Allen Jackson - Thoughts, Words, and Reality - Part 2
Praise will silence the enemy, which is a very, very, very powerful tool. If you can silence your enemy. You know how powerful that is, to shut down the opposition? Psalm 8 and verse 2 says, «From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger». Wow, we have underestimated this. In Revelation 12, it says, «The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down». It’s a scene in Revelation of the throne of God and Satan is portrayed, presented to us. One of the titles given to him is the accuser of the brethren.
In the book of Job, you get a little snapshot of that. Satan presents himself with the angels of light, critical of Job, attacking Job, diminishing Job. You know that battle. Forget how Satan got to heaven with the, you know, sometimes I’m fascinated at how we process this stuff. I’ve been in multiple Bible studies where we spend the whole time discussing how Satan managed to appear with the angels of light, and does he have access to the throne of God? I mean, I’m okay with the questions, but here’s the reality. Satan puts all kinds of thoughts in your head on a very regular basis, and I would submit to you, it’s far more important to know what to do with the ungodly thoughts that will cripple our momentum and our growth than it is to answer every theological nuance and subtlety that you can find with the persistent study of scripture, and I’m an advocate for the persistent study of scripture.
You know, I told you the funny story. I read the article about a doctor that’s explained why David could kill Goliath because he had a rare endocrine disease, and one of the symptoms was a bony protuberance on his forehead where his cranium would have been thinner and therefore more vulnerable to a stone slung from a sling, and I thought, wow. You know the miracle in that to me? That the little shepherd kid several miles away on the other side of the valley could see this guy and recognized he had a pituitary problem and a high degree of probability that there was a bony protuberance, which would make him more vulnerable to a stone slung from his sling, 'cause I’m thinking for a 15 year old, that’s a lot of deductive reasoning.
None of the soldiers of the Israelite camp got it, sometimes we read our Bibles with this academic, stoic perspective, and I like to learn, but I’m far more interested in how we can give application to this. How do we silence the enemy? There’s another scene of heaven in the book of Revelation in the 5th chapter. I gave it to you. John says, «I looked and I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand». It’s 100 million. That’s a lot. Ten million, it’s a lot. «They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and in a loud voice, in a loud voice they sang, 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! '» But it’s not done. «Then I heard every creature in heaven and on the earth and under the earth,» every creature, «on the sea, and all that’s in them singing».
Some point everything’s gonna sing, and here’s the chorus. «'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! '» So if you’re walking through a tough patch, if your garden doesn’t look like it’s gonna have very, it’s not gonna be very fruitful, you don’t have to be any more sophisticated than to take those words and make 'em your own. «'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise, '» and, «'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever.'»
I’ve taken those phrases and said them repetitively for some long periods of time, until I could have enough emotional healing or enough emotional revitalization that it would change the spirit within me. I’m not talking about the spirit that resides within me. But I’m talking about the attitude that seemed to be prevailing within me. So I’m in a difficult place or my circumstances are bad or I’ve been mistreated or I get it. Most of you have enough maturity that you don’t make bad emotional responses without some significant triggers, and you could be legitimate, you can justify your responses, but it isn’t helpful. It isn’t helpful.
We have to have a change of thought and a change of the words that come from that change of thought in order to get to a different future. And I really think all of this grows out of this fundamental idea of guarding your heart. Again, not new to us. We’ve talked about this a great deal. Proverbs 4:23 is a foundational verse. «Above all else, guard your heart, it’s the wellspring of life». Before you guard anything else, before you worry about the security for your children, think about the security for your heart, 'cause if your heart’s not secured, you won’t be able to protect your kids. Before you think about your financial security or your home or your car or whatever, your digital security, LifeLock, guard your heart.
And I’m not even sure we’d be comfortable with the topic. Well, what do you, what do you mean? And I don’t mean your pump in the center of your being. It’s the wellspring of your life. It’s the center of your person. It’s so important. There’s some simple things you can do, and it really, the part I love about this discussion is it’s so available to us. You don’t have to know Greek or Hebrew. You don’t have to be a biblical scholar. You don’t have to have 40 years of tenure. You could start wherever you are chronologically in your journey through time or chronologically in your spiritual maturity, and a significant component of this is stop grumbling and complaining. I mean, be determined.
When you hear yourself complain, «I won’t do that». «What’d you say»? «Nothing». You can’t afford the luxury of that kind of activity. When you choose to grumble and complain, understand you are intentionally accumulating baggage and trying to run. In Hebrews it says that we want to throw off everything that so easily entangles us. When we choose to grumble and complain, we are purposefully stacking baggage. The choice will lead us to thinking patterns which will take us on destructive detours in our lives. «Well, I have a right to complain. I have a right to grumble». Well, you may have circumstances that give you some license or some content or some talking points, but to say you have a right. You have the privilege of choosing that, God’s given you that, but I’m telling you, if you open that door, you’re forfeiting something or you’re taking a detour that is going to require more. I’ve paid all the stupid tax I really care to.
Establish the habit in your life of giving thanks. If a group just the size of our little community of faith in, that gathers in this place would do that, we would unleash a force of thankfulness that would change not only our personal hearts and our homes, it would impact our community. It is a powerful spiritual force. It begins with your thoughts and grappling with this reality that I’m just not going to accept every thought. I’m not gonna give license to it. «Well, it’s generated by my experience. It’s generated by my family system. It’s generated by the things that have happened to me. I can tell you why I think this way».
That doesn’t make it good. Doesn’t mean it’s most helpful. We’re gonna have to take the discipline and the determination to allow what God has said and the pathways that he’s put in front of us, but to begin to help us recalibrate how we think, and thus what we say, and ultimately, what we’re becoming. The influence of ideas is significant. 2 Corinthians 10, verse 3, «For though we live in the world, we don’t wage war as the world does». That’s interesting. We live in a world that’s defined by conflict, right? Put your your finger about any place on the map. If it’s not a military conflict, there’s certainly an ideological conflict tearing apart our nation.
I’ve heard some of the most horrendous things said about those families that have lost their children in Texas. I cannot believe civilized human beings will say those things in front of a camera. And yet I choose to thank the Lord. I mean, there is a conflict, and it’s not unique here, it’s all over the earth. Says we live in the world but we don’t wage war as the world does. If you’re fighting like your secular friends, if your responses to your life and your life circumstances in the world in which you find yourself, or if you’re taking your coaching from secular people, the Bible says you’re foolish because it says the beginning, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
Why would you take life coaching from people who don’t fear or respect God? That makes no sense. It’s like hiring a fool to write you a life plan. And they may be celebrated by many secular systems, but if in God’s economy, if in God’s evaluation, they say someone is foolish, I tend to go with the Lord. We don’t wage war as the world does. We’re in a different economy, a different set of boundaries. «The weapons we fight with aren’t the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds».
I want to know how to demolish spiritual strongholds. It says, «We demolish arguments and every pretension». Pretense is an assertion of an idea, «that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ». That’s easy to read, it’s not even that difficult to commit to memory, but I’m here to tell you, to live that out takes some real focus. It takes some real determination. I will not give my thoughts to that. I’m not running that scenario through my head on an endless loop. And if I can’t, sometimes it’s hard to discipline your thoughts. I’ll have to use my words to override my thoughts. If I can’t get my thoughts to be quiet, I’ll just start saying, «Lord, I wanna thank you that you’re faithful».
And I will give, I can’t do anything else, I’ll go get some of those, like the passage I read you from Revelation 5. I’ll go get it out and start to read it, and I will put that, I won’t let it come out of my mouth until I can shut down the narrative that’s roaring through my head. It’s not simple, but it’s worthwhile. Your thoughts and your words and what you’re becoming are connected. Be intentional with what you give energy and thought to. Philippians 4, «Don’t be anxious about anything,» oh sure, no problem, «but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God».
We can nag God endlessly, but are we willing to be thankful? And then there’s this crazy promise, the peace of God which transcends all understanding. There’s a peace that can’t be explained. There’s a peace that isn’t logical. How can you be at peace? This isn’t peaceful. Well, I’ve arrived at a place where if God doesn’t help me, there’s no hope. Several years ago, it’s been a while now, so our offices were still at Leadership Park. We were planning an expansion of the church, and I had a meeting with accountants and people, and they were sharing every possible thing that could go wrong. We had big sheets of poster board paper slapped all, I mean, it was, and my phone rang, I don’t know, and I picked it up it was a friend of mine, and he said, «What are you doing»?
I said, «Well, I’m in a room with a group of people trying to convince me why we shouldn’t do anything. What do you think»? And he asked me, he said, «Well, are you gonna keep working»? And I said, «Well, I guess». He said, «I mean, are you really gonna keep working? Are you gonna try to find a way to quit»? This was a few years ago. I said, «No, I guess I’m gonna keep working». He said, «Well, do you think, God’s still helping you»? And I said, «Well, yeah, I guess so». And he said, «Well then, shut up and do it». He said, «It’s so far beyond you anyway, you know you can’t do it unless God helps. And if you’re gonna do your part and God’s still helping, shut up and do it».
So I hung up the phone and said, «Take the paper off the walls, we’ve got an assignment». «Don’t be anxious about anything». «And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus». And don’t be foolish. I’ve lived long enough and I’ve been around spirit-filled Christians long enough, you know, when you’re foolish and you don’t have a plan and you don’t do your part, and then you drag God into it, that’s not faith. You know, do you believe in medicine or prayer? Yes. Yes, I’m grateful God’s made health care available to us, but I can’t imagine going to the doctor and not praying. And I don’t mean I go into them.
You know, again, we get so weird. Don’t be weird. You’re not spiritual, you’re weird. You know, people say, «I went to the doctor and they didn’t pray for me». No kidding! I mean, it’s really odd that they go to the doctor and go, «Oh, you know, I’m a believer. Would it be all right if I prayed»? How about pray before you get to visit that poor physician? If they’re a Christ follower and the Spirit of God is in… they will recognize the Spirit of God in you, and if they’re not, you being weird is not gonna win them to the Lord. Come on! We don’t need this pseudo spirituality, this hyper whatever, baloney stuff. I’m over it.
There’s a real battle going on, and the outcomes are gonna determine destinies of generations of what our children and grandchildren are going to inherit, and we’re either gonna be fruitful and bear fruit as Christ followers, or have empty language, or some pseudo hyper-spirituality that doesn’t produce anything, or we’re gonna be really fruitful for the kingdom of God, and to do that we’re gonna have to change how we think and what we’re willing to give our voice to, and that will write us an entirely different future. It says that we don’t have to be anxious about anything, but in everything with praise and thanksgiving make our request known to God, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds.
Wow. Is it safe to say some of us have taken our guards down? And then he gives us some very practical, it’s so practical. «Whatever is true, and whatever is noble, and whatever is right, and whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, think about these things». You know how much that would change your dialogue? Don’t say anything about anybody until you’ve gone through the checklist. Noble, right, pure, lovely. «Well, you know, I know they’re a nice person, but». We jump out of the checklist. What you think has so much significance on what we’re becoming.
2 Thessalonians 1, «We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing». How many of you think everybody in the church in Thessaloniki was growing in the Lord? No, because that’s not how people work. But Paul says, «We ought to always thank God for you. We know the right thing to do is to be thankful for you because your faith is growing and the love you have for one another is increasing. In fact, we boast about you. We tell stories of your perseverance and your faith in the midst of the persecutions and trials».
Wait a minute. I thought they were growing, and they’re being persecuted and weeded out. It fascinates me what Paul is determined to believe about a church. It’d been so easy to write that, «I know you’re under tremendous pressure. I know you’re discouraged and disheartened. I don’t know how you’re making it, but I’m grateful you’re born again. I was just looking at your baptism pictures the other day. That was such a wonderful season». But that’s not what he says to them. Your faith is growing more and more, and the love you have for one another is increasing. In fact, amongst the churches of God, we tell you, we hold you up as an example. Oh yeah, I know you’re going through a time of real persecution, but it’s an example. James 1, «Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire».
I thought the devil did it. Flip Wilson told us that. Most of you aren’t old enough to know who Flip Wilson even was. «He’s dragged away and enticed, and then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it’s full-grown, gives birth to death». That’s an interesting life cycle, that the ungodly activity emerges from a thought. Well, if it’s true about ungodly activity, it’s equally true of godly activity. It emerges from a thought. Guard your hearts. How do you know what’s in your heart?
Jesus said, «Out of the abundance of the heart,» what happens? «Your mouth speaks». Guard your heart. Pay attention to your thoughts. When you’re struggling with your thoughts, choose your words so intentionally that you change the flow in your thoughts. If you have to be quiet, be quiet until you can change your heart. Folks, God is searching the earth for men and women who want to be fruitful. I meet them every week. They amaze me. It truly is amazing to me, the men and women I meet with an enthusiasm for God, and they’re telling their stories. From all over the nation, around the world, there are people choosing the Lord. I wanna be in that group. I truly do. I want there to be fruitfulness in my life.
In this season in my life, I’m very engaged in every way I know how, to be a part of an expanding community of faith and expanding message of the gospel, to celebrate the goodness of God, to acknowledge the truth. It’s important. It’s important, and it’s important for you. God is moving. Let’s have some summer fruit. It’s growing season. Lord, we’ve had so much rain. I met somebody, and I’m done, we’re gonna say that prayer, but I met somebody that moved here from Arizona, and I said, «Yeah, that green stuff is grass». Then they said to me, «Yeah, I had to buy a lawn mower».
This was about a month ago. You know, it was raining every day? And I said, «Oh, for God’s sakes, don’t fertilize it». And they said, «Too late». I said, «Oh, you’re mowing twice a week,» and they said, «Yes, I am». Said, «Wait 'til August, there’s hope». But I want our lives to be like that, amen. Stand with me. I brought you a prayer. It’s a short little prayer, but it’s a good one to tuck in if you’re having a battle in your heart. Listen, I know life isn’t fair. Evil exists. We watch it on our televisions every day. Liars flourish, wicked people have success.
David said, you know, «My foot almost slipped when I saw the prosperity of the wicked». «My foot almost slipped,» he said, «because I got to look in at the ungodly and the good things happen to them, and I just about lost my balance». It takes some real discipline to say, «Lord, I will give thanks to you. I will honor you. It may be my night in jail, but, God, I’m gonna honor you. There may be a riot. God, I’m gonna honor you». I brought you a prayer. Let’s read it together.
Heavenly Father, we rejoice today in your great faithfulness. You have delivered us from death and welcomed us into the Kingdom of your Son. Your faithfulness and care are a shield in our lives. In you we find strength and hope. Your Spirit leads and directs our way. Your Word brings light to our path. In the name of your Son, our Lord and King, we are free to serve the living God, amen.