Tabernacle Keys Revival - Fire and Ice Ministries River of Life ...

THE LAVER
formed in this passage is the Greek word metamorpho. This is where we get
the word metamorphosis from in our English language. A metamorphosis is
when a caterpillar leaves the cocoon to become a butterfly. We can see this
kind of transformation take place in our Christian walk when we have a re­
newed mind. God does have a “butterfly” life of victory for us that we can
begin to walk in as we renew our minds. We cannot help every thought that
crosses through our minds. In fact, many thoughts are impressed upon us by
demons. To make the matter worse, we have a sinful nature and live in a
very sinful world. So it is not a sin to have an evil thought pass through your
mind. I know from personal experience that demons will shoot a fiery dart
(evil thought) into your mind, and then they will go and accuse you with
something like this, “You wouldn’t think that way if you were really a Chris­
tian.” What an evil devil we fight. Even though it is not a sin to have a dart
shot into your mind, it is a sin to entertain a thought that Jesus would not
entertain. These can be thoughts of criticism or unrighteous judgment of
others, sexually perverted thoughts, violent or hateful thoughts, or thoughts
of doubting or accusing God. If we are not careful, thoughts can begin to
control our lives. I know people that are so afraid of certain things. I know I
battle, at times, discouragement and fears. We all battle these types of
thoughts, but if we continually entertain them, over time they can become a
stronghold. A stronghold is a place satan rules. It is legal ground for demons
to traffic upon. It is possible to become so obsessed with a certain way of
thinking that it will take an anointed man or woman of God to tear down the
stronghold. For example, a woman entered a pastor’s office. She was bone
skinny, had a gray complexion, and her eyes were sunk in her head. The
pastor said, “My you have lost weight.” She replies, “Doesn’t it look good.”
The Pastor goes on to say, “You look sickly.” Well, to make this true story
short, the lady was on about 20 boxes of ex­lax a day! She had become
obsessed with being skinny. Demons came in, and now she is in bondage to
this obsession. By the way, no adulterous affair ever begins with a sinful act.
It will begin first with a thought. As that thought is entertained, it is later acted
upon. It is vital that we dismiss evil thoughts. We do this by dismissing them
out of our minds and thinking of something else. It would be like wadding up
a piece of trash and throwing it away. At first this may seem difficult, but as
we exercise our minds in this way, we will build discipline. It is like lifting
weights. At first, it may seem difficult, but over time the muscle will develop.
I want to say on this note that what we allow in our minds through music,
television, movies, or what we read, like magazines, plays a role in this. We
must guard the gates our eyes and ears from perversion. The eyes and ears
are the gateways to the soul. We cannot expect to enter the Holy of Holies
having just watched something perverted. We cannot expect a holy God to
let us in his presence if we entertain evil thoughts all day long. We certainly
cannot expect to walk in victory over satan if we don’t have a disciplined
thought life! Let’s begin to renew our minds.
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