is catching mice you will never catch Lions!
1. You must use God=s Word to expand your thinking
2. God=s Word gives you no limitations
3. Success and great achievements are begun with bold thinking!
4. Allow your mind to soar beyond the limitations that have been set by others.
a. Be free to think the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unheard-of.
I. God created the universe out of nothing. It didn=t exist until he thought it and spoke it into existence.
1. You are created in his image.
2. You perform no work in your life until you first think about it
a. Call your life to be better
b. You can climb no higher than your thoughts
J. It doesn=t matter who you are. You are designed in the image of the creator.
1. You have been designed to function just like him.
2. You can create something out of nothing. It begins with your thinking.
3. The world=s way will limit you.
4. Be willing to be different.
K. Everything that has been created by man has always been Available to be created since the beginning of time. It was just waiting on someone to think long enough on it to bring it to pass.
1. That is why the Bible says:
Ro 12: 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God=s will isChis good, pleasing and perfect will.
2. God=s Word empowers you to accomplish the impossible.
L.
M. Illustration:
1. A person who was a janitor was sweeping a floor one day when the dust from the floor cause him to start coughing. He thought to himself Awhy not eliminate the broom? Maybe something can suck up the dust?
2. He sat down and drew up a plan of a simple machine.
3. He took the plan to a friend of his and they built a machine and started a company
4. The name of the company was AHoover Vacuums@
XIII. This then reveals the results of such thoughts
**** Ps 1: 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
A. You have the authority to alter your thinking by
1. Choosing to forsake negative thinking and negative people
Is 55: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
2. Purposing to think like Christ and focus your mind on accurate things
Php 2: 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Php 4: 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableCif anything is excellent or praiseworthyCthink about such things.
3. Making a determination to renew your mind
Ro 12: 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God=s will isChis good, pleasing and perfect will.
B. Put your thought life in order - Memorize scripture personal to you (You will need this when the devil attacks, remember Jesus in the wilderness). Your level of meditation on it will determine your measure of success. Jos 1:8; Psa 1
1. Meditate on God=s word both day and night.
a. Seek out the word that is relevant to your situation.
(1) Look for it you will find it!
(2) whatever challenges you face, discover God=s word in regards to it
b. Think about it as often as you can
c. Create an environment that brings you into constant remembrance of the word of God regarding your situation. Post it
(1) your refrigerator
(2) your mirror
(3) on your visor of your car
(4) put a sign on your desk at work
2. Visualize what God says, thinking about it night and day
a. Begin to cause your thoughts to become images
b. If you are thinking of having a business - see yourself in that business
(1) see yourself accomplishing what you have thought about
(2) see the creation of your thought
c. I could see this building as an image in my mind when I considered the need as a mere thought.
(1) I saw myself in the sanctuary
(2) walking the atrium
(3) I visualize myself sitting on the outside looking at the building
d. I still can see the tower with people in prayer on various levels overlooking the city of Birmingham
(1) visualize my final office
(2) I see the kitchen and the café with you sitting around it discussing the Bible
(3) I see the office space with the staff doing works of service to bless you
e. Visualize yourself accomplishing what God has shown you in his word
3. Write it on tablets. Make the vision plain,
a. When you write your thoughts down you have created a physical and tangible presence in your world of the thoughts of your mind.
b. You have taken the first step to manifest in fullness the thoughts of your mind
c. In regards to this building
(1) my wife and I sat down and drew lines on paper
(2) discussing
(a) this is where the children will be
(b) this is the sanctuary
(c) this is the atrium
(d) this is where the choir will be
d. We physically impacted the world with that which was just a thought
e. Write down your plan
(1) for your business
(2) for your dreams to come true
(3) for your lifestyle change
(4) father victory you will achieve
4. Verbalize what you have visualize and have written down
a. Confess it in the morning and in the evening
b. Give God the glory for the acquisition of it even though you have not received it
c. Continue to believe that each day when you rise will be the day that you achieve your victory
d. Recognizing every day is one day closer to your goal
C. Remember this:
1. You will not change your current state unto you become dissatisfied enough with it
2. You will not be allowed to move to another level unto you prove yourself faithful at your current level
a. God has given you what you have so that you might prove yourself worthy of more
3. You must be faithful with someone else=s property before you may have your own
KJV Lk 16: 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man=s, who shall give you that which is your own?
Close
XIV. Words
psa 103 20
Proverbs 12:14
matt 15 18-19
A. It is the devil=s desire to prevent you from thinking properly and therefore speaking things to your good into existence
B. It is the devil=s desire to prevent you from becoming aware of who you truly are lest you think on those things and begin to declare things that be not as though they are and bring them into existence by your spoken word.
**** Jn 10: 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
**** KJV Job 22:28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
1. He will use every tactic and method available to him to prevent you from knowing the truth
XV. Deeds
Colossians 3:23
jam 2:17
A. Your thinking maybe in order, which is your faith, but you must have works to go along with it