OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"We have been given the mind of Christ"

Wrestling with our inner negative dialogue is a fight we can win. 

That's EPIC. Everything's Possible In Christ. 

As born again children of God, He has given us more than we need to help us. I want to share two spiritual tools that will defeat our inner critic as we apply them in our lives.

#1.  He's given us the mind of Christ.  (Isaiah 40:13, I Corinthians 2:16 and Romans 11:34)

Our minds cannot understand God. However, once our spirit has experienced the new birth we begin the renewal process in our soul (mind, will and emotions) as we read and apply the Scriptures.

"For who knows a person's thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received in not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 

This is what we...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 16:19)

The most popular topic chosen in the EPIC Conqueror survey we conducted was overcoming Negative Inner Dialogues.

Contemplating and meditating on this topic, the Holy Spirit pointed me to  some notes I had written in my Bible.

Jesus gave us His power and authority over the enemy. (Matthew 28:18)  

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." (Matthew 16:19)

It is His to give since through His death, Jesus broke off and destroyed the power of him who held the power of death, the devil.  (Hebrews 2:14)

"Do not be afraid. I hold the keys of death and the grave...I am alive for evermore and I have the keys of hell and of death."  (Revelation 1:17-18)

Drum roll please: Not only is the devil clueless; he is keyless.

He's clueless.  If he had known what was happening, he wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory. He sealed his doom when...

OVERCOMING NEGATIVE INNER DIALOGUE

Replace and overcome negative thoughts

"Why did you do that?  Don't you know any better? There's no hope for you. What were you thinking?"

These negative thoughts and many more plague our minds on a regular basis. 

Indeed, we must ask ourselves, "What WERE you thinking?"

Words of life, creativity, productivity and words of death, paralyzation and isolation are all in the power of our own tongue.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34)  The mouth speaks with the words that fill our heart.

Let's dig a little deeper to understand the root of destruction.

Let's also understand that overcoming negative inner dialogue takes a lifetime. It's our job to replace and overcome negative thoughts.

The good news is that as we get better at renewing our mind and believing what God says about us, we can diminish the negative impacts more easily.

Take note of what comes out of your mouth or spoken, "under your...

Overcoming doubt & unbelief 

Speaking faith-filled words rises out of a heart of trust, a place of "knowing" in God as the way, the truth and the life He called us into.

"Well, that's fine for you, but it won't work for me."

"I know what Mark 11:23-24 says, but it doesn't always work."

"Life is crazy hectic."Words spoken as accepted truth. (Psst. FYI - Fake news)

These statements and more so often pour out of mouths without a thought to the cause and effect they're creating or to the heart they're revealing. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Voice is given to what we intrinsically believe. (our 2 cents, our opinion, what we feel). What is spoken will be acted upon. What is acted out results in consequences -(of our own making BTW).

"The mouth speaks what the heart is full of."Matthew 12:34

SO, the question of the hour is, "What are YOU talking about these days?"Speaking faith-filled words isn't "blab-it-and-grab-it" or...

ATTITUDE OF AN OVERCOMER -Part 1

While His process is in process in our lives, these are the things that we need to know and do - it will lead us to our victory:

1. Our enemies are being defeated.

2. Our heart is being formed and fashioned

3. Bless others in midst of our trial

Reaction in Action

• How do you react to conflict?
• Difficult circumstances?
• Unjustified character attacks on yourself?
• People arguing?
• Confusing situations you can't control?

 These and more are all woven into every person's life. We can't escape what's happening around us.

The only thing we can control is our reaction.

Moses was definitely a reactionary.  (Exodus)

Whether it was an unfair fight between two men, dealing with complaints from the 2 million people he was commissioned to lead out of Egypt, a burning bush that wasn't consumed, his family and close advisors attaching his character, or a myriad of other issues...

Moses reacted.

God began to teach him to react wisely. God put Moses through the school of The Spirit. You and I are in that same schooling process.

God is working in us to become like Him in and through the various issues of life we face today. 

While meditating about Moses and his journey, an important principle began to take shape. His years...

Be a Blessing

Paul wrote to Timothy giving him instructions for spiritual success. 

He warned him of things and people to watch out for and he gave him the head's up on things and people that would keep him strong in the Lord.

 I was captured by his wording regarding Onesiphorus. He had just described several people who deserted him while he was going through difficult trials and imprisonments.  II Timothy 1

Then he stated, "Nevertheless, so many times Onesiphorus was like a breath of fresh air to me and never seemed to be ashamed of my chains." 1:16

It's interesting that the name Onesiphorus means: 

• One who brings profit.
• Profitable
• Help-bringer

Paul then spoke a blessing over his life, "May our Lord Jesus bestow compassion and mercy upon him and his household...May Jesus, our Master, give him abundant mercy in the day he stands before Him." 1:16b and 18b

 Paul blessed him for he said that when Onesiphorus arrived in...

Because of THE ONE

"For, if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17

Life has a way of throwing curve balls. One minute it seems "all is well" and the next it is as if "all hell broke loose." Ever noticed that?

When things are good you have a song in your heart and a whistle on your lips. BUT, when things go sideways and upside down, oh my. That's often a different story. Gone is the song AND the whistle.

In our text today, notice the Power of One.

Through ONE man, Adam, death reigned. You were sold out to be born with a sin nature.

However, the GOOD NEWS: through ONE man, Jesus Christ, that debt was paid on your behalf when you accepted His gift, repented of your sinful nature and invited Him to be your Lord and Savior...that, my friend, changed everything.

Now, through the ONE man,...

OVERCOMING ANXIETY 

Our thoughts are powerful.

Anxiety is a perfectly normal emotion. However, in excess it becomes dangerous. Its intent is to erode and corrode our mental, spiritual, emotional, physical health and well-being.

Anxiety's cousin is worry. Have you ever met someone who says, "If I don't have something to worry about, I worry about that." For many, worry is a constant friend. Anxiety can be like that too.

I've discovered something that helps me when I realize I'm getting worked up. I take a step back, detach from the emotional whirlwind and look at the situation objectively as though I were observing it from afar.

When I do that, the turmoil that accompanies anxiety begins to disappear like how a dust devil in the desert loses its momentum and fizzles out to nothing. From that vantage point, I can begin to change the narrative. I give it to the Lord in prayer, if indeed, it really is something worthy of causing me to feel anxious. Is this something I want to...

OVERCOMING ANXIETY 

Our thoughts are powerful.

We've discussed overcoming negative inner dialogue, fear of failure and dealing with a poverty mentality in the past few months. I was thinking about these topics and realized that they are foundational for our current subject: anxiety.

Our thoughts are powerful. They can conjure up negative words, emotions and feelings or they can create a sense of peace and well-being.

Discovering the basis for anxiety helps us to overcome the debilitating space
that it attempts to trap us into...a deep, dark hole.

The goal of anxiety is to strip us of the God-peace that passes all our understanding that Jesus has given to us. His God-peace. True inner calmness of mind, soul and spirit. Philippians 4:7b

Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing." Live in His God-peace.

Paul and Timothy knew:
"Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled request before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your...