Menu
Sermon Overview
Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Our thought lives are the root of many of our problems in this world gone wild. It is crucial that we have mastery over our minds and control over our thought lives.
First, we must be sure of our salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
The devil wants us to stay in the dark and blind our minds to the light of the Gospel.
There’s a difference between the mind and the brain; the devil does not come after our intelligence, rather he wants to distort our minds. We become what we think about. (See Proverbs 23:7.)
The carnal mind, which is at war with God, must be converted. There is no second step until we are sure we are saved.
Second, we must pursue single-minded, heart-felt devotion to God.
A converted mind can be corrupted; we can lose so much ground in the battle for our thought lives if we do not take action and give everything over to God.
Third, we must root out the strongholds in our thought lives.
A corrupt mind must be conquered. We must conquer compulsiveness, obsessions, fixations, and fears. We cannot let bitterness and resentment, uncontrollable lusts, phobias, criticisms, or distrust have a hold on us.
This warfare is not carnal, so our weapons aren’t either. Education, psychology, nor positive thinking can help us take down these strongholds. Our fighting chance is the blood of Christ, the Word of God, and the authority in the name of Jesus.
Finally, we must surrender our conquered minds back to the Lord.
We cannot be neutral; we cannot merely dethrone the enemy—Christ must be enthroned in our thought lives.
Adrian Rogers says, “No man can think two things at one time. If you’re thinking what is right, you cannot be thinking what is wrong. You can choose your thoughts like you can choose your friends.”
Our great hope is that the conquered mind can be controlled by bringing every thought to Jesus Christ.
Apply it to your life
Bring every thought to obedience, and let the Lord Jesus Christ screen your thought life today.
A collection of podcasts from our wonderful programs and hosts that specifically discuss anxiety; how to combat it, where it comes from, what you can do about it, and more. If you have a prayer request, please send us a message or call us at 303.481.1800 and we will agree with you in prayer and petition to the Father.
Sermon Overview
Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Our thought lives are the root of many of our problems in this world gone wild. It is crucial that we have mastery over our minds and control over our thought lives.
First, we must be sure of our salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 says, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
The devil wants us to stay in the dark and blind our minds to the light of the Gospel.
There’s a difference between the mind and the brain; the devil does not come after our intelligence, rather he wants to distort our minds. We become what we think about. (See Proverbs 23:7.)
The carnal mind, which is at war with God, must be converted. There is no second step until we are sure we are saved.
Second, we must pursue single-minded, heart-felt devotion to God.
A converted mind can be corrupted; we can lose so much ground in the battle for our thought lives if we do not take action and give everything over to God.
Third, we must root out the strongholds in our thought lives.
A corrupt mind must be conquered. We must conquer compulsiveness, obsessions, fixations, and fears. We cannot let bitterness and resentment, uncontrollable lusts, phobias, criticisms, or distrust have a hold on us.
This warfare is not carnal, so our weapons aren’t either. Education, psychology, nor positive thinking can help us take down these strongholds. Our fighting chance is the blood of Christ, the Word of God, and the authority in the name of Jesus.
Finally, we must surrender our conquered minds back to the Lord.
We cannot be neutral; we cannot merely dethrone the enemy—Christ must be enthroned in our thought lives.
Adrian Rogers says, “No man can think two things at one time. If you’re thinking what is right, you cannot be thinking what is wrong. You can choose your thoughts like you can choose your friends.”
Our great hope is that the conquered mind can be controlled by bringing every thought to Jesus Christ.
Apply it to your life
Bring every thought to obedience, and let the Lord Jesus Christ screen your thought life today.
[Music] Welcome to Call to Freedom with Barbar Carmac. This is Jimmy Lakey and I'm delighted that you are joining us for this half hour. You can reach Call to Freedom at box 370-367 Denver, Colorado 802-37 or by going to the website at www.freedomstreet.org. If you want to leave a message or order a word-powered daily reading Bible Guide or a Freedom Street Express newsletter, you can call us toll-free at 1-877-917-7256 and leave your name and address including your zip code. If you want to talk to Barbara right now, she is expecting your call. You may call that same toll-free number 1-877-917-7256 to speak to her. And now, let's join Barbara in the studio. Welcome to Call to Freedom. I hope you're enjoying your day or you're getting ready to go to bed and I hope that you have sweet sleep tonight in Jesus' name. As I came into the studio and I saw on my desk this, I have a calendar, a scripture calendar on the desk here in the studio and I'm glad nobody's ever taken it. Oh, and I saw he guides me in passive righteousness for his name's sake. And that's just a little portion of the chapter that most of us know. So why don't we try to go through the whole chapter, Psalm 23. Oh, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pasture. See, some of you are so busy. He makes you, he forces you to lie down in green pastures. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Oh, for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runth over. You know, David had been anointed by Samuel. So he knew that anointing from the top of his head and all the oil coming down over his shoulders. Oh, thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Oh, thank you, Lord, for David. Thank you for all the wonderful Psalms that sometimes we take for granted. We look them over and we say, "Oh, that's a good one." And we don't really take it in. So thank you that today, Lord, our people that are listening are taking in your wonderful word in Jesus' name. Oh, let's do the Monday Bible slogan. This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I do what it tells me to do. This is my Bible. It has given me new life. It is the Word of God. Praise the Lord. And as your assignment is to know Jesus and to let people know Jesus, we're going to go through, "Oh, I didn't go through you are blessed. You are blessed. You are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being." I say that every day. I should be saying that all the time on the radio also. You are blessed to dispense for in him you live and move and have your being. That's from that last part in him you live and move and have your being is in Acts 17 verse 28. Acts 17 verse 28. Praise God for Paul. Praise God for David. Praise God for Paul. We're going to read some portion of scripture from Isaiah. And we're going to also read portions of scripture from 1 Peter. So thank you, Lord, for all these wonderful men, these prophets that wrote the Word of God, that we can enjoy every day of our lives. Oh, and so I was telling you that your assignment here is to know Jesus and let people know him. That's what your assignment is. And when Kimberly gave me this passage of this monologue from John Rodel, it was so good I'm going to read it again because maybe some of you missed last week altogether. And so I'm going to give it to you again. And this is part of the assignment, part of the reason that you are here. Maybe we are here to teach each other how to love. Yeah, that's what I've learned. I've learned from other people how to love. Yes, and from Holy Spirit and Father God, of course. But maybe we are here to teach each other how to love. Maybe Earth is a classroom and we take turns being students and professors. Maybe we need to quit grading each other so harshly. Yes, maybe the only homework assignment we have been given is solving the equation of kindness. Maybe empathy is just a study abroad program where we spend time in the hearts of strangers. Maybe forgiveness is the final exam. Maybe we are never meant to graduate. Maybe we remain forever students of how to love and care for each other. Isn't that beautiful? John Rodel, and his last name is spelled R-O-E-D-E-L. Rodel. This week we're going to concentrate on Israel in our prayers. I know an election is coming up on November the 5th and I hope you've done your patriotic duty and registered to vote. But this week has just really been a firestorm in Israel. And the rockets are being lobbed continually now from Lebanon. In the word of God, I hear such beautiful things about Lebanon. How beautiful it is, how they cut down trees from the forests of Lebanon and carried them down the waters to the temple of sight where Solomon built the temple. Yeah, he got wood from Lebanon. And so we see it's a whole different world we live in. But I thank God for Israel and I want you to know that as you vote and I pray that you have registered your voting sheet will be all over the city and county. You don't have to get scared when you get your ballot. What is the first thing you do? The first thing you do is pray over it. Yes, pray over your ballot. Put your hands on it and pray over it. That you will be wise in choosing and who you're choosing or what you're choosing and that your ballot will get to the right place at the right time and be counted. That's what you pray. Father, God, I thank you that this ballot is going to get into the precincts and they're going to count my ballot. And when you pray like this, God will get it to the place where it needs to be counted. Yeah, when we pray like that. Just not mumbling around, but just praying in Jesus name, I thank you for that ballot getting to the right place. Our memory verse for this week is Isaiah 43 verse one. And it's centered on Jacob and Israel. But you can take this. You can take this verse as part of the new covenant that we're involved in. So here it is. Isaiah 43 verse one. But now, thus says the Lord your creator, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel, remember that God formed Israel, the smallest people, the fewest and number of people in the earth. And what did God do? He chose her. I love it because you never have to feel like you're a nobody. God always sees you as somebody. Oh, praise God. So he's saying to Israel into Jacob, your creator is saying this, do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine. And from the message translation, Isaiah 43 verse one through four. This is so good. But now God's message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the one who got you started Israel. Don't be afraid. I've redeemed you. I've called you by name. You are mine says the Lord. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a heart place, it won't be a dead end because I am God, your personal God, the holy one of Israel, your savior. I paid a huge price for you, all of Egypt with rich, kush and sabah thrown in all these countries around you. Oh, I have paid a huge price for you. That's how much you mean to me. That's how much I love you. I'd sell off the whole world to get you back. Trade the creation just for you. Isn't that beautiful? That's how much he loves us. Oh, don't take the words of the enemy that you're nothing. You don't amount to a hill of beans. No, don't do that to yourself. God loves you so much. He says in 1 John 3, 1, "Behold what manner of love. The Lord has lavished upon you that you are called a child of the Most High God." Praise the Lord. My confession for today by Rick Renner. I confess I will remain steadfast in my commitment. And nothing can sway or move me to change my mind. I refuse to relinquish any of my God-promised territory. My faith is strong and my spirit is tenacious and refuses to let go of God's promises. Amen, amen. I am so serious about my walk with God that I'm telling him to fix any part of my character that is out of whack. I give him permission to delve deep into my soul. You know, he does surgery. Yeah, he's not like the surgeons that we see in America and in the world when there is surgery to be done. That he goes deep inside, inside our soul. And he examines everything to see that he's the number one priority in our lives. Oh, praise the Lord. And so I give him permission. Here's Rick Renner. I give him permission to delve deep into my soul and extract those traits that would keep me from the blessings of God. I declare this by faith in Jesus' name. That's so good. Now Romans 9, verse 20 says, This is for the person that is thinking, I can handle this. I can handle all this by myself. I've had an education and so all of this is something that I can handle. But here, Paul says in Romans 9, 20, But who do you think you are to second-guess God? How could a human being molded out of clay say to the one who molded him? Why in the world did you make me this way? That's why Rick Renner is saying, I give God permission to delve deep into my soul. He's opening up totally to God. And that's why Paul is saying, How could a human being molded out of clay say to the one who molded him? Why in the world did you make me this way? Or are you denying the right of the potter to make out of clay whatever he wants? Doesn't the potter have the right to make from the same lump of clay, an elegant vase or an ordinary pot? And if I'm an ordinary pot, you know what? The person that's going to use me uses me every day. That elegant vase isn't going to be used very often. But the ordinary pot? It's going to be used. Praise the Lord. Oh, and how can we sum this up? All those people who didn't seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing, as he straightened out our lives. Praise the Lord. And Israel, this is verse 31 of Romans 9, and Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about God, missed it because they didn't have a personal relationship with God. They just talked about him. How could they miss it because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their churchy God projects that they didn't notice God right in front of them like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. I love the message because of its practical applications to what we go through every day. And when we get hit in between our eyes, we're going, "Okay, what's going on, God? What am I doing here?" And he says, "Well, you didn't listen to me and you made a decision that might be hurtful to you, so I'm wanting to get your attention." So in verse 33 of Romans 9, Paul is saying, "Izea again gives us the metaphor for pulling all this together." And this is in Isaiah 28, 16, and it is quoted in Romans 9. "Behold, I land Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. He who believes in him will not be disappointed or put to shame or disgraced. Praise God. We don't have to think about living a life of shame any longer. Careful, I put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion." Now that's on the road to Jesus. We're on the road to Jesus, to Jerusalem, to see Jesus. In fact, this metaphor is to come into the very heart of who Jesus is. I put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion. A stone you can't get around. But the stone is me. If you're looking for me, you'll find me on the way, not in the way. This is so good. I hope you've been reading your word. And we're getting into parts of Isaiah in the Old Testament, in the word power for every hour. Where the first 39 chapters were destruction, and there were some gems in there. They're really where. And that's why I enjoy reading through the first 39 chapters. But oh, beginning in the 40th chapter, it's comfort, comfort you, my people. Oh, it's just so beautiful. So I hope that you will go to Isaiah 40 and read with me a chapter a day. That's all you need to read a chapter a day. And we'll get through the few chapters that are left in Isaiah. Oh, I love reading Isaiah. And when I looked into the meaning of the stone, it's really interesting. The verse that found the foundation stone that God is talking about is in all these references is Jesus. He's our foundation stone. The Hebrew word for stone is from the root word for son. He took the word stone and it's a metaphor for his son, our Lord Jesus. Isn't that interesting? God's foundation stone is his son. And now that foundation stone has become many, many foundation stones. Now in Isaiah 28 verse 16, the one that I just read to you, behold, I lay in Zion a foundation stone. A tridestone, a precious cornerstone. He that believeth in me will never be disgraced. That is the most written about verse in the whole Bible, in the whole Bible. And I've looked through this for years. I finally come up with how many verses of this scripture behold, I lay in Zion. It's found not only in Isaiah 28 16, but it starts in Psalm 118 verse 22, the rock, the stone. Acts 4 verse 11, Romans 9, 32, I just read that Ephesians 2, 20, and 1 Peter 2, 6. I'm going to be reading that. In 1 Peter 2, 5 through 7, we see these stones being built into God's temple. Oh, this is so exciting. Yes, I'm not getting older, I'm getting better. 1 Peter 2, 5 through 10. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. Praising him by lifting up your hands and your heart to him. As the scriptures say, I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem chosen for great honor and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced. And he's talking about his son Jesus. Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, the stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. And it goes on to say, he is the stone that makes people stumble. The rock that makes them fall. When we aren't in one accord with God, there's a lot of stumbling going on. It was in my early years, oh my goodness, stumbling and falling and stumbling and falling and making the wrong decisions and stumbling and falling. They stumble because they do not obey God's word. And so they meet the faith that was planned for them. Oh, but verse nine, a first Peter 2 says, but you are not like that for you are a chosen people. Royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God. Once you had no identity as people, see, I didn't have, I was so scattered when I was younger, I didn't have any identity. Why do you want to be when you grow up? Oh, I want to be a teacher. Oh, I want to be a firefighter. Oh, I want to be a nurse. Oh, I want, it goes on and on and on. And even in high school, I changed my wanting my desire for what I wanted to be often, often very often. But see, now we have an identity in Jesus Christ. Now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy, now you have received God's mercy. And that mercy is so wonderful because first John 1.9 says, if we confess our sins, when you recognize a sin, my dear friend, you go to him. And you say, wow, I have done wrong. I have sinned against you. Please forgive me. And you know what? He forgives you. First John 1.9 says that as we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Look at what God has given you as a believer in Jesus Christ. As our verse for this week, we're no longer afraid. For God has redeemed us. We are His. We belong to Him. You are now walking in the confidence of God, knowing that He has given you peace while the world is running around in panic. Because you are relying on God and not on this world system, the Lord is gracious to you and He has compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice. You want to see justice? Your God is the judge. And He will bring justice upon the unfairness and dishonesty that is happening all over the world. How blessed are those who long for Him? Oh, people in Zion, inhabitants in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When He hears it, He will answer you. Even though the Lord has allowed you to go through a season of hardship and difficulty, He Himself will be there with you. He will not hide Himself from you as your eyes constantly see Him as your teacher. When you turn to the right or turn to the left, you will hear His voice behind you to guide you saying, "This is the right path, follow it." And you're going to read scriptures like that from the 40th chapter of Isaiah, "Clear through to the 66th. You're going to enjoy all these verses. I hope you're going to read with me. I really encourage you to. I challenge you to do that." Oh, behold, I lay in Zion a foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone. He, that believe us, shall never be dismayed. Here's Leon Patilla. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh, hell, Lou, I love that song. I wonder if Leon is still with us. Or if God's called him home. That would be really interesting. I'll have to go home and find out. What a wonderful, wonderful composer he was. Oh, God is with us in our troubles, friend. He will not hide himself from us in the times of distress, teaching us even in our trials. I believe I've learned more in my trials about my Lord and about me, about me, than in the good times that I've had. I really do believe that. He will lead us into making good decisions and we will have his promise of constant guidance as we listen to him. He will lead us into making good decisions and we will have his promise of constant guidance as we listen to his voice. Look, listen to God. He's saying, look, the Lord is coming from far away, burning with anger against our enemies, surrounded by thick rising smoke. His lips are filled with fury. He's going to come and be judge. Oh, Lou, your words consume like fire. His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for distress. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin. But the people of God will sing a song of joy like the songs that the Holy Feast has sung. He will sing a song of joy like the songs of the Holy Feast. He will sing a song of joy like the songs of the Holy Feast. In October, you will be filled with joy as when a flutist leads a group of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord, to the rock of Israel. And the Lord will make his majestic voice heard. He will display the strength of his mighty arm. It will descend with devouring flames, with cloud bursts thunderstorms and huge hail stones. Oh, at the Lord's commandeus serians, that's Israel's enemy today. That's that name, Assyrians. That's Hamas, that's Palestinians. That's G-Hod, that's all of it thrown together. Assyrians are a symbol of that. They will be shattered. He will strike them down with his royal scepter. It will not be by man's sort. That they will be destroyed. It will be gods. It will be gods' arm. His right arm is going to destroy Israel's enemy. Remember that friend. And remember that victory is ours. Oh, in the end, we're going to find that God is the one who is going to be victorious in all this earth. God bless you and keep you. I hope you will remember that as you go through your day and as you sleep tonight. That he will give you that blessed sleep that you need to be restored and revitalize. God bless you and keep you and take joy. Thank you for listening to Call to Freedom with Barbara Carmack. You may get in touch with Barbara at Call to Freedom. Box 370-367. Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may leave your message at 1-877-917-7256. Call to Freedom is a listener supported radio ministry. Barbara and her power partners invite you to come on board with us and become a network of hands holding up Call to Freedom Ministry. Power partners support Call to Freedom with prayer and monthly financial support. You will be blessed supernaturally. We invite you to visit Call to Freedom's website, www.freedomstreet.org, where you can hear Barbara's daily radio broadcast 24 hours a day or order materials. You may share your phrase reports in heart prize by mailing them to Call to Freedom. Box 370-367. Denver, Colorado, 80237. Or you may email us at Barbara Carmack at FreedomStreet.org. Until next time, remember Jesus loves you, Barbara loves you, and take joy. [Music]
SUPPORT YANKEE ARNOLD MINISTRIES WITH YOUR DONATION HERE
https://yankeearnold.com/donate/
REGISTER FOR DR. ARNOLD'S ONLINE CLASSES AT FLORIDA BIBLE COLLEGE OF TAMPA HERE
https://www.floridabiblecollege.us
OR EMAIL BOB GILBERT registrar@floridabiblecollege.us
EMAIL DR. ARNOLD HERE
VISIT OUR BOOKSTORE HERE
https://yankeearnold.com/store/
---
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pastor-yankee-arnold/support
Today, Pastor Jack teaches that the grave and death are powerless against eternity. We make a big deal out of death, but through our Lord Jesus, we can hold steady knowing we have the victory over its power.
The post On Your Mark, Get Set… – B first appeared on Pastor Jack Hibbs.
Want to be a happier person? Today, Joyce shares the secret to living a happier life, and it all begins with your thoughts!
To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.elsitiocristiano.com/donate/1102/29
Are you building walls or bridges? Discover how being determined to trust in God's justice can build a bridge between you and God, rather than a wall.
Do you try to fix your own problems? Today, discover how determination plays a vital role in overcoming anxiety and trusting God to fix what you cannot.
Are you determined to keep a good attitude, even during hard times? Today, learn how determination, along with God's help, can lead to a right attitude and a joy-filled life.
