Joel Osteen - Removing Infected Thinking
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I want to talk to you today about Removing Infected Thinking. We all have to deal with thoughts of doubt, worry and insecurity. Thoughts that tell us "You're not going to get well. You'll never break the addiction. You can't accomplish your dream". It's just a thought, seems harmless, but the truth is negative thoughts are like infection. If you make the mistake of dwelling on them, letting it play over and over, it's like you're inviting it in, you're giving it permission to become a reality. What's holding many people back is their thinking is infected. Studies show that 47% of adults cognitive time is spent ruminating on bad things that have happened in the past, or worried about what might happen in the future.
Nearly half of our time we have the negative dominating our thoughts. We wonder why we don't have joy, don't have peace, why we feel stuck? It's the infection. "Well, Joel, I don't think I'll ever get well", that's an infected thought. "Well, I've made too many mistakes. God could never bless me now", that infection is distorting your vision. "I'm not attractive, I don't have a good personality". As long as the infection is there, it's going to limit your life.
The scripture (2 Corinthians 10:5) says to "Bring every thought into captivity". You have to lock up those negative thoughts. Don't give them free reign in your mind. They may seem harmless, but you need to see them in a new light: they're infectious, they will poison your attitude, contaminate your self-image, cloud your vision. Has your thinking become infected? Are there areas in your life where you believe you're not talented enough, come from the wrong family, you could never live in that nice neighborhood? That's all infection. You were created to live happy, healthy, to rise higher. The good news is: you can get rid of the infection. It may have held you back, but it's not permanent. Start locking up those thoughts. Quit dwelling on all the negative, discouraging, destructive. Start filling your mind with thoughts of hope, thoughts of faith, thoughts of victory.
I have some friends that decided to re-sod their front yard. Their grass was never really healthy, so they dug it all up and had a truckload of grass delivered. They spent several days laying it out, and making sure it was level, and had plenty of water. One night the husband noticed a new mole on his wife's shoulder, just a little bump, looked like a freckle. And wife looked at it and was surprised that it came up that fast, but she dismissed it, thought no big deal. Couple of weeks went by and just a to be safe she went to the dermatologist. He looked at it and said "This isn't a mole, this is a tick". It had become embedded under her skin. He removed the tick, and of course she's very relieved. Well, fast forward 2 years she started having so much fatigue, she was tired, have to take a nap during the day.
This is a very talented high energy successful woman, she never had to take a nap. Her muscles started aching, she was so sore, it's hard to get out of bed in the morning. She started not being able to remember things, foggy thinking. She went and took test after test, trying to find out what was wrong. They finally diagnosed her with Lyme Disease. Lime Disease comes from a tick bite. When a tick is not removed within 24 hours, it can release infection into the bloodstream. These parasites that invade the organs and cells. They live and grow, and causing all these symptoms: fatigue, joint pain, neurological problems.
What's interesting is you don't feel a tick bite, doesn't hurt. It's not like you got stung by a bee, and there's this pain and discomfort. You never knew it happened. A tick is the size of a poppy seed, just a little tiny insect. You would think, "This is harmless, it could not stop me", yet that little tick Carries such powerful infection, it can become debilitating.
It's the same principle in our thoughts: they can seem harmless, just a little whisper, "You're not valuable. You're not as smart as your cousin. You'll never overcome this problem". It's not some big announcement, some great offense where it's so obvious. The enemy is very subtle. Just like that tick, you don't feel the bite, you hardly even know it happened, it's it's just a suggestion. But if you let that thought stay and you start to dwell on it, "Maybe I'm not worthy. Maybe I have seen my best days. And maybe I don't have the talent that I need", before long, that little lie is going to create major infection. It's going to poison your self-image, contaminate your attitude, distort your vision. The scripture says "It's the little foxes that spoil the vines".
With the tick, if you remove it within 24 hours, then it can't release the parasites that infect the organs and cause all that damage. It's important to deal with thoughts quickly. Don't let them linger in your mind. Thoughts create images, then you start to see what you're thinking. If you dwell on that thought, "You're never going to get well, you saw the medical report", before long you'll see yourself going downhill, you'll see yourself at your own funeral. "Well, you'll never meet the right person, you'll always be single", if you let that infection take root, you'll see yourself 80 years old still single, lonely, discouraged.
Do yourself a favor: remove that thought quickly. May seem harmless, just a little discouragement. No, thoughts can carry infection, thoughts can contaminate your future. That's why the scripture tells us to guard our mind. You can't stop negative thoughts from coming, but you can stop them from staying. If my friends would have known that was a tick, they would have pulled it off immediately, they wouldn't have thought twice. That's the way we need to see discouraging thoughts, "No, thanks, you're not welcome here, you got to go". The longer we wait, the more damage, the more infection.
When I was 12 years old, one summer day I went to play baseball with my friends. And we rode our bikes down to the fields, they were next to the boat knocks. And after playing a couple of hours, we were so hot and sweaty, one of my friends said "Let's go jump in the river and cool off". Well, my mother always told me not to get in that river, it was too dirty, but all my friends took off running, and I followed right behind them. We jumped off the docks, and swam about 15 minutes, and felt so good and refreshing. I waited a couple of hours before I went back home, so my shorts would dry, nobody would know what I did. Well, that night I took a shower and was about to go to bed, my mother said, "Joel, what is all over your back"? I couldn't see anything, I had 24 ticks on my back. The next hour she picked every one of them out. I learned my lesson: even it's 150°, I am not getting in that river.
But what's funny is my brother Paul swam there many times, he never got one. I guess tick even know what tastes good, but... With a tick it doesn't do any harm unless it attaches itself to what's called a host. It needs an animal or a person. By itself the tick won't do any damage, but when it finds a host it feeds off their blood, that's what causes it to grow. There are three stages of its development. When it first finds a host, it's too small to have any effect, but as long as it's receiving nourishment from the host, they call it a blood meal, then it'll progress to the next stage. When it reaches that final stage, then it can release the infection into the bloodstream.
Same way in our thinking: when negative thoughts come, the enemy needs a host, he needs someone that will welcome that thought, entertain it and make it feel comfortable. He brings thoughts of fear, worry, doubt, waiting to see: will you take it? Will you host it? He has that thought, "You'll never rise any higher, man, you've seen your best days", those thoughts won't do any harm if you don't welcome them, you don't dwell on it. The only power he has is when he finds someone to accept, to host and to believe. This is the one time it's good to be a bad host. You have to say "Hey tick, hey worry, hey defeat, you are not welcome here. You're not going to feed off of any of me. You're not getting my nutrients, my faith, my joy, my vision. You have to starve the negative thoughts, they have no effect if you don't feed them".
But think about that tick: feeding off of your own blood only to turn around and infect you. It's trying to develop into a stage where it can release the parasites. If the host is not aware, if the host is passive and complacent, then like what with my friends, years later they're dealing with very difficult issues. Could have been avoided if they had recognized it was a tick, not a mole. If they had removed it sooner, it wouldn't have caused this infection.
I know a man that was told by his high school counselor that he wasn't smart enough to go to college, that he should pursue some kind of career that had to do with working with his hands. The counselor was basically telling him "You're not that that talented, you had a disadvantage. Don't expect much out of life". This young man was 17 years old, he didn't know any better. He believed that lie that he was not up to par. Sometimes the enemy will use people to try to plant the infection, to try to discourage you, speak defeat, tell you what you can't do. Here's the key: those thoughts don't have any power unless you give them power, they need a host, they need someone to welcome them, to feed them, then they'll grow and become a reality. But what people say about you doesn't determine who you are, it's what you agree with, it's what you entertain, what you make comfortable. If you're comfortable with doubt, fear, insecurity, then it's going to stay.
That's what this young man did, he became a great host. He lived feeling inadequate, inferior. And for years he worked at the local factory in town, the same position, never rising higher. His friends around him were being promoted, going further, he was stuck at the same level. 30 years later the factory closed, went out of business. He went across town to another factory to apply for a job. Well, they had a requirement that you had to take an iq test. He took the test and scored at a genius level. The person conducting it said: he had scored the highest of anyone in their 63-year history. That day a stronghold was broken in his mind. All those thoughts telling him he wasn't good enough, talented enough, smart enough, he realized they were lies. That was infection that was keeping him from who he was created to be. He had to remove the infection.
That company hired him not at an entry level position, but as a manager over the whole department, he had hundreds of people under him. He eventually started his own company, went on to invent several products that are patented and very successful. It's amazing what will happen when you remove the infection. "Joel, I don't think I'll ever be successful, I'm limited by my lack of education, my background, by my talent". Can I tell you? Those are infected thoughts. You're hosting the wrong things. You're feeding that tick, the very one that's poisoning your future. Quit hosting defeat, quit hosting mediocrity, you have greatness in you, you are made in the image of Almighty God. He has crowned you with his favor, he has empowered you for your assignment. Now, start hosting the right things: faith, favor, confidence, victory.
This is what I had to do when my father went to be with the Lord. I knew I was supposed to step up and pastor the church, but I didn't feel qualified. My father was so powerful, had so much experience, he was compelling, articulate, bigger than life. I bought into that lie that I could never be what my father is, I could never stand up and speak in front of people. I didn't know any better, I was feeding that infection. I was discounting myself thinking, "I'm at a disadvantage. I didn't get what daddy got. I didn't get the courage, the charisma, the vision". The fact fact is: it was in me, but I was hosting the wrong thoughts. I was making fear comfortable, intimidation welcome, what I can't do, how I don't have the talent, nobody's going to listen to me. I would not be up here today if I had not gotten the infection out. I had to clear out all the toxins, all that can't do it, not able, not good enough thoughts. I started reprogramming my mind with what God says about me: I am strong in the Lord. I can do all things through Christ. I'm equipped, empowered, anointed.
I started hosting faith, courage, victory. When I changed what I was welcoming, that's when I stepped up to levels that I never imagine. The enemy would love to keep you from your greatness. Often it starts with little thoughts, like that tick, you don't even feel the bite, just something subtle, "You're not as good as your father". The truth is: you're not competing with anyone else. You have what you need to fulfill your destiny. Quit comparing your life to others or your looks, your gifts, your personality. You are one of a kind, a designer original. When God made you he threw away the mold. You have everything you need to accomplish your assignment.
This is what was holding Gideon back in the scripture. He was hiding in the wine press, afraid of the enemy army that was around their city. And an angel showed up and said (judges 6:12, 14), "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you. You are to deliver the people of Israel from the Midianites". Gideon was confused, he thought, "Who's this angel talking about? I'm not a mighty hero, I'm afraid, I'm intimidated". He said to the angel (judges 6:15), "How can I lead the people? I come from the smallest tribe in all of Israel, and I'm the least one in my father's house". Notice what he's been hosting: least, smallest, disadvantage, not enough. When the enemy plants his lies, if you welcome it, make it comfortable, it's going to become a reality. Gideon saw himself as limited, when in fact he was a mighty hero. One translation calls him "A man of fearless courage". He had to do what I'm asking us to do, to remove the infection. He had to lock up those thoughts telling him everything he wasn't, and start believing who God said he was.
He changed his mindset, and he went on to lead the Israelites to defeat armies much larger, and to become one of the heroes of faith. This would have never happened if someone had not told him that his thinking was infected. Like Gideon, lies have come to us all to try to keep that mighty hero from coming out. You have to ask yourself, "Who told me I'm not smart enough to go to college? Who told me I don't deserve to be blessed? Who told me I'm not attracted? Who told me that I'll never break this addiction"? I can assure you, it was not God. That's infection. Like that tick that poisoned my friend, you have to remove it. Quit feeding your fears, quit feeding the guilt, feeding the doubt. Start feeding your faith, feed what God says about you. That's why we start off every service saying, "I am who God says I am. I am blessed, I am talented, I am healthy, I am valuable, I am strong, I am prosperous, I am victorious".
One of the best ways to clear up the infection is to declare who God says you are. "Well, Joel, this sounds good, but I think I've been through too many hurts to be happy again. Somebody walked out on me or I had a rough childhood". It's easy to have a victim mentality, think that we'll live a broken, wounded life. As long as you're hosting the hurts, and hosting the brokenness, then you're feeding the infection. That tick so to speak is going to get stronger and release more poison. Now, that thing has sucked enough life out of you, it's time to change what you're hosting. "God, you said you have beauty for these ashes. That you would pay me back double for the unfair things. That what was meant for harm you're turning to my advantage". That's how you clear up the infection: feed your faith, and starve all the negative.
And yes, a person may have walked away, but God didn't walk away. If they left you, you didn't need. Them their part in your story was over, God has someone better coming. Now, I know that hurt is real, it's not easy, but that's not how your story ends. The enemy would love for you to stay infected, and hold on to the hurt, nurse the wounds. That's feeding the very thing that's poisoning you. Do yourself a favor: get rid of that tick, quit letting it contaminate your life. You have a destiny to fulfill.
Numbers 13, Moses sent 12 men to spy out the Promised Land, and 10 of them came back and said (Numbers 13:32, 33), "Moses, we don't have a chance. The people are huge. We were in our own sights as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sights". They didn't say, "They called us grasshoppers, they insulted us". They said, "We were in our own sights as grasshoppers". They went in with a grasshopper mentality, their thinking was infected. Wasn't that the people were too big, they had just seen God part the Red Sea, drown their enemies, change the Pharaoh's mind. They could look back and see the faithfulness of God, but when you let infection in and you start believing doubt, and fear, not able to, too much, even though like Gideon, God calls you a mighty hero, that infection is going to cloud your vision, weaken your faith.
They never did make it into the Promised Land. Infected thinking will keep you from your destiny. Guilt, shame, down on yourself, that's infection. Low self-esteem, inferior, not good enough, those are all lies. God calls you a masterpiece. "Well, this giant's too big, Joel. The sickness is too great. The addiction too strong". You're feeding the wrong thing. Quit hosting the doubt. No more welcoming the fear, get rid of that grasshopper thinking, and you'll make it end to your Promised Land.
There was a young boy, raised by a single parent mother, living in the hills of Tennessee. And this was years ago, and in this small community children born to unwed mothers were really looked down on, and almost seen as second class. When he was three years old, the neighbors wouldn't allow him to play with their children. They would hear things like "What's he doing in our town" and wonder who his father is, they were treated with shame and disrespect. And on Saturdays he would go up with his mother to the local store, and invariably people would make disparaging remarks, loud enough that they could hear it, things like "There they are again. Did you ever figure out who his father is"?
This little boy grew up feeling unworthy, always being ridiculed, thinking something was wrong with him. Sometimes our thinking is infected from things that were no fault of our own: how we were raised, what people said. A hurtful situation that you had no control over. The good news is: God is not going to leave you wounded. He's not going to let you stay infected. Like with Gideon, he's going to send someone or something to help you remove that infection.
At 12 years old a new minister moved into town to pastor the local church. He's a young minister, very gifted and passionate, everyone was so excited. This young boy at 12 had never been to church. One Sunday he decided to go hear this new minister everyone kept talking about. Got there late, and snuck in the back so no one would notice. As he listened that day, he felt a love and an acceptance that he had never felt before, like he was valuable and wanted. As he was leaving, the minister was at the door, greeting everyone. And he saw the young man, he'd never met him, didn't know anything about him, but he noticed that he wasn't with anyone. The minister greeted him very friendly, then he said "Young man, tell me whose child are you". Everyone froze, you could hear a pin drop. That was the question they'd all been wanting to ask.
The boy didn't know what to say, he'd heard all the talk about how he was an outcast, the child with no father, so he just put his head down and stood there silently. The minister realized something was wrong that he knew nothing about. He pulled the young boy close and said "Oh, I know who your father is. I can see the resemblance so strongly, you're a child of Almighty God". That day a stronghold was broken off of his life. All that infection that had clouded his future and damaged his sense of worth, that begin to clear up. He started seeing himself as valuable, as worthy, as talented. 30 years later that young boy was elected governor of Tennessee. If you were to ask him, ben hooper would tell you: the day he really got elected was the day that minister told him who his father was.
I wonder if there's some kind of infection in your thinking, what people have said, what you've been through, lies the enemy has planted. You didn't know better, you let the tick stay, you've been feeding the infection, welcoming the insecurity, hosting the guilt, thinking that's the way it's always going to be. No, today is your day to be free. That infection is about to clear up. Things that are poisoning your joy, your attitude, your creativity, they are being broken right now. Healing is coming, wholeness, freedom and victory.
Now, do your part: no more feeding the negative, no more dwelling on the lies that you're at a disadvantage, "You can't get well, you've seen your best days". Starve all that and start feeding your faith, start hosting what God says about you, "You're valuable. You're worthy. You're victorious". If you'll do this, I believe and declare: every wrong mindset is being broken. Strongholds are coming down. Grasshopper mentalities are leaving. All that infection is clearing up. Like Gideon, you're going to rise higher, accomplish dreams and become the mighty hero you were created to be, in Jesus name. If you receive it, can you say amen? Amen!