Do you believe at your very core and in every fiber of your being that Jesus loves you? You may be surprised to realize that your faith may be strongest when you think it is the weakest. Sometimes, what is taught is security actually leads to greater insecurity in our faith. What if we flipped the script?
It is a fact of life that we all go through suffering at some point in life. This issue is, what do we learn from it? How do we take the disappointments of life to build us up, make us stronger, increase our influence, grow in our trust in God?
Many times, we hear about the miracles. We celebrate the successes. We are drawn to God showing up big. But, what if there is something better on the other side? Did you know that the greatest act in the history of mankind was the result of unanswered prayer?
“I think it’s time for our relationship to reach the next level.” This is usually code for it’s time for us to get sexual. Also, there is question of how many times do you go out before you have sex with someone. In this podcast, we get very real and very candid about sex. Ken shares everything that he wishes he had known and hopefully it helps you avoid some of the mistakes he made in life. If you are married, he also gives suggestions on how to rekindle your flame.
Look at the circle of people you have in your life; do you think you can rely on them when the going gets tough? Do they challenge you and make you a better person? If you don’t have those people, how do you find them? What do you look for?
If friendships and relationships were bricks, then trust would be the mortar that holds them together. How do we develop that trust in a healthy way? How do we know that someone is trustworthy?
We have seen the story too many times. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl jump into a relationship far too quickly. Boy and girl break up because they never truly knew one another. This is not just true of dating and marriage. We get hurt by friendships too. What is the secret to minimizing potential pain in our relationships?
Everyday, we face a battle right between our ears. The lies we believe not only impact our responses, emotions, and actions. They can create negative character traits that cause us to struggle. Have you ever been frustrated because you try to change but continue to fall back into old patterns? Today, we wrap up the winning the war in your mind series by looking at practical tools to reclaim our brains back from the lies that believe.
Negative experiences of our past tend to color our perspective on the circumstances of our present. How do we disarm the pattern of thinking that can undermine our success, relationships, friendships, career, etc? Grab a pen and be ready to take notes on what can lead to your breakthrough.
If our greatest battle is in our mind, how do we change our thoughts? How do we drown out the lies that hinder our lives? This week, is a week we rediscover hope and break free from that negative train of thoughts that hinder and defeat us.
Our thoughts are powerful. They change our perspective, impact our decisions, and influence our habits. But what do we do when we become trapped by our thoughts, unable to escape negative and unhealthy thinking? Let’s learn what it means to win the war in our minds.
Questions for the thought audit:
DEFENSE (protecting your mind):
Are my thoughts tearing me down?
Do I think worried thoughts?
Does my self-talk cause me to shrink back in fear?
Do my thoughts cause me to keep people at a distance?
Are my unhealthy thoughts keeping me from the life I want?
Are my unhealthy thoughts keeping me from the life God wants for me?
Are my thoughts negative, toxic, or self-deprecating?
Does my inner voice tell me I’m helpless or that life is hopeless?
Do I find myself skeptical of others? [Your Notes] Do I lean toward imagining worst-case scenarios?
OFFENSE (moving towards God):
Are my thoughts building me up?
Do I think peaceful thoughts?
Does my self-talk inspire me to take faith risks?
Do my thoughts help me get closer to others?
Do my thoughts reflect my faith?
Are my thoughts God-honoring?
Do my thoughts reflect my hope in Christ?
Do they inspire me to believe I can make a difference in the world?
Do they equip me to become more like Jesus?
Do my thoughts connect to the vision God has for my life?
Groeschel, Craig. Winning the War in Your Mind (pp. 23-26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
To contact Ken: encountercommunity18749@gmail.com
Christmas season may be over but the gifts are not. The celebration of a new year is a gift from God because it is the chance to be reinvented and become something new. However, the key is to learn what to get rid of to make space for the new.
Where do you find completion and wholeness? The bigger questions is, “If you lose it, do you lose you?” Many times, we don’t know where to turn for completion until it is lost. We wrap up 2021 by looking at finding a wholeness that can never be taken away from us.
What is it that makes someone a champion? Why is that important during this holiday season? Jesus being our champion means that He will fight for us and in this podcast and we’ll explain how.
Christmas is more than the origin story of Jesus Christ. The gifts of Christmas are pregnant with incredible possibilities of what Jesus could offer to us. What if, Christmas not only open the door of eternity with Jesus but it offers gifts that can be applied to our lives right now. This week, we explore the first gift - a perfect counselor to guide us in our life and our choices to be the best version of ourselves.
Are there decisions that we could make and practices that we could implement that builds a rock solid faith? People with a rock solid faith have implemented these three practices in their lives.
One element that shows up in the life of people with rock solid faith is a value of and for relationships. They understand that their success is built on the shoulders of those who invested in them and gave them that opportunity. Then, they take what they have learned and invest it into someone else. Who are the people for whom you are grateful? Who is grateful for you?
When you hear the stories of people with incredible faith, you’ll find that many are involved in serving others in some capacity. Nothing causes us to depend on God more than pushing through our inadequacies to help other people. Serving in ministry gives us a chance to see God’s faithfulness and in turn builds our trust in Him.
How do we get that rock solid faith? We’re talking the kind of confidence that cannot be shaken during the rough spots of life. They say that, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” What do you do when life hands you the whole orchard?
It is true that we have a limited amount of energy. With that being true, are we using that energy to be our best self? Are we investing our energy into things that will replenish us or will drain us?
