How the Devil Hides in Thoughts - Bill Johnson Full Sermon | Bethel Church

a stone does not create a dwelling place but repeated stones connected together eventually build a place where the enemy can hide unrecognized what are these Stones they're illegitimate thoughts and when I embrace an illegitimate thought that the enemy has suggested over my life and I dwell on it I meditate on what am I doing I'm actually building a habitation for the enemy to dwell unrecognized God [Applause] thank you thank you thanks thanks thanks glad you showed up greetings to our Bethel family both here and out around the world how many countries uh we heard it this last week there was 127 or something like that 127 countries are are signed up to receive Bethel TV stuff so that's kind of cool all right well I I found this thing how do you decide who to marry written by children so we may want to start praying for these children after you hear the way they think you got to find somebody this is Alan age 10. you got to find somebody who likes the same stuff like if you like sports she should like it that you like sports and she she should keep the chips and dip coming that's real important he says Kristen h10 said no person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry God decides it all way before and you get to find out later who you're stuck with makes you wonder what kind of home that child was raised in I love this one how can a stranger tell if two people are married Derek age 10 responded you might have to guess based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids that's pretty it's brilliant Lori h10 was asked the question what do you think your mom and dad have in common her response was both don't want any more kids Lynette age eight was asked what do most people do on a date she said dates are for having fun people should use them to get to know each other even boys have something to say if you listen long enough oh that girl's been around all right we'll see you let's make this the last one how would you make a marriage work Ricky h10 said tell your wife that she looks pretty even if she looks like a dump truck let's pray for these children you know so funny open your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. we're going to start there I'm actually going to talk to you oh goodness a subject that I just talked about over and over and over again and I sometimes wonder if maybe I don't talk about this stuff for my sake and you just happen to be in the room I think that might be the case but um I'm going to talk to you about their the renewed mind again hopefully from a little different angle um the mind is a Battleground we know that here's part of our challenge we know that we can do nothing without him we know that we can do nothing without him our problem is is we've learned to do nothing with him acts 10 38 says Jesus went about doing good healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with him tomorrow when God is with someone The Impossible is expected to bow the renewed mind is a huge part of this journey Ephesians chapter 6 gives us a picture of I guess a metaphoric picture of armor and how it protects the life of a Believer there's the helmet of salvation breastplate of righteousness there's also a shield of faith and that Shield of faith is to catch and extinguish the Flaming darts of the enemy so if you can imagine this picture a soldier holding up a shield is to stop the the Flaming dark the arrow from the enemy to come and to pierce them Faith absorbs the illegal thoughts and suggestions of the enemy if an arrow gets past the shield gets past our faith it actually wounds us there's a second tool that God gave us the sword of the spirit is actually not a long sword fighting like in Three Musketeers or something it's not that kind of a sword in the original language it's actually like an 18 inch dagger maybe it'd be used for hand-to-hand combat but for certain if an arrow gets past the shield of Faith it's that sword it's that word that digs out the LIE it's important we identify the lies that come our way but it's equally important that we recognize the truth that is to replace it truth is not merely to be glanced at in a daily reading it is to be memorized it is to be prayed it is to be meditated on what happens with the lies of the enemy is that they always war against our identity in Christ and I'll try to show that to you in a moment in a moment every lie that the enemy has ever suggested to you has ever thrown your way exist to war against what you know about him and when we entertain Lies We actually create an arena where the enemy's thoughts is able to war against the mind of Christ now the devil can never beat the enemy so don't take this farther than I intend but we created an arena where when we entertain the thoughts of the anime in that moment those thoughts war against what we know against God and can actually undermine them I'm not saying the enemy ever has power over the Lord never but what I am saying is that there is a season in which what we think and what we have determined actually has an effect on the outcome of what God desires Mark chapter 7 is kind of a scary example where the gospel writer is a is talk is quoting Jesus who says you by your traditions have made the word of God of no effect what's more powerful than the word of God nothing the most powerful thing in the universe and yet you and I get to vote with what we meditate on what we think on we actually Empower when you Empower Allah you empower the liar when you believe Allah you empower the liar so it is possible in that moment in that space and time through tradition through through misplaced religious values that are not built on the mind of Christ I can actually undermine the power of the word of God he said you make the word of God of no effect the truth has all of Heaven behind it a lie has nothing behind it except inferior demonic powers but in the moment the LIE is mentioned to me because of the authority I have in Christ I can empower the lie to undermine the word of the Lord over my life that was a good point bill that's uh just just keep trying don't quit don't quit Faith absorbs and extinguishes lies faith is anchored in the word of God discovering the nature of God Every Lie is to undermine our position in Christ undermine our sense of self-esteem our sentence a sense of design and purpose all right let's get into uh this passage out of Romans 12. if you have your Bibles let me see them all right all right close enough Romans 12 verse 1 I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God for I say through the grace given to me to everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than you ought to think but to think soberly as God has dealt to each one a measure faith reverse Fascination let's just read it again for I say to you through the grace given to me everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than you ought to think but to think soberly as God has dealt to each another measure faith I'd like to suggest to you that your thoughts that are anchored in actual Faith are greater than what you could imagine your thoughts that are there are expressions of authentic Faith are actually greater than your wildest imagination but the difference is thoughts are anchored in faith are anchored in reality what's of your imagination has to be both bolstered up and kept in place people who who I I know people who live to protect their self-esteem they can't receive correction because any bit of correction is a threat to their self-esteem you see it with Saul and David when the women started singing Saul is killed as thousands David has killed as ten thousands any good leader who's securing his own identity is actually encouraged by those he's empowered to be successful but when you live to protect your own self-identity it's all props it's all fake stuff that upholds it and because of that insecurity and jealousy is what we become prone to when we don't understand who Jesus says we really are anyone who discovers who God made them to be will never want to be anyone else it's who God made us to be that's important this is such a critical area that Jesus was actually verbally assaulted if you will tempted if you will and Luke 4 when Satan came to him in the wilderness in his 40-day fast and he gave him this question if you're the Son of God the first thing he addressed was identity the battle for identity is so significant culturally that is it's become an epidemic a lost sense of identity it's a pandemic and it's contagious people who believe lies Inspire other people to believe the same lies just to protect that false sense of identity when you believe a lie you have to feed it with more lies to protect it real faith is not the expression of self-determination real faith is the result of surrender you can't determine yourself into great faith but you can surrender yourself into great faith because you're a believer and Believers believe as a part of their nature so Romans 12 verse 2 says don't be conformed to this world be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you might prove the good acceptable and perfect will of God good acceptable perfect years ago I heard somebody say I don't want to do the perfect will of God I want to do the acceptable will of God that's just absolutely stupid those are not three terms describing three different expressions of the will of God if you ever think that just slap yourself until you start thinking correctly three words describe the same thing good acceptable perfect the renewed mind as I understand it helps us with three basic things number one the renewed mind enables us to usher in the miraculous and let me explain how this is through the transformation of our mind we prove what the will of God is best definition of the will of God is in the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven what's the will of God on Earth as it is in heaven what makes that possible renewed mind Faith doesn't come from the mind we know that faith comes from the heart but the renewed mind is like the banks of a river it creates the context for Faith to flow in the renewed mind will always work in cooperation with faith Faith sees faith perceives and the renewed mind will always function in the perception of what faith sees and cooperate with that very thing that God has designed so number one the renewed mind makes possible or gives occasion for the miraculous you know your mind's renewed when the impossible looks logical there is a reasoning available to us that is not hype it's not sweaty it's not through human effort it's actually the mind of Christ it's revealed in scripture page after page after page and the renewed mind anchors into what God has said above every other voice the Bible says let God be found true in every man a liar if I spend more time receiving input from mainstream media then I do the word of God then my depression is self-imposed if I believe a lie what I do is I create I create a play if I embrace a lie I create a place for that seed to Germany through time of thinking and my confession I water that seed until it shuts down Roots into my personality and actually affects the way I affect people that kind of lie is only removed through repentance we know that repentance it means to change the way you think but the part that I don't always emphasize that I am purposing to emphasize from here on out is that the scripture says Godly sorrow produces repentance repentance is not a mental exercise it is not mind over matter it is not I just choose to think differently about this it's different than that it comes from a place of deep Soul let's say that you entertain thoughts of self-doubt now I I get it it's easy to spot the devil's suggestions of immorality of stealing of uh lying of those kinds of things those are easy to find that's the devil wearing a red rubber suit easy to spot it's when he comes looking like Jesus that we have a hard time he said angel of Light scripture says he comes as the angel of Light and when he comes with a suggestion that is actually self-doubt but because it has the feeling of humility it's embraced by believers Focus in the name of humility is just a quiet Pride self-absorption is the issue if I embrace that lie let's just say of self-doubt where God has said I'm going to be doing this to obey the Lord I need to go in this direction and I'm filled with self-doubt I just don't think I can do that I don't think I can I'm just not that kind of a person I don't have that personality I don't have that gifting I don't think I don't have the right training I don't have whatever that kind of self-doubt is actually feeding into a lie because it is contrary to what God Said and because I well I don't think too highly of myself I fall for the lie that that is humility and it's not humility at all because it's arrogance and pride because it Wars against what God has said that kind of of sin that all of us have fallen into here here is only uprooted through repentance and that his father I have chosen to believe the opposite of what you said forgive me Godly sorrow produces what Godly sorrow positions us to change our perspective on reality it's what produces actual repentance so I acknowledge I see the life for what it is later we found find that the scripture says we take these lies and we cast them down it's actually a violent Act it is not something we just passively resist and move on to other greener pastures there must be an acknowledgment the enemy is warned against my soul with this lie and he will not succeed I take I apprehend this that has been raised up in my heart and mind against the knowledge of God I violently throw it down I acknowledge what it is and God this will no longer have an effect over my life I refuse to allow roots to be set down into who you made me to be because of this lie Godly sorrow produces the change the first thing that the renewed mind does for us is it positions us to partner with God to see the impossibilities of Life bow to the name Jesus the the renewed mind the miracle Realm the second thing it does is it connects us I've just been talking about just connections to a true Godly self-esteem which is essential self-esteem that is that is contrived out of our own discipline is you know I I don't I don't mind that I wish more people would do it actually just fake it if you have to you know the world would be a better place if you just lied to me you know I don't care scratch that last part that was unnecessary parentheses but biblical self-esteem is to see what he sees is to say what he says is to believe his word over everything else in our life the war against identity is so huge and so significant it's the it's what's behind the absolute destruction of the concept of fatherhood in a country in a nation I don't say I don't by any means mean that a single mom cannot release any part of identity to children it's just there's such a war over identity that's the whole point and unfortunately what happens out there doesn't stay out there sometimes what happens out there comes in here and the Very battle that your neighbor has if you fight the same battle that your unbelieving neighbor fights with the same tools that they fight you're going to have to the same outcome that they have regardless of the fact you're going to spend eternity with Jesus the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal they're actually divinely designed to fit in your hand well divinely designed to be apprehended by every single individual in this room it's not an ill-fitting sword it's a perfectly fitting sword that is a that is according to your design your purpose and with what God has said over you it is possible for you to completely annihilate every lie that is thrown at you Paul told Timothy Timothy the wage the war against you wage it according to the prophecies that have been made about you take the word of the Lord and fight your fight in other words your destiny is on the other side of a war so take God's word and get there do whatever you need to do to get there that's his design that's your purpose get there but take this word to get there and part of what we do is that sense of self-esteem and purpose we don't we don't work on our self-esteem so that we feel better about ourselves that's a nauseating conclusion uh I should say it better than that it's a conclusion that could be better was that did I do Dan was that okay it was a kind and gentle way to say don't do that that's dumb what's the purpose of your self-esteem your self-esteem is anchored in the nature of God you don't find out who you are until you find out who he is self-esteem is our confidence in design which means we are automatically um devoted to our designer all right that went over well let's go to Second Corinthians chapter 10. chapter 10 of second Corinthians again I spoke I don't know if I mentioned this I spoke this week to some of our students out of this chapter and I don't want to say this verse is haunting me but just keeps following me everywhere I go I can't shake it and nor would I want to but the Lord is definitely trying to to build I feel like I feel like this is a now passage for us to better understand the hour that we live in and uh so all right verse 3 We Walk In the Flesh for though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds picture with me a stronghold if we're in biblical days you would see cities that were made out of these huge Stones these carved stones and these each wall would be these various stones have been built inside there would be houses or castles or whatever if you're from Europe they have these beautiful castles that are built out of these stones a stone is not a stronghold a stone does not create a Dwelling Place but repeated stones connected together eventually build a place where the enemy can hide unrecognized he hides what are these Stones they're they're illegitimate thoughts and when I embrace an illegitimate thought that the enemy has suggested over my life and I dwell on it I meditate on what am I doing I'm actually building a habitation for the enemy to dwell unrecognized yeah does that make sense to you this castle like edifice and the enemy hides inside we can't see him he comes out at night to attack but we don't spawn them during the day because he's hiding behind a way of thinking that is illegitimate so he says the weapons of our Warfare their Mighty in God for the purpose of pulling down strongholds pull down the illegitimate patterns of thought that have actually enabled the enemy to kill steal and destroy verse 5 casting down arguments in every High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God every lie I've ever believed was thrown at me for me to question what he's like every lie was to get me to question his nature his promise his Covenant casting down arguments every High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God bringing every thought into captivity to The Obedience of Christ bringing every thought into captivity Into The Obedience of Christ let's just say for illustration's sake that this is an Army in here an actual physical army fighting an actual physical War and outside of this room is an enemy Army and in that enemy Army is a world-renowned terrorist that kills rapes and maims just for pleasure and Delight and we put together a team of Green Beret type operatives and we send them out and they sneak in behind the enemy's camp and they take that world-renowned terrorist captive and then bring them into our camp now imagine that terrorist is here and we retrain him with his zeal with his willingness to put his life on the line and we train him now to fight not against the purposes of God before the purposes of God that is exactly what happened to the Apostle Paul Saul of Tarsus who sought to kill was apprehended by the Lord and brought to the front lines of battle and he became the captive thought if you will that now works on behalf of the kingdom of God the lies that you and I have dealt with throughout our lives must be dealt with but it's more it's not um it's not good enough that we get out of the red we have to get into the black it's not good enough that I stop the bad thought I must replace it with What God Says I must replace it in into what God actually says what does he say here taking every thought captive to The Obedience of Christ it's apprehending that that was working in me to undermine identity undermine my confidence in God undermine my faith and now that very thing that was working against me is now working for me building up my faith building up my confidence in God building up my sense of of esteem and purpose the fault life is now used for my welfare not against me the renewed mind is to in a sense Usher in the miraculous it is to give us access to a Godly self-esteem that anchors our soul into the nature and Covenant of God but the third thing it does the renewed mind the renewed mind is free from anxiety the renewed mind positions us for Godly creativity stop trying to be different stop trying to be original start trying to be authentic artists who try to be original just do stupid things but artists who work to be authentic create as I'm telling you the absolute truth you can create out of pain but it's never as wonderful as those who create out of the Overflow of Life In Christ every five-year-old is an artist and somehow we get into an educational system where we get taught this one's an artist that one is not and yet creativity is supposed to be a normal expression of every believer's life whether you're a lawyer you're a doctor a stay-at-home parent whether you work down at the gas station whether you own business doesn't matter what it is creativity authenticity let me use that word authenticity is needed in every expression in society because there's an authentic expression of who God made you to be that the world is aching for and trying to copy other people just kills what God made us to be and what happens with their true renewed mind that which is functioning in US that renewed mind is free from the anxiety and the the stuff that just ties us down fearful of making a mistake the renewed mind is not as fearful of making a mistake as it is of not taking risk [Music] first five rows heard it the rest of you sorry it's just a phone think with me for a minute the Christian Life is supposed to be carefree [Laughter] oh is that even possible the doctor wrote me a note says you you need to have no stress in your life [Laughter] and then he suggested just have one day of the week that you deal with stressful things even that is challenging so it is it's today and then tomorrow and then Tuesday why let me take you to a strange story we won't turn there but you can study it on your own if you want Zechariah Chapter 1 talks about four horns horns in scripture are authorities of powers four horns released in the earth four is the number of of the Earth the world north south east to west west it represents the planet so the enemy has taken four demonic realities powers and release them into the Earth to discourage the people of God and undermine the work of of the Gospel really is what it comes down to and God's answer for these four horns was to release four artisans that's one of the strangest things it's like it's like when God set a choir into battle first that the Lord's answer for these four Realms of authority and powers that would blanken the Earth with an oppressive mindset the answer was for for in other words a worldwide movement of creativity a worldwide movement of restored authentic Expressions out of a relationship with God that would terrorize the enemy that would reverse the effect of these four horns how important is the mind of Christ it's important for probably a thousand reasons but one of them is it's the only way the authentic you will ever be known it's the only way the authentic you will ever be realized by both you and those around you the bond of Christ is not something put upon you the mind of Christ is something you were designed for the mind of Christ is actually it's the glove that fits perfectly it's the seamless connection between your design and the designer foreign a few weeks ago mentioned again I feel like it's probably could be the key passage for my life in the last maybe 10 years is out of John 15 7 where he says you abide in me my words abide in you you'll ask whatever you desire it'll be done for you I'm gonna I want to wrap this session up with this verse let me talk to you about it for a minute you abide in me live in a place with a felt realization of God's presence without the affection of your heart be anchored in the fact that God is with us Emmanuel God With Us he said abide in me my words abide in you be intentional about embracing meditating praying on what God has said of your life it can't be passive it can't be this occasional Glimpse at a nice inspirational verse it's got to be embracing of the meat of the word so that it has its full effect do you know the difference between milk and meat in Scripture milk is that which soothes and Comforts meets is what brings about change it's called meat is called the word of righteousness in Hebrews 5. the word of righteousness that which provokes change in me embracing that which God has said over me that will provoke change and transformational personal transformation consistent with what God has said foreign what would it be like 12 Romans 12 3. to think according to Faith abide in me Let My Words abide in you then you become positioned to co-labor with God to see his will and his purposes done in and through you on the Earth it's the all-encompassing verse that describes our design our purpose our co-laboring role to see transformation happen all around us it's a transformed mind that transforms a person it's a transformed person that transforms a city there's a connection and usually I have been drafted into this role of partnering with the Lord to not just live with the realization that I can do nothing without him I want to stop doing nothing with him [Music] I want John 15 7 to be more and more of my daily bread where the intentional living in the Manifest presence of God embracing what he's declared over my life unwilling to believe a lie in that context see his will done on Earth as it is in heaven let's Stand Together you made it why thank you [Music] I'll take it that was unexpected that I caught the past that was good thank you I know the probability is high that we have friends people friends Among Us that don't have a personal relationship with Jesus it's really imperative it's really put right in front of every one of us to live in a place of continual surrender and there are some that are in this room that that would say well I don't have a relationship with Jesus I don't know what it is to follow him I don't know where it is to be born again to be forgiven of sin but I want to I don't want to leave the building until I know what it is to find peace with God does anybody in that position put your hand up high because I want to see you right where you are and just acknowledge make an agreement with you the online family the same I know we have so many people that have come to Christ online so let me give just a mom put it in the chat room if you would and just let we have pastors online that will help you okay I'm going to assume we're all in let me pray for your brain Jesus [Laughter] I'm not joking but I'm joking anyway all right father thanks for the mind of Christ you've given it to us as an inheritance it's in our account and I pray that this would be a week of personal transformation where we think what you think see what you see feel what you feel and that what you've designed for us would be more fully embraced by every single believer in this room in fact I pray for our new Believers in here that they will not have to go through the years of of turmoil and confusion that so many others of us have had to go through because they Embrace truly the mind of Christ as our inheritance I pray for this in the honor of the name Jesus everybody said amen

Channel: Bill Johnson Teaching (Official)

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Id: BIj6JklGnkw

Length: 46min 50sec (2810 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 09 2023