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UNSEEN REALITIES AND YOUR MOUTH

A. Introduction: We’ve begun a series on the mind. The mind is the portion of our makeup that reasons and
thinks, that wills and makes decisions. It is the center of our consciousness, our personality, our moral
inclinations, and our feelings.
1. But it is also the source of many, if not all, of our biggest battles. Each one of us has experienced
thoughts that we can’t seem to control. We’ve all had thoughts fly through our mind, seemingly out of
nowhere, thoughts we’d be ashamed or embarrassed of if anyone knew what just went through our mind.
a. We all know what it is like to have overwhelming thoughts of anxiety racing through our mind,
along with fears over what is happening or may happen. All of us long for peace of mind.
b. According to the Bible, whether you are filled with anxiety or peace is determined by what you do
with your mind and your thoughts.
1. Prov 4:23—Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life (NCV); Be careful
how you think. Your life is shaped by your thoughts (Good News Bible).
2. We can’t stop thoughts from flying through our mind, but we can choose what we focus on, and
we can learn to control our thoughts. The result is peace of mind—freedom from disquieting
thoughts or emotions (Webster’s Dictionary). It’s a battle, but it can be done.
2. Key to gaining control is renewing your mind. Paul the apostle told Christians that they must undergo a
transformation in their mind: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom 12:2, NKJV).
a. Paul is writing to people who have already undergone a tremendous transformation by becoming
followers of Jesus. They have received God’s eternal life and Spirit into their being, which has
made them literal sons and daughters of God through a second or new birth. John 1:12-13
1. They have passed from death to life (I John 3:14). They have been delivered from the
kingdom of darkness. They have been brought into the kingdom of God’s Son (Col 1:13).
2. (They have) become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A
new life has begun (II Cor 5:17, NLT).
b. Yet, according to Paul, they need a further transformation. They must be renewed in their mind.
The Greek word that is translated renew means a qualitative renovation.
1. Rom 12:2—A complete change of mind (Good News Bible); So that your whole attitude of
mind is changed (J. B. Phillips); Your whole mental attitude must be altered (Barclay).
2. Renewing your mind, or changing your entire mental outlook, doesn’t happen automatically.
You need God’s help. Rom 12:2—Let God transform you into a new person by changing the
way you think (NLT).
3. God, by His Spirit in you, will help you renovate your mind, but you have a part to play as well. In
tonight’s lesson we’re going to begin to discuss some of the specifics of your part in this renovation.
B. The first step in renewing your mind is realizing that the way you think needs to change. God says: For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord (Isa 55:8, KJV)
1. We all grew up in a world that is in rebellion against Almighty God and completely contrary to Him.
And, since the time we were born, our entire interior world (thought processes, perspective, personality,
reasoning skills, moral inclinations, and conscience) has been shaped and molded by this world.
a. As Christians, we are supposed to express Christ-like character and behavior (Rom 8:29; I John
2:6). However, character and behavior is a reflection of what and how we think. Even though we
are truly committed to Jesus, we don’t think like He thinks, leading us to act in unChrist-like ways.
b. Not only is the world (the system or present order of things) contrary to God, it constantly pressures
pressures us to live and act in ways that are contrary to God. Consider these passages of Scripture.
1. I John 5:19—We know that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one
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(NLT). Eph 2:3—In the past you followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He
rules the world and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God (CEV).
2. Eph 4:18—(People who are separated from God) are darkened in their understanding and
separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them (NIV).
3. I Pet 4:4—Your former friends are surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things
they do, and they say evil things about you (NLT).
2. You also need to understand that your character, as well as how you act, is a result of your view of
reality, or the way you think things are. What you believe about reality is based on the information you
have received from this world throughout your life.
a. All of the information which has shaped your view of reality has come to you through your physical
senses, primarily your eyes and ears, and everything you see or hear leaves an imprint on you.
b. However, your senses don’t have access to all the facts in any situation because there is more to
reality than what your senses can perceive or be aware of. There are unseen realities.
1. Almighty God, who is invisible, presides over an unseen kingdom populated with unseen
beings (angels). Satan and his minions also reside in this unseen, invisible realm.
2. God is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies (I Tim 1:17, NLT); (He) made the things
we can see and the things we can’t see—kingdoms, rulers, and authorities (Col 1:16, NLT).
c. We could do an entire series on the unseen realm. But for now, consider this thought. The unseen
realm preceded the seen realm, created the seen, can affect the seen, will outlast the seen, and
will ultimately restore the seen realm to all that God intended it to be before it was damaged by
sin.
1. God gives us access to the unseen realm through His through His Word, the Scriptures. Jesus,
in a prayer to God the Father, said to Him: Your word is truth (John 17:17, NKJV). The
Greek word that is translated truth has the idea of the reality lying at the basis of an appearance
2. God’s Word contains the thoughts of God. The thoughts of God reveal His mind, His view of
reality, or the true view of reality. Reality is everything as God sees it.
A. Our view of reality must change and come into agreement with the way things really are
according to God who sees and knows all. A renewed mind sees things the way they
really are, according to Almighty God.
B. One of the primary reasons for reading the Bible is that it will change your view of reality
and bring it into agreement with the way things really are according to God.
3. Consider an example of two different views of reality in the same circumstance. One man’s view of
reality generated mental anguish and fear. The other man’s view gave him peace of mind.
a. About 894 BC the King of Syria made war against Israel. But every time the king devised a
military move a prophet in Israel (Elisha) knew about it and warned Israel. The Syrian king was
certain he had a traitor among his officers. But they told him about Elisha.
b. The King of Syria ordered his men to find the prophet and seize him. Elisha was staying in the city
of Dothan, and under the cover of night, a great Syrian army surrounded Dothan. II Kings 6:8-15
1. When Elisha’s servant went outside the next morning, there were troops, horses, and chariots
everywhere. The servant was terrified and cried out to Elisha what will we do? The prophet
told him not to fear because “there are more on our side than on theirs” (II Kings 6:16, NLT).
2. As the army advanced, Elisha prayed: O Lord, open his eyes and let him see! The Lord
opened his servant’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was
filled with horses and chariots of fire (II Kings 6:17, NLT).
A. Elisha’s response was based on unseen realities—God’s help and protection in the midst of
circumstances. Elisha had a renewed mind, one that sees things the way they really are.
B. The end result: Elisha and the servant were not harmed and the entire Syrian army was
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taken captive (II Kings 6:18-23).
3. In this incident we see two different responses based on different views of reality. Elisha was
heavenly minded. He recognized that there is more to reality than what he could see. The
servant was earthly minded. He took into account only what he could see and feel.
c. Elisha got the information about the unseen realm from the Scriptures. Prophets in Israel served as
as pastors and teachers. Their number on job was to exhort God’s people to obey His Law (His
written Word). Consider a few passages that had been written by Elisha’s day.
1. Ps 91:11—For he (God) orders his angels to protect you wherever you go (NLT); Ps 34:7—The
angel of the Lord guards all who fear him (NLT), along with numerous accounts of God’s
supernatural deliverance of His people.
2. Elisha also got a glimpse of the unseen realm when his teacher and mentor, the prophet Elijah,
was taken into Heaven by a chariot that for him came out of Heaven. II Kings 2:1-11
4. Our mind is renewed or renovated and our view of reality is changed through reading the Word of God
(the Bible), and then thinking about what it says—taking time to go over it in mind.
a. Paul the apostle wrote a letter to Christians who were experiencing serious pressures to abandon
their faith in Jesus—including ridicule, beatings, and loss of property. Heb 10:32-35
b. The purpose of the letter was to exhort them not to give in, but to stay faithful to Jesus (many lessons
for another time). Note one statement that Paul made:
1. Heb 13:5-6—For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So that we may
boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear. What shall man do to me (NKJV)?
2. Paul was quoting Deut 31:6-8 when God promised to go with Israel as they entered their
ancestral homeland of Canaan to settle. They faced formidable obstacles in the land, but God
kept His Word to them, and helped and preserved them.
c. Paul explained that God said some things to His people so that they could boldly or confidently say
some things. Notice that what they say is not a rote, word for word, repetition of God’s statement.
d. God’s Word has been personalized and the speaker’s view of reality has changed: Because God
has promised to never leave or forsake me, I do not have to fear what anyone does to me.
5. In the last series I emphasized the importance of regular, systematic Bible reading. It will build a
framework in your mind, a view of reality that is consistent with the way things really are. We need to
add another element, meditating on God’s Word. To meditate means to reflect or carefully consider
a. As you read, note any verse stands out to you. Think about what it says. Go over and over it in
your mind, or meditate on it.
b. Meditating on God’s Word is not like working on a math problem to figure it out and get an answer.
It’s more like looking at a beautiful painting. You take it in and reflect on its beauty.
1. Remember that God’s Word is supernatural. It is His number one way He reveals Himself to
us. Don’t try to figure it out, just ponder or chew on it. Just go over the words.
2. Even if it doesn’t seem to have an immediate effect, God’s Word is like food (Matt 4:4). You
don’t have to understand how it changes you, but you do have to eat it or take it in.

C. Another important step in renovating your mind is realizing that you can’t stop thoughts and feeling from
generating in your mind in response to what you see and hear. But you can learn to control your thoughts
and emotions by choosing what you focus your attention on. Consider what Jesus said in Matt 6:25-34
1. Jesus exhorted His followers not to worry about where the basic of life (food and clothing) will come
from because they have a Heavenly Father who takes care of them.
a. In His teaching Jesus gave them information about the unseen realm (they have a loving Heavenly
Father who provides for His children) to combat information from the seen realm that causes them
to worry (potential lack of life’s basic necessities). Jesus used the example of God’s care for birds
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and flowers to make His point.
1. Matt 6:25—I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink;
nor about your body, what you will put on (NKJV); Matt 6:32—For your heavenly Father
knows that you need all these things (NKJV).
2. Matt 6:26-29—Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they…Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin (yet God clothes them) (NKJV).
b. Your senses (sight and hearing) work automatically. They constantly take in information, and we
reason or draw conclusions based on that information.
1. When we see potential lack in our circumstances an automatic process kicks in. Thoughts
begin to fly and emotions arise. We begin to draw conclusions about our situation, based on
what we see, and the spontaneous thoughts and feelings generated by what we see.
2. We also begin to talk to ourselves. What am I going to do? How will I get food, clothing, and
shelter? And we keep it up until we’re certain that we’ll die forgotten a cardboard in an alley.
You can’t stop that process, but you can get control by changing your focus.
2. In His teaching Jesus gives us insight into how to get control over our thoughts and emotions. Note how
the King James Bible translates Matt 6:25. Instead of saying don’t worry, it says take no thought.
a. The Greek word that is translated worry in more modern translations actually means to be anxious
about. It’s from a word that has the idea of distraction. Information from our senses (what you
see and hear) can distract us from the way things really are according to God (unseen realities).
1. Jesus said change your focus. Put your thoughts on the way things really are: Look at the
birds, consider the lilies. Look and consider mean more than physical sight. They both have
the idea of looking to learn or note carefully.
2. In other words, with information about reality as it truly is (God takes care of birds and flowers,
and I matter to Him more than a bird or a flower), you counteract the thoughts generated by
what you see with the truth. You begin to reason based on the way things really are.
b. Critical to changing your focus in the midst of your circumstances, thoughts, and emotions is what
you do with your mouth. Jesus said: Take no thoughts, saying…(Matt 6:31).
1. Instead of focusing on and talking about what you see and how you feel about it, begin to talk
about the way things really are: My Father sees and knows what is happening. He is with me,
He is for me. He will take care of me.
2. This is what Elisha did. In the face of overwhelming odds, he told his servant that there are
more on our side than theirs. Elisha did not do this to try to make something happen in the
circumstance. He did it because that was his view of reality.

D. Conclusion: We have much more to say next week about all of this. But for now, consider this as we close.
1. Most of us have heard that we’re supposed to keep our mind on heavenly things, not on earthly things.
How can you do this and live in the real world with all of its distractions, challenges, and responsibilities.
2. To be heavenly minded does not mean you think about clouds and harps. It doesn’t mean you spend six
hours a day in prayer. Among other things, it means you realize that there is more to reality than what
you see and feel. This perspective affects how you live (later lessons).
3. But in the moment, when thoughts and emotions are flying, as you walk into work or walk into a difficult
situation or open a letter that you know has bad news, you acknowledge God with your mouth.
a. Lord, I praise you and thank you that this isn’t bigger than you. I praise and thank you for your
help. You will get me through this until you get me out. Praise you, praise you, praise you.
b. This isn’t always easy to do, but it is a key element in getting control of your mind. Based on
unseen realities (God with me and for me), in the midst of the tasks and trials of life, we need to
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acknowledge and praise Him with our mouth. It’s a critical part of renovating your mind.