Pastor Mark Schwarzbauer PhD Family Worship Center

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

Part One: Those Stubborn Think Stains

Thomas Kinkade Painter of Light

Thomas Kinkade -- loved by many, loathed by art critics” 4/9/12 LA Times “critics reserved a special contempt for Kinkade.” Saccharine ~ heavy-handed with Christian imagery ~ epitome of mediocre ~ commercial ~ tacky ~ His brother Patrick said Thomas struggled with alcohol, but had been sober. One reason for his relapse… “low opinion of his work by critics.”

Stubborn think stains of words- sticks and stones.

Our problems start in our thought life “Mind like a steel trap.” The words that cut and shape our lives. The voices of the past that play back. What you tell yourself and the thoughts your entertain.

Our problems are greatly exacerbated in this technological age by the extremely high volume of good sounding but dangerously misleading philosophy permeating the internet and our culture.

“The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid. Otherwise it is more akin to a sewer, taking in all things equally.”— G.K. Chesterton

In the study of logic, The Law of Non-Contradiction says that no two contradictory statements can both be true at the same time in the same sense. Sadly. in the promotion of “tolerance”, people have tossed logic aside; pretending to have open minds they espouse irrational thinking and then wonder why they have dysfunctional living. Pastor Mark Schwarzbauer

If you are experiencing dysfunctional living you need to address your irrational thinking

Brain Change Starts with

You can change your life by changing your thoughts You can change your life by changing your thoughts. This is not pop psychology; this is the truth from Proverbs 23:7 “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established.”

Your Commitment determines your thoughts… (PM)

Your Faith determines your Commitment(PM)

Your Faith Determines your Commitment Your Commitment determines your thoughts Your Thoughts determine your behaviors Your behaviors determine your habits Your habits determine your character Your Character determines your destiny

The real questions you need to ask are... What lies do you believe from others? What lies do you tell yourself? What contradictory or false beliefs have your accepted? What is your source of authority for your beliefs about yourself?

Part Two: Brillo For the Brain

God’s desire is that His Word the Bible takes true and total authority in your life.

We can say we believe His Word but if we let other people determine what we believe about ourselves we are not really letting Jesus be Lord.

We can say we believe His word but if we let our feelings control us we are not really letting Jesus be Lord.

“If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.” Augustine.

We need to be committed to the Bible as our sole rule of faith and practice.

We need to use the Bible to filter what we hear and see on social media, the Internet, TV, radio and in daily interaction.

Brillo for the Brain… Psalm 119:9 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” (Clean up your way by filtering through God’s Word). Ephesians 5:25-27. Scrub the garbage away.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 FIGHT! Cast down the arguments and anything that says something different than God. Get ride of those stubborn think stains. Bring your thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Choose God and His Word as your authority.