Stinkin' Thinkin'
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." 
Proverbs 23:7

Intro:
(ie) the hidden rotten Easter egg.

I. God is Concerned About Our Thoughts. 

The mind is the boiler room of the body. It is the primordial soup of
the soul. It is what makes us who we are. It manufactures all our
emotions, our beliefs and our actions. It determines our character. 

Our thought influence the color of our souls just as ink dropped in to
water colors the whole. Thoughts taint the mind and emotions and
ultimately affect the body to a huge degree. 

Show me what you are feeling and I will show you what you are
thinking. "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

Every emotion is preceded by a thought or thoughts. 
Emotions, feelings are reflections of our thoughts and beliefs.
Destructive thoughts bring destructive emotions. Pleasant thoughts
bring pleasant feelings. Angry thoughts produce angry reactions.
Stupid thoughts produce stupid actions. 

Every emotion can be tracked to the thoughts that produced it. This is
true even if there are chemical imbalances in the body that bring bad
emotions. 

(ie) Millionaire - who wants to be? Worst day -- lotto commission
calls informing you that you just won the 70 million dollar jackpot.
EMOTIONS: YES!!! Then a return call informing you that you were the
wrong John Doe. 

         - Hope filled thoughts bring happy emotions.
 	 - Hope less thoughts bring hopeless emotions

(ie) Bobby, depression tracked down the thought.

(ie) The story of me waking and seeing a man in my room. -- Real
thoughts! Wrong and wrong emotions. Real but wrong.

(ie) Art of brain washing is the science of mind control - emotional
control.

 
II. God Holds Us Accountable For our Thoughts.

Matthew 15:19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Mark 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Matthew 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak
good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8  For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the LORD. 9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.



III. We Must Correct Our Thoughts.

It is a search and destroy mission. We are to put a vigilant guard
upon our thoughts. 

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:5  3-5  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: 4  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.

Philippians 4:8  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.


NEGATIVE THOUGHT PATTERNS
10 Thinking Disorders

These are ten distorted thought patterns that believers often indulge
in that are unhealthy, untrue and ungodly.  They are "root" thinking
disorders of the mind that cause anger, bitterness, and depression.
They never bring blessing.  They are ten lies of Satan. 


1. All or Nothing Thinking  - things are either or good or all bad.
It is the root soil for perfectionism. Everything must be perfect, or
just right, or it is not good enough. Anything less than perfect is
failure. You often use words like everyone, always, everywhere, every
time, never, all the time.

2. Overgeneralization (Murphy-ism) - Your believe in Murphy's Laws.
You laugh, but you really see life like that. Nothing ever goes right.
You are plagued by bad luck, bad breaks. You may even have said,
"Someone up there doesn't like me." You believe that much of the time
the world is against you. 

3. Mental Filter (Negativism) - Life appears pessimistic at best. You
see the bad before you ever consider the good. You are negative about
many things and distrustful of people in general. You look at life
though clouded glasses tainted by a negative bent. 

4. Disqualifying the Positive - You overlook good things, or don't
count. It is difficult for you to count your blessings. It is easier
to count the non-blessings than to appreciate good things God has
done. "Yeh, but" is part of your vocabulary." You see the bad in good
things. Every flower has a bee on it. Every sunset forebodes a storm.
Every silver lining has a cloud.

5. Mind Reading - You assume to know what others are thinking. You
perceive yourself as being able to read their thoughts, intents,
meanings, and motives - - and it is always negative. Rarely do you
every read positive thoughts into people's expressions or actions.
This is a form of paranoia, feeling like you are unloved, unliked, and
often picked on. You don't have many friends - no wonder! 


6. Fortune Telling - You predict (assume) disappointing or bad things
will happen. You predict the good weather won't last. You often say,
"you just watch and see if I'm not right. You take pleasure in
predicting the bad as though it were a "gift of God." - Psst, It's
not!

7. Magnification - Little set backs, arguments, etc., are blown out of
proportion. You focus on one negative event to the point of enlarging
it beyond belief. You make a big fuss over little things. Your own
mistakes as well as other's get magnified, focused on, thought about,
talked about, fussed over, fumed over, and kicked around until you are
upset and angry. A dirty toilet seat ruins your day.

8. Should Statements - Your life is ruled by "oughts & shoulds." You
are always in a hurry. You can't ever seem to get enough things done.
You carry a load of frustration over the way things "should" or
"ought" to be. You have strong opinions about the way life ought to
be. "It's not fair" is often your thought or feeling. You nag yourself
and other people. You are driven by the "musts" of life. You are
caught in a "justice trap" in which everything and everybody ought to
be fair.  The fact that life is not fair often angers and frustrates
you. You are a driven person.

9. Labeling or Name Calling - You give people or yourself derogatory
labels, like jerk, stupid, idiot, no good-for-nothing, failure, etc.
You probably heard those derogatory names directed at you in your
childhood home. You are quick to label people with the same labels you
were given. Somehow labeling others makes you feel better about
yourself. Yet, when you fail or make a mistake you often get down on
yourself and label yourself as useless, hopeless, stupid, etc.

10. Personalization - You feel guilty and responsible when things go
wrong. When someone says, "Who broke the lamp?" You feel like they are
blaming you. You are a latent paranoid - just waiting to have a "pity
party."  You beat yourself up with guilt trips for not doing more to
help someone or preventing something that went wrong. You feel like
you are responsible for everything. You feel like you were to be
someone else's Messiah, but often you fall far short so you blame
yourself. You are prone to guilt trips.



Scriptures

Matthew 15:19  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Mark 7:21  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

Matthew 12:34  O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak
good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper
than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.

Psalms 139:2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou
understandest my thought afar off.

2 Corinthians 10:5  3-5  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not
war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ;

1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ;

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: 4  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.

Philippians 4:8  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.

Proverbs 6:16 
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination
unto him: 17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed
innocent blood, 18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet
that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh
lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith
the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end.

Romans 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man
that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith.

Galatians 6:3  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is
nothing, he deceiveth himself.


James 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing
of the Lord.

2 Timothy 2;25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves;
if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of
the truth; 26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare
of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

James 2:4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become
judges of evil thoughts?

Proverbs 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the
counsels of the wicked are deceit.

Proverbs 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the
LORD: but the words of the pure are pleasant words.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall
be established.

Isaiah 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man
his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8  For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith
the LORD. 9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my
ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Psalms 119:113 I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.