How to Be the Greatest

Does your life represent an invitation to live or to die? We all should ask ourselves that question this afternoon. What does my life represent to myself and to others? In other words, does the way you live, does the way I live encourage life, or does it encourage death? Today I want to focus on one of the most serious problems in society and among God's people.

That is the problem of anxious care, fear, doubt, and human reasoning. The Bible identifies these four as four great enemies of faith, all of which can result in discouragement, apathy. It might be summed up in two words, mental depression. Discouragement, mental depression, we all have to deal with something along those lines from day to day. We're emerging from what's called the dog days of summer. Of course, we have emerged greatly today. We'll probably have a few more days to go, maybe two or three weeks. A time of applause, we're approaching the fall festival season. Just a few weeks, September 25th will be the Feast of Trumpets, not very long from today. Today is the 13th, about 12 days.

I would say that Satan hates the fall holy days, obviously he does, because they remind him of his fate. Especially the Feast of Atonement. There are two great opposites offered in the universe.

The two great opposites, life on the one hand and death on the other hand. These opposites are personalized by God the Father and Jesus Christ, who represent life and light. And then Satan and the demons, who represent sin and death. Sin and death and darkness.

So these two great opposites can be summarized as light versus darkness. God and Christ represent light and life. If you would, look at Deuteronomy 30 and verse 20. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 20. Why were you born? You were born because God is love.

God is filled with love and he wants to share who he is and what he is with humankind. That's why we were created, potential sons and daughters of God, to live eternally in the family of God. That's why we exist. That's why we were born. We were born to become sons and daughters of God on the God plane.

And with that knowledge in and of itself, I know that we all fall prey from time to time. Anxious care, fear, doubt, human reasoning, self-pity, discouragement, and all the many other things that might go with it because it is through many afflictions, Paul writes in one place, that will enter the kingdom of God. In Deuteronomy 30 and verse 20. That you may love the Lord your God and that you may obey his voice, that you may cleave unto him, for he is your life.

He's the one that created us and through him we move, we breathe, we have our being. That's what Paul says to the philosophers there on Mars Hill, as recorded in Acts 17. He is your life in the length of your days that you may dwell in the land, which the Lord swear unto the fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. We notice now in 1 John, not 1 John, but the Gospel of John, the Gospel of John, verse 1 of chapter 1, John 1.1. We're contrasting now life, light with what Satan has to offer.

In John 1.1, in the beginning was, the word was, is the equivalent, the English equivalent, to be, which means to exist. In the beginning, the word existed. That's what it's really saying. In existing in eternity, without father, without mother, without beginning or end of days. In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, showing relationship, and the word was God, showing identity. And then verse 4, in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not.

So God and Jesus Christ, who are our life, and in contrast, Satan and the demons represent death and darkness. You look at John 8.44. John 8.44. Ever since Satan rebelled and tried to take over the throne of God and drew a third of the angels with him, who became demons, he is called the author of sin and death. He is a murderer and a liar from the beginning. John 8.44. You are of your father the devil, speaking to the scribes and Pharisees.

Quite a discourse takes place here in John 8 between Jesus Christ and them. You are of your father, Satan the devil, and the lust of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, a bode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it. It says in 2 Corinthians 4.4 that if our gospel be hidden, it is hidden because the God of this world has blinded them that they should not believe the truth.

Satan and the demons represent death and darkness. Mental illness is a form of darkness, I suppose you would say, where the mind gets darkened and discouraged. It is one of the world's largest health problems. Over 15,000 mentally tormented people a year commit suicide. Over 200,000 try each year, and 2 million have tried. And of course, these statistics are a bit old. I'm sure it's more than that now. So many of the heinous crimes that are committed every day in this country can be traced back to some form of mental illness. And I submit to you that to a large degree, many forms of mental illness are related to the spiritual dimensions of life.

Human beings have a spiritual dimension that needs to be nurtured and nourished. Proverbs 16 and verse 32, let's go there, Proverbs 16 and verse 32. You could title this sermon, How to Be the Mightiest, because... or Great, How to Be the Greatest, I guess you could say. Proverbs 32, not Proverbs 32, Proverbs 16 and verse 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that rules his spirit than he that takes the city. Slow to anger is better than the mighty, he that rules his spirit than he that takes the city.

So this word here that has to do with your spirit. If you look at a Bible dictionary concordance, you'll find a long list of the possible meanings of spirit. Of course, if you put holy in front of it, it has to do with the very essence of God, the Holy Spirit. But the word spirit has a wide range of meanings. It can mean wind, breath, mind, or spirit. It also can mean courage, temper, anger, in other words, the emotional side of man. In this case, where it says he that controls his spirit is talking about the emotional side of man.

He that controls his emotions is greater than he that takes a city. It seems that some of us are born in what might be called high-spirited. I would consider myself a high-spirited person. It doesn't take a lot to set me off, but I quickly come back. Now, some people, you could explode a stick of dynamite behind them, and oh well, I guess he was just having early practice for 4th of July or something like that. So the temperament of people vary so greatly among us, and that's an interesting study in human behavior within itself. So many of the addictive behaviors that millions fall prey to stem from people trying to escape. From the feelings they harbor inside themselves, about themselves, about others, and life's problems.

Of course, there is so much of that with regard to our feelings, our emotions. Now, here we're talking about feelings, how I feel. And we do not want to be ruled just by how we feel, but how we feel is important. So the emotions can range from fantasizing about various things. That's one way that some people escape reality they dream about, never, never land.

Maybe they are out on some beautiful island watching the waves. Maybe they fantasize themselves walking on the water similar to the special music, but not by faith. It's some kind of fantasy, whatever the fantasy might be. So from fantasizing to indulging in drugs, alcohol, pornography. A recent survey showed that so-called Christian men, as high a percentage of Christians as non-Christians, indulge in pornography. It has been and is a problem in the Church of God, and something that will destroy you and your mate and your potential for happiness.

And of course, other forms of compulsive addictive behavior. Compulsive means it just feels like you've got to do it in order to have something inside your mind to be satisfied. And for some, the ultimate self-indulgence is suicide. Where a person somehow loses contact with reality to the point that they see no other way out but to take their own lives. I've done a few suicide funerals, most difficult of all. All three, of course, were in the Church. One was teen, one was early twenties, one was about forty, and I think there was another one.

And it's very sad in so many different ways. No person is immune, and no person always has perfect control of his spirit or his emotions. And suicide is not spontaneous. It's often associated with a backlog of disappointments and failures that are built up through the years. And one of the things that people who specialize in trying to help people control their emotions say is, don't try to bury your feelings. Deal with your feelings. I have here a long series of points about how to gain control of your emotions. And one of the main points has to do with face the feelings, deal with your feelings, hair your feelings, do not suppress your feelings.

Of course, one of the things that happens in family settings as children are growing up is that parents do not allow the children to express their feelings. And sometimes you hear, oh, you shouldn't feel that way or you shouldn't feel that way, but I do feel that way, so I can't just automatically snap my fingers and not feel the way I feel.

And neither can you, but you can suppress your feelings. And if feelings, emotions are not dealt with over a period of time, and that's one of the reasons why back a few years ago, I know I gave a sermon. I played a part of this. It was a sermon at the Feast of Tabernacles when we were meeting out here in the fieldhouse about all of a sudden, this woman, the kids were gone now, and daddy comes home and there's the note, and mama is gone, and mama is never coming back.

How that more and more people, more and more women in that age group, that is, in the 40 to 50, just after the kids are gone, they've had it up to here as they say, and they leave. They never dealt with their feelings in a proper way. And of course, sometimes it's true with men as well. It's interesting to note that depression oftentimes comes on after a great achievement, a great triumph in your life, like some people who eventually, maybe they get their doctor's degree or their law degree, or they just have a great achievement of some sort, some great victory, and then it's just like this, all the air and adrenaline goes out.

It happened with one of the great spiritual giants of all time. Let's note that in 1 Kings chapter 18, and verse 18, and I'm sure you're ahead of me now, Elijah, the prophet. Elijah had this confrontation with the priests of Baal. Of course, Jezebel and Ahab had set up this vast priesthood of Baal, and the whole nation of Israel was given over to the worship of Baal. And so Elijah was sent to Ahab. This is verse 17, verse 18-17. It came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah that Ahab sent him, are you he that troubles Israel?

I mean, why are you tormenting our poor little old priests to Baal? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house, and that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed Baal. Now therefore, send and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves, four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table, four hundred. There's 950 people that are devoted to this idolatrous worship of Baal.

We're going to have a showdown here, and we're going to see who is the true God. So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel. Elijah came unto all the people and said, How long shall you halt between two opinions? And if the Lord be God, follow him. But if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered, not a word. Then said Elijah unto the people, I even only I remain a prophet of the Lord.

Of course, he was wrong there, as Paul brings out in Romans 12, that God says that he is reserved unto himself. It's Romans 11 that he is reserved unto himself. And it says that here in Kings as well, who have not bowed their knee to Baal. And the test was to give us two bullocks and let them choose one bullock for themselves, cut it into pieces, lay it on the wood, address it, and see if they can bring down fire from heaven to consume this offering.

And they took it and did as they said. And the priests of Baal started with their ceremony, verse 26. They took the bullock which given them and they dressed it and called on the name of Baal from morning even unto noon, saying, O Baal, hear us, but there was no voice. Nor any that answered, but they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon that Elijah mocked them and said, Cry, cry loud, for it is a God. And either he is talking or he is pursuing or he is on a journey or a provincher, he's asleep. He might be taken a nap. He needs to be awakened from his nap.

Then, of course, Elijah came on the scene and told him to dig a trench, fill it with water. And Elijah then began to implore God to answer, and God did. And the water and all that was on the altar was consumed. You look at verse 40. And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal, take the prophets of Baal, let not one of them escape. And they took them, and Elijah brought them down to the brook, Kishon, and slew them there. Of course, the liberal progressives of the day would take great exception to that.

And we have come to the point that where are we going to sigh and cry? Or what are we going to do? Are we going to join in the politically correct crowd? Are we going to do what God says? Are we going to meet the challenge if Baal be God, then worship him? And if God be God, then worship him? Or do we want to halt between two opinions? So many people think they can halt between two opinions.

Now, continuing here, verse 45, it came to pass. There had been a drought in the land for about three years or more. It came to pass in the mean that the heavens were black and clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel, and the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.

Then Jezebel sent a message unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more, also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them, by tomorrow about this time. And when he saw that he arose and went for his life, ran for his life, as it were, it came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went on a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree, and requested for himself that he might die.

After that, and how God had worked so mightily through him, with all the various miracles that he had been able to perform through the Spirit of God, that he might die and say, It is enough, now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my father's. And as the day, and as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, an angel touched him and said unto him, Arise and eat!

And he looked and said, Behold, there was a cake baked on the coals and a cruise of water at his head, and he did eat and drink and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat! Behold, the journey is too great for you. And he arose and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, under Horeb, the Mount of God, where the Ten Commandments were thundered.

And he came there into a cave and lodged there, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said unto him, What are you doing here, Elijah? And he said, I've been jealous for the Lord of hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken the covenant.

And he said, Go forth and stand upon the Mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed and a great and strong wind rent the Mount and broke it to pieces. The rocks fell, that the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake of fire, the Lord was not in the fire, and the fire a still, small voice, and it was so when Elijah heard it. That he wrapped up his face and mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?

And he said, I have been zealous, and so on. And God got him by the nape of the neck, as it were, shook him up, and got him on his way. And it was from there that, shortly after that, that Elijah was ordained a prophet in the stead of Elijah. So you see, one of the greatest men in the spiritual sense of the Bible suffered from this after a great triathlon victory over 950 false prophets. So if it could happen to Elijah, you know, James writes in James chapter 5, he said that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed and the heavens were shut up for over three years.

But see, we don't view ourselves sometimes in the same human sense that God, that human beings are. Elijah was one of them, subject to like passions as we are. And if Elijah had this problem, it would not be all that uncommon that we should have that problem. The human mind is dynamic. It's always active. It's in motion. It's never static. In fact, there's an article in Vertical Thought, one of our publications for the teens. It's online, written by Amanda Stiver, in which it shows, the new research shows that in your sleep, the brain is active.

And that the brain can actually even perform elementary mathematical processes while you're asleep. So the brain is active. So emotions are a part of the human psyche. Now, what is psyche? Psyche is our mental makeup. And God created us with a wide range of emotions that range from hate to love, from anger to peace and tranquility, from sadness to ecstatic happiness. We can run the full gamut. Could you imagine yourself being there on Mount Carmel with Elijah? And when the prophets of Baal fail, then you call upon God, and this fire comes down and consumes the water and the sacrifice and all of that.

I mean, the mighty power of God in His response to your request. And yet, here's this human being named Jezebel who says, I'm going to kill you, Elijah, and he falls into this state. I think there are so many lessons there for each one of us.

Let's note some of God's emotions. God has what you would call a full range of emotions. Do you know that even hate can be used, and God does use it, in a positive sense, and He exhorts us to use it in a positive sense?

But it also can be very negative. But first of all, let's look at Genesis 6.6. Genesis 6.6, the pre-flood world had become so evil that thoughts and intents of the heart of men were continually set upon evil. It came to the point that God said, I've had it up to here. I can't take it anymore. So I am going to destroy humankind from off the earth, but Noah found grace in the sight of the Lord, and eight souls were saved. In Genesis 6.6, it repented the Lord. This word, repented, is nahkam. It doesn't have to do with repenting of sin. In fact, this word is used 108 times in the Old Testament, 57 times it is translated as comfort, 41 times as repent, and 9 times as comforter, and 1 time as ease.

So it doesn't have to do with repenting of evil. It means to be sorry, to be moved, to have pity, to have compassion, to comfort oneself, to console. So God was really sorry. I mean, it just troubled him to the depths of his being that he had created humankind. He created them to become sons of God. And we know how we feel when a son or a daughter goes astray. How does it affect us in the very depths of our being? No one can explain that except those who have been there. And it repented the Lord that it made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. It grieved him greatly that he had even created a man.

Now we look at 1 Kings 11 and verse 9. So God can feel sorrow, he can feel grief down to the very depths of his being. Now look at this one in 1 Kings 11 and verse 9. We're showing the emotions that God has, and we could say in that sense that God is also an emotional being. We are emotional beings, but God is never controlled by just his feelings. He always judges and acts in righteousness, and he wants us to do the same. And he admonishes us and tries to teach us how to do that.

We're at 1 Kings 11 and verse 9. And the Lord was angry with Solomon. Here is what some might say is a negative emotion. God was mad. He was upset with Solomon because his heart was turned from the eternal God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice. I mean, of all of the things, you remember the prayer that Solomon prayed asking for wisdom, and God gave him wisdom. He gave him great wealth and luxury and splendor and wisdom, and he turned from that.

How would that make you feel? And, of course, some of the greatest disappointments I've ever had in life, and you probably experienced the same thing, is that oftentimes people that you have tried to promote the most and help the most turn on you because somehow they perceive that you didn't get them where they wanted to be. That's one of the great, quote, lessons of leadership in the world, secular leadership.

People will follow you as long as they perceive you're going to help them achieve their goals, their aims, and when they perceive that you won't, then you're done. Ask any recently fired coach. That's the way it is. Or executive in the corporate world, you've got to turn a profit, or you're gone. Now, in Proverbs 6, 16, this one is really... let's stop in Psalm 7, 11, on the way to Proverbs. Psalm 7, 11. We've heard of 7, 11. Psalm 7 and verse 11. And this one here, some people might cause them to furrow their brow.

In Psalm 7 and verse 11. And God judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. He's angry with the wicked every day. And then we look at Proverbs 6, 16. And here we show, or the Bible shows, written by Solomon from the wisdom that God had given him. In Proverbs 6 and verse 16, we see here that God also hates certain things.

So here is hate being used. What some would consider always a negative emotion. In Proverbs 6 and verse 16, feet that be swift and running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and he that sows discord among brethren. Of course, you could give a sermon or a series of sermons on each one of those, but that's not our purpose here. We're showing that God has quite a range of emotions within his being, but on the other hand, as a state of being, we turn to 1 John 4 and verse 8.

So we'll see, and are seeing here from the Scripture, that God's range of emotions go from a hate to anger to love in 1 John 4 and verse 8. In 1 John 4 and verse 8, he that loves not knows not God, for God is love. That is his state of being. It's also repeated in verse 16 that God is love. God has pleasure in providing for us.

Luke 12 and verse 32. Surely Luke 12 and verse 32 should be committed to memory for all of us, because it's one of the great promises in the whole Bible, Luke 12-32. But it shows it's just like when you are able to give a good gift to your children, how much satisfaction do you gain from that? It could be in the, I guess you could call it emotional domain, or it could be in the material domain.

Here, Luke 12-32, fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So we can see that God has a full range of positive emotions, and he never sends. We see that even hate by us can be, when properly directed, a positive emotion. Look at Proverbs 8 and verse 13. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. And this is one of the things, of course, that the world has left behind. Isaiah writes in Isaiah chapter 5, woe unto those who call good evil and evil good.

And that's where we've come to in our society today. It's been turned upside down. Good is called evil. You're not tolerant. You don't really love. You're supposed to love everybody. Even if their behavior violates the law of God, you love them. That's not according to the Scripture.

Look at this. Proverbs 8 and verse 13. The fear of the eternal is to hate evil. If you fear God, you hate evil. That's what it says. Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the froward mouth do I hate. God hates that. So negative emotions stem from a wrong spirit and or attitude. Satan is the author of negative emotions.

Negative emotional attitudes reflected in fear, doubt, anxiety, hatred, guilt, hopelessness, self-pity, feelings of worthlessness, despair, depression, and revenge. It's not a complete list, but it's fairly complete, fairly exhaustive. And all of these things belong to Satan. And if they get the best of us, they will lead to death. And as we've already noted, Satan is the author of sin and death.

So it's no wonder that Paul was inspired to write in Ephesians 6, 16, above all things. Above all things, take the shield of faith whereby you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of Satan. What are the main fiery darts of Satan? The main fiery darts of Satan are anxious care, fear, doubt, human reasoning, hatred, guilt, hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, despair, depression, obsession with revenge.

And you could go on, above all, taking the shield of faith whereby you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. See, negative emotions are among Satan's most deadly darts. You talk about a deadly dart that goes to the heart. And I'm no poet, but a deadly dart that goes to the heart. Negative emotions that Satan spews out. In a study of 40,000 cases, it was revealed that the psychological precursors of suicide include worry, self-consciousness, and a multitude of anxiety traits.

People develop a tendency toward withdrawal, having feelings of unworthiness, increased sensitivity, fear of being rejected, and fear of being unloved, or feeling that nobody cares and nobody loves them. The person develops the attitude that it is much more comfortable not to try and to live life as a daydream.

He or she may conclude that others have schemed and are scheming to keep them from success. That's called paranoia. He or she may conclude that others are out to get them. So God has created men, created men and women with emotions, and emotions can enrich the lives of all of us. When we experience the warmth of love, the affection which gives a crescendo to living that gives life an extra dimension, imagine a world without feelings. And one of the things that, even though the world paradoxically at the present time, it is like, on the one hand, saying, if it feels good, do it.

Then, on the other hand, to dumb down and desensitize the population to the point where they have no emotions with regard to evil deeds or wickedness or whatever it might be. Just let it go. There's no skin on my back. They want to do that. That's up to them.

So imagine how dull life would be without emotions. As we've already seen, God has emotions and experiences a full range of positive emotions. Uncontrolled emotions can destroy a person mentally and physically, and they work hand in hand. One affects the other. As we have noted, defeat, fear, discouragement, or characteristic of Satan. He wants you to feel negative feelings. All the negative feelings that you can possibly experience, that's what he wants. He knows your potential. He knows that you were created to become a glorious, radiant spirit being. On the other hand, let's turn to Matthew 8, verse 28.

On the other hand, what about Satan? What does he know about his future? In Matthew 8, verse 28. And when he came to the other side of the country, the Gergesenes, Gergesenes, I guess it is, when he came to the country, the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils. So here are two people that are demon-possessed, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fear so that no man might pass by that wave.

If they came that way, they might just jump on them and tear them to pieces. And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God? So even the devils recognized Jesus Christ as the son of God, whereas the Jews did not.

Two possessed with devils coming out of the tombs, exceeding fear so that no man would pass that way. And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God? Are you come here to torment us before the time? And they asked, pleaded, that if you're going to cast this out, cast this into this herd of swine.

See, there are various classes of demons in the demon world, and the lower class of demons, by lower class, I mean, not in the same sense that we think of lower class in the human realm, but in the hierarchical array of hierarchy of authority and power and all of that, there are some who evidently can only express themselves through a living being. And so they seek out, they desire to possess human beings, and in some cases, animals. And so it was in this case.

In 2 Peter 2 and verse 4, 2 Peter 2.4, we see here in 2 Peter 2.4, that judgment is coming to the angels of sin, to Satan and the demons. They know their fate. They know what is going to happen to them. The point I'm making here is that Satan is a very negative being. He knows what is going to happen to him. Whereas, in contrast, every person who has come into God's marvelous light knows what lies before them. It is not wandering stars forever, foaming out their shame, no influence, nothing, no way to express themselves, no way to influence anything, any being. But in contrast, you have set before you the kingdom of God, to live and reign in a state of joy, happiness, that we cannot even imagine, according to what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2.9. 2 Peter 2, verse 4, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Tartarou, a condition of restraint, and delivered them in a change of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. So we know that they know, and that's one of the main reasons why Satan is so against each one of us. Satan's basic problem is obsessive concern with self, the eye syndrome. Now we turn to Isaiah 14, 12. Isaiah 14, verse 12, where here the king of Babylon is depicted as a type of Satan the devil, in Ezekiel 2080, he's depicted as a type of the king of Tyre. Here in Isaiah 14, he's depicted as the king of Babylon in Tyte. And eventually this one who became Satan at one time was a covering carob at the throne of God. It says that in Ezekiel 28. In verse 12, How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? Of course, Satan has a great weakening effect upon the nations of the world. And when all is said and done, of course, he is behind what is happening on the world scene, as he also has a plan that he is working out which will temporarily be successful. And that is to have the world worship him. It says it very clearly in Revelation 13, verse 8.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend unto heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit upon the throne of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.

So Satan tried to unseat his very Creator.

Now, the ironic thing about the eye syndrome is that it can be one of egotism, as with Satan, I am the greatest. I am beautiful, bright, great knowledge, intelligence, all of that. But on the other hand, the eye syndrome can be, I am the worst, and I do not deserve to live. It can go from I am the greatest to I am the worst, in the eye syndrome. And you contrast that with love, which is an outgoing concern for others.

So let's go to 1 John again, Chapter 4. This thing about anxious care, fear, doubt, the greatest anecdote to the anxious care, fear, doubt, human reasoning, guilt, hopelessness, despair, discouragement, depression, is given here. That is given in a great summary form, in a very succinct form, in 1 John 4 and verse 16. And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect that we may have the boldness of the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in the world. So if we have great boldness, if we have the kind of love within us that God has in him, as we'll see in verse 18, there is no fear. Because if God has no fear, God is totally courageous.

And you look at verse 18, there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment. And of course, anxious care, fear doubt, human reasoning, guilt, hopelessness, despair, and all of the other negative emotions that can go with it. But love casts out fear, because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him because he first loved us. If any man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he's a liar. See here, hate is a very negative thing, whereas to hate evil is a positive thing.

For he that loves not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God loves his brother. I mean, you can't love God. God won't say, well, oh, Joe, he really loves me.

Whereas at the same time, Joe hates his brother, it's not possible.

Victory and fruits of the spirit are characteristic of God's way. So we can overcome and defeat discouragement. The mind can be programmed, not through surgery, not through a chip implanted in our body, as being advocated now. The mind can be programmed to a certain degree and can be programmed in a positive way. Example of the subconscious.

The conscious stream of awareness is recorded in our bodies, in our gray matter. I call it the storehouse of memories. And in experiments that neurosurgeons have run, you stimulate a certain area of the brain and the person relives whatever experience it was. Live and in color, even with the same smells that he experienced during that time.

So the subconscious mind, the storehouse of memories, anything that's stored there can be emitted that has come to the level of awareness in the conscious mind. And as I mentioned earlier on the news in recent days, there's a surgical procedure that ostensibly can rewire a person's mind and emotions. See, our mind is our storehouse of memories. Our feelings are drawn from our thoughts. So the Proverbs 20.37, probably everybody in here could or should quote Proverbs 20.37, which says, As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

So it's no wonder that Paul writes this, not Paul, but Solomon in Proverbs 16.32, and he that rules his spirit is mightier than he that takes a city. So the more positive our storehouse of memory is, the more likely we'll be able to keep it and to control our spirit. So that's why it's so vital that children have the right kind of experience growing up. It's so vital why we should not feed on those kind of things that depict the debauchery of this world, even though they might appeal to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And so why would any person get involved in the very traps of Satan the Devil, indulging in drugs, alcohol, pornography, or those kind of things that eventually will destroy them in mind and in spirit? In Proverbs 4.23, Proverbs 4 and verse 23, so what are we talking about here? We are talking about programming the mind.

The mind is so much greater than anything that we really can imagine. In Proverbs 4 and verse 23, and once again we probably all could quote it, I would hope so.

Proverbs 4.23, Keep your heart. Heart is oftentimes used as the seed of one's being, thoughts and emotions. Keep your heart with all diligence, or out of it, flow the issues of life.

So our thoughts make up the program, the substance, or we might say the contents of our mind. So as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. That's what he is. That's his substance. So now we go to Philippians 4, which tells us what we are to put in our minds and to claim the promises that God has given us. In Proverbs chapter 4, I'm sorry, it's Philippians chapter 4. I look at a P and I jump the gun. In Philippians chapter 4, I get aggravated with that and others do too, but I just have to deal with it. In Philippians chapter 4, verse 4, rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice. I confess, and I'm sure you could confess, that at times I have a lot of difficulty in rejoicing. Of course, you've got that scripture we've already mentioned about sighing and crying for the abominations. Peter writes about, for a season we might be in manifold trials and a heavy heart, but at the same time that has to be balanced out with, for the hope that is set before us.

This says, rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Of course, one of the things you'll hear over and over at the Feast of Tabernacles, come and rejoice before him, and let your moderation be known unto all men. The eternal is at hand. Be careful for nothing. See, that really is the anxious thought. The correct translation would be, be anxious for nothing. Be not overly consumed. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving. So, rejoicing and thanksgiving are two of the keys of programming, as it were.

Remember the old song, count your blessings, count your many blessings one by one, count your many blessings. See what the Lord has done. By prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God, which passes all understanding. See, there's the peace with God, and there's the peace of God. The peace with God is when you, having been convicted of your sins, repent and exercise faith in the sacrifice of Christ, and you're reconciled to God. That's peace with God. Then there is something that surpasses that, that goes on beyond that, and that is the peace of God.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, you can't really explain it.

And sometimes, it's sort of like I get bits and pieces of that, and I would like to come to the point, like in making a quilt.

We made, when I was a boy, they used to have quilting parties, and they'd bring these various remnants together, and they would sew all these things together and make a beautiful quilt, where you have that peace continually. Keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ, the peace of God. And finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, 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. See, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. See, God's forgiveness assures us that the past is erased. As far as he is concerned, it's gone. Now, humanly, one of the great problems with a lot of people is they themselves cannot forgive themselves and cannot somehow allow that to pass. And it's the old Randy Travis song, Digging Up Bones. Tonight I'm sitting alone, digging up bones. And God does not want us digging up bones. Let's go to Psalm 103. Psalm 103. Psalm 103, beginning in verse 9.

He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. See, if he had of, the wages of sin and death would all be dead.

Or as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. So far as the east is from the west, so far as he removed our transgressions from us. How far is the east from the west? It's infinity.

They're beginning to discover more and more the vastness of the universe. Like as a father, pities his children, so the Lord pities them that fear him. For he knows our frame, that we are as dust. As for a man, his days are as grass as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. The wind passes over it, and it is gone. And the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. Some are weighted down by... Be turning to Romans 8, please. Romans 8. Please be listening as you're turning to Romans 8. Some are weighted down by a guilt complex that can only be removed through faith and the sacrifice of Christ and obedience to his word. I'll say that again. Weighted down by a guilt complex that can be removed only through faith and the sacrifice of Christ and obedience to his word. You can do all the penance you want to. You can wallow all you want to in the pits of self-pity. And you can go on and name all that you can do whatever you want to and some kind of penance, it won't do it.

But you look at Romans 8.1 as one of the most encouraging scriptures in the whole Bible. There's therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. See, there's no judgment there. It's as far as the east is from the west. Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. See, once you repent and accept the sacrifice of Christ, that's removed. He says, go and sin no more. To a large degree, programming your mind and reprogramming your mind comes down to two basic things. One, will you allow to be put in your mind and or what you purposely put into your mind? And two, who and what are you going to believe? Now we want 2 Corinthians 10. This should be one of the main keys along with this Romans 8.1. There is therefore no condemnation to those who walk according to the spirit. If you look at this 2 Corinthians chapter 10, it's similar to the Ephesians 6 and the whole arm of God, which I read verse 16, that above all put on the shield of faith, whereby you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of Satan. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, I mean 10. 2 Corinthians 10. 2 Corinthians 10. Now I, Paul, myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence and base among you, so Paul wasn't a handsome guy. He didn't have the best speaking voice. He didn't have the greatest eyesight. He was probably pretty abrupt and on and on and we could go. But God chose him out of season and appointed him to be an apostle, and you know the story. But the Corinthians were caught up with men and who looked good and who sounded good and a lot of other stuff. Who in the presence and base among you, but being absent and bold toward you, but I beseech you that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence. In other words, Paul had a lot of problems with the Corinthians and he said, Look, get your house straightened out before I do come to you with boldness. Wherewith I think to be bold against some which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. This is not a fleshly thing.

Now, historically, in the work of God, from the days of Cain and Abel to the present day, people have politicized, people have tried to gain the top through various ways. Cain killed Abel, and so on it goes.

But what we're involved in is not a fleshly thing. It is a spiritual thing, and it is to be directed by God, and Jesus Christ is the head of the church.

So Paul writes in 3, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. I mean, there's more behind what we're doing and saying than my physical appearance, or the way I look or sound, or whatever. That's what Paul is saying. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Now, what are the strongholds? Those are the things that come on your mind, to grip your mind, to cast you into a state of negative emotions, that will pull you down and destroy you if you don't get rid of them, casting down imaginations and everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. So what is the knowledge of God? Well, if you look in here, God who has promise, who cannot lie, has promise. He'll never leave, He'll never forsake you, His thoughts are ever toward us, the hairs on your head are numbered. Not even a sparrow falls into the ground, unless he's aware of it. He continually provides for us, and on and on we could go with what He says He will do, and He will keep His promise. Casting down imaginations, every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, that which is contrary to the promises, when your obedience is fulfilled. So we must strive to be perfect in God's sight, not in our own mind. The self-man made man worships His Maker Himself. So we ask ourselves, as we close here today, does my life reflect life, or does it reflect death? Remember how blessed it is to be alive, to have emotions? It is so blessed, and all the great promises that are given in the Word of God. God is love. God lives. He wants to live with you and I forever. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will sit with him, and he with me. To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.