Self-talk and Choices

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life. Welcome back to words of life. It is my distinct privilege to welcome Cheryl Gillam hey Bernie how are you I'm great.

It's good to be backed with our listeners. We can have an a great day.

Yes, this episode is October 31.

Do you celebrate Halloween.

Cheryl celebrate Halloween in the fact of being out that you're not dressing up in scary costumes now not just scary costumes back. I do like to get candy and I like to be what I call a light in the night. That's a very cool thing is, in American society of courses all kinds of kids knocking on doors and ringing doorbells looking for candy in there often dressing up in scary outfits so I like the way that you talk about lighting the night.

That's a good thing I think was back in the late 1990s that I was introduced to this concept of light the night instead of dishing out shut my light off and close my door and being kind of like a Scrooge Athena during Halloween, I really using it as an opportunity to evangelize and spread the light and of Christ and be be happy, Christian, this would be a series for another series squeaking over currently talking about pathways with Maj. Mike Harris and discussing our thought life as Christiansen today. We discussed self talk and choices. This topic certainly ties into her mental health in a powerful way. What do we say about ourselves to ourselves.

It's an interesting question because for me I just think that I said it before, but I have a constant internal dialogue going on and sometimes even with myself. I can be mean you should have done that. Why didn't you do this, I'm recounting what just happened and wondering if I would've could've should've Frank I think in our and our thought life. We can partner with lies that we've told ourselves he might have said something we all do it. It's not like there is anyone that we know hasn't done it, but you say things and then all of a sudden it becomes a record in your head that you're saying over and over and over a recording that you're saying over and over and over again and then you begin to partner with you now and that becomes your narrative of your life.

And so it's important that we recognize that we don't have to stay there.

You know, as is Mike talked about in the very first episode of taking every thought captive. You know we we can do that and then we can choose to speak a new narrative in our heads want to take the context of a life verse for me is found in Proverbs 2717 as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another and our thought life and the way that we kind of address things as they come. It's like a small victory when you are able to sharpen the sword per se to steal a line from Stephen Covey. But what happens when you're when that sharpening is going on is you know like a sword being sharpened or a sharp edge. There's grinding on their sparks and there's dirt and smoke and all of the things in our our thought life and in a very similar way, if you can tackle or arrest some of those things, like we read in Corinthians, then you can also, despite the fact that there might be some smoker sparks to be better for it, because the next time it will be even easier tackle that and then move forward, you will have a foothold So we hope that you been enjoying this series. These are important topics that were talking about, and especially the world were living in right now. It's important to seek out what God's word says about who we are and so, remind yourself today that you are a child of God, and you can do all things through Christ. Again, this is a major Mike Harris with the addition of pathway succession will be looking at the importance of full life today, we looking at how the mind can be used, to protect the heart we've mentioned and been in the last session, the halt on the mind of very easily intertwined, so this is basically whether the mind can be used, to protect the halt in the room was chapter 12 verses one to pull says therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will of an interesting thing that people would've read at that time.

This idea of the pull of Jesus to offer our borders as a living sacrifice, of course, you recognize that, but in Romans Christ already died.

His death was seen as a sacrifice. At this point in history. The sacrificial system was still in full flow with animals were killed and offered as a sacrifice to God that would be pleasing to him. Then Paul writes this was urging us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice that means to live a holy life to live a life that pleases God to do this process. Don't let your head be toned by what the world is saying what will think she's okay and is acceptable instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind and the will just thoughts and I will must be moral to do today is to explore the idea of guarding a halt when taking a fools captive. Very interesting thing and perhaps best illustrated. If I were to tell you a story of something that I experienced in the reviews ago was a Salvation Army officer. Although my job these days is headquarters. I spent 14 years as a Salvation Army Corps officer or if you will, suppressed under.

It was a glorious 14 years I would swap a moment of it had a number of wonderful experiences a mental book a number of wonderful people.

One of the more interesting stories. Perhaps it comes out about time I will tell you where it was a want to be the person's name because I think as a protection is needed, but it doesn't diminish from the story. The story goes around a guy that we get a coal bill in the story of Bill started one day when I was sitting at my desk and one of my appointments. My phone rings and on the other end of the phone was a gentleman saying on the leader of a Bible study.

I do specifically with people who been incarcerated most of whom would just come out of jail try to resettle in the world and have a relationship with Christ. We been meeting of the church, but that church can no longer allow us to meet so we looking for somewhere new to meet and someone suggested he said to me, someone suggested the Salvation Army. They met this group on a Saturday morning so I quickly realize that moments of time will be not actually busy in this building, so should you be happy to support that. I will send you of your document to facilities use agreement we call listen to fill it out. It's good to have put information to you. Contact information and also information on your insurance stops me since I got a minute we just which is a small group we built. We don't have some insurance we can give you a so it's really amazing that were once a week so Sunday will I said if you get one of your group to come worship with us. The Salvation Army once a month. Then I will consider this to be a Salvation Army program. Therefore, you don't have to to fill out all the forms etc. etc. know whether that was right or wrong well is immaterial at this point, but nonetheless it worked. The group started tomato necessity morning on the first Sunday after that phone call this guy Bill walks into a building that wishes with his eyes back to the scene once a month, but she Bill came the next week in the next week or next week until Bill was a regular part of our congregation. Yes, he had another congregation he had been a part of. He would sometimes catch the early service but it made the Salvation Army's main worship center is a got to know Bill, I find more about his story that we enrolled him as a soldier. I was very knowledgeable about goals would you like so knowledgeable that when we started to do some small group ministry at that particular appointment. I also billed to lead one of the gifts want to post it and bill would come along and lead it. He said to me what when whether these meetings go to bed and I said well of the bill Wednesday evening. The problem, he said to Wednesday nights want to go to my group. That's what I find out a bit more about Bill using Bill was coming to this Bible study because he had been incarcerated my figure that out but didn't know why but it turns out that you have addiction to pornography, but you might wonder how does an addiction to pornography, get somebody in jail. Well, it just simply snowballed. It started out as pornography or from those looking images, but then it got worse and worse and worse. They got worse in the sense that at some point he started soliciting women of the Knights and then to pay for his habits he stole from work and that's where he really got himself into some trouble, so in the jail in the meantime he's married should form the pot completely made was no intimacy in the marriage.

Pornography will do that every time take away the intimacy he had two daughters became estranged from them. They were disgusted by the fall. They wanted nothing to do with and so Bill went to jail and there he found Christ that he got wonderfully saved, but of course then at some point came the day when he was going to be released.

I realized that he needed to protect his heart.

He needed to make sure that that he was no longer succumbing to any form of this addiction was still within him, so will you to visit Bill's apartment. He would find no television, no computer. He didn't carry a phone that gave any kind of image he didn't have magazines or newspapers. He had to eliminate every image of a woman they possibly could and then rather sadly he had to develop my hatred please please understand this is different when the hatred but a disdain for women is appointed protection for his heart. He, in his mind, had to decide to do all of these things. So then he said to me, as were talking about this small group on Wednesday night. He said that if I can't make my accountability group. I'm good have to ask you to read through some questions for me to be my accountability partner must also be happy to do that to the first Wednesday we went. We did the Bible study. Then we came back to my office and he gave me a piece of paper with 10 questions and then I started to read these questions and I ended up asking this man. Probably the most intimate questions I've ever asked anyone how to look him in the eye as I asked these questions he was leaving Matthew chapter 5 was 29 and 50 in order that he might protect his heart, but said in Matthew chapter 5. If you write eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than your whole body be thrown to hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cook itself throws away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go to hell friends just like Bill do what you need to do in order to protect your heart by eradicating the things that tempt you the things that make your thoughts wonder to places they shouldn't because to paraphrase Jesus. It is much better for used to lose access to the things that tempt you than for you to spend eternity in hell. Allow your mind to protect you heart the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Email us at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call 1-800-229-9965 or write us at PO Box 29972, Atlanta, GA 30359 tell us how we can help share prayer requests or share your testimony. We would love to use your story on the air. You can also subscribe to our show on iTunes.

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