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Get Out of Your Head Week 3 — Weapons We Use, Part I

Get Out of Your Head Week 3 — Weapons We Use, Part I

This has been the hardest thing for me: to sit still, all alone and there’s a reason for it. Because real, connected, intimate time with Jesus is the very thing that grows our faith, shifts our minds, brings about revival in our souls, and brings about revival in our communities. And, so the devil hates it. ~ Jennie Allen

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth. — Philippians 2:10

Last week we asked ourselves the question, “What do I think about the most? What do I worship?” Such vital questions. But, this week we’re digging a little deeper. We can ask those questions and simply shrug and walk away unchanged, unmoved. In order to live the Jesus-ward life, we must actively hate our toxic thoughts and sinful thought patterns and be vigilant about keeping focused on Christ. It’s a battle.

Part of the reason that it’s hard is because we generally like our old patterns. They’re comfortable and easy. They’ve become habits we can live with. But another reason that it’s hard is because Satan is a great magician. He can distract us with a little sleight of hand so that we don’t even recognize that we’ve been bamboozled into looking at the wrong thing and we miss his sneakiness.

We look to God to tell us what is real and what is true. Those truths, they are weapons that God gives us to take authority over our thoughts and they cut into our spirals. They interrupt them. And they turn us the right way. ~ Jennie

The enemy is good at his job! He tempts to spin and swirl with constant thoughts about:

What we want
What we are worried about
What we need
What might happen
Wanting to win
What bothers us
Who has hurt us and the wrongs done to us
Who is doing things wrong
Who we’re jealous of
Wanting approval, popularity, or fame
Wanting money, possessions, or pleasures
Wanting control and power

It’s a trick! All of those thoughts, every other thinking pattern is just a wily trick to get us to forget the goal. Jesus. Having the mind of Christ is staying targeted on God and on His Kingdom. Nothing else. Following Jesus means we have to pitch those negative, destructive, side-tracking thought patterns in exchange for being ok in Him alone. Not needing anything but Him.

What does it look like to have the mind of Christ? We lay down everything. He is the story. There isn’t another one. And when we try to live for something other than His story, it always falls short. We always leave empty. ~ Jennie

Hasn’t that proven to be true in your own life? It has for me! We can’t forget it!

Get a tattoo on the insides of our eyelids if we must, but we can’t forget. Jesus is the only story.

If we believe that God is a loving God… If He is in complete control of all of creation… If He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, the great I Am, the Redeemer King… If He is the beginning and the end… If He is Love incarnate… If He built us by hand, knows everything about us, and loves us beyond our ability to understand… What or who could possibly matter more? We can relax and be satisfied.

The weapon we so often leave sheathed in our belts — stillness with Jesus… what if it’s the antidote to the magic trick? What if it solves 99% of our problems, heartaches, inappropriate passions, and wanderlust?

Connection with God is the foundation for every other God-given tool we have to fight with. If supernatural change is what we need, we have to go to our supernatural God to find it. ~ Jennie

Jesus modeled it for us. He didn’t fall for the magician’s distractions. He connected with His Father every moment, spent time with Him, got alone and got quiet, sought out lonely places early in the morning.

All Hell is against you meeting with Jesus. ~ Jennie

If Jesus is everything we need, mustn’t we, too?

This week in your study:

  1. Watch the video for session three on our study home page. Take notes in your study guide on pages 53-55 and then come hang out with us for the conversation!
  2. Grab your Bible and enjoy your personal study this week on pages 56-78.
  3. Join the conversations about the study and in our private Facebook group.

Scriptures this Week

Philippians 2:3-10
Mark 1:35

Prayer for the Week

Jesus, we love You. Give us eyes to discern when we’re being schnookered by satan into looking away from you, being distracted by the world and worries, passions and things that don’t ultimately matter eternally. We want to give ourselves to what truly matters! We don’t want to waste our lives on the stupid stuff. Help us, Lord, to see You and Your Kingdom and to go for it! We love You, Jesus. Amen.