A Daily Walk

Guest (Male): Today on the Daily Walk, a battle that takes place in our minds every day.

John Randall: I don't know how it works. I just know that the enemy has been observing mankind since its existence and somehow, whether he incites the flesh, however it works, you know you got to battle the mind. And he incites things that go against God's word, whispers lies. But we have a choice whether to listen or to refuse to listen, to obey or to disobey what he suggests. The enemy may attack with worry and anxiety, for example, to get the upper hand. However, the good news is that we can win the battle in the mind.

Guest (Male): Well, how's your thought life these days? If you're like most, it could use a little improvement. Or perhaps you'd say more like a major overhaul. Today on the Daily Walk, Pastor John Randall poses the question, what are you thinking? We'll be in Philippians chapter 4 where the Apostle Paul gives us a list of virtues we're to meditate on. Yes, there is a battle going on in our minds, but God shows us here how we can experience victory.

John Randall: More than once in his epistle, the Apostle Paul had encouraged the Philippian congregation to rejoice in the Lord. He reminded them that they had no need to worry about anything, but instead to pray about everything. And as they set their minds on the things above and trusted in the Lord, the supernatural peace of God that surpassed their understanding would protect their hearts and minds from the attacks of the enemy. Now, as you come to verse 8, there is no real break in the text as Paul continues to give instructions on how this surpassing peace works both supernaturally and practically in the life of the believer.

Supernaturally, it comes from God. He is the provider of the peace. Practically, it's worked out in our lives by what we choose to think about, what we choose to meditate on. Now, please don't misunderstand the passage here. The Apostle Paul is not preaching the power of positive thinking or saying that somehow you can visualize your reality and magnetically it will draw the best to you. He's not talking about that. Rather, he is encouraging believers to think biblically. No doubt you have heard the phrase, the Christian worldview. And what we mean when we say that is that as believers we are to see the world, view the world through the lens of the Scriptures.

And in order to have a clear biblical worldview, you have to study the Bible. You have to read the Scriptures because before you're saved, before you're a Christian, the Bible tells us that we don't have a biblical worldview. We don't think biblically. Instead, we have a worldly mindset, a carnal mentality, and often it is sinful thinking. In fact, the Bible confirms this in Romans chapter 8 in verse 5 when the Apostle Paul said, those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. But those who live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit.

Living after the flesh means living a life outside of relationship with God. If you live in that way, then that's what you think about. Paul also said in writing to the church in Ephesus in chapter 4 and verse 17, he said, this I say therefore, and I testify to the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind. It's a futile mentality. You're not walking in the spirit. You're not walking with the Lord, so your thoughts are futile, empty, vain. Again, in Romans this time in chapter 1 and verse 28, Paul wrote and he said, and even they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, so God gave them over to a debased mind to do the things which are not fitting.

Folks, the point is before you're a Christian, you think one way. But when you are born again, the Lord helps us to see things differently than we once did. And therefore, Paul gives to the Philippians a list of virtues to think about, to meditate on. And when he encourages them to think about these things, he is saying in essence, keep on thinking about these things. Consider it, ponder it, let your mind dwell on it. Fill your mind with these things. And why is that so important to fill your mind with these things that Paul listed for us?

Because there is an all-out war for the mind. There's a battle for the space up here in our minds. In fact, the Bible tells us in Proverbs chapter 23 in verse 7, for as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. Furthermore, the writer of Proverbs tells us to guard our heart, guard our mind when he says in Proverbs chapter 4 in verse 23, watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life. So there is it because there is a battle for the mind, I need to be aware of it.

I need to guard it. I need to Let me say it this way. Tighten the chin strap of the helmet of salvation to protect your mind because it constantly under attack. Jesus told us in Mark's Gospel, the seventh chapter concerning the internal nature of man. He said, what comes out of the man defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man. It all begins in the mind, and then it can manifest itself in one's actions.

Someone said it this way. Jerry Bridges said this, quote, our minds And I want you to see this quote. Our minds are mental greenhouses where unlawful thoughts once planted are nurtured and watered before being transplanted into the real world of unlawful actions. It's an inside job, folks. That's where it starts. Someone said it this way. Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, you reap a destiny. Simply stated, if we have wrong, unbiblical thinking, it leads to wrong, sinful living. But the opposite is also true.

Right biblical thinking leads to righteous, godly living. But the battleground and the war begins in the mind. And you know something, this battle began all the way back in the very beginning of man's existence. Genesis chapter 3. You remember? Eve was there by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and Satan showed up and began to attack her thoughts concerning the character of God, the the nature of God, the promises of God, the blessings of God, the warnings of God. And Eve began to entertain the thoughts that were being suggested to her. Did God really say that?

Let me just tell you, that's not really what he meant. And Eve began to think about that. Well, maybe that's right. Maybe God's just insecure and he doesn't want us to know everything he knows. She began to think about it and believe it. And Genesis chapter 3 verses 1 through 5, there is the process of enticement that is recorded how that Eve entertained those thoughts and she gave in and she fell headlong into disobedience, and so did Adam. And that sin that entered the world and that depravity continued even to Noah's generation. If you look at Genesis chapter 6 and verse 5 and it records what was going on in the world, it says, then the Lord saw the wickedness of man that it was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The thinking of man was just it was only sinful. It was only evil. Man's thinking apart from a relationship with God grew more and more depraved, degenerate, and vile. But you also see this in the New Testament as well. For in Uh you recall when Jesus was revealing to his disciples at the cross was coming. He's trying to prepare them for what's about to take place. And they were shocked by the news. In fact, Peter was so upset by what Jesus had revealed to them that he took Jesus aside, the Bible says, and he began to rebuke the Son of God.

Told Jesus he had no business thinking that. Far be it from you, Lord. And then Jesus in turn rebuked Peter. And remember what he said in Matthew chapter 16 in verse 23. But he turned and he said, Peter, get behind me, Satan. You are an offense to me. Why? Because you are not mindful of the things of God but of the things of men. In other words, Peter, your thoughts at this moment are not in line with the will of the father, but rather the will of the enemy. So get behind me. I reject what you're saying.

Peter's mind had been attacked. He couldn't process it, didn't understand. Once again, we see this battle for the mind in the book of Acts after the church had begun. There was a couple. You remember they were named Ananias and Sapphira, and they came and donated a portion of their land and gave proceeds to the early church. And yet they said they gave more, but they actually held back. They lied. And when Ananias stood before Peter, Peter responded to him and he said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

Somehow the enemy attacked the mind. Ananias began to go down that trail, began to embrace those thoughts and then put it into practice. The couple had chosen to listen to the voice of the enemy rather than the voice of God. Now, I don't know how it works. I just know that the enemy has been observing mankind since its existence and somehow, whether he incites the flesh, however it works, you know you got to battle the mind. And he incites things that go against God word, whispers lies. But we have a choice whether to listen or to refuse to listen, to obey or to disobey what he suggests.

The enemy may attack with worry and anxiety, for example, to get the upper hand. However, the good news is that we can win the battle in the mind. Oh, this is great news. In fact, the Bible tells us first Peter chapter 1 verse 13. Listen to what Peter said. Gird up the loins of your mind. Think my mind has loins? I had no idea. What does he mean by that? In those days, the men would wear these long robes. And if they were going to do any work, if they were going to fight, if they were going to get in into battle, they would gird up the loins of their minds.

Basically, you would pull up that middle robe and tie it off. My legs are free now. Gird it up. Get ready. There's a battle. Peter saying, hey listen, hey get your mind in the right place. You need to be Don't be lazy in your mind. You got to be You got to be ready for this. It 's a fight. Paul said it this way. I love the way the Apostle Paul put it. Second Corinthians chapter 10 verses 4 and 5. You remember? He said this, the weapons of our warfare, they're not carnal but they're mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Listen to this. Bringing every what? Thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Taking thoughts captive when the enemy suggests something or the flesh incites something, take that thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. Take it back to God's word. Take it captive. You don't have weapons that are carnal. No, no, no, no. You got mighty weapons that can pull down these strongholds. It's important for us to remember. Charles Spurgeon was once as a young man being attacked with horrible thoughts. And he spoke to his godly grandfather and shared with him his struggle. And his grandfather said to him, do you like those thoughts?

He said, I hate them. Do you like to meditate on those thoughts? I I try to resist them. His grandfather wisely said, then don't own them. They're not your thoughts. Don't give in to them. Paul said it this way. Romans chapter 12 verse 2. And 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. My mind is being renewed. It literally means renovated, a mental revolution in my mind taking our normal, selfish, self-centered human way of seeing life and giving us a point of view that we could not have without God's spirit changing my mind.

That's what God wants to do. And as we take in the word of God and we hear the word of God, it in turn affects the way that we see things, how we think about things. Second Timothy chapter 1 in verse 7, Paul said to young Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a what? Sound mind. This is what God has provided for the believer in Jesus, a sound mind, not to be afraid. In life, we think with the mentality and the mindset that God's word provides us with.

Therefore, how I see things is filtered through God's word. How I see marriage, I see it biblically. I have to see it biblically. How you see the raising of your children, I look at it not what the world says, I look at what God's word says. How I see my work environment, I see it through the lens of scripture. How I see relationships with friends, etc. I see it through God's word. This is the way that I think. So what Paul is doing here is he is calling for the fellowship, the believers, the church, to think about and set their mind on several specific things that will have a direct impact on their life, what they think about.

The first, whatever things are true, start there. And that should come as no surprise that Paul begins with truth. You remember when Paul described in writing to the church in Ephesus the armor that we're to put on as believers, the spiritual armor that God has given us to fight with and to contend earnestly for the faith. The first piece of armor that he lists is the belt of truth. I knew you were going to say it. The belt of truth. That's the first thing. Why is that the first thing? Because if you don't have truth, everything else falls apart.

Like the belt holds it all together. You got to have truth, right? Someone's excited about the belt of truth. Praise God. Hopefully it's on. It's on. Keep it on. He lists truth. And here Paul says to the believers, listen, whatever things are true, think about that. Truth is under attack. Surprise. Like you didn't know that. You live in a world that is full of lies, mistruths, fact checkers that don't really have the facts. I mean, this is where we live. Why why is that? Who's behind all of these lies? Oh, one person, the devil. Listen.

It says this, John chapter 8 verse 44, you are of your father the devil and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning. He doesn't stand in truth because there is no truth in him. And when he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. The father of lies is the devil. He is behind all of the the misinformation that's out there. Lies come from him. He's the father of lies. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he reminded them of this in second Corinthians chapter 4 in verse 4, he said, whose minds the God of this age, which is a reference to the devil, 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.

That's what the enemy does. He propagates lies and then he blinds the eyes of people to the truth. Have you ever had a conversation with somebody and he's like, it's as clear as clear. And they don't see it. You're like, hey. They don't see it. They're blind, spiritually blind. The God of this age has lied to them. You know, there is coming one the Bible refers to as the Antichrist. And it refers to him in second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 9 and 10. Paul says this about the Antichrist that's coming. He's the coming of the lawless one, and it's according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they didn't receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.

We live in a world presently where truth is considered to be and classified as relative. It's whatever you want it to be. Hey man, you live your truth. I live my that I live my truth. Don't judge my truth. That's your truth. That's your truth. This is my truth. People often say that. Well, the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 1 verse 18 concerning the truth that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. We live in a world that suppresses, dismisses, redefines truth.

It's whatever you want it to be. People no longer ask, is it true? You know what the question is? Does it work? Or here's another question. How will it make me feel? This is the main concern. I don't Is it true? I don't know. But how does it make me feel? That is what I should be concerned about. The Scriptures, oh, that's irrelevant. That's that is just outdated. That doesn't apply any longer. There's no truth there. And as people consider how it makes me feel and does it work, society rejects the concept of absolute divine truth.

And that pragmatism and that emotionalism has even gone so far as to infiltrate biblical theology. So therefore, if I read something in the Scriptures that I don't like, I don't like it. Well, why don't you like it? Cuz it it doesn't make me feel good. What part didn't make you feel good? The part that says I'm a sinner. I don't like that part. The part that says if I don't receive Jesus, I'm going to be separated from him in a real place called hell. I don't really like that. Listen. That's the truth. And if you It's like taking medicine.

I don't like medicine. I don't like the taste of that. I know, but it's going to help you, so you don't have to take it and you'll continue to be sick. This this is the medicine. This is this is the antidote. And if you if you just approach it like it's relative, you could be presented with God's word and you reject the truth because of how it makes you feel. And because I don't like the way it makes me feel, I create God in the image that I feel that he should be created in. It's not the God of the Bible.

It's the God that makes that I that I feel. And you've heard that said. I don't That's not the God that I know. Well, the God that you know is not the God of the Bible because it's completely different than what you're saying. There has to be truth. And so Paul says you got to think on what's true. What is true? When Jesus stood before pilot, pilot asked the question, what is truth? You know, Jesus gave us an answer to that. He said in John chapter 14 verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

And no man comes to the father except through me. Truth corresponds with reality. Truth is the opposite of lies. And there are so many lies circulating today. In fact, you can even calculate all of them. But some of the lies of the devil that are they go on and on. They're endless. Lies like this, God doesn't exist or God doesn't love you or God hasn't forgiven you or God has forsaken you. Listen, those are all lies of the devil. But those lies go even further. Lies like a man can be a woman and a woman can be a man.

Uh lie not just biologically speaking, which is a lie, but scripturally speaking, it's it's it's a lie that the world has embraced. Lies like preborn babies are nothing more than a clump of cells. They're not a real person. Lies. Marriage is between anyone, also a lie because the truth said it's between a man and a woman. Biological man, biological woman. Let's be clear in California. This is important to understand. I mean, it's just a fact. So the best way to combat the devil's lies is with the truth. Of course, we are to speak the truth in love, but nonetheless there has to be truth.

Guest (Male): Pastor John Randall urging us to combat the lies of the enemy with the truth of God. And this is a Daily Walk, renewing the end of a helpful series in Philippians called To Live Is Christ. You can hear this program again at adailywalk.org, oneplace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. Pastor John's teachings are also accessible through our app as well. Search for Calvary South OC in the App Store or Google Play. Looking for a gift to give your dad this Father's Day? Allow me to suggest Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes. This will help us guys grow in godliness through the disciplines of purity, friendship, devotion, prayer, worship, integrity, perseverance, leadership, and more.

We'll send you the updated edition and order an extra copy to give to dad. It's available for the special price of $11 at adailywalk.org or call us at 877-242-0828. And thank you for helping us get the word out on stations all across the country. People today desperately need the hope and encouragement that God's word provides, and your support helps to make that possible. To donate to the ministry, please go to adailywalk.org or call 877-242-0828. I also want to mention Pastor John is on X and Instagram. If you are too, start following him on X at PJ Randall 7 and on Instagram at John P Randall.

Well, it is time for us to part ways, but we'll catch you back here next time on a Daily Walk with Pastor John Randall where you never have to walk alone. This program is brought to you by Calvary South OC and made possible through the support of listeners just like you.