Thought Control Is As Important As Prayer

Philippians 4:6-8, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

This is a remarkable truth that I apply to my live daily. An important thing I learned years ago while studying the Bible is to always consider an entire passage, and not just lift a single verse out of the passage, which can easily be taken out of context. Nearly every false teacher who wrests (tortures) the Bible to support their heresy, lifts a small text out of the context, creating a new pretext. 

A classic example of this is Matthew 24:13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Sadly, even one of my heroes of the Christian faith, Pastor Harry Ironside (1876-1951) gets this passage horrible wrong, applying it to salvation. By simply reading the entire passage we find the correct interpretation of verse 13. Matthew 24:22, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” We plainly see that the subject is the saving of THE FLESH, and not ETERNAL LIFE. Those believers who survive until the end of the Tribulation period will be saved from physical death, and will enter into the 1,000 year Millennium, when Jesus Himself will reign as majestic King over the whole earth from the then restored city of Jerusalem. 

I want to teach you a beautiful and practical truth from Philippians 4:6-8. Nearly everyone separates verses 6 and 7 from verse 8, but they are all connected. Verse 6 tells us not to worry about anything, but instead to pray about everything. Verse 7 promises that if we commit our problems, needs and requests to the Lord, then we can claim the peace of God which passeth all understanding. Oftentimes we will not be able to understand why things are happening in our life. Why do we suffer when we are working so hard to please God? Why do our loved one's suddenly die, when we are serving Christ faithfully? We see wicked people enjoying their grandchildren, while godly saints bury their children as a consequence of being struck and murdered by an irresponsible drunk driver. Why do the saints sometimes suffer, when the wicked prosper? Bad things happen to everyone, both wicked and righteous alike. Ecclesiastes 9:11 teaches that time and chance happeneth to all.

One of the great truths I have learned in my Christian life is to stop worrying, and start praying. A person cannot worry and pray in faith to God at the same time. I am sick and tired of carnal people claiming that pray is a great therapy for depressed people, and is spiritually uplifting, and is beneficial to calm the mind, et cetera. No, prayer is asking God for something! Prayer is only powerful because there is a real God in Heaven Who is listening, and is omnipotent (all powerful), omnibenevolent (all loving), omnisapient (all wise), omniscient (all knowing), and omnipresent (all present). I would NEVER pray as a means of meditation, mental therapy or anything else other than communicating with my CREATOR. The heathen religious world has diminished prayer into a mere form of godliness without the power thereof (2nd Timothy 3:1-5).

I often think about this wonderful Bible passage, especially when I start to worry. If we pray about everything, then we can trust God and stop worrying. If things get worse, then we can rest in the perfect peace of soul knowing that we have cast our cares about the Lord as He commanded (1st Peter 5:7).

I receive thousands of emails each year. I cannot even begin to count how many people contact me because they are down, depressed, frustrated, tired, disillusioned and disgusted with life. One 62 year old Christian lady said she sometimes wishes that a stray bullet would come through her front window and end her life. Numerous people have said they have contemplated taking their own life. Many people are struggling with failing marriages, family problems and turmoil in their relationships. They write to me, some just to vent, others hoping I'll have a magic solution to fix all their problems. 

The one thing in common that these hurting people all share is that they don't go to church. The church is not a museum for spiritual relics, it is a hospital for sinners. I have heard some Baptist preachers criticize that idea of the church being a hospital for sinners, but they are wrong. All humans are dirty sinners. There are redeemed sinners and unsaved sinners, but we are all still dirty sinners. A believer is under God's grace, but the unbeliever is still under the curse and power of the law of God. But even the saint of God still commits sin. This whole insane idea today that if you are really saved, you have turned away from your sins, is demonic heresy. No one has ever turned away from their sins. You may try, but that is as far as you'll ever get, merely trying. That is why Jesus has to do the saving from sin, all of it!!!

Everyone needs a church family. The purpose of going to church is to receive comfort and encouragement from one another, and to organize to go soulwinning in the community. The purpose of the New Testament church is to:

• EXALT the SAVIOR
• EVANGELIZE the SINNER
• EDIFY the SAINT

The purpose of attending church is not to worship God. We are supposed to worship God all the time. We don't go to church to sing, we are supposed to do that all the time, or pray in our afflictions the Bible says (James 5:13).

Another thing these people all have in common, who write to me about their miserable lives, is that they are focusing on the wrong things in their life. THINK ON THESE THINGS the Bible commands in Philippians 4:8. What things? ...

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” 

You've often heard the expression: You are what you eat. Well, the same is true mentally. You are what you think. What saith the Scripture? Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.” Whatever you allow to enter into your life becomes a part of you. This is why we read in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” That is my favorite Bible verse. 

Dear friend, please be careful who you choose as friends. Be careful who you get into a car with. I am a fan of biographies of celebrities. I have an interest in the lives of the stars. I like to see where the heathen lifestyle they have chosen leads them. Ozzy Osbourne was bigger than life as a rock star when I was growing up in the 1970's and 1980's. He was the lead singer for a few years of the band, Black Sabbath. Ozzy has such a distinct singing voice. Ozzy has called himself: “The Prince Of Darkness.” In 1982 Ozzy's gifted guitar player, Randy Rhoads (1956-1982), made the fatal mistake of getting into the airplane of a cocaine addict, which cost him and everyone onboard their life. Rhoads was seen physically struggling with the insane plane pilot as he crashed the small plane into Ozzy's tour bus and adjacent home. 

Randy Rhoads died because he trusted someone whom he never should have trusted. You can never trust a substance abuser! I have declined free car rides from people, simply because I didn't know who they were. I don't trust anyone's driving except mine, with rare exceptions. Millions of people have ended up serving prison time (even life), for crimes they didn't commit, but they got into the car of someone who did commit a crime, making them an accomplice. So be careful who and what you let enter into your life, home, marriage, car, church, et cetera. 

All across America Baptist churches are being destroyed from within, because they innocently allowed a false teacher like Marty Herron, Steve Pettit, Sam Horn, John MacArthur or Kevin Bauder into their midst, who brought in the Devil's damnable heresy of Lordship Salvation. I love you dear friend, and I don't want you to burn in Hell forever. Lordship Salvation is a counterfeit gospel which cannot produce the new birth in Christ Jesus. Be careful what you let the cat (pastor) drag into your church, because it might infect your whole congregation. The Marty Herrons, John MacArthurs and Charles Phelps's of this world need to be run out of town, lest they corrupt your church too! BEWARE of Bob Jones University (BJU) today, which has gone total hardcore Lordship Salvation over the past decades. I digress.

Philippians 4:8 teaches us as believers to THINK ON THESE THINGS. What things? Things that are honest, pure, of good report, true, lovely, virtuous and bring praise to God. The reason why so many people are miserable is because they choose to focus on all the negative things in life. They watch the negative daily news. They listen to negative family and friends. They read gossiping magazines and critical websites. The media makes a living killing people's reputations, accusing others, destroying families. There ought to be laws prohibiting the media from profiting off ruining other people's lives. 

So much of what we hear from NBC, FOX, CNN and the entire mainstream newsmedia is FAKE NEWS! The Republicans are just as guilty as the Democrats, but not nearly as demented as the liberal left today. America is a house divided, which is destroying our nation. Republicans and Democrats are merely two separate legs both walking in the same direction of a New World Order. All across the United States carnal Christians support FOX news, while these wicked people fully endorse Caitlyn Jenner who is now running for governor of California. Bruce Jenner is a wicked sick-minded 71 year old man, who is not in his right mind. Brice Jenner is NOT a female, despite his desire to appear as one in public. Sadly, Jenner will likely win as governor of California, simply because of the rigged election process—the same one which removed Donald Trump and installed Joe Biden (a gigantic evil monstrosity). Shame on FOX news for not rebuking this sick filth and insanity!!! The country is not going to hell, it went to hell a long time ago, and is assuredly going to HELL!

I challenge you dear Christian, to take your mind off of this perverse and dark world. Colossians 3:1-3, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” When people email me about their horrible lives, lack of desire to live anymore, and thoughts of ending it all, I KNOW that their mind is dwelling on everything negative. The Bible says you are what you think in Proverbs 23:7. That is why every believer should listen to the King James Bible every day. That is why we all need to get involved in a local Bible-believing church. There's nothing that will bless your life and boost your spirit than attending a soulwinning, people-loving, sin-hating, Jesus-loving, fundamentalist Baptist church!!!

What do you think about friend? Hebrews 12:2 tells us to LOOK TO JESUS, the Author and Finisher of our faith. God always finished what He starts. Our heavenly Father is not an absent parent. Hebrews 13:8 declares that Jesus is THE SAME yesterday, today and forever. Malachi 3:6 says that God NEVER changes. In theology this is called the immutability of God. It is impossible for God's nature to change. Our good, holy and perfect God is immutable!

If you are down in the dumps dear saint, I encourage you to get a hobby. There are thousands of wonderful hobbies, activities and things we can do to enjoy God's great creation. I love being in nature. I love musical instruments. I love watching animals, birds and all that God made. I love the stars, moon and sun. I enjoy God. If you watch TV al day, you are going to be warped and filled with all the negativity, perversion and fears of this ungodly insane world. We must all learn to make the best of what we DON'T have in life. 

Most of us have an abundance of blessings to praise God for, yet we all tend to focus on the shortcomings in our life, and what we don't have, and the people who hurt us instead of all the sweet and good people. I am guilty too, so I am not condemning anybody. But I have learned, at age 54, to let go and let God. I don't have much time left on earth. I don't intend on spending the remainder of my life fretting, worrying, becoming angry and bitter, hating, or letting this insane world get me down, confused and off course as a child of God.

Dear reader, THINK ON THESE THINGS. If your life is a pile of garbage, your thinking is all wrong. Once you get to the bottom of life, it is extremely hard to break free of the dark world you have allowed yourself to enter into. Where do you start? You get involved in a Bible-believing church. I don't mean some dead church that doesn't love people, like the ungodly Harvest Baptist Church on Guam (which literally has banned me from attending church there since 2014, because I befriended them with the truth that Lordship Salvation is a false gospel). They are a cult, not a Bible church. I don't mean a garbage hole like that! I mean a genuine people-loving, soulwinning, Christ-honoring, King James Bible only, free grace Gospel preaching, New Testament church!!! Amen and amen! Your life will grow from there.

Start listening to Bible preaching every day. If you have negative friends and family, all the more you need to make new friends at church. Invite your family. I get many emails from people who have failing marriages, wanting some miracle cure from me, but there is none. Husbands write to me and tell me how horrible their wives are, but those men refuse to go to church, and their wife is a mess spiritually, so she is not a good wife. Happy successful marriages don't just happen, you need to work at all. We all need guidance.

I get so frustrated giving biblical advice to people, because less than 5% listen to me. They just keep emailing, month after month, moaning about all their problems. I have had to start ignoring some people, writing back once a week, because they become pests. I am not being unkind, but I am not here for people to vent when they have issues. My ministry is to help people, not coddle and babysit them in their rebellion. People are so stubborn, set in their wrong ways. 

It's the same with weight loss. People will buy every pill, powder, gimmick and alleged shortcut available, but they never lose weight. The answer is and has always been to start eating properly, and the body will adjust to its proper weight over time. It may take a couple years if you are greatly obese, but you cannot remain obese eating beans, salads and fish. It's all the other junk food that people add (processed foods, dairy, sugar and fattening oils) that cause them to explode in weight. Likewise, if you're sad, miserable and unhappy, something needs to change in your thinking.

I have had countless men write to me to complain about their wife. I have been single and alone for 15 years. I tell those men that I would give anything to be married, and have the problems they think are so bad. Married couples often take each other for granted. You need to take a step back, look at the big picture, and count your blessings. My life is far from perfect. I am not happy every day. But I decide to focus on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I always rejoice that my name is written in Heaven, and that never changes. God's promises as recorded in His inspired Word never change. The Holy Bible is a shining lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105). What we think about is just as important as going to the Lord in prayer, because if you think negative you won't be praying for long. Jesus said we would have TRIBULATION in this ugly world, but He said to BE OF GOOD CHEER, knowing that He is risen (John 16:33). What a wonderful Savior!!!