How to Win Mind Battles - Overcoming Fear and Intrusive Thoughts

we're going to take a look at the word to discover true and lasting freedom in the area of mind battles perhaps you struggle with the mind battle of depression perhaps you struggle with anxiety and fear and paranoia or maybe you're battling intrusive thoughts that cause you to cry out and say god why can't i stop these thoughts maybe it feels at times like your mind is just being flooded bombarded on all sides with attacks of the enemy now you must know that even the most difficult cases of fear anxiety and intrusive thoughts can be overcome you are not beyond saving the word of god works the truth of the word of god liberates no matter who you are no matter how intense the mind battle no matter how long you've been stuck in this pattern or cycle of mind battles the lord can set you free through the word and we're going to look to the word and we're going to glean spiritual truths from the scripture that will help to liberate us from these mind battles every believer is going to face mind battles the fact that you're facing a mind battle is not the disqualification from being a servant of god or being loved by god or being a part of the church every believer will struggle with mind battles and by mind battles i'm simply talking about the ways that the enemy lies to us and those lies produce certain results and feelings in our lives and they're actually rooted in the deception of the enemy when we may not even be aware that they're rooted in the deception of the enemy now you must know that the enemy will always work in conjunction with your flesh so if you have an inclination toward anxiety the enemy will purposefully craft lies and deception in a way that's going to agitate you at the point of your anxiety if you struggle with paranoia or intrusive thoughts or ocd-like behavior or maybe you're prone to depression maybe you have a very deep sense of your emotions as an individual the enemy will craft those lies intentionally and specifically to agitate those certain areas of your life but remember this what i obsess over i magnify what i focus on i fuel i'm not talking about denying the reality of your problems i'm not talking about ignoring an issue i'm talking about the fact that what i obsess over i magnify and what i focus on i fuel for example i was teaching a spiritual warfare seminar in california and at the end of the spiritual warfare seminar each lesson i would open it up for question and answers and so people were asking me questions and usually when it comes to any given biblical topic there's about a dozen questions that people will always ask so i was prepared for the usual questions but this one was a little bit different the woman raises her hand i call on her someone hands her a microphone and she says brother david what do i do if while i'm praying i keep getting a vision of a snake and i had to think about that because it was a very specific question and sometimes we ask questions that are so specific that the bible doesn't have any immediately available answer to it you have to go through the scripture to glean principles that you can apply to that situation so i'm listening to this i'm going okay so nowhere in the bible do we see specific instructions on what to do if you see a snake while you're praying and she wasn't talking about literally seeing a snake while she was praying she was talking about within her imagination within her mind as she was praying she was being distracted by this vision or this visual i should say of this snake and so i told her based upon what the word of god teaches that we are to fix our minds on what is true we are to cast down those imaginations now here's the problem what some people do when it comes to these issues of the mind is instead of casting down the thought or instead of shifting the focus to the lord or shifting the focus to what the scripture says they obsess over the detail of deception now again i want to emphasize i'm not talking about completely ignoring your issues if there's a real problem you have to face it and address it what you don't face you can't fix but when it comes to things like this that the enemy throws at us as distractions they're just that they're distractions and so instead of just moving the mind away from that distraction what some individuals will do is focus on it now they want to go find a book i want a book that tells me specifically on dealing with serpents that show up when i pray there's no such book but that i know of but i'm just using that as an example or they want you to address in an ultra specific way their very specific issue and this is the way it is with people who suffer with anxiety with depression with intrusive thoughts with ocd with paranoia with fear all of these different areas in our mind where we battle that produced torment or confusion or doubt in principle are already addressed in scripture so often people will come to me wanting a very specific answer to their very specific situation when in fact the truth of god's word can be applied all across the board so going back to the story this woman wanted me to obsess with her she wanted me to focus with her on the issue and i kept telling her just keep praying just just move on and keep praying pray against it rebuke it and then focus back on the lord and then she kept asking the question again she said no no no no you don't understand the snake shows up in my mind when i pray i said yes i heard that but i'm telling you the answer is to put your focus on the lord rebuke it and then focus back on the lord and she asked it it must have been three or four times saying no no no you don't understand it happens when i pray so what she wanted me to do was to obsess with her over that issue was to focus on the problem with her specifically only on the issue and then attack that in a very specific way she wanted to hear oh well that's a serpent spirit so with serpent spirits there's certain things you have to rebuke in very specific ways and i wasn't going to give her that because that would only be agitating the problem and so when it comes to cycles of depression cycles of fear cycles of intrusive thoughts we must give up this obsessive way of thinking where we imagine that for our specific situation we need very specific instructions when in fact the scripture gives us principles that lead us to freedom so as we move through this list of biblical principles i want you to understand that this is going to work all across the board if you will apply it that's the key with the word of god you must apply it don't only be a hearer of the word but be a doer also so some people can't find freedom they say things like i've been dealing with this for years i've gone to every conference i've gone to every miracle service i've went under every session every worship concert every counseling session i mean you name it they've gone down the list and they still can't seem to overcome this pattern of thinking that causes them to be tormented confused or full of doubt in the mind and they're waiting for that ultra specific addressing of the problem when in fact that may only serve to agitate that problem when the word of god has the answers for us but they miss those answers because instead of focusing on the principle that they can apply they want you to give them a ritual that they can enact they want you to give them a specific prayer they want you to give them a specific prescription like well okay what you're going to want to do is wake up at three in the morning every day pray for 30 minutes this specific prayer then pray psalm 91 over your mind then lay hands on your mind with oil then play worship songs for 30 minutes go back to bed wake up in the morning read acts chapter 2 then acts chapter 4 and then go and read more of the psalms they want a very specific prescription when in fact what they actually need are the applications of biblical principles stop looking for specific prescriptions from religious approaches and instead go by the word of god and apply the principles so people will hear a message like this and i'm saying this to you if you found yourself in these cycles again and again with mind battles because the temptation may be to say oh i've heard that before i'm going to move on to something else so what exactly is the individual looking for as i said they're looking for very specific things that they can do immediately and the bible does give us some specifics but i'm talking about not obsessing over the issue but instead applying the word of god so that's the first thing i want to mention when it comes to the solution of overcoming mind battles you have to apply the word of god to your life in principle next you must apply the word of god faithfully so there's the first barrier some people don't apply the word because they hear the answer to their problem but they don't like it because it wasn't specific enough or it wasn't superstitious enough or it wasn't ritualized enough or they didn't get the list of special verses and the type of oil they need to use to lay hands on themselves that's what they're looking for when they should just be looking for truth okay so that's the first barrier well it wasn't specific enough and it wasn't ritualized enough the second barrier is that people don't do it faithfully they receive the word they apply it for two or three days they still struggle with mind battles and then they say see it didn't work for me i'm going to move on to something else now and that's what creates the cycle they go and try all these solutions for very short periods of time and only with half effort give up and then say i'm going to try something else and this is how they get stuck in religion this is how they get stuck in superstition this is how they get stuck in doing those weird things that charismatic superstitions call for and it makes the problem worse because rather than focusing on the lord it causes them to focus on the issue more and obsess about all of the little details of the issue now again let me emphasize i'm not saying you ignore the problem i'm saying that when you address the problem you must come at it from the right perspective and the right perspective is not to obsess over the issue rather it's to find the solution through the word of god so after that first barrier keeps them away from trying the solution the second barrier even if they do attempt it will keep them from trying it long term that second barrier is that they're not faithful to do it they're not consistent in doing it you see when we allow for our minds to develop a certain thought pattern over time we create habits in the mind and those habits in the mind are very difficult to break sometimes yes the holy spirit will help you yes god will set you free the only issue is this i can't cast you out of you you're still there the flesh is still there and so we must learn to reprogram if you will the mind readjust the mind and in order to do this you must first number one focus the mind through worship isaiah chapter 26 verse 3 says this thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee that means when my mind is focused on the lord when i give him my attention when the lord has caught the eye of my heart i am looking to him and in looking to him i'm not looking at my issues and looking to him i'm not obsessing over my problems again i'm not talking about ignoring your issues i'm talking about putting things in perspective if you see your problems from your perspective they're going to be a lot bigger to you but if you can see your problems from god's perspective they're still there but they're more easily overcome it's coming from a realistic perspective i can win this victory i can win this battle hear me now god did not create you to live in torment god did not create you to live in depression god did not create you to live with fear and anxiety god did not create you to be bound by intrusive thoughts god created you to know him and to love him and to walk in that perfect peace and only when our minds are fixed on him do we find that perfect peace but the scripture makes it clear that you will be in perfect peace if your mind is stayed on him now it's impossible to lack peace when you see god it's impossible to lack peace when you see god so the first thing is to learn to worship whenever you want to worry worship instead worship is much better than worry don't worry worship turn your focus to him fix your eyes on him think about his power think about his goodness think about his mercy his love his kindness think about his everlasting love focus your mind on the lord focus the mind through worship when you're giving praise to god and you're adoring him and you're acknowledging and thinking about just how powerful just how wonderful just how big your god is there's no room for these mind battles now you will fight mind battles as i was saying earlier you will face these issues every believer will be tempted with sin every believer will have unpleasant thoughts come through their mind every believer will have angry thoughts passed through their mind prideful thoughts pass to their mind every believer will struggle with doubt every believer at some point will face tragedy so yes there will be a dealing with depression every believer will battle fear and paranoia some will battle ocd-like symptoms where they're obsessing compulsively obsessing over that thing and i'm telling you the solution to that is not to obsess more about your issue rather it's to focus on god let your obsession with your issue be replaced with your obsession of god let your magnification of your problems be replaced by a magnification of god magnify the lord not your issues and this is a matter of choice to focus on him to look to jesus and in worshiping him you're focusing the mind so that's number one focus the mind through worship number two and this one is very key renew the mind through the word romans chapter 12 verses 1 through 2 say this 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 wow that's ongoing then you will learn to know god's will for you which is good and pleasing and perfect be transformed by the renewing of your mind john 17 17 says sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth so i'm sanctified i'm set apart i'm made new by the truth of the word of god the word of god will change the way you think you see all of us are born into circumstances all of us are born into certain circumstances with certain challenges and advantages in life all of us you may have grown up in a broken home you may have been abused in one way or another at a very young age you may have seen the marriage of your parents broken you may have seen relationships damaged there may have been some family troubles maybe you grew up in an area where it was dangerous so you have memories that are filled with fear that produces anxiety in you or distrust in you or cynicism or doubt in you when you were born into this world you were given certain circumstances some better than others your family has political ideation they have perspective on culture and philosophy and morals and standards and what a man should be and what a woman should be and how children should behave and how families should function all of us were born into circumstances that shaped our perspective so it's important that we exchange these perspectives for what the word of god gives us no matter our nationality no matter what part of the world we're from no matter our culture our upbringing our political views our philosophical views our views on morality our views on the family unit our views on how families should function or how relationships should be our views on friendship all of it needs to be approached to the word and so we carry these mindsets with us we carry our dysfunctions we carry our issues we carry our problems our ways of seeing the world and in that we actually can find bondage because there is no perspective that's not founded on scripture that doesn't have its issue every perspective from and of the world has major issues with it and so if we're not careful we can try to hang on to our old way of saying things and when the word of god contradicts what we believe or when the word of god contradicts how we think our patterns of thought then we become defensive and what we do is we try to take that scripture and twist it into our worldview rather than correcting our worldview so for example and this is just one example of many things that can cause mind battles let's say you did in fact grow up in a very difficult circumstance let's say you didn't have a father let's say that you were abused let's say that you grew up around people who mistreated you well what's that going to produce it's going to produce distrust that's going to produce defense mechanisms that's going to produce a certain perspective on yourself that isn't necessarily biblical and all of these things are going to come with you into this new life in christ if you don't renew the mind so instead of fighting what the word of god says because we often talk ourselves out of breakthrough i'm talking to someone right now we talk ourselves out of breakthrough because we're more comfortable in our dysfunction because we don't want to confront these certain ways that we are so when the scripture contradicts something we think and someone tells us well god's way is better we defend ourselves as saying well i'm fine like this i don't mind or when the scripture tells us to do something that's very difficult that will change the way we think we defend ourselves and say well yeah i'm not too sure about that or yeah that may have worked for someone else but that's not gonna work for me oh i'm not really that type of person oh i already tried that oh yeah i saw so and so but that's they're a different person than i am that's really not how i would approach it or i see things a little bit differently and we talk ourselves out of breakthrough we talk ourselves out of freedom why because we don't want to adjust our mindsets why because adjusting a mindset is always uncomfortable when that mindset was embedded into you at an early age or early on in life we take our traumas we take our mistakes we take our issues and we try to hang on to those because for so long they've been a part of us that we imagine that they're actually a part of who we are and we identify with our dysfunction we identify with those quirks about us that we say our personality problem when in fact they're a character flaw well i just tell it like it is no you just don't have the discipline of mouth well well well i i'm just i'm very you know discerning as we call discerning but really what we mean is distrusting or or will say things that eyes are fleshly responses well they had it coming i i always stand up for myself well wait a minute is that you standing up for yourself or is that an anger issue you see these things go deep and what we have to do is as the word says don't copy the behavior and customs of this world but let i love that word you have to let him do it it's your choice let god transform you into a new person how by changing the way you think it's your programming you need a whole new code we're trying to function in god's kingdom under an old pattern of thinking and wondering why there's conflict and confusion why can't you get breakthrough because you keep talking yourself out of a breakthrough why can't you get breakthrough because there are things you just choose to not change and that's the harsh reality because sometimes we feel like the victim sometimes we are the victim but sometimes we project that victim mentality and we say well i already tried that it didn't work when you're the one not allowing it to work right i can't tell you how many times i've seen comments on a video that i've posted in regards to breakthrough or freedom or liberty and people post things like well this just this probably won't work for me it never does or i heard the sermon now what it just didn't work i'm thinking you have to apply the word and we talk ourselves out of breakthrough because we're seeing it from a worldly perspective instead of gods and we need to allow the word to wash away we need to allow the word to wash away those mindsets we need to allow the word to break that bondage of thinking sanctify them through thy word thy word is truth like a river cuts away at stone so the word of god cuts away at the flesh like a river cuts away at stone so the word of god cuts away at the flesh the mind sets it takes time to renew the mind breakthrough is instant the breakthrough comes when you realize the truth the transformation comes when you live it let me say that again the breakthrough comes when you realize the truth the transformation comes when you live it you see we hear the truth and we realize things about ourselves we realize things about the way we think we realize things about our problems we go aha that's the issue that's what the problem was the problem is instead of transforming ourselves according to that truth and embracing that truth and living that truth and thinking in that truth we go right back to our old patterns and then what do we say well i need another breakthrough why because we're not willing to break that cycle so it comes to the renewing of the mind renew the mind to the word so number one focus the mind through worship number two renew the mind through the word number three keep the mind that means keep it where it should be keep the mind by casting down imaginations watch this now second corinthians 10 5. we destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing god we capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey christ that's second corinthians 10 5. so we have to learn to identify and defeat unbiblical thought patterns you see what happens is this will get a thought and then that thought produces certain ways of thinking and that produces certain ways of feeling and that produces certain ways of behaving and that behavior becomes a lifestyle when it all began with a thought the scripture tells us to take those thoughts captive you have to learn to capture those thoughts before they become a part of you now this is really where it's going to be difficult for some because they have to learn to separate themselves from that way of thinking for so long they've just been allowing these thoughts to come through their mind for so long they've just been allowing these thoughts to to enter their heart that they no longer know how to identify them they don't even realize they're being lied to anymore they don't even realize that they're living according to an old mindset why because they've trained themselves to think under a worldly mindset wow so how do you identify the lies well you have to know the word and once you know the word you can then compare what the word says with what the lie is and again the breakthrough comes what when i know the truth aha there's my aha moment but transformation comes when i embrace and live that truth so you identify the lies of the enemy by comparing what you believe and think with the word so the more the word you have in your life the better you'll get at identifying when the enemy is lying to you learn to identify and defeat these unbiblical thought patterns by knowing the scripture and the holy spirit will help you do this this is the holy spirit's role in helping with your mind battles john chapter 14 verse 26 says but when the father sends the advocate as my representative that is the holy spirit he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything i have told you again when the father sends the advocate as my representative that is the holy spirit he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything i have told you so the holy spirit reminds and reveals the holy spirit will take the word of god and remind you what the lord has said and then he will reveal the truth of that word as you're faithful to remember it as you're faithful to respond to it so the holy spirit will help you to deal with these issues but you have to be in the word to give the holy spirit something to remind you of how is he supposed to remind you of a word you've not read how is he supposed to reveal the truth if you're not looking for the truth if you're not reading the scripture so the holy spirit plays a very important role in here in the casting down of imaginations that comes when i can identify the lies by comparing it with the truth and the holy spirit will bring to remembrance that truth come on i'll give an example here some examples for every lie there is a truth by the way the root of confusion fear and torment is always deception let me break that down just real quick before i give you some examples of lies and truth the root of confusion fear and torment is always from deception it's always deception if i'm tormented of the mind it's because i lack peace if i lack peace it's because there's a truth i'm not aware of so some people believe that god's abandoned them for example there are some christians who read the book of romans and then they ask me brother david am i one of these vessels of wrath destined for hell that can never be saved so they believe a lie a misinterpretation of the book of romans and then that causes them to be tormented or they'll look at the scripture reference to the blasphemy of the holy spirit and they'll look at the scripture the enemy will twist it they'll believe the lie that they've committed the blasphemy of the holy spirit and guess what now they're tormented the same is true of all ungodly doctrines ungodly doctrines poor biblical interpretation will always lead to torment it leads to fear when we believe the lie that god doesn't protect us it leads to confusion when we can't identify what is worldly what is satanic and what is of the spirit because we have no discernment to decipher between what is god and what is not so confusion fear torment all of it is always rooted in some form of deception but for every lie there is a truth the enemy says one thing but god says another i'll give you an example the enemy says god has abandoned you but the scripture says in john 14 16 and i will ask the father and he will give you another advocate who will never leave you the enemy says you don't have anyone to guide you but psalm 32 8 says i will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go i will counsel you with my loving eye on you the enemy will tell you you're too weak to continue but isaiah chapter 40 verse 31 says but those who hope in the lord will renew their strength the enemy will say god can't forgive you but the scripture says in first peter chapter 2 verse 24 he himself bore our sins in his body on on the cross so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness by his wounds you have been healed the enemy says to be afraid the scripture says surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence it's psalm 91 3 the enemy says you have no future but romans 8 28 says and we know that in all things god works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose the enemy says you're not really saved but john 3 36 says whoever believes in the son has eternal life for every lie there is a truth we cast down these imaginations every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of god through the tearing down of strongholds how do we do that through the truth so these mind battles we have with pride and anger and lust and doubt and fear and paranoia and superstition and depression all of these mind battles are one through the truth we avoid these cycles by inserting the truth breakthrough comes when i know the truth but transformation comes when i live that truth finally you need to learn to train the mind through choosing new thoughts so casting down imaginations is getting rid of the bad thoughts through the word of god but training the mind to think new patterns or think according new patterns is found in philippians chapter 4 verse 8. i call this the philippians filter whenever you have a thought put it through the philippians filter and see what remains finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on these things now again i know i said this several times throughout this message but i need to stress it again i am not talking about ignoring your problems that's not going to do anything okay i'm talking about a higher way of thinking and thinking about your problems from the right perspective so you may be in a certain circumstance for example like oh my goodness perhaps you you're struggling to pay your bills okay that's the reality if you're struggling to pay the bills that's a reality but it's not true and it's not the reality that you can't pay your bills because god's forgotten about you and he doesn't love you you see how the mind does that so maybe you're in a circumstance where you can't pay your bills the mind will go to well it's because god has abandoned me and god doesn't love me okay what is true what's true does god abandon you no is it honest to say that god doesn't love you no so that would be the philippians filter so is it true you have trouble paying your bills yeah but it's the conclusion of i'm struggling to pay my bills because god doesn't love me is that true no and we know it's not true because the scripture tells us so that's the philippians filter it's not true don't obsess about or exaggerate your problems by giving in to deception now this tells us that we can choose our thoughts and i think this is one of the big breakthrough through truths that i can give to you is that you're actually in charge of your thoughts now intrusive thoughts don't feel like that i know people who battle with ocd-like symptoms for example when they start thinking about the blasphemy of the holy spirit when they hear a sermon on it the blasphemy of the holy spirit suddenly they start thinking blasphemous thoughts now some would be quick to say oh that's a demon they need to get it cast out of them but let's let's look at this for a second because if someone who's dealing with anxiety hears about someone having a heart attack for example i'll give give myself as an example i used to battle heavily with anxiety and if i read a news article about a young person having a heart attack i would say oh my goodness that can happen to me and what would i start feeling within 10 minutes of reading that article all the symptoms that were described in that article so it actually made it worse because i dealt with anxiety i would have these panic attacks thinking about the possibility of experiencing what that other individual experienced but had i never read that article i would have been fine for the rest of the day so we have to be very careful with how we label these things so imagine a christian with anxiety and ocd-like thought patterns they hear a sermon on the blasphemy of the holy spirit what are they going to do they're going to start worrying that maybe they've committed the blasphemy of the holy spirit so then what's going to start coming to their mind they're going to be saying to themselves don't think blasphemous thoughts and then they're going to ask themselves like what what blasphemous thoughts and then they're going to think that thought and then they're going to say well there it is that was the blasphemous thought and now i committed the blasphemy the holy spirit and guess what they're going to obsess about that thought more and more so guess what thought they're going to think about more and more that blasphemous thought and it's going to repeat again and again and again and it's going to intensify the more they think about it and obsess about it and cycle through that pattern of fear again and again and then you get someone coming along and telling oh that's a demon and you got to get it out of you what do you think that's going to do for their mental health that's going to torment them even more and it's not even the truth what do they need they need the philippians filter yeah what's true what does the bible actually say so all of that inner chaos can be avoided by not feeding into obsessively these thought patterns and that's the principle you must apply whatever intrusive thoughts you're dealing with whatever issues you're dealing with in the mind whatever your mind battle these principles will work again don't obsess and look for an ultra specific solution to your ultra specific situation and don't try it for two or three days and say ah it didn't work for me because you must learn to discipline the mind you must learn to think under a new pattern it's a process and god is gracious and patient with you see even as i'm talking to you i can sense the anointing and it's possible that as you're hearing this message you're sensing this weight come off of you that's liberty the anointing breaks the yolks the anointing breaks that bondage the truth sets you free now walk in that truth so the bible makes it clear that we can control our thoughts thoughts are the actions of the mind you can discipline your pattern of thinking well that's not going to work for me what was that that was a negative thought pattern that's self-defeating and keeping you from stepping into a new one well i've tried that before this time it's not going to work what was that that was another lie that you told yourself you may have attempted it half-heartedly but to truly try this isn't something you do for a week and then quit it's a new lifestyle a way of living it's like dieting people lie to themselves all the time i've been with people who lie to themselves well i didn't eat all that much today i'm thinking you had like over probably you're probably 2 000 calories over the limit well that cake couldn't have been that one maybe an extra few calories or you know i exercise sometimes i'm like no never i've never seen you work out and we lie to ourselves we lie to ourselves about how well we're doing in these areas because we don't want to do the work we'd rather someone just tumbling hands tell us it's just some curse that needs to be broken over us okay that might work for a few days because now we believe that we're free but then what happens when the patterns begin to return we obsess about them again we we we go through the same cycles again and again and i'm telling you the only way the only way for the believer to stop these thought patterns is to practice what the scripture says as i've laid it out for you here so that philippians filter helps but you have to realize that you control your thoughts you control what you think you decide what your thoughts are it may not feel that way because sometimes they come at you so fast but positive biblical thinking is like a muscle you have to exercise it you have to use it sometimes you'll get exhausted when you first start to do this it will be exhausting for the first few months that you try it but then after a while it becomes a natural pattern and then there are people even now this isn't going to work for me i just know it what was that that was you talking yourself out of a breakthrough wow talking yourself out of true freedom so many people of god are tormented by themselves and they don't even know it brother david please please come and pray with me i will and i do but we could pray 24 7 for the next three months and it should be proof to you that it's not necessarily demonic because otherwise prayer would have solved it right i won't say who but but this was a comment that was publicly placed on our channel and this is this is the type of people who my heart goes out to these are the types of people i want to help someone posted this i really really need to listen to this sermon i'm having a very very difficult two months i'm paranoid watch this i'm paranoid evil spirits might be after me and my faith is slipping my prayer isn't working either there we see prayer isn't working well prayer is not working it's obviously not an issue with the demonic it's a thought pattern what you need is to think according to the word choose your thoughts discipline the mind it's a discipline of the mind people of god and i think so much is lacking in the area of discipline we don't hear about discipline because it's not an exciting topic but it really is the way to freedom to discipline yourself to obey the word not just in action but also in thought that is the true breakthrough my heart goes out to people like this because i get messages like this guys i i kid you not and it breaks my heart but dozens and dozens and dozens of messages like this every single week people reaching out just tormented and most of them will apply what's being taught here and they have their breakthrough they message me saying you know what i'm not doing as bad as i used to i'm not where i want to be but i'm in a lot better of a place now and then years later completely free why why because i don't want to give you i don't want to do the project for you i want to give you the tools and then you learn how to do the project for yourself i want to give you the tools from the scripture that you can now arm yourself with to say here's how i combat mind battles here's how i address depression here's how i address fear and anxiety and ocd and paranoia and religious thinking and anger and pride and lust here's how i attack those things in the mind that keep me bound discipline the mind godly meditation worldly meditation says empty your mind godly meditation says to fill your mind psalm 1 1-3 says oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners or join in with mockers but they delight in the law of the lord meditating on it day and night they are like trees planted along the riverbank bearing fruit each season their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do meditate on the word fill your mind with the word so for breakthrough in the area of mind battles number one focus the mind through worship number two renew your mind through the word number three keep the mind by casting down imaginations and number four train the mind through choosing new thoughts you have to choose your thoughts it's on you the holy spirit will remind you the word god will break off bondages god will set you free from whatever was in your past life but then now you must choose to walk according to the truth and to walk according to the truth is not just to act according to the truth it's to think according to the truth obey god not just in deed but in thought amen that will change your life i promise you this works i promise you i promise you i promise you this works i rebuke the lies of the enemy that tell you that it's not going to work for you i rebuke you lying to yourself saying you've already tried it this works people of god this is the way to freedom it will take time yes it will take effort yes it will take discipline yes i'm not talking about spiritual bondages being broken i'm not even necessarily talking about strongholds i'm talking about patterns of thinking that we don't even realize are self-destructive but we have to be willing to admit first we have to be willing to stop lying to ourselves yes it will be a process but the holy spirit is with you in that process god wants to give you breakthrough in the area of mind battles he'll do it he'll do it for you listen to me i know it's been tough i know you've been struggling i know that it seems like it's never going to end and sometimes it feels like nobody cares but i want you to know that the lord loves you with an everlasting love lord loves you i love you the people of god love you you're not alone and you're going to make it hear me now whether you've dealt with this for six months or 60 years you're going to make it this will work for you whatever the whatever the issue whatever the issue this will work for you but you have to apply it and keep applying it it's spiritual maintenance now let's pray let's ask the lord let's go to him let's go to the lord together and ask for his help and he's going to help you father in the name of jesus i thank you for your presence i thank you lord that you're giving us breakthrough in the area of mind battles we thank you for the truth of your word which gives us our freedom and father i pray right now that you would begin to move let your holy spirit be sensed thank you precious jesus breakthrough we come against confusion and depression and lust and pride and fear and anxiety and paranoia and intrusive thoughts we break that power now teach us holy spirit to think according to the truth in the mighty name of jesus we pray i want you to say it because you believe it say amen we're going to read your comments in just a moment but first i want to share something with you luke chapter 6 verse 38. give and you will receive your gift will return to you in full pressed down shaken together to make room for more running over and poured into your lap the amount you give will determine the amount you get back now in the king james version this verse says shall men pour into your bosom what that means is that you're seated and you don't do anything people just put it in your lap this scripture is talking about generosity it's talking about reaping what you sow it's talking about god giving as we give now i'll never forget when i first began to travel in ministry it was a lot different than the way things are now now we travel reuben was it safe to say 15 to 20 people come with us 15 to 20 people travel with and the staff is still growing and every single one of them are necessary but it used to just be me even before that it was me you stephen a guitar he would bring his guitar we would just travel me and him and go around preach before that it was literally just me and whoever would come on the trip sometimes and so one time i was ministering at a local church and i remember when i preached for them the offering wasn't very generous and i remember thinking oh my goodness i have a team to feed i think there was like four or five of us and i wanted to feed them and i wasn't gonna get anything fancy i was going to feed them like fast food and then we had to travel on to the next place so i didn't know how we would have the resources to do that and i was getting kind of nervous and so i remember thinking oh my goodness i forgot i just wrote a book and i have a book table let's see if the book's sold and i went and i looked in my little i had a little metal thing what was it like not a register but like a money box and i opened it and i think there was like 98 dollars in there wasn't it was either 97 or 98. i think it was 98 and i said thank you lord i can use this to feed the team we'll have enough for fuel and maybe even get a nice cheap hotel if we can all sleep on the floor i was very excited about it and then the lord showed me on the corner of my eye a girl who had set up her booth and i looked and i knew what the lord was speaking to me to do and i didn't like it the lord told me to give that girl 100 i said lord i only have 98. so i remember i had my cousin there with me i said i told my cousin give me two dollars it was the most embarrassing loan i've ever taken a two dollar loan and so i gather up the hundred dollars it's like fives and ones and i think there was like 120 in there uh 120 dollar bill in there so i put it in an envelope i go and i give it to her and i say the lord told me to give this to you and she starts to count it like right in front of me i was a little offended by that she starts counting it and then she begins to cry she says i've been trying to raise money for a missions trip and this was my last stop i'm on my way to minister to children who need the gospel she says after tonight my last stop i was 100 short a hundred dollars short for this ministry trip well and you just gave one hundred dollars holy spirit spoke to me thankfully he gave me the grace to obey and it was just some time later that there was another check that came into the ministry for a thousand dollars and i remember thinking lord truly you bless those who give now i know that the prosperity message has been abused in times past name it claim it blab it grab it seven dollar seed for seven days of breakthrough gimmicks like that you know even though some have abused the biblical reality of prosperity that doesn't mean that prosperity isn't still a biblical reality god blesses those who give given you will receive this is coming from the lord himself your gift will return to you in full press down shaken together to make room for more running over and poured into your lap the amount you give will determine the amount you get back i believe god wants to prosper his people i believe that god wants to take you out of lack financial hardship isn't the will of god financial hardship isn't the design of kingdom expansion i'm not saying every believer is going to be a millionaire but no believer should be a slave to financial woes why because we're all called to have our needs met first and foremost but also to be a blessing to others that's why the lord blesses us so with everyone who's watching online i want to ask that you help us out today you know we're reaching the holiday season we're coming to the end of the year we have a lot of big things to announce in fact partners this month i'll be making a very big announcement um something wonderful has happened and i'll be announcing that to the ministry partners very soon and then we're going to begin fundraising for this very wonderful development but you know i want to challenge you today i want to challenge you to give a gift and there's going to be four amounts i'm going to challenge you with now this is not the lord speaking to me these are not magic numbers this is just something i want to challenge you with because our ministry is going to begin fundraising for some things very soon and i want to start challenging god's people to give so we know the lord will bless i can't tell you how he'll bless you but why do we give we give so the gospel can go forward but at the same time as you give god will bless you i know some of you feel like your vision for your life is way up here and your resources are way down here your vision for your business is way up here your resources are way down here your vision for your ministry is way up here your resources for your ministry are way down there and so forth for the family for your future and and all those things that we think about i want to challenge you with four mounts if you're able to give one of these four and i want everyone watching to do this whether you're watching live or whether you're watching the replay we should all participate in advancing the gospel and this will advance the gospel those who are able i want to challenge you to give a gift of a thousand dollars now again that's not a magic seed it's not a magic number this is just me challenging you don't give him compulsion or in pressure or to pressure i'm just throwing out numbers to challenge the people of god so that we can set our ministry up for some of the things we're doing in the future i'll have more to say and over the next few weeks give a gift of a thousand if you can't give a gift of 250. if you can't do that do a gift of a hundred if you can't do that do a gift of 25 or somewhere in between but i want to challenge you with those amounts a thousand 500 250 and then if you can't do that do 100 or even 25. there's several amounts there that i'm naming but the reason i say these amounts because sometimes i think that we should be challenged as god's people to to give to the gospel to sacrifice to sow why so the gospel can move forward now you spirit family are a very generous group which is why i rarely um have to challenge like that but for what's coming you're gonna be very excited and it's gonna go to a great cause so whether you're watching live or you're watching the replay participate in the expansion of this growing ministry and this ministry is growing you've been seeing the events from denver and from atlanta georgia those are just the first two that we've done on that scale they're already growing in atlanta we had to bring i don't know how many chairs that room was packed by the final night and in denver same thing we're renting these conference centers now these events are on a whole different scale the media whole different scale the live streams whole different scale holy spirit school we got another course coming out and there's so much more this ministry is doing so help this ministry to continue going and growing strong so so today go to davidhernandezministries.com donate to give a one-time gift or maybe you're able to become a monthly supporter you can do that too by going to that website again davidhernandezministries.com if you're giving to the youtube super chat that's great but we highly recommend that you do it through the website we take gifts from all different countries all different currencies our form will automatically adjust to your currency it'll read where you're coming from and it will automatically adjust to your currency so i want to challenge you with those amounts uh don't feel guilt if you can't just saying if it's in your power to do it if you if you heard one of those amounts and you go you know what i can do this or you know what i can do that then do it if you can't look i understand and don't walk away feeling guilt because that's not the way the kingdom of god works you give out of your heart you give out of love that's all it is and so everyone just do your best i'm throwing out those amounts just to challenge you a little bit to give to the gospel and again more announcements coming soon as to what's happening with the ministry

Channel: David Diga Hernandez

Views: 386,877

Keywords: how to win mind battles, how to overcome fear, how to overcome anxiety, how to overcome depression, how to overcome overthinking, how to overcome loneliness, how to overcome intrusive thoughts, how to stop thinking, how to stop thinking negative thoughts, winning mindset, winning mindset motivation, overcoming, overcoming depression, overcoming fear, overcoming anxiety, david diga hernandez, david diga hernandez holy spirit, david diga hernandez sermons, encounter tv

Id: gY-VfbMsty4

Length: 57min 48sec (3468 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 21 2021