All Of My Mind

I want to turn your attention to Matthew the 22nd chapter, the 37th and 38th verses. I have used this for a text many times, may have even mentioned some of this here before, but God just really has been speaking to me about this for today. For those of you that this is the first time you've ever walked into this sanctuary, please never make a decision on a church based on a guest minister. Never do that. If, if you're blessed today, thank God, I hope you are. If you're not blessed from this time forward, don't hold it against this church. Come back, and I mean that from my heart.

Matthew 22: 37-38: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." And I want to look into that verse there, would be a few things we could talk about, but I want to share this morning along this topic: All of My Mind. All of my mind. I felt, uh, standing over there in the earlier part of the service, while this wonderful worship — and what, what a privilege to come into a sanctuary and have this type of, of worship to, to set up the word; that's a great, a great blessing — but I just felt the spirit prompt to me: I am here to minister and to heal minds. I'm here to minister to and to heal minds. And so we're going to pray, and I want us to pray in faith, believing that there is going to be a work done in every one of our minds today. I'm believing that God is going to do a work in my life, as I'm ministering this word. He's already been, been speaking to me about my own life while I was preparing this word.

I want to pray boldly right now, because there are people that are in this sanctuary that desperately need a work and a ministry in their mind. And I want us to pray and open up our spirit for, for God to do just that. Father, we come, thank you for your continued spirit that we, that we feel now. We go to your word, and we know that your word is anointed, and we pray that there will just be a powerful ministry of your spirit through your word to our minds today. God, I speak against any distraction that would come. I know that when we dig deeper like this, there will be opposition, and I come against that and bind that right now in your name. And I'm believing for people to be ministered to today. Let it be done in Jesus' name, and can the church say amen? Amen. You may be seated.

Matthew 22, 37 through 38, again: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." We realize, as we look at the word of God, that first and great can only be answered by all. It's very basic, but it's very true: it takes all.

I was thinking, years ago, we've had some great pets. Our, we're dog lovers, and, uh, growing up we had, we had a few pets. The first one that I remember was a Dalmatian named Sputnik. I loved Sputnik, good dog. Mother said she looked out the back window one day, and there had, there was some cornbread that was left over. And I've always liked, like, leftovers. Can I get a witness, any, anybody? I actually hear people say, "I don't eat leftovers," and my brain's just not wired like theirs. And so, from a little kid, and, uh, well, from a little large kid that, that I was, and mother said she looked out the back window, and I had a huge piece of cornbread that I had taken, and I was taking a bite and given Sputnik a bite, and then I was taking a bite. And because I've always had a generous heart, and, and I was, I was sharing. Sputnik loved scraps, love scraps.

I was thinking about this, and I have realized through the years that, in pastoring, in trying to help people, that God and Sputnik do not have that in common: God does not like scraps. God does not like leftovers. He, he doesn't like just whatever we can throw at him. I think one of the, the greatest revelations that, that we could gain today is, some never answers all. Some will never answer all. He asked for all, and God will never be satisfied with some. God will never apologize for asking for all. Never. He, he won't do it. And so we really need to realize in our life today that, that some is the huge enemy of all. Some will just, we'll just give some.

We're speaking today about all of our mind, and, and what a challenge that is, no doubt, especially in the day that we're living in. And when you think about this, the picture of this is even made clearer all through the word of God, because when you start looking at what all is in front of through the word of God, it's quite a revelation. You will find all in front of might. You will find all in front of strength. You will find all in front of understanding. And so you bring the text scripture, and you bring that in with all

of these others, and you realize that he is after all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, all of our might, all of our strength, all of our understanding. And so the overwhelming message is all, and some will not answer all. If, if we could get this, it would absolutely change our lives. And so then we look at other scriptures in the word of God, and it just broadens the understanding of this, takes it deeper. Psalms 19 and 14 is one of those scriptures: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Words and, and meditation, to God, being acceptable. There is no way to arrive at the right destination if we don't even have the right destination marked. We're not just going to wonder into this. And so it's literally, let every word of my mouth and every meditation of my heart be acceptable. That's, that's quite a goal when we're speaking about all of our mind.

I would come and I could ask a simple question: What would you rather lose, your right arm or your mind? What would you rather lose, your, a leg or your mind? Well, unless you've already lost your mind, you would choose to lose anything other than your mind. And this is why it's very clear in scripture that the battle is for the mind. And this is where we need to remember again that some is the enemy of all.

When we look through the word of God, and, and one story that, that has spoken to me in the last couple years in, in a major way is the story of Naaman. Naaman was a Samaritan, uh, general, and he, they had, they had captured many Jews, and they had captured a little servant girl. And the girl knew, when Naaman was diagnosed with leprosy, and what that meant in that day — you, you were going to die — and she just, the little girl made, made this, this comment to Naaman's wife: "I sure wish my master could meet the man of God in my homeland, because he would heal him." And the word gets to Naaman, and, and I won't take time to tell the entire story, but Naaman ends up on, at the prophet's door, and, and the prophet didn't come out to him; he sent somebody else. And Naaman gets ticked off. He, he's in a rage, and he's literally going to leave. The, the direction was, "Go dip seven times in this, this muddy river." And he's like, "What? Dip seven times here? The, the river's in my homeland are, are much greater." And so he literally was going to leave in a rage, and one of his servants had enough, enough backbone to get his attention and say, "Would you just calm down? I mean, do this, just, would you do this?" And he did it, and was healed.

When he was standing there in a rage, here is literally what Naaman almost did: he almost thought himself to death. That is exactly what he almost did; he almost thought himself to death. And you look in the word of God, and from the very beginning, all through the word of God, we see people who thought themselves to death. Adam and Eve had it made, but they thought themself into a lot of, of death. Cora was a great leader among the, the Jewish people. There were 250 other very influential men; there was 250 other princes of the day, and they all thought themselves to death, every one of them. There was a time whenever God's, God's people — he had them right on the edge of the promised land. Who promised it? God. Can God deliver? Yes. And they're, they're there, they're ready, and 12 spies are sent. And what happened? Ten spies fought themselves to death. And not only did they think themselves to death, they, because of them, they thought a whole generation that, that could have gone in, but they died in the wilderness. Why? Because God wanted them to know? No, not at all. It, it was a promised land from God, that, that could deliver any promise, but they literally thought themselves to death.

I just, I'm reading the Bible through chronologically this year, and, and so in the last several weeks, couple months, whatever, it's just king after king, and, and this one does right, and then this one does wrong, and this one does wrong. And, and everything that, that comes up, it's almost like I'm reading the Bible through again — I've read the Bible through many times — and I get to this place, and it's almost like I get aggravated, because I know what's going to happen. It's like, look, the kings that, that thought right, did right. Look how God blessed them. But then the other leaders, look what they did, and look what they caused the people. Why? Because they literally thought themselves to death. That's then, and now here we are today, and the reality is, there are people looking at me right now that are thinking themselves to death. There are people that are seeing me, maybe live, maybe through the internet, wherever you are, in your office, car, home, whatever, that you're hearing this. And the reality is, is God has put this on my heart to speak to you and say, you're thinking yourself to death, spiritually. Some are thinking yourself to death emotionally. Some are thinking yourself to death physically. And the great news

is, is it can change, and it can change today. Second Corinthians 10 and 5 says: "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." And so the goal is to have every thought directed and accepted by the king. That's the goal: every thought. You say, "Well, look, you have, you have no idea what I'm up against." Well, no, I don't know what you're up against, but I do know how hard this is for me. This is war, is what this is. And we have to understand exactly what it is. And we remind ourselves again — yes, I've said it a few times, I may say it a few more — there's a big difference in all and some. And we've got to understand that every thought means every; it means all. And some, again, some is the huge enemy today of all. Some fights all. But King Jesus made it very clear: "I expect all," and some will never answer all. Never will.

There are people today, many, who have been born again at one time, but basically they are dealing with a hijacked mind. Somehow the enemy, um, of our soul has gotten the controls, and, and the enemy is in the cockpit, and the enemy is directing our lives, and, and the enemy is securely buckled in by, by the things that we are allowing in our mind.

I look and I consider media. I realize that basic media and social media, we, it is as if people today are oblivious to the tsunami that is running our life. It is like we are oblivious to what is, is really happening, and what we're really becoming by what we're allowing in our mind. Fear now, and anxiety, has, has, was absolutely fueled by COVID, and there's a lot of people today that are still not over it. In, in many places, public education now is, is a war zone, and it's absolutely amazing what, what is happening on all levels of public education, from pre-K up through college. And those of you today that, that you are in public education — you're an administrator, you're a teacher, you're, you're working support — uh, we must hold these people up in prayer, because this is a serious situation. And it's, it's a major tsunami. And the spirits are seeking to take over the minds of the children, and right now it looks like that they're doing a very good job.

When we think about mind games, we, we understand that, that mind games are the norm. And believe me, we deal with it in our homes, and we deal with it in our church. The enemy brings mind games right to our front door, every one of us. To those today that are unsaved, believe me, the enemy wants you to believe you can never be saved. "Not you, you, you can't be saved, because that's just a life for somebody else. Living that kind of a life, that's, that's for somebody else, but not for you." And that is a mind game. To those of you that you've been born again, but you're just struggling with a holy life — it's just that, it's that struggle to, to go all in. It's that struggle to say, "I'm, I'm going, I'm going to live holy. That's what I'm going to do." But the enemy is saying, "Look, you can be born again, but now there's no way that you will ever be able to actually live a holy life." For those of you that, that are uninvolved — you're a part of the church, you come, you enjoy what you feel — that the enemy loves the mind game of, "You can't be involved. There, there's really nothing that you have to offer. Uh, you'll, you'll never really be able to offer anything to this particular house, and you've just, it's okay to come, but, but don't get involved." To those that are in leadership, it's, it's the disease of, of, of itis that comes. It's, it's positionitis, it's platform itis, it's pulpitis, it's whatever. These are, these are kingdom diseases, and the enemy can only fights us, fight us where we are. And therefore it's, it's designed where we are. It really doesn't matter. No, the enemy didn't want you progressing where you are, but what the enemy does, it's just the same spirit, it's different clothes. It just comes and it keeps going at every different level, to get in our mind, to stop us.

To the child, it's, "I'm too young." To the team, it's, "Later." To the hyphen, it's, "Well, when I get married." And then to young parents, it's, "I'm, I'm real busy right now with these little kids," and that's so true. And then to the middle age, it's, "Well, I'm just set in my waist. I'm just setting my waist. That's, this is just, I've kind of, I'm comfortable. This is how I think, this is how I've thought for this long, and, and I'm just set in my ways." It's all mind games, and the enemy doesn't care. The enemy just says, "Here it is, you're that age," then, you know, there is no temptation but such as is common to man. And so the enemy has been watching human nature for years and years and years. And so it's like, to the young, I'll go here; to the teens, I'll go here; to the young hyphens, all go here; to the, to the Mary, I'll go here. I will go. It's mind games, all

the way to the elders of this church, because the enemies — if you're breathing, the enemy's not through. Because the enemy loves to embarrass elders, because you're the examples. The enemy loves it whenever that, that mind game can come in and can take a man that was a man of faith, and now, as an elder, turn him into some negative conjure. Loves that. Loves taking somebody who was strong in faith and then turned them into, the, the longer they walk with God, the less fruit of the spirit they show. Enemy loves that. It's all mind games. The enemy loves when elders start thinking retirement. They, they look into the, the kingdoms of this world, and they drag that thinking into the kingdom of God, where it has no place. Teenager is not a kingdom term. Teenager is a term that the kingdoms of this world, that they have come out with it: "Well, teenagers, they're just going to get to that age to where, you know, they're a teenager, they just go nuts for a few years." That is not biblical. It is not biblical for teenagers to just go nuts for a while, and it's for sure not biblical for church leaders and elders and adults to buy in to that damnable thinking. And then elders think that we're just going to kick back till we kick the bucket. "We've paid our dues." What a lie from hell. What a lie from hell. Because what the enemy does not want elders to realize is, we might not be able to move as fast as we moved, but now, with our knowledge, and now, with our experience, and now we understand that we can pray a prayer covering over this church. Now we understand that we can speak encouragement on a level. Now we understand that we can look in the eyes of some of these people and speak wisdom into them. One of the biggest losses the apostolic church has right now is in the area of the elders, because of the mind games. It's in the mind, and that's why the battle is for the mind, and we've got to win our minds back, and we've got to bring them under the obedience of Christ.

Do your own biblical mind study; I would suggest you do that. You're going to come across some scriptures like, "A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways." You're going to come across some scriptures that, that challenges us to, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." You're going to find that. But if you don't find those, please make sure that you find Isaiah 26 and 3: "Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." That will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed — it's, it's God connection, it's connected to God.

I would to God that everybody would put at the top of their list: I must be personally God connected. A lot of people are not even asking the right questions. The right question — young people, please get this — the right question is, is: "How do I effectively have a personal relationship with God for myself, every day?" That's the question. The, the question, the real question is: "How do I study the Bible to where I can understand it better?" The, the real question is: "Would somebody help me learn how to pray, and understand prayer a little bit more?" These, these are the real questions. The real question is: "I've got to learn to be connected to God for myself, for myself."

If you've been born again, and you've been born again for a while, and, and you're having an issue in your life, the, the first step is not call 1-800 Pastor, or 1-800 pastor's wife, or 1-800 leader. The first thing is, is: "Okay, enemy, you're coming against me. Well, I'm going to come against you in the name of Jesus, not Alan. I'm going to come to you in the name of Jesus. I'm going to take the word, and I'm going to do what Jesus Christ did whenever temptation came to him." I'm not trying to be rude, but do you know what's stopping apostolic churches, and keeping apostolic churches down? It's people that have been born again, that are expecting human leadership to do for them what only God can do, what only God can do.

I'll tell you the revelation that we need in our mind. The revelation we need in our mind is: I am under attack. And the first thing I'm going to do, when I'm under attack, or our marriage is under attack, or our family is under attack, the first thing we're going to do is, we're going to call a personal prayer meeting ourself. Not going to call any other leader of the church, not going to call the pastor of the church. We're going to take this thing on; that's exactly what we're going to do. And we may need to call a family fast day; that's what we may need to do. These, all of these things should happen before any of our friends hear about our issues. That's what we need to do, that's what we can do. And do you know why we're not? Mind games. Mind games. I'm telling you, we don't have to take a lot of what we're taking. And even if it still keeps coming at us, we don't have to respond the way we're responding. That will keep him in perfect peace, whose

mind is, is stayed on thee. The word is our food, prayer is our heir. Somebody asked me one time, "What about daily prayer? What about the, the, uh, the word?" And I said, "Hey, it's real easy." I said, "If you don't have time to pray that day, don't breathe. If you don't have time for the word of God, no problem, but don't you dare eat." Because what we're doing, when there's no time, when we take no time to pray, what we're doing, when we take no time to be in the word of God, we're elevating the flesh above the spirit. And what else can we expect when we do that? Mind games.

This word today is for everyone, but it's especially to those who are dealing with anxiety and depression and oppression. Please hear me: it's a word to people that, in life, you basically see the glass half empty all the time. It's, it's to those that are hearing me today, that you habitually speak death instead of life. God, this has got a word for you today, and that, that word is: try this — get your mind stayed on Jesus. Stayed on Jesus. Isaiah 26 and 3: "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind visits Jesus on Sunday." That will keep him in perfect peace if you'll go to church on Sunday and then be at midweek? No. "That will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." Thee, not them. Thee is him, is CNN, and Fox, and ABC, and NBC, and CBS, nhbo, and send to the max, and YouTube, and XM Radio, and your favorite movie channels, whatever they are. And so what we have to realize, when we look at the word of God, is, peace of mind is not possible by consuming trash seven days and adding three hours of Jesus on Sunday. There's no way.

So we have 168 hours in the week. You take out three hours on Sunday — if you've given three hours; some of you have given four; some of you involved may have even given five. You take 160 hours a week, and so you subtract those three hours on Sunday, now you're at 165 hours in that week. And if you get to sleep eight hours a day, for those of you that get eight hours of sleep a night, then you're still down to a hundred and nine hours versus three wakeable hours. 109 verses 3. And my, my, what we're choosing to do with that 109 makes a big difference. So before you decide that God won't work, and before you decide that all of this business just doesn't, won't really make a difference in your mind, I'm challenging you today to try it, and go all in. I'm offering you a prescription for your anxiety. I'm offering a prescription for depression and oppression. You say, "Now hold on a second, what about medication?" I'm not going there, I'm not going there. I'm not your pastor and I'm not your doctor. I'm sharing the word. Why don't you try a god immersion regiment?

I'm after some minds today. I am totally convinced that there are people that have been born again, but are a long way from abundant living. And I'm quite aggravated by it, to just be honest, because I know that God wants to give people more than what they're experiencing now. When I'm talking about a god immersion regiment, uh, this is not speaking of, of just adding a morning devotion to everything that we're doing. That's, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm, I'm talking about canceling every other voice in your life for seven days, just to start with. That's what I'm talking about. I'm talking about, do nothing for seven days. The only thing you read is the word of God, for seven days. I'm talking about, the only thing that you listen to is, is the Bible on audio, for seven days, or just the archives of this church, and that man's voice only. Go back through your essential series that's online for you. Do it. I'm talking about immersion for at least, at least seven days. We know that the best way to learn another language is to go live in that country that speaks that language. Immerse yourself in that language, to where that's, that's all that you are dealing with. And the word, saints of God, is immersion. Think baptism: it's all the way underwater. Why do we immerse? Because that's burial.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that think, for seven days, they can just eat at the table of the devils, take anything in, and Sunday come and sprinkle a little Jesus on them. There's no way. It will not work. And when we live like that, we have no peace. If the addiction is chemicals, the answer is not, take in the same chemicals, but add a little bit of coffee. This practical stuff gets real weird, doesn't it? If, if the answer, if, if the addiction is food, then the same sugar and carbs, but add broccoli — it won't cut it. I really need to lose a good 20 pounds, and guess what, I could eat a bag of broccoli right now for a month, if I don't change the sugar and carbs, because I don't have a medical issue, and I don't have a thyroid issue — I got a choice issue. So I could add a bag of broccoli; guess what's going to happen? If, if the addiction is pornography, it's not going

to be, watch the same amount of skin, and then every now and then concentrate on people who have on clothes. If, if the addiction is spending, then spending like we're spending, and periodically giving in the offering, it's not going to fix it. If the addiction is the mind, it's the same trash, at church attendance, it's not going to work.

And so I asked that, that we would consider the mind even a little deeper. We know that the news is just a bunch of sin and spin. We, we know that, we know that bad news sells. We, we know that social media fuels comparison and competition. We, we know that, we know that basic media promotes the works of the flesh. We know that Galatians 5, 19 and 20, says: "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adulterate and fornication and uncleanness and lasciviousness, idolatry and, and witchcraft and hatred and variance and emulations and wrath and strife and seditions and heresies and endings and murders and drunkenness and revelings, and such the light, of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

And so what happens in these mind games is, is people are convinced, if they don't do it, it's okay to watch it. And so the word is detox. It's detox. I know this is not what you're expecting today, and you can believe me, this is not what I thought God was going to give me to share to this church. But we need a detox of the mind, because the word says, "Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee." And he promised it, and he can deliver it. But it's not just the promise; it's the condition. Philippians 4 and 8 helps us. It says: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, and honest, and just, and pure, and lovely, and of a good report, if there's any virtue, if there's any praise, think on these things." And so we know that the goal is a pure mind. That's the goal. And I'm telling every Holy Ghost-filled believer, you can have a pure mind, and you can have peace. The word talks about a piece that passes understanding. That's talking about a piece that, you're in the middle of things in your life. I honestly believe that one of the ways that we're going to be able to be a light to people is going to be when they see what we're going through in our life, and the peace that we have, that they do not understand. But we've got to position ourselves for that.

First Thessalonians 5 is absolutely loaded with great advice, but if we would consider closely First Thessalonians 5, 22 and 23: "Abstain from all appearance of evil." And verse 23: "And the very God of peace sanctify you holy, w-h-o-l-l-y, and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." And I promise you, he is able, by his Spirit, to deliver that.

I'm speaking today about all of our mind. And I know, I know it's different, but I also know how, how powerful this is. And I also know what I'm up against right now, coming against the mind games, because it's such a stronghold. A few years ago there was, uh, an individual that I love very much, and they were really dealing with attacks on their mind. Early one morning I was awakened, and I went to prayer for them, and I was praying about, about that particular situation. It was early in the morning, and so then I prayed for a while about it, I went back to sleep. God gave me a dream, and the dream was a dream that opened up what they were dealing with in their mind. And so what happened was, the, the, the world started coming in on me. I had never experienced something like this, but in the dream, the world started coming in on me. The, the light started going out, and then the end of the dream was, I was being buried alive in a casket. And there, there have only been a few times in my life, very few, that I experienced terror like I was experiencing at that moment, and then I awakened.

I'm coming here today, and I'm standing in this pulpit, and I'm speaking to people right now, that you are dealing with some major things in your mind. I am not going to play on your emotion. I am not going to try to work you up into anything. I'm standing in this pulpit, and I'm telling you that the God of peace wants to minister to you today. I'm standing here and I'm telling you, no, there's no one else that can really say they understand exactly what you're facing, but God does. God knows exactly. God knows every fear of every level. Just like the enemy can look at humanity and see the general things that, that everyone faces, God, God doesn't look at us in general; he knows exactly where we are. He knows exactly what, what we need, and he also knows that he has placed it, well, very clear in his word, that if you will give me all, all will equal abundant. There is no finding abundant life apart from all.

But I'm telling this church today in general, and you know who you are in particular: you do not have to live in the mental hell that you're living in. You do not have to be convinced of what you're convinced of. The sun can come up d, d, inside of you. The spirit is here to confirm the spirit directed word of this morning. God is here for you. I don't know who you are, that, that there was something that was said in this, this message today, that has, that has confirmed it. I felt that in the spirit, too. I may not ever know if, if that is something that's happened, and you feel like telling me, just, just fine, I would like to know that. But I'm standing here today, and I am saying, the spirit of God came today and directed a word that, that will set people free in their mind. And you do not have to accept the prison that you've dealt with emotionally.

I'd like for this church to stand right now, and those of you that are comfortable with this, would you just close your eyes and lift your hands to heaven, and would you just start talking to God in your own way right now, that he would have his way in this sanctuary?