Last week we talked about worship and that we need to have a lifestyle of worship. And how that can only be done through the work of the Holy Spirit living in us. It’s the process of bringing our heart into alignment and agreement with God’s heart. Having your heart out of alignment is a big deal, because it’s the first step towards causing major problems in your future. It’s just like what happens when your car is out of alignment. When your car is out of alignment, it means that one, or both of the wheels are not pointed straight. So, your car doesn’t want to go in a straight line, it wants to pull you off the road. You have to keep a tight grip on the wheel to keep going straight. Your tires will wear out faster because of the extra strain, and of course this can possibly lead to an accident. But what causes a car’s wheels to be out of alignment? Hitting bumps in the road, potholes and curbs can throw the alignment off and also minor accidents can move the wheel alignment from off of center. The thing that makes being out of alignment so problematic is that the issue isn’t visible at first. As a matter of fact, it can be a while before the symptoms show up. If it were a sudden change, we would recognize it and take action to correct it, but the changes happen slowly and by the time you notice it, the damage has been done. This is exactly how it works in our life also. The bumps, potholes, curbs and accidents we encounter in our everyday life can cause our heart to be moved off center from being aligned with God’s heart. And before we know it, we are having to hang onto the wheel of our life to keep from being pulled off the road into the ditch. The damage happens slowly, and before we realize it, we’re in the ditch wondering how it happened.
Today we will talk about the danger, and one of the main ways we cause ourself to be out of alignment with God’s heart. We’ll also learn how we can overcome that before it becomes a major problem. The manifestation of our root problem is explained in the third chapter of the book of James. It’s the first thing we need to keep an eye on when we are trying to keep our heart in alignment with God’s heart. James 3:2-12 “2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. 3 Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. 4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. 5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
There it is. One of the biggest enemies we face when trying to keep our heart in alignment with God’s heart is our own tongue. We like to blame the devil for causing our problems and we are quick to rebuke him. But most of the time he’s not the real problem. We are. Our flesh, or more specifically, our tongue gets us into more trouble than anything else. Looks at verses 6-8 again, 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. 7 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. We are the problem, it’s us who are driving the car when we keep hitting potholes and bumps that throw our life out of alignment. But we always want to shift the blame onto someone else to keep from having to look at the one who is really responsible... the man in the mirror. Once we accept the fact that we are at fault, we can begin to look at some ideas on how to overcome this challenge. These are vital kingdom concepts that we need to be aware of, before we end up steering our life into a ditch. In the James passage we saw how evil the tongue is, but look at how powerful Proverbs says it is. According to Proverbs 18:21 “Life and death is in the power of your tongue.” Life and death? Really, is it that powerful and important? That is a lot of power for such an uncontrollable, evil thing that is such a small part of your flesh. That’s something you have to keep in mind when you are talking to people.
But before we start working on how we should be talking to the various people in our life, which is also a vital issue...we need to discuss what we are saying to the person we talk to more often than anyone else. Ourself. Did you realize that you are constantly carrying on conversations with yourself, in your mind. Studies show that this self-talk occurs at a rate of about 1,300 words per minute. But does what you're telling yourself reflect the truth of God’s word, or is it a reflection of your flesh? Is it in alignment with God’s heart? You can run your life off the road and stop your spiritual progress by your words. Every time you hit a bump in the road or have a run-in with a person that doesn't go well, how do you respond? What do you start saying to yourself about that situation? What are we saying to ourselves and about ourselves when those things happen? So like I said earlier, our words are just the manifestation of the real problem. We have to dig deeper to get to the root of the issue and begin to understand that our words are the result of something deeper. Matthew 15:18 “18 But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man.” How many times have you heard me communicate that idea? What’s going out of your mouth is coming directly from your heart and mind. So, we have to get control of our thoughts and align them with God’s thoughts if we are going to attempt to get control of our words.
2 Corinthians 10:5 “5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” How many thoughts are we to take captive in order to obey Christ? That’s right every thought...all of them. And this is why. This is how our brains work. When we think the same things over and over, our brain is designed to make a solid path so that thought is easier and faster the next time. This is how we are able to learn to do things and remember them faster the next time we need to do them. However, this design can work against us when we understand that negative thought patterns work the same way. Essentially every time you think about something, you make connections within your brain that make it more likely you’ll head down that same thought path again and soon. So, when you encounter a problem and think “I can’t deal with this,” pretty soon you’ll be hearing that a lot more often in your head. Your brain behaves as though you’d like to access that thought quickly and makes a path for you to do so. However, “I can’t deal with this” is not the most helpful thought to think on repeat, especially when you’re trying to be in alignment with God’s thoughts on the subject. Let’s look at what the word says about how to deal with these thoughts so we can know how to stay in alignment with God. We’ll start with something that we can all relate to. Worry and anxiety seem to be a constant companion for a lot of believers. Why is that? According to the bible, that’s not supposed to be happening to us at all. And yet almost every week I have conversations with Christians who want me to pray for them because they are struggling with worry and anxiety over a
situation. That’s why you keep hearing me talk about this. It’s a wide spread issue, even among growing disciples. Could it be that we are out of alignment with God’s thoughts on the subject? Let’s look again at what His word says. Matthew 6:25 “25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? This is the beginning of the passage that ends with the verse I quote as our foundational concept of seeking the kingdom. The context is all about not being anxious about this physical world and what you need in it. Matthew 6:33 “33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Here’s another famous one. Philippians 4:6-7 “6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” Verse 6 gives us the entire list of things that we can be anxious about...nothing. It says we are not supposed to be anxious about anything. But that is easier said than done isn’t it? There are a couple of keys to how we can do that. We have to shift our focus from the problem to the solution. It says we are to bring our requests to God in prayer. But did you see what else we are supposed to bring? Thanksgiving. As we bring our requests to God in prayer, we are to be thankful to Him for the answer He’s already paid for and provided for us.
When we follow that process did you notice what the result will be? The peace of God will guard your heart and mind. Where did we say a minute ago that your negative words come from? That’s right...your heart and mind. Do you want the peace of God guarding your heart and mind? If His peace is guarding your heart, what do you think it’s keeping watch over? It’s the alignment with His heart. The next couple of verses actually provide a list of things we can shift our focus to instead of continuing to focus on our negative thoughts. Use them to align your spirit with the Holy Spirit. Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, 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. 9 The things which ye both learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things do: and the God of peace shall be with you. I knew someone who had a very difficult struggle with anxiety. It was debilitating to the point of not wanting to even leave home. Once they got ahold of these verses it changed their life. The way they did it was by doing exactly what these verses say to do. They made a list of things in their life that were true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, of a good report, virtuous and praiseworthy. Then they made copies of that list and put in places around their house so they could constantly be reminded to think on these things. It wasn’t overnight, but as they developed this habit of focusing on the right things the anxiety broke off of them.
Thinking about the right things and focusing our mind on God’s goodness is basically preaching to ourselves. That’s why I say it’s not enough to just come and listen to me once a week. When the Bible talks about meditating on God’s Word, preaching to yourself is what It’s talking about. When you are meditating on a verse that applies to your situation, you are aligning your thoughts with God’s thoughts. One of the first times the Bible mentions meditation is in Joshua. Joshua 1:8 and it reads, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” In these verses, the focus of the meditation is on the words of Scripture. The Psalms also mentions meditating God’s unfailing love Psalm 48:9 "We have thought on Your lovingkindness, O God, In the midst of Your temple.” God’s works and all his mighty deeds Psalm 77:12 “I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.” God’s precepts and his ways Psalm 119:15 “I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.” Meditation is the practice of saying something over and over until it becomes your natural first thought concerning that topic. When a difficult situation comes against you, what is your first thought? Is it “What am I going to do?” Or is it, “If God is for me, who can be against me?”
Do you struggle with words to yourself? If you do, do they pull you off the road, down a path that’s hard to recover from? Do you believe that you’re going through something so bad that gives you a reason to be down on yourself?
I know it can feel that way sometimes, but I believe today will help you know how to align your thoughts with God, and that will turn things around.
So how do we reverse directions in our mind when we start having negative self thoughts?
Here are a few steps to get you started changing your thoughts:
Ask yourself: Is what I’m thinking agreeing with the truth of God’s word?
If it doesn’t: Don’t let those thoughts continue to run through your mind unchecked. Notice your negative thought loop, and then mentally call it out every time you realize it.
Memorize Scriptures to meditate on, and replace your negative thought loop with truth. As you meditate and repeat that Scripture you will begin to rewire your mind.
You can start by using this passage that tells you how much God thinks about you. Psalm 139:17-18 “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.” Can you number the grains of sand at the beach? No? Well, that’s how many precious thoughts God has about you.
Who am I according to God? Am I valuable to Him? Consider the 23rd Psalm. Psalm 23 “1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” That is why God deserves our worship with gratitude. The worship and thanksgiving you give to God is not based on your circumstances. He is worthy of our worship regardless of your situation, so focus on who He is, what He’s done and what He thinks about you. Just remember the 23rd Psalm. You don’t have to fear evil, even when you’re walking through its territory. The rod of the Good Shepherd is always there for your protection. He is actually preparing a table for you to celebrate right in front of your enemies. You are anointed and your blessings overflow! The goodness of God is running after you all the days of your life! These are the thoughts that will keep your spirit in alignment with the Holy Spirit and keep you moving forward in your spiritual growth.
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