Help out of the hole of no hope. Help out of the hole of no hope. This has been really an eye-opening material as I've gone through it and looked at the scriptures and studied it and talked with a pastor friend of mine. These are the slides that Pastor Jason Perry out of Artesia, New Mexico has assembled. I've just put the notes to go with it. It really has been quite encouraging and challenging. And as we reflect upon how to get out of those times of our lives where we are struggling, as we come here, as you see this battle scene, I know I've gone through this every week, but we have to get this into our mind that we are in a spiritual battle, Ephesians 6, 12, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, high places and so may the Lord do a great work I can't remember did I pray yet no okay I've totally drawn a blank here but anyways all right let's pray dear heavenly father Lord I just thank you for this day Lord I pray you bring my thoughts bring them into composure father I pray Lord that you would lead and guide my every word Father, I need your help. And Lord, as we teach the material today, Father, I pray that it would be an encouragement. Lord, for those who find themselves in this situation of the hopelessness or they're just struggling, depressed, Lord, I pray that it would encourage their hearts. Lord, we need encouragement. And Father, you long to give us that. And so, Father, I pray that you'd help with that today. I sure thank you for all that you will do. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen. All right, as we find ourselves, many times we find ourselves in the hole of no hope. We find ourselves also with a sick heart, hope deferred, make the heart sick. And there are many things that would lead to that, and that's what we're dealing with. And the fact is that our heart has somewhere had a hurt where our security and our significance was taken, whether perceived or actual. And we have to get to the mindset that God and God alone can give us true security and significance. And the characteristics of the hole of no hope, as we have gone through over the last five weeks, the first one, someone that is falling into the hole of no hope will ask the question, why? They will say, it's not fair, another one. They will compare themselves with others. They will have bitterness. And also then with that, as they digress further and further, they will get into thoughts of suicide. And we went through that mental, physical, and spiritual suicide. In Ephesians 7.17, understanding that suicide is a premature death, dying before God's will. Now, with that being stated, God does not cast a person out of heaven because they commit suicide. The only unpardonable sin is the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ. And some of the ways that people will cover up the pain in their life is they will do drugs, they will do alcohol, they will pornography, they will steal, they will lie, prescription drugs, and many other ways that people will seek to temporarily cover up the pain in their life. Sometimes it's just working so much, they can't have an idle moment. I was just speaking with someone not long ago, and they said, I just have to stay busy. There's some pains in their lives, and they said, I recurrently have these dreams coming up, and these scenarios from the past coming up, and they cause me so much distress that I have to keep working. Otherwise, I can't handle those quiet moments. and temporary attempts to cover up the pain. Mental, emotional, and physical, that's what it is. And a mental suicide follows a painful experience. There was something that happened. in your past, a painful experience that leads to, if not dealt with, allowing wrong thoughts to breed wrong feelings. And that becomes deeper seated into who you are and eventually may lead to the thoughts of suicide. And we understand that a merciful man doeth good to his own soul, but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. It is not natural for a person to think about killing themselves. Proverbs 11, 17. And so today, as we get into the next one, help out of the hole of no help, and hopeless, helpless, hopeless in the hole of no hope, we find that there's another important facet of truth to be considered by those that are in this. We are in a public world, our flesh, right, our skin, that which we can see, and that which can be seen with the naked eye. There is a private world, which is the spiritual world, and that is what we're gonna be dealing with today, the spiritual world. And in the handouts, the visible world, that's the spiritual world. But biblically, we must understand it should not be a surprise that the visible and invisible worlds frequently crisscross and collide. That's the word you're looking for, collide with each other. Where our physical and spiritual, they affect, the spiritual affects the physical and vice versa. The life of Jesus frequently illustrates this, and we're gonna look at a number of illustrations today through this. I hope I have the time to make it through, but Lord willing, we will. As we go into it in the spirit world, Jesus frequently talks about this, illustrates this. He was constantly dealing with Satan and his demons in the invisible spirit world, and helping humans in the visible world who were being attacked by them. That might be in your fill in the blanks there. If you look at the brief reading of the New Testament, you'll find that it's very easy to see that Satan attacks, torments, tortures, influences both Christians and non-Christians. And his demons will also help him. And the non-Christians, who are those that are affected? I'd like you to turn with me to Mark chapter 5, Mark chapter 5 verse 2. Now, when I'm going into this material, what I'm saying is, as a believer, I'm not trying to excuse our actions and saying it is all of the devil. We, as believers, have a choice to do right, and even non-believers have a choice to do right or do wrong. But many times, we give in to those influences. A non-believer can be possessed. A demon can possess a person. A Christian can be oppressed, meaning from outside influences, heavy outside influence. But in Mark chapter five, verses two through seven, Jesus is in a place. I'm in Matthew. Matthew's not going to help me get to Mark chapter five. Mark chapter five, verse two. So Jesus is in the area of the Gadarenes in verse 2 of Mark chapter 5. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs, and no man could bind him, no, not with chains, because he had been often bound with fetters and chains. And the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus far off, he ran and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. And he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And then they respond and And then you come to verse 12, the devil speak, and all the devils besought him, saying, send us into the swine that we may enter into them. Please don't send us out of this area. Please don't send us to our final doom. And then verse 13, and forthwith Jesus gave them leave. Jesus permitted these demons to go into the pigs. Notice with me, they need Jesus's permission. That's a key. We'll talk about it later. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and there were about 2,000 and were choked in the sea. In verse 15, and they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid. Jesus heals a man. It comes back to a, what does it say? A right mind. My friend, we can have a right mind. And many times there are outs, there's a spiritual influences that are affecting our mind. And many times we may think these are my thoughts. but they very well may not be. I'd like you to turn with me to Mark chapter nine. We'll just look at a few instances here. Just a couple of these examples for the sake of time today, and you're welcome to always go back through. Mark chapter nine, verse 17, and one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. He can't speak. He's got a dumb spirit. And then verse 18, and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him, and he foameth and gnashes with his teeth and pineth away. And I speak to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not. The father recounts the condition, verses 21 and 22, and he asks his father, how long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, of a child. And oft times it hath cast him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him, but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Verse 24, his need was faith. Straightway, the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. In verse 25 through 27, Jesus says, particularly in verse 25, thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried and rent him sore and came out of him. And he was as one is dead. He was as one dead in so much that many said he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and lift him up and he arose. He was healed. Those with torments and palsy, it mentions there, diseases, torments, possessed with devils, lunatic, palsy, Jesus healed them. A stooped over woman, and here in Luke 13, 11, you have people beaten up. Acts chapter 19, verses 12 through 16, certain of the Vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them, which had evil spirits in the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, we adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches. There were seven sons of one Siva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? At which time the spirit would jump on them, and they all ran away, naked and wounded. In the Spirit of Divination Acts 16, 16 through 18. Not only does it affect non-Christians, but it can also, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse seven, the apostle Paul had an infirmity of the flesh. and his thought that maybe he had a drooping eye. Paul was a very unsightly man. He was not one of those very handsome men, as he even says in the scriptures, but his thought that he had an eye that was just drooped and it oozed liquid and just very gross in what you would think of it. But in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 7, unless I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, unless I should be exalted above measure. Paul had Satan buffeting him, tormenting him, afflicting his body. Paul, as many times people say, well, we can have healings. If you have enough faith, you can heal. How come Paul couldn't heal? God says, I've given to you for a reason. And so with the very truth here, there's immorality, 1 Corinthians 5. There's a spirit here, a man committing immorality. with his dad's wife, his stepmom, and it says there, deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh. Deliver a believer over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh because they're living immorally. There's a hindering of people, even Paul said, but Satan hindered us. There is an intemperate spirit about defrauding one another and Satan tempt you with a husband and wife and staying apart from each other. There is a, lest Satan tempt you for your incontinency, for your lack of affection. And so there's that there. Satan can tempt us in those periods of time. There's an unforgiving spirit. Unless Satan should get an advantage of us. Unless we have, unless we're, if we're not willing to give forgiveness, then Satan will get an advantage of us. He'll have a place in our life. There's a lack of discernment here in Matthew 16, 21 through 23. And Peter rebuked Jesus about, you're not going to die. And Jesus said, get thee behind me, Satan. The very truth here is that Satan can affect a believer. And so as we look at these truths here, Ananias and Sphyra would lie because Satan put it in their heart. So can Satan influence a Christian? The answer is an emphatic yes. It is a true statement that Satan can influence A Christian, can Satan control a Christian? Yes. What is that? I thought you said we couldn't be possessed. Let me get to that. How does he, how does he control us through deception? Can he deceive a Christian 3% of the time? How about 13%? How about 33%? Where is the stopping point of control in a Christian's life? And if Satan can get a person to believe a lie, he can influence and manipulate them with that lie. There's your fill in the blank, I believe. If Satan can get a person to believe a lie, he can influence and manipulate them with that lie. Both those words are lie. A stronghold is a lie. And so what happens here, Satan builds, another fill in the blank here, Satan builds strongholds in our lives when we believe a lie. Satan deceives by getting a person to believe a lie and Satan always, always, and this is a fill in the blank, always introduces a stronghold lie into our what? Our soul. He builds these strongholds, these fortresses in our lives. And if we begin to believe these lies, and you think, I don't believe any lies. Your perception is your reality. And your reality of how you see things could potentially be, it could actually be different than the way you perceive of it. And we need to be open to that. Say, Lord, is my perception of reality wrong? Mankind has three parts in full in Hebrews turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12 It says for the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword Piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of these joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts of and intents of the heart. Soul, spirit, heart. Man has three parts, and that verse tells us that. The body, the soul, and the spirit. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 23, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless. Under the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, man has three parts, body, soul, and spirit. The soul has three parts. What are those? The soul has a mind, has emotions, and has a will. See, we can believe these lies. We've got to be careful. Lies will cause us, if Satan can get us to believe a lie in our soul, what does he have? He has a military base of operation from which to take over other territories in our soul. Let me say that again. Satan can get us to believe a lie in our soul. He has a military base of operation from which to take over other territories in our soul. Remember the story that I gave of Rebecca, how she was violated by her uncle? She had believed that her parents did not care for her. That was the exact opposite. That was not true. But that was her reality. Satan had a fortress. She also believed that God didn't care about her. Completely false. We have to consider the thoughts. You see, lies will cause us to have, number one, and you're filling the blank there, cause us to have wrong thinking. Thinking. Not only that, it'll have wrong feelings and make wrong choices. See, we're still accountable. Once our thinking and emotions are contaminated by believing a lie, you'll see this after you get those three written, have wrong thinking, have wrong feelings, and have wrong choices, make wrong choices. Your thinking affects your feelings, which affects your choices for your action. Some of the things that we may do, maybe revenge at someone, to get even with someone, to avoid someone. is a result of wrong thinking, wrong emotions, wrong feelings. And once our thinking, here's your next fill in the blank, once our thinking and emotions are contaminated by believing a lie, problems will occur in the physical body. Have you ever thought about maybe some of the physical struggles in your body are a spiritual aspect, spiritual problem, spiritual illness. Let's go on. How does Satan get us to believe a lie? He does so by sending us thoughts. I remember for myself, there was a time where I thought every thought that came into my mind was my thoughts. But as I began to do journaling back in, I think about 2001 when I was in university, someone had encouraged me to do it. And I thought, I will never try it. Well, I'll try it. That idea of, wow, some of these thoughts could very well be God speaking to me or otherwise. Satan cannot read your thoughts. That's the next one. Only God can read your thoughts. So the true and false there is God, only God can read your thoughts. Satan can send you thoughts. He can't read them. When you verbalize them, obviously Satan can hear it, but only God can read your thoughts. So if you protect your thoughts, Satan can't see. I want to look at several ways to show you this very truth that God can read your thoughts. Look with me at 2 Chronicles 6, verse 30. 2nd Chronicles chapter 6 verse 30. Then hear thou, Solomon speaking, then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place and forgive and render unto every man according unto all his ways whose heart thou knowest. Look with me what he says next. For thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men. Your thoughts Satan can't read them. Job 44, 42, 2, I know that thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholding from thee. God sees our thoughts. The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity. Satan can send us thoughts all day long, but I don't need to give any credence. I don't need to allow them to affect my feelings. If they were so easy to know that they were from Satan, But here's the issue, here's the truth. The closer I am to God, the more I can tell what is a lie. The Lord knows our thoughts, Satan doesn't. And that is a protective measure that is a blessing. In Matthew 16, 13 through 23, we're gonna go through this passage of scripture here. And in Matthew chapter 16. And I would even encourage you this morning, Lord, are there any lies deeply embedded in my soul that I have believed? If so, would you reveal them to me and help me to deal with it in a biblical fashion? As I have stated last week, if I was to ask you, what is the most painful, hurtful, emotional event or circumstance of your life? And on a scale of one to 10, how would you rate that? painful event on a scale of one to ten. Many times you'll talk with people in that one to ten, they'll say it's way more than that, whatever number they give, because it is so painful. But that event that is so painful is Satan has placed a lie into our soul. Something there is a lie. We have to understand that the lie that Satan has implanted, he has a fortress, a military base in our lives, and he is ruining people when we can undo those lies and those painful events. Let's look at Matthew 16, verse 13. When Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, whom do men say that I, the son of man, am? And they said unto him, some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others, Jeremiah, are one of the prophets. Verse 15, but he saith unto them, Whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Verse 17, I want you to notice with me next. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. What happens? God put these thoughts. Jesus, you're the Christ. Jesus confirmed that Peter gave the correct answer. Peter couldn't take credit. Who could he take credit for? God had put those thoughts in his mind. In verse 18, I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Verse 20. Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. Then, verse 21, from that time forth began Jesus showing to his disciples how that he must go into Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind thee, So here, Jesus is revealing his death, burial, and resurrection. Peter rebukes him. What does Jesus say? Get thee behind me who? He didn't say Peter. Satan, thou art an offense unto me. Thou savest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. Satan had put those thoughts. Lord, you're not gonna die. Every thought that comes into your mind is not yours necessarily. God can put those in there if they align up with the Word of God, or Satan can. How about another one in Acts chapter 5 verses 1 through 3? Acts chapter 5 verses 1 through 3. I know I've got the verses here, but Acts chapter 5 verse 1, but a certain man named Ananias with Sapphira his wife sold the possession and kept back part of the price. His wife also being privy to it and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostle's feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart? Lie to the Holy Ghost and keep back part of the price of the land. How did Satan, here's your fill in the blank, how did Satan fill their heart? He filled their heart by tempting them with thoughts to lie. Thoughts to lie. How about David? 1 Chronicles 21.1, Satan would tempt David to number Israel. And even his Joab, his military commander, would tell him, you shouldn't do this. As a result of David, here's your key you'll need for your next fill in the blank, Satan's tempting thoughts move King David to militarily number his people and not trust in God's what? Strength. Strength. And as a result of this numbering, what happened? 70,000 lives were lost, 2 Samuel 24, verses one through four. Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. There's a provoking of David, external influence, thoughts, an overwhelming influence. So the question is, where do thoughts of hurting yourself or suicide come from? They do not come from God, number one, not from God. On the back, I believe. They don't come from God. God would never want you to kill yourself. They don't come from man, not from God, not from man. So where do they come from? Ephesians chapter five, verse 29. Ephesians chapter 5 verse 29 for no man ever yet hated his own flesh No, man, this is what God is speaking. No man ever yet hated his own flesh Nourish it and cherish it even as the Lord the church So, who is it it's Satan Satan You're filling the blank there. Man is a self-centered being by nature and always tries to look out for number one first. Number one. Satan's plan has always been to kill humanity. What did he want to do with Adam and Eve? Destroy them. Here's the truth though. Satan cannot kill a person without God's permission. Since God is sovereign over life, Satan cannot kill a person without God's permission. You could go back to Job chapter 1 and deal with it there, and look at the truths therein. Satan cannot kill a person without God's permission if he wants to kill us as he would end up killing Job's children I'd end up killing a lot of the livestock and having a killing livestock, but having them stolen the house demolished Satan asked for permission Say Job was a job was a man that was godly and so God protected him He had a hedge of protection about him. No unbelievers don't have that about him But Satan cannot kill a person without God's permission In 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verses 1 through 7, verse 1, it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I, verily as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present concerning him that hath so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you're gathered together in my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. To deliver the church here, Church of Corinth, to deliver such in one unto Satan. Out of God's permission, Satan, have your feel free, have your heyday with this individual to deliver such and one into Satan for the destruction of the flesh. The spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Full permission to do as he wants with that person. Yeah, full permission. That's a scary thing. That's the same thing when a church executes church discipline. They've given permission for Satan to do with that person as he deems fit. It's a serious thing. But with all of this, he says, your glory is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven, leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Here's the fill in the blank. Therefore, Satan uses discouraging and damning thoughts of no hope to get the person to kill himself. He can't kill you. But if he can get you to believe a lie, he can get you to believe those wrong thoughts. You're worthless. You're no good. Just give up. It's not worth it. So-and-so hates you. No one loves you. You're just trash. And many other wicked thoughts. He can't kill you. But if he can send those thoughts, boy, will he love to destroy you. Those thoughts do not come from God. They do not come from God. And my friend, if you've ever had those suicidal thoughts, if you've ever had those thoughts and that great deep depression, it's not of God. I need to get back to the health, he who is life, the abundant waters. You said, I'm so far in this hole, I can't get out. That's where you reach out and say, I need help. Would you walk with me? I'm not judging me. I need your help. I need you to open up the word of God, explain the scriptures. We get in those times of, I just don't want to go on with life. I don't want to get up today. I don't want to move forward. We've believed some lie somewhere along the line. That is not God's goal. It's not God's will for our lives. So how do we overcome being helpless and hopeless in the hole of no hope? Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 10 4-5. Our God wants to give us freedom. Life. It says in John 10.10, it talks about the thief wanting to come steal, kill, and destroy, and I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly. You can have a whole mind, a peace-filled mind. You can have the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. You can have those in your life. 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. What did I say at the beginning of this? There is a physical world and a spiritual world. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. But mighty through God to the pulling down of what? What does it say next? Strongholds. Stronghold lies, military base of operation that Satan has put into our life. Casting down imaginations. And every high thing that what does what? Exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. Like Rebecca's case, I don't care about you. God doesn't love you, Rebecca. God abandoned you. God isn't peace. God is a maniacal, narcissistic, masochistic God. That is a lie of Satan. Comes straight from the pits of hell. exalted itself against the knowledge of God. When you understand the character and the person of God, you're going to understand He is far better than anything you could ever imagine. And bringing into captivity what? Every thought to the obedience of Christ. every thought to the obedience of Christ. Are you telling me my thoughts, when they come, are not all for me? Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. Turn to Philippians 4, verse 8. It's not on the slide here, but I want to give it to you for a truth. Can Satan control your thoughts? Control you? Yeah. through deception, lies, thoughts. Can he influence you? Yes, yes he can. There is hope, there is peace. He's king of kings, lord of lords, prince of peace. He's an almighty God. We don't need to carry our burdens. We don't need to carry those hurts from the past. There is deliverance. And I've got to begin to see that every thought, when you understand, and I'm not saying, oh yeah, that's great pastor. That's good. That's that makes sense. No, but I'm saying when you in your life realize, listen, these thoughts that are coming, that person just looked at me wrong. That person said something to me wrong. And sometimes someone can say something we perceive as wrong, but it couldn't necessarily be. There's many things that can be stated and acted upon us. And we, and sometimes they are actually evil or intended or wrong motives. But that injury doesn't need to injure me. It doesn't need to form a lie in my soul where I believe certain things. As I had stated before, forgiveness is not for the offender. It is for the offended. It's for you. If you're hurting, forgiveness against someone else is for you, for your healing, for your heart to mend. I've got to cast away those imaginations, those thoughts, those assumptions, those things that we begin to think about day in and day out about how a person treated us. Those are imaginations that I begin to think about and Satan just keeps throwing back that memory into your heart and your mind and it causes great emotional distress, anxiety, fear, panic, PTSD, whatever you want to call it. It causes a great emotional unrest. And if we don't get to the key of unraveling this onion of lies, my friend, we won't have victory. That's not God's choice. We'll make a life of wrong choices. We'll live potentially in anger, not anger, depression, anger, depression, because we're believing the lies of Satan. In Philippians chapter 4 verse 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, if there be any praise, think on these things. There is a public world and there's a private world. I remember reading this report on it, a doctor was talking about patients that had cancer, and of those, a large number that had cancer, of those who were bitter, had a less likely chance of recovering than those who were not bitter. Your spiritual life and your walk with God on a daily basis will affect your mental health, but also your physical health. We have to get back to the core. We need that harmony with God. The final fill in the blank, whoever controls your thoughts, controls you. If God does not control our thoughts and we believe the lies of Satan, Satan's controlling us. If I'm believing those thoughts, those evil thoughts, those suicidal thoughts are coming from me, Satan is controlling me and I am on a path of absolute destruction. If you're living in fear, Satan's controlling your thoughts. If you're living in anxiety, Satan's controlling your thoughts. Because that is not of God. If you're living in that state of depression, anger, Those are not mindsets that are godly. We're allowing Satan to control our thoughts. And when we can begin to deal with those thoughts, and there might be a hurt from a long time ago that we thought about, we forgot about, or maybe we just haven't thought about for a while. But until we deal with those thoughts, Until we deal with those lies that we're believing of Satan, we will not have victory. Hope deferred, make it the heart's sake, and you'll have a sick heart. And my friend, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I don't want us to be controlled by Satan, the mental illness, the mental struggles that are there. It very well be there's some lies that have been believed. Would we be willing to, when we're alone with God, just us and God, be transparent, be open? You said, I just can't do that. Maybe you'd say, I'd like someone with me. Feel free to reach out to the church, my wife or I, the two of us, we'd love to be a help to you. God wants to give us that victory. And so may God bless you. And I trust this has been giving you something to think about to really challenge you in your life. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you for this day. Father, I pray for those who are in the anger, anxiety, fear, depression, and many other struggling mindsets. That Lord, the thoughts that come to their mind, that they could begin to filter them through your word. If they're struggling, Lord, I pray that they would reach out. And Lord, if they need help, it's a blessed thing to reach out and Lord, get help. Lord, you want to help us. Father, you're our Savior. You died to give us freedom and liberty. We have not to live in drudgery. The Christian life is not just hold on as long as you can and I hope I make it. Hold on and I hope God gets me through this life. It's not Christianity. That's religion and it's vain and it's dead. And Lord, I pray for our people that you would just bless them. Please give them victory and help them. Lord Jesus, I commit all of today into your hands. I thank you for your grace in Jesus' precious name, I pray.