THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ... by Rick Warren

INTRODUCING THE SERIES: 9 Pillars

1. MY THOUGHTS  

control my life

BUT I CAN  

control my thoughts

“Be careful what you think about because your thoughts run your life!” Proverbs 4:23 (NCV) 

“. . . your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (TEV)  

2. ANY CHANGE I WANT IN MY LIFE  

starts in my mind

“Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.” Romans 12:2 (TEV) 

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. THEN you can see God in the outside world.” Matthew 5:8 (Mes)  

3. I CAN CHANGE  

how I feel by changing the way I think

David: “My heart is breaking, so I TURN my thoughts to God.” Psalm 42:6 (TEV) 

Jonah: “When I’d lost all hope, I TURNED my thoughts once more to the Lord.” Jonah 2:7 (NLT) 

THINK –> FEEL –> ACT

4. EVERY BEHAVIOR IS BASED  

on a belief

“Think carefully about your behavior.” Haggai 1:5 (NJB) 

ASK:  

What am I believing right now?

“A foolish person will believe anything. But a wise person THINKS ABOUT what he does.” Proverbs 14:15 (ICB) 

5. ANYTIME I SIN, AT THAT MOMENT  

I'm believing a lie

“There are many ways that we THINK are right but they lead to death.” Proverbs 14:12 (NJB)  

“Temptation comes from the lure of our own inner desires. These evil desires lead to evil actions, and the actions lead to death.” James 1:14-15 (NLT) 

6. AN UNSEEN WAR IS GOING ON  

in and for my mind

“It seems to be a fact of life that while I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I want to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there’s something else deep within me that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin inside me. In my mind I want to be God’s servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin.”Romans 7:21-23 (LB)  

7. TO WIN THE BATTLE IN & FOR MY MIND, I MUST HAVE  

God's Spirit and Word inside of me

While we live in the world, we don’t fight the same way the world does. We fight with God’s weapons, not worldly ones. Our weapons have God’s power to demolish the enemy's strong places. We can knock down all the worldly arguments and prideful defenses that set themselves up (in our minds) against the knowledge of God. In this war, we capture every rebel thought and we make it give up, and obey Christ!”2 Corinthians 10:3-5  

“If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.” Romans 8:6 (NLT) 

Jesus: “If you learn and obey my Word, you will be my disciple. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 

8. MY GOAL IS TO  

learn to think like Jesus. 

“Since Jesus went through everything you’re going through, and more, learn to think like him.” 1 Peter 4:1 (Mes) 

“Your thoughts and attitudes must be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Philemon 2:5  

“We have the mind of Christ!” 1 Corinthians 2:16  

9. RETHINKING MY LIFE TO MATCH HOW JESUS THINKS IS CALLED  

repentance

METANOIA = TO CHANGE YOUR MIND

“Repent - change your mind and return back to God - so that all your sins may be erased - blotted out and wiped clean – and so that times of refreshing . . . and recovering . . . and reviving . . . may come from the presence of the Lord!”Acts 3:19 (Amp)  

JESUS: “I know your good deeds, your hard work, and your perseverance . . . But I’ve noticed this: You don’t love me as much as you used to at first. So REMEMBER what it was like before you fell away, and REPENT - change your mind and attitude, and RETURN to doing the things you did with me at first!”Revelation 2:2,4-5