Sermon Overview Scripture Passage: Psalm 119:9 It seems as though the chaos of this world is ever-increasing, day after day; when taking a closer look, the primary problem is the thoughts of man. We’ve seen this before in Scripture. Just before the Great Flood in Genesis, the thoughts of men’s hearts were shockingly wicked before the Lord. This is not a new problem, although it does seem to push new boundaries every day. We are constantly being exposed to narratives of violence, promiscuity, perversion and greed. No wonder our thoughts are out of control! Satan is very sinister, very clever and diabolically wicked. He wants to capture the hearts and minds of an entire generation; why? When Satan has your mind, he has you! Though it seems daunting, it is possible and imperative to control your thought life. First, there must be the purification of the mind. Your mind must be clean to begin with, and the Word of God is the cleansing agent. Jesus says in John 15:3, “Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The Word of God points us toward confession and repentance (the Greek word for “repentance” translates to mean “changing of the mind”). After your mind is clean, you must be determined to keep it clean. There is a battle for your mind. If you’re half-hearted, you will lose it. You must be serious about taking every thought captive and comparing it the truth of Scripture, before it captivates you. You must fiercely guard your heart with the Word of God. Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” It is the Word of God hidden in your heart that is the antidote to future temptation. Therefore, you must saturate yourself with the Word of God. When Scripture gets in your mind, it changes your attitude; your attitude determines your actions. Adrian Rogers says, “When you begin to meditate on God’s Word, then you become a second-nature Christian, which is your true nature, the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Apply it to your life Do you carefully consider the influences you allow to pollute your thoughts? Deep clean your mind today. Choose to meditate on Scripture. Memorize it, personalize it, verbalize it, vitalize it, and internalize it.
