THE PATTERN THAT'S THE PROBLEM (2 OF 4)
by Craig Smith
Scripture: Romans 2:1-5
This content is part of a series.
The Pattern That's the Problem (2 of 4)
Real. Messy. New.
Craig Smith
Romans 2:1-5
I want to talk to you today about changing our thoughts at their source.
Last week we talked about how God says that our thoughts determine our lives, so if we want to change our lives, we have to change our minds. We have to change how we think. And we talked about two keys to that: developing discernment - so you know what's got to go - and replacing bad thoughts with better thoughts, replacing unhealthy, unholy thoughts with healthy, holy ones.
But the problem is that our bad thoughts - our anxious, worried, angry, bitter, unhealthy, unholy thoughts - those thoughts aren't where he problem starts. Those thoughts are just a symptom, but they're not the source of the problem. And unless we deal with the source, we're going to keep having the symptoms.
I was thinking this week about something that happened when I was a kid. We were living in Ohio and we had a little bit of property and it had a shed and a barn and a couple of fence-lines. And one day my dad and I were out at the barn and we noticed a pretty big pile of dirt in the barn...it had a dirt floor, and there was a place where the dirt was all piled up. And we went over and there was a big hole in the middle of the pile. And my dad goes, "oh no, we've got groundhogs!" Groundhogs are a little like the prairie dogs we have in Colorado, but they're bigger and they do more damage. They dig big holes and they can undermine walls and fences and cause all kinds of problems. So my dad started filling in the holes, but they just dug new ones. So we set traps at the entrance to the holes and we caught a few, but they just kept digging new holes. And finally my dad went, "You know what? We can't keep filling in holes and catching ones that come out of those holes. We have to get underground and get them all out at once." And he came up with a plan. Now listen, if you're a member of P.E.T.A. - people for the ethical trea ...
Real. Messy. New.
Craig Smith
Romans 2:1-5
I want to talk to you today about changing our thoughts at their source.
Last week we talked about how God says that our thoughts determine our lives, so if we want to change our lives, we have to change our minds. We have to change how we think. And we talked about two keys to that: developing discernment - so you know what's got to go - and replacing bad thoughts with better thoughts, replacing unhealthy, unholy thoughts with healthy, holy ones.
But the problem is that our bad thoughts - our anxious, worried, angry, bitter, unhealthy, unholy thoughts - those thoughts aren't where he problem starts. Those thoughts are just a symptom, but they're not the source of the problem. And unless we deal with the source, we're going to keep having the symptoms.
I was thinking this week about something that happened when I was a kid. We were living in Ohio and we had a little bit of property and it had a shed and a barn and a couple of fence-lines. And one day my dad and I were out at the barn and we noticed a pretty big pile of dirt in the barn...it had a dirt floor, and there was a place where the dirt was all piled up. And we went over and there was a big hole in the middle of the pile. And my dad goes, "oh no, we've got groundhogs!" Groundhogs are a little like the prairie dogs we have in Colorado, but they're bigger and they do more damage. They dig big holes and they can undermine walls and fences and cause all kinds of problems. So my dad started filling in the holes, but they just dug new ones. So we set traps at the entrance to the holes and we caught a few, but they just kept digging new holes. And finally my dad went, "You know what? We can't keep filling in holes and catching ones that come out of those holes. We have to get underground and get them all out at once." And he came up with a plan. Now listen, if you're a member of P.E.T.A. - people for the ethical trea ...
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