“For as a man thinks in his heart, so he is…” Proverbs 23:7

“Your thoughts betray you” Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader in Star Wars

Our thoughts can enable, encourage, strengthen, and embolden us or they can weaken, discourage, delude us, and even take us down a wrong path. Our American culture today is experiencing an epidemic of mental health problems and society is paying for it with more and more in disability due to depression and the inability to function! We cannot have bad thoughts, stay mentally healthy and be an overcoming Christian.
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Before there ever is a problem with mental health there was always a problem with spiritual health. Are we spending more and more time on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram trying to “connect,” than we do in our Bibles or having actual interaction and fellowship with believers? Evidence suggests the rapid proliferation of technology and access to knowledge as well as social media has spawned an epidemic of Biblically ignorant, isolated Christians dropping out of church and unable to control their thoughts.

Achish, king of the Philistines, gave King David the city of Ziklag as a place to stay when he was fleeing from Saul (1 Sam 27:6). He stayed there 16 months and during that time David proved a valuable bodyguard to the king. However, the other Philistine rulers remembered the song, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands” and did not trust him. During one of the battles, King Achish was scolded by his rulers, “In battle, David may turn on us!”. Though he found no fault in him,  he had to send David back to Ziklag.
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When David and his men arrived back, they discovered that all their wives, children, families and goods had been taken by Amalekite raiders! David’s men went into mourning and then turned on him, blaming the situation on him, even threatening to kill him! But the Bible says that David inquired of the Lord and the Lord said, “Pursue them, you will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.” So David and 400 men pursued and found an Egyptian abandoned by the Amalekites who took them right to the Amalekite camp where they recovered everything just as the Lord said. (1 Samuel 30:18)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them —bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 2 Peter 2:1-2
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We have a serious problem right now in America: Truth is lacking! Isaiah 59:15 NIV says, “Truth is nowhere to be found.” People are lying to get their way, especially politicians who are untrustworthy and are creating more problems than good! But it is the spiritual leaders and preachers who have led us to where we are by refusing to confront lies. Because the church has allowed itself to buy into falsehood the church has lost credibility!