The Battle That Rages for Your Mind

Carter, from the historic Times Square Church in New York City only talking about the battle of regions for your mind. You are in a mental battle, maybe the likes of which you've never experienced in your lifetime. I'm going to share with you the reasons why and how you and I win the battle.

Welcome this week to a call to the nation with Carter, we live in times where it seems everything is going in the wrong direction. You no doubt feel like swimming upstream. While all the other fish are swimming downstream. That's why it's so important to win the battle of the mind because we are all that is left to stay the hand of God's judgment on this nation. Let's join Carter as he explains what this imperative conflict is all about Genesis chapter 6 if you go there please with me. The battle that rages for your mind.

Beginning at verse five.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually in the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart, so the Lord said I will destroy man whom I created from the face of the earth. Both man and beast, creeping thing, and birds of the air, for I'm sorry that I have made them, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, the Scriptures, describing a time in humanity. When people had become incapable of hearing the words of God or following any thoughts except their own. You have to be aware that Satan is coming against this generation in an unprecedented measure is attacking this generation to take the thoughts of God out of the minds of an entire society is doing it through the school system is doing it in our colleges is doing it in the marketplace is doing it in the halls of government and is even doing it in the house of God, trying to eradicate everything that comes from the mind of God to blind an entire generation to take captive as many as he can for the Scripture says he knows that his time is short and we have precedents in history to know that this can happen. These people in the book of Genesis were not that far from the testimony of the creation of God, they would have the stories that they would have the knowledge state they had the lineage just like so many have throughout history, but they allowed something to take over the fallen nature of humankind that fallen nature that was sewn into humankind in the garden of Eden that which is resident within you and me all of society, every man, every woman ever created has this capacity of sin inside that manifests itself through the thought that I can be as God, and I can determine in myself what is good and what is evil. I don't need God to tell me what the parameters of acceptable behavior are I can determine that on my own. That's exactly the warfare. Just as Satan came in and tempted Adam and Eve with this thought, and they bought into this thought and they stepped outside the parameters of the protection of God and look at the hard thinking that came into humanity because of the look at the heart ache that visited there own home when one of their sons became a murderer and murdered his brother. Although the devil never paints the whole picture really paints a little piece of the canvas. It's always the little piece that's got sunshine in it. He never paints the side that has that the side that has decaying despair and depression and addiction and hopelessness in broken families and tears sorry never paints that side of the canvas only paints the Sunnyside Bible tells us in the book of Romans chapter 1 what a society looks like the falls into spiritual decline when people can no longer and will no longer hear the words of God when the rebellion gets a hold of the people. Whether it's through ignorance or whether it's deliberate or just simply through neglect. Listen to what Paul writes and describes the spiritual and moral decline of any society.

The chooses to follow in the same footsteps that those in the days of no law decided to walk it.

Verse 18 of Romans one says the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth or hold down the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them.

For God has shown it to them. Folks presently can hear 1994, at the invitation of Pastor David Wilkerson and I remember coming here thinking what an incredible nation. This is the freedom here on member people out on the streets, dressed in some kind of costume literally cursing people up and down as they walked by and I thought were in America or would you be allowed to do this bride come from you be arrested and thrown in the loony bin for what these guys and girls were doing was eyewitness and moral decline of this nation. I witnessed something that terrifies my heart I five watched whole generation taken captive by ungodly thought and moved away from the very fabric of what makes a nation strong and what makes a people truly virtuous. Verse 19 says what may be known of God is manifest in them. For God has shown it to the there is no reason for the spiritual ignorance that is being displayed in this nation today for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God. Verse 21, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one for another, men with men committing that which is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind to do things that are not fitting to see here's the point. They didn't want to retain God in their knowledge they wanted the name of God eradicated from the society they wanted the name of Jesus only to be a curse word and G rated movies is what they wanted of God.

They wanted everything that would remind them of the one would bless them to get out of their coasts. We look in the testimony of Scripture and remember the man in the in the Gadarene cemetery that was set free by Jesus Christ from the thousand devils amended.

Nobody could tame and yet when he went into the society and made it testimony would God have done descriptors of the whole town came out in the encouraged Jesus to leave their borders and do his work somewhere else. All how history repeats itself.

God calms such a people free gives blessing and power gives knowledge and understanding and we do the same thing in ignorance of many before it done sink. Thank you for what you did but would you mind leaving our borders would take it from here now. Would you mind letting us alone. We don't want to interrupting our good lifestyle.

We don't want to interrupting our commerce, our pursuit of life are ideas of liberty and happiness. We choose to embrace these things as we envision them to be not as your word says that they are verse 29 says being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness full of envy, murder, deceit, strife, feeblemindedness, whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, bolsters inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, sounds like the news undiscerning on trustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, knowing the righteous judgment of God. Those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Not wanting God in our thoughts will always lead to the same place near the definition of a fool is somebody who does the same thing over and over again every time. Expecting different results. Patterns there that history is there. It's it's not hidden like Paul said in Romans one we know it we have history books, at least something of history might be left which scene was happened whether society was done exactly what this society is now attempting to do it on the days of Noah, so God looked down and it repented to me was sorry and is hard for what he had created, and the Scripture tells us in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus talks about the days annoyances, but as the days of Noah were, so will also the coming of the Son of Man is now talking about the return of Jesus Christ. And he likens it to the days of Noah not want you to listen carefully to this as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying, giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the son of man be. They had no idea how short the time was every day passing by this visible testimony of God that was set before them. There was a place of mercy Peter in the New Testament calls Noah, a preacher of righteousness. I'm sure he most likely stood there inviting people into this place of safety prepared by God, but the society around him, the thoughts were so encapsulated in rebellion against God that even though they could recognize that this was something supernatural. This was something sovereign. The couldn't embrace it and had no idea in their minds, they were marrying. The giving in marriage in their minds they were righteous. They were committed. They were committing one to another, what possible issue could God have with this they would feast in this if there was a million tomorrows folks. Do you know how close we are to the coming of Jesus Christ Bible tells us we don't know the very day or the hour but were not children of darkness, that that day should overtake us as a thief.

Can you see it.

Do you understand the were on the threshold of the return of Christ. Now he's right at the door.

I can hear his footsteps coming. The something in my heart that sink journaling about to get ready. Behold, the bridegroom is coming God to medium that's got to be the cry of the church. Now the bridegroom is coming to meet him there landed Randy, the son of God is, as we know it is coming to an end. It's all coming to an end this insanity in the Middle East and nation now rising against nation calamities, on the other, just as Jesus said they want all leading to this definitive moment, folks, the ungodly know that Christ is coming this something in the hearts of every man woman and child that knows the hour were living in were living in the season of Christ's return.

I fully expect this event Scripture calls the rapture of the church of Jesus Christ expected to happen any day now. Even in the charts of Jesus Christ. There's a dullness in months. Not all that God not stealing your to indict the body of Christ is not my job but I'm telling you there's many places where people in God's house are just as blind as the people outside of God's house, the last king of Babylon was called the shows are, and he had a history he knew God got it dealt with one of his forefathers severely to show that man, that the kingdoms belong to God that he sets on the throne will be chooses and he takes off only chooses that knowledge is not hidden from him but yet he chose to take the holy things of God that had been taken out of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem and he threw a feast for all of his friends and all of his family and the wind in these vessels in the beginning the party and they praise the gods of gold and silver and stone and wood and suddenly the writing of a hand appears on the wall. It sovereign and they know the gods trying to speak but nobody in the room can understand what it says and that's what happens when you begin to party with the holy things of God. When you take lightly the cross of Jesus Christ. When that kind of spirit gets a hold of God's people. They open the book, but they can understand that the hand of God wrote this book to the apostle Paul drew Matthew Mark Luke and John. It was a human hand was superimposed over the words of this book.

And when people take lightly the salvation when Christ is only just an add-on to an already second motion life plan when Jesus is no more than someone sending and fire insurance for the rest of the week when there's no living relationship. Men and women don't read the Bible because they can understand the that's what happens with the party crowd, the Jesus party crowd. That's what happens to them was happening in this generation. All how unaware they're going to be all caught offguard. Many are going to be when all hell begins to break out and they stand in their congregations. A preacher told me that if I would come to Jesus would be nothing but wealth and health and happiness and prosperity in a bigger slice of the pie. To me, so they called to the man of God. They knew there was a man of God still left in the kingdom and Daniel stood before about the shows are in all of his entourage and he said here's what God's word says you been weighed in the balance and you been found wanting. God is numbered.

The days of your kingdom and finished it. And even though you stand in the place of power and authority. Your kingdom is over. He's given it to somebody else. Another nation is going to take your place.

Now the interesting thing is the servant of God stood there in the words of God were clear. There was no ambiguity there was no misunderstanding. But this Kindle to Salazar and possibly many more within think good, recognize truth, but strangely couldn't hear it, they could recognize it. You could be sitting here this morning and you could recognize an admin speaking from God the words that he speaks. I know their true but you can't be moved to change your behavior through it. You can't be moved to bend your knee. You can't remove to say my ways are not God's ways. It's a strange affliction of those of play games with the holy things of God.

The ability to recognize truth but a lack of ability to embrace what they recognize. Daniel stands before about the jazz earns is your kingdom is all over your season of ruling is finished your military mind is not going to save you now and just as before about the Shah's are in tells of your kingdom is done is been given to somebody else does build the shows are due in commences unto his servants around Mrs. Daniel to the third-highest ruler in the kingdom gold chain on his neck and put new rooms on his back.

So here he is Daniel just standing there. It must've been so incredulous. This famous king was decorating him while the enemies were right at the gate recognizing and decorating honoring the men who spoke the truth but yet unwilling to bend his knee to what he was hearing some 10 verse four says the wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God. God is in none of his thoughts.

If you are able to be under conviction.

Thank God for it. If you are living in sin and you are bothered by thank God that you are bothered. That means God is still in your thoughts. God is still with you. God is still fighting for you.

The danger is that when God is no longer in your thoughts when you've seen the way the day of grace as they used to preach years ago in the house of God.

We are so resistant, God, and finally just withdrawn some cabbage away. Live your life.

Create your own system of right and wrong. Don't bend your knee to God and he walks away and Amanda lives in evil starts thinking is doing good even begin to think of heaven might be as well when it's all over, God is no longer in any of his thoughts as in the days of Noah, his thoughts are continuously evil. He doesn't think you're evil, but we knew it when you have expelled God from the borders of your mind is nothing left but that which is created of the human spirit which, in contrast to the holiness of God. Of course, is evil. Some 15 verses one and two tells us the person who speaks the truth in his heart will be given the power to stand no matter the difficulty of the time. That's why Hebrews chapter 3 and four, three times says today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts if you can still hear God. Don't harden your heart. If God is in your thoughts of God is fighting against that which wants to occupy your mind if you feel like there's a war going on inside of your head. Thank God there is a war that means to opposing sides are still there when there's no longer war, you've either given in the one side or the other but thank God there's a war, thank God. Those of us who know him week we can do wrong without being convicted of the Holy Spirit immediately that what were doing is dishonoring to God. We can't speak something we shouldn't speak without you can't even if I see something as insect to get from here to the end of the platform without them suddenly talking hey wait a minute get back there. We gotta talk about something.

Thank God. Thank God we all struggle with our thoughts will battle this paradox and every door depression tries to find lost comes to every the tendency to want to exaggerate, embellish, or outright lie comes to every person we want to be angry. What I hate those that persecuted us, and speak evil of us. We fight in our minds. But the difference is that the true believer. God is in our thoughts. God is with us in our thoughts. He is charged with the feelings of our infirmities is not aloof is not angry is not critical.

He doesn't stand as judge stands as the one is as come to me in your time of struggle, come quickly to the throne of grace, that I may help you in your time of need. God is with us in our thoughts by thank the Lord for that with all my heart and he promises us victory in power to withstand the downward pull of this fallen generation and there is a huge downward pull to conform enough in this generation we are living in the time very much like Daniel's time when statues of our being raised up of what man says this is what the image of society should look like and when you hear the music you better bow or you going to suffer for God is the only one who can give us the power to stand God is the one, because the Bible says in second Corinthians chapter 10 verses four and five the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, the weapons of our warfare are not criminal. The weapons of our warfare are mighty, the weapons of our warfare. God gives us to faith in the finished victory of Christ on the cross he gives us the power to pull down these thoughts that would try to rise up and exalt themselves above the knowledge of God, whether they're coming in from the outside of the coming in from the inside. As Paul said I got fightings without affairs within it doesn't matter where they come from God promises me, the power to pull them down.

I can walk in the light of Scripture I can walk in the truth of God, like kings standing in the evil day, I can be given authority to make a difference even though everything around me looks like it's going the other way and I might save you might see were the only fishing stream going upstream and everybody else is going the opposite direction. But God says I've given you weaponry and power to pull down the strongholds in the cast down these arguments in all these five things end up exalting themselves against the knowledge of God and to bring these thoughts into captivity. That's why it's so important to win the battle of the mind that is the battleground we got a fight on them and that's where the battle must be one because we are all that is left to stay the hand of God's judgment on this nation. In this where all that's left there's no political party. There's no new preacher. There's nothing good at this nation was on a collision course with Almighty God himself. There's nothing left to stop it from words going to join me coming in boldly as Hebrews tells us to do to the throne of grace to say God I'm not here just for myself. Thank you God for putting this figure but I'm here from the city. I'm here for my family. I'm here for my friends are here for my enemies. I'm here.

God for those who don't even know you are.

I'm here to cast down in the name of Jesus Christ, the thoughts that are holding them captive and keeping them from the salvation that freely offered them in Christ Jesus. That's why phones we gotta play like we never prayed before my prayers will God turn our park benches in Central Park and permitting turn businesses and schools in the permit just just come sovereignly, powerfully, in a way that nobody could touch the glory nobody can say I did this is because of something I did nobody contents of law related just be the mercy of Almighty God. The touch of the city in these last moments of time to see that's why there's such a battle in your mind right now. Devil fears you going into the prayer closet with a devil fears a surrendered life because his kingdom has been destroyed and demolished by throughout history. He knows that he's been live a lot longer than you and I and he knows what happens when somebody's been to the purposes of God.

God help me to win the battle in my mind the message today has been brought to you by Carter Conlon from Times Square church. For more information log onto TSC.NYC that's TSC.NYC plan to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Carter,