The Power of Your Thoughts | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you have your bibles and would stand with me tonight in honor of the reading of the word of the lord in the spiritual realm pastor believes that we're just on the eve of a tremendous spiritual explosion i really believe that i really believe that i believe we're on the eve of a of a spiritual explosion and i'm so excited about it although we may be in some of the most trying times in our history i can't help but by the eye of faith to believe that something is going to happen a great outpouring of god's spirit and i am i'm so so very very i'm so very thankful i'm so very thankful for that i feel like something good's about to happen just feel like something good is about to happen my what what a great crowd here on this sunday evening man i tell you it just blessed me today it just blessed me to hear my kids just overwhelmed they got it out of their mouth before i could get it out of my mouth how we were so surprised at the great number of people that came out today you know we've really been through something and uh the the good thing is is we don't focus on what we're going through as much as what we're going to well let me preach philippians chapter 4 verse number 9. oh thank god philippians chapter 4 excuse me philippians chapter 4 and verse number eight philippians 4 and verse number 8. probably one of the most popular words you like to hear in a sermon finally finally brethren whatsoever things are true mount my why don't we just read it together won't we just do that come on finally brethren whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things or of a good report if there be any virtue and if there be any praise think on i want to preach tonight for a few moments on the power of your faults the power of your thoughts father i love you i thank you tonight lord for my dear brother dean that i was privileged to baptize a few weeks ago thank you god to see him on the front row of this church tonight needing and wanting and desiring a touch from your spirit oh god fill him with the holy ghost tonight lord as the promise in the bible says lord i pray tonight that you lift burdens through the preaching of the word that this message will be something to take us through our week in jesus name amen give him the best handclap offering of the night and then you might may be seated the best one the power of your thoughts the power of your thoughts i was sharing a little bit of this with my wife tonight coming from the funeral and i said the beautiful thing about thoughts is thoughts have the ability to transport us from the momentary situations of suffering to a time that it will be better thoughts have the ability to remove us from our surroundings remove us from despair and hopelessness and grief thoughts have the ability to literally transport us to another day or thoughts can take us when we're surrounded with everything we ought to thank god for thoughts can drag us down beat us down and oppress us it's the power of thoughts paul was not writing brother perry paul was not writing this book of philippians from the hyatt or the marriott in jerusalem he wasn't writing the book of philippians from a five-star hotel he pins these words while chained to a wall in philippi in the prison he says finally brethren i want you to i want you to think on things that are true he said whatsoever literally setting a meal a delicious meal before the christian because after all thoughts become the food that your mind devours and what you devour determines not only your physical outcome but what we devour as far as thoughts determine the health of our minds set a table before them and he said i want you to eat things that are true things that are honest things that are just things that are pure things that are lovely things that are of good report things that have power and things that cause you to praise i want you to think on these thoughts it's nothing new keeping the imagery in your mind of a well meal placed before you and paul said when it comes time for your brain that gets hungry said this is the kind of fruits that you need to eat true honest just pure lovely good report virtue praise eat devour these things the apostle paul writing to the corinthians would later in second corinthians 10 and 3 even further reveal to us the power of our thoughts for he said in second corinthians 10 and 3 though we walk in the flesh that's what we see 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 strongholds 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 paul not only said your thoughts are the food that your brain eats he also said your thoughts are your spiritual weapons that you fight against the spiritual foe you don't fight the devil with a gun you don't fight the devil with the switchblade you don't fight the devil with boxing gloves can i tell you when you get in the ring with the enemy you fight him with thoughts because he tries to get you thinking the wrong thoughts you'll never go the wrong direction until you first think the wrong thoughts you'll never commit the wrong deeds until you think the wrong thoughts so if i'm gonna get in the ring with the adversary i've got to understand that the battle is right here weapons of our warfare not carnal verse 4 the weapons of our warfare are not carnal they're not fleshly they're not guns they're not bombs they're not knives and boxing gloves they're not carnal fleshly but they are mighty through god to the pulling down of strongholds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of god and bringing into captivity oh doesn't that adversary want to fill our minds with the wrong thoughts doesn't he want to speak to you continually to get you to think the wrong thoughts and if the adversary can get you thinking the wrong thoughts he then plants a stronghold he gets a hold on you he gets a place where he can work but the bible says when we want to come against the enemy that we can think the right thoughts and that we can come and start pulling down the strongholds and casting out the enemy of our soul can you say amen paul not only said that our thoughts are our food he not only said thoughts are like food for your brain and boy don't we we are inundated now you can't watch much tv without getting an advertisement for some pill to take to help your memory you can't watch much tv without seeing some kind of certain uh fruit uh that's uh that that that'll help your brain that people want to have better memory and people want to do this and you know some of that is true i would imagine that there's some of this that is true there's certain fruits and and what have you if it could be true in the realm of the natural then it can certainly be true in the realm of the spiritual if you can eat the right thing and get blood flowing and memory improving then we can begin to think the right things and get the spirit world around us to move we're in a battle we're in a fight the enemy wants to beat us down and get a stronghold but we can think our way to victory not only that when paul wrote the book of romans chapter 12 verse 1 and 2 follow closely follow closely with me tonight he tells us that our thoughts are like food he tells us that it's like a plate of food he then tells us it's like our weapons and now watch in verses one and two i beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto god which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world i want to stop there for a moment be not conformed he's talking to christians he's talking to apostolic people just like you and i and he says do not conform to this world the word conform means to conform oneself one's mind and one's character to another one's pattern or to fashion oneself according to something and paul said do not conform to the world do not conform your life to the world and the only analogy i've got for this is a personal one but our grandbaby hampton he just you just get this boy and he conforms to whatever i mean he just he just conforms to you he just i mean it's just like his little body becomes your body and it wraps around you that's the best i can offer you but the bible says do not conform yourself to this world this world is not our home do not conform to this world the answer is not in this world the answer is not in the newspaper the answer is not in washington the answer is not in the schools of higher education the answer is in the bible the answer is in the book and if you believe that shout a man tonight shout amen tonight the answer be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed before i go any further what is transforming it means to change into another form it means to transfigure to change into another form we are not of this world therefore we don't need to conform to this world but we need to be transformed we need to be changed but it's difficult pastor no it's not i go through so much pressure at school i go through so much pressure on my job but yet here is the key to victory but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god the battle is in your mind change the way you think and you'll change the way you live oh god change the way you think and you'll change the way jeremiah the prophet oh i feel the holy ghost right now oh would you just praise him i just feel like we ought to take a praise come on right now my god i believe we're fighting something right now oh in the name of jesus i will get this message through to your people tonight i will get this message through to your people tonight lord i've got a mandate in my bible to get this message through to your people power come on the prophet jeremiah oh hallelujah don't you feel the lord here the prophet jeremiah in jeremiah 6 and 19 the prophet jeremiah said hear o earth behold i will bring evil upon this people even the fruit of their thoughts because they have not hearkened unto my words nor my law but rejected it you see your thoughts produce fruit but you determine what fruit it is if it's fleshly it's because you've allowed fleshly thoughts if it's spiritual it's because you've battled to have spiritual thoughts they tell me that our brains are made up of all of these different pathways pathways all through our brain and these pathways are caused by our thoughts whatever we think they say i read in a book about this that a thought that goes through your mind at first is like pushing a wheelbarrow full of gravel across your yard it is hard at first because the grass gives resistance but it's said if you keep pushing that wheelbarrow time after time until you have worn out a path that it becomes easier to push that wheelbarrow on that path than it first did and it said if you want to change your thoughts that you have to realize that you have to stop that thought right where it's at you have to counteract that thought with another thought you cannot allow that thought to have authority that thought must meet something with higher authority you have got to have willpower and brainpower to meet that thought and to keep pushing it back and it doesn't happen first time second time just like you didn't wear that path through that yard first time around it was day after day but if there's anybody tonight that feels like you're not through living and you would like to change your life how many years you've got left get on the bandwagon with me and let's start changing our thoughts come on tonight let's just get in the holy ghost come on tonight let's just get in the holy ghost in this room i am i will give you i will give you jeremiah 6 19. i will give you the fruit of your thoughts god said if you want to think it i'll make you eat it if you want to think it you're going to eat it and the problem was it wasn't the right thoughts and it wasn't the right fruit thoughts are powerful thoughts can move god to action thoughts move god to action that's right thoughts something as we might think is insignificant thoughts move god to action proof of this is genesis 6 and verse 5. genesis 6 and 5 and god saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually what caused god to change his mind what caused god after six seven days of saying it is good it is good it is good it is very good what caused god to have a change of mind because the bible said that god said it hath repented me that i have made man i have changed my mind because i have made man what would cause god to swing into action and give a man named noah a plan to build a boat because a worldwide flood was coming and all all humanity would be destroyed what caused god to do that you say well there's a lot of sin going on the god gets to the root of the problem god just simply says i changed my mind when i looked at their thoughts and their thoughts were only evil continually and they were all wiped away thoughts can move god thoughts can move god what about in matthew 9 19. a woman bleeding for 12 years hemorrhaging pale sick broke in debt the bible says jesus arose and followed him and so did his disciples and behold a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood 12 years came behind him and touch the hem of his garment for she said within herself you know what that is don't you i oh wow it's a thought she had a thought if i can just touch the hem of his garment i'll be made whole for she said within herself if i can touch the hem of his garment i shall behold but jesus turned him about and when he saw her sin daughter be of good comfort thy faith has made thee whole i want you to know don't look at it this way that jesus is just walking and he don't have it on his mind he knows everything he's god in the flesh he knows there's a woman coming up behind me and she's thinking if i can touch the hymn of his garment i'll be home thoughts can move god if you want to move god start having the right thoughts you want a movie thoughts thoughts thoughts i'm going to tell you right now this you may not find this in a bible school classroom but i think at our bible school we're going to have one class on the devil is the master at trash talk the devil's a trash talker it's all he is he talks trash goliath first samuel 17 10 goliath is a type of satan and phil and the philistine said how to fight the armies of israel this day give me a man that we may fight together when saul and all israel heard the words of the philistine they were dismayed and greatly afraid well he's a trash talker all he is a trash talker the devil's a trash talker he's not as powerful some of us give him credit he's only powerful you listen to his trash you will never play your game in life as long as you listen to the trash talker yeah oh my god i said you'll never let you'll never live listen you'll never become who god wants you to become as long as you get on the court of life and listen to the trash talker you know what they do they're trying to get in your head trying to get in your head it's all the light was a trash talker it's all it was a trash talker send me a mail i defy you send me a man and he kept israel at bay for at least 40 days trash talking some of us haven't moved in a long time because we didn't listen to trash talk he knows ain't no need to go the altar ain't no need to try that you know who you're listening to the trash talker some of us some of us are bolded to our pew because we listen to the trash talk and say well you've tried that praise before it don't work for you and he just loves that because he has trash talked you in to not letting your praise go up before god but a little boy named david got on the field and in first samuel 17 40 this little low fair-haired boy probably had one twig of hair waving in the back he took his staff in his hand and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had even in a script and his sling was in his hand and he drew not to the philistines boy i remember in children's church one of my favorite little songs was i sing the little kitties one little boy named david down by the babbling brook one little boy named david five little stone his j this is for you not going to sunday school one little stone went into the sling and a sling went round and round one little stone went into the sling and a sling went round and round round and round and round and round and round and round and round your kids are falling out of their seat you know one little stone went up up up and the giant came tumbling down right and the philistine came on and drew near unto david and the man that bear the shield went before him when the philistine looked upon him and saw david he disdained him for he was but a youth and ready and of a fair countenance and the philistine said unto david am i a dog that thou comest to me with staves scraps and the philistine cursed david by his gods and the philistines said to david here's the trash talk come to me i will give thee thou i will give thy flesh to the fowl of the air and to the beast of the field trash talking then david said you see you gotta counteract the trash talker if you don't want the devil playing over your head you gotta counteract the trash talker sometimes we have to educate our boys girls playing basketball because everything that says they go to a christian school is not christian sometimes i let her boys come over on the sideline coach coach hammond he told me i was a blanky blakey blakey he's trying to get in your head he had to hit him because he knows he's afraid of your play and playing playing now this was bad on us this is bad to tell on us but this is the only story i can tell years ago when stephen solomon was here playing basketball he always was put up to guard one of the magnus boys now the magnus boys all of them were very athletic all of them could play ball all of them i mean and and if you just just the truth is the magnus boy was a better athlete than stephen and stephen is smart and he knew it and stephen got word that the magnus boy that night was going to dunk on him it had already been said i'm going to drive the ball down and i'm going to go up and i'm going to dump that ball and i'm going to do it he had done it when they were warming up before the game started you seen the magnus boy come out and whoo he jammed that ball down but oh stephen he got in that magnus boy's face and he told him when nobody could see him he said i'm going to tell you something he said you try to dunk on me tonight and as you go up to dunk on me i'm going to pull your pants down i'm going to pull your pants down that's what he told us that's what he told me i kept wondering why that magnus boy not dunk on him as stephen said he didn't dunk on me because i told him i was gonna pull his pants down if he tried to dunk on me you know something i think we need to shame the devil tonight and we need to tell him the next time you tell me i'm not loved i'm going to get up and shout i am loved come on come on tonight break out of it break out of it tonight break out of it tonight break out of you tonight you are in a battle you are in a battle you're not mentally ill you are in a mental battle that you've got to fight fight fight fight five five five young people five middle-aged people five elderly people five young person whatever you're battling five five five middle-aged people whatever you're battling five five five yes fight hallelujah fight fight fight fight philistine said to david let me trash talk to you a little bit the philistines said let me prophesy to you david let me demonically prophesy to you and tell you that today the birds are going to eat your body the beasts are going to drag your little carcass around in caves i'm so sick of the devil's prophecy over our lives i'm so sick when people start having a marital trouble the devil wants to prophesy over you and tell you it's going to end this way you're going to follow the well-worn path of others i'm so tired of the devil prophesying to young people and go ahead and tell them they're no good they've done make too many mistakes for god to ever use them and lie at the lieth goliath to lie again i'm so sick and tired of the devil telling our elders tonight you've lived your life you just need to sit around and you just need to sit around it's time for you to die there's you're of no value at all let me tell you something elderly man let me tell you something 80 year old woman 80 year old 90 year old man when you wake up you might not can run an aisle and you may not can jump up and down but when you get up before the day and you get down on your knees and say god would you touch our pastor today and god would you keep your hands up on the daycare today and god would you keep your hands upon our church today can i tell you that that is a most valuable ministry you could have pray till you die david said because it always comes our turn of what we say verse 45 then said david to the philistine thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield but i come to you in the name of the lord of hosts the god of the armies of israel whom thou hast defied this day now you listen to the right prophecy you listen to the right prophecy this day will the lord deliver thee into my hand i will smite thee and take thine head from thee i will give the carcass of the host of the philistines this day unto the fowl of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth that all the earth may know that there is a god in israel and all this assembly shall know that the lord saveth not with sword and spear for the battle is the lord's and he will give you into our hands trash talking of the devil or treasure scripture quoting from the saint of god he counteracts this and tells the enemy this is going to happen came to pass when the philistine arose came near to draw tonight to meet david david hastened ran toward the army to meet the philistine put his hand in his bag and took vince's stone and slang it and smoked the philistine in the forehead that the stone sunk into his forehead the forehead represents the mind notice what the devil tried to get in david's head but david turned it around and david got the stone in goliath's forehead it's time that we hit the mark of the thoughts of the enemy in the forehead because i want you to notice something goliath is not dead it sunk into his forehead and he fell on his face to the earth so david prevailed over the philistine with a sling and with a stone and smoked the philistine and slew him but there was no sword in the hand of david therefore david ran stood up on the philistine took his sword drew it out of the sheep thereof there's a message right there there's a message right there david hit him so fast he didn't even have time to draw he didn't have time to get his spirit sword out of the sheet he just was he just was in the sheath david pulls it out of the sheath and slew him and cut off his head therewith and when the philistines saw their champion was dead they slew do you know what david killed goliath with goliath's own sword and how we will kill the adversary is to reverse the thoughts if he tells you something you can pretty well hey don't be mrs innocent don't i you know i know this is the devil well if you know it's a devil what in the name of time are you doing listening to him i know this is just the devil if you know don't wait three days to get an appointment with your pastor don't wait a week to come to my office you need to right there if you know it's the devil you need to say devil you are a liar thoughts thoughts thoughts musicians would you come thoughts thoughts thoughts are powerful thoughts tonight can cause you that's watching that's prodigaled i believe there's some prodigals watching us tonight start thinking of coming home start thinking of coming home do you remember when you sang in the choir do you remember when you taught sunday school you do you see but your goliath just wants you to remember what hurt you your goliath just wants you to remember what you did but there's not a pig pen deep enough to overcome the power of thoughts the boy had slept with harlots the boy had possibly become a wino alcoholic the boy finds himself in a pig pen and luke 15 17 says when he came to himself he said i don't care how you cut it he said it but you don't say nothing until you first thought it he got to walling around in the pigpen and he got to thinking in my father's house it's bread see you'll never come home oh lord jesus you'll never come home trying to order you another prescription because you're never going to forget about father's house you're never going to forget you can't taste this good holy ghost in the world to come and walk away from it you might as well do like that young man did in arkansas i was preaching in arkansas and they were webcasting their service and i got to talking to a prodigal didn't know he just lived a few miles down the road and before the service was over that boy got in his truck he drove down to that church and about the time i gave the altar call he came i won't tell you tonight sister prodigal brother prodigal come home you can't even you listen sinners have it better than you because they can get up on sunday they're not being used to the father's bread at ten o'clock they've not been used to the father's bread on sunday night at six o'clock i don't care what kind of clothes you put on and what kind of movies you try to rent you know as well as i do come 6 pm on sunday evenings you start you know do you do you feel the lord don't you feel the lord why don't you come home won't you come home that prodigal son said within himself he thought it there's bread in my father's house thoughts change our actions i see that old boy getting out of that i see that old boy getting out of that pig pen shaking up mud off his shoes i see him putting the pig pen in his rear view mirror and i see him thinking his way all the way back and the bible said that when he was yet afar off because remember what i said about thoughts thoughts moved god they moved god moved god to destroy the almost all the earth but eight people it moved him to heal a woman of 12 years of hemorrhaging it alerted him that a son was coming home thoughts faults well brother carpenter she's staying with me right now could i get some intercessors in this house can i get some people that know how to intercede right now hallelujah victory is mine victory is mine oh victory is mine victory is mine i am healed in jesus name i am delivered in jesus name i am shook up and woke up come on intercessors i need you tonight hallelujah come on thank you tonight thank you tonight i am loved i am wanted i am needed oh come on intercessors come on intercessors right now oh somebody pray in the spirit right now oh god in the name of jesus the name of jesus the name of jesus brother sharp reach over and lay your hands on brother deed right now oh holy ghost and fire hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah we got five sections excuse me we got six sections here we got six sections here i'm gonna take a pledge tonight i'm gonna take a pledge tonight section one two three four five and six i need a pledge tonight and how i need you to give this pledge is when i ask the section i need you to raise your hand all right but you've got to understand that negative thoughts are contagious you start listening to somebody negative and it's not law you catch what they've got you lose your sense of smell and taste because it's contagious that's believable isn't it anybody witness that get around a negative person and that negative negativity starts rubbing off on you but get around a positive person and that starts rubbing off on you and here's the proof that i know it what did brother keno what did the woman with the issue of blood say within herself she said if i may touch the hymn of his garment pasta touch healing matthew 14 34 matthew 14 34 and when they were gone over and came into the land of jenezeret and when the men of that place had knowledge of jesus they sent out into all the country round about and brought unto him all that were diseased and besought him that they might touch might only touch the hem of his garment and as many as touched were made perfectly whole do you know where that started one braille woman had a positive thought if i could judge him and did it my god it got contagious and god can dangerous somebody else said listen to me section one how many of you will be contagiously infected with positive word raise your hand that's a whole section section two positive infected with positive words it's three i'm taking pledges tonight four five six negative is here's negative all these people ain't here i don't run with you i won't run with somebody saying man i wonder who's coming i wonder who's coming i wonder what product was going to come through that door i wonder what sinner's going to pray through i wonder what's going to happen my god my sister carpenter you know how many answers we got in the altar you count them real quick possibly possibly positive survival moves god moves god moves god moves god move god count them down again how much 30 30. if there's 30 and there's six sections six into 30 is five so i need five people from section one to come and stand on a on a cross and say i declare nothing but positive for first apostolic church i declare nothing but possibly all right i need five people from section two five from section three five from section four get the holy ghost dean get the holy ghost needs