Well, let me just go ahead and ask you what the slide's asking you. Have you ever been triggered before?
! Does everybody even know what I mean by that?
! Some of you triggered. You're wondering if I'm asking you if you've ever been shot.
It's not what that means.
If you've spent any time on the curse that is social media, then you have probably come across somebody saying, you're triggering me?
It means you are, something is causing in you a powerful negative emotional response.
And so that's what we're talking about when we say, have you been triggered?
Listen, that's not the topic of today's sermon, but it is a good lead-in to it.
And so, what we're actually talking about is controlling our attitude.
Attitude. Or, to keep it in the theme of our series, Summer Stretch, stretching our attitude.
We've talked about stretching our time.
Talked about stretching our talk.
Last week, we talked about stretching our habits.
We're trying to break it down into where we live, week in, week out, day in, day out.
How do we stretch ourselves like God wants to stretch us?
The easiest thing is to never stretch.
We did this in week one of this series, and I think some of y'all really enjoyed it.
So, go ahead. You have permission. Let's all stretch.
Just get a nice, good one in there.
That way you don't get it out when I'm about halfway through the sermon,
and I think that you're falling asleep on me.
Stretching can feel really nice, right?
But like we said a few weeks ago, how about when you go to physical therapy?
Does stretching feel nice at that point?
If it does, they'll very quickly fix it and make it not feel nice, right?
That's their job, is to stretch you beyond your comfort zone.
Well, believe it or not, that's what God wants to do with us, too.
He wants to stretch us beyond our comfort zone.
Would you go to Numbers chapter 13?
Numbers chapter 13.
Today we're going to talk about stretching our attitude.
I need to go there myself.
Numbers chapter 13.
We're going to look at a few verses in chapter 13,
and we're going to get into chapter 14 as well.
We're reading quite a number of scriptures.
I'm going to let you keep your seats today.
But as we get into this idea of stretching our attitude,
let's keep that in the back of our mind as we read through this passage from the Old Testament.
The Lord spoke to Moses.
Boy, that ought to get your attention.
Anytime God is speaking, we ought to listen up, right?
So the Lord spoke to Moses,
send men out to scout out the land of Canaan.
I'm giving to the Israelites.
Send one man who's a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes.
So Moses did it.
This is, without diving into a lot of the backstory and taking up too much time for you this morning,
let's just focus on God promised this land to his people.
And so they have arrived.
They've gotten out of their captivity in Egypt,
and they have gotten to the place where he says,
all right, now it's time to go and scout out this land that I promised to you.
And so he said, here's how you're going to do it.
You're going to recruit some spies, some secret agents,
and these guys are going to go on a top secret mission,
and they are going to check out this land that I have promised to you.
So they did it.
Skip down now, would you, to verse 17.
Tell you what.
So let's look back in verse 6.
One of the spies was Caleb, son of Jephunneh.
I was waiting to see if anybody corrected my Hebrew, but there you go.
From the tribe of Judah.
Then jump down to verse 16.
These were the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land,
and Moses renamed Hosea, son of Nun.
That's why we didn't read verse 8, Hosea, son of Nun.
Moses renamed him Joshua.
Joshua, the son of Nun.
Who was the only person who had no father and mother?
Joshua, the son of Nun.
Thank you.
I'm a dad.
I have to throw a dad joke in there somewhere, all right?
Somebody just got that.
That's good.
All right, verse 17.
When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan,
just like God had told him to do,
he told them, go up this way to the Negev.
Then go into the hill country.
See what the land is like.
Whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.
Is the land they live in good or bad?
Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications?
What's the deal here, guys?
Give me a good report.
Verse 20.
Is the land fertile or unproductive?
Are there trees in it or not?
Be courageous.
Did y'all catch that?
That was their instruction.
Be courageous.
Some of you who already know how this turned out know the significance of that.
Bring back some fruit from the land.
By the way, it was the season for the first ripe grapes.
When we're talking about ripe grapes, this is what we're talking about.
So let's jump down to verse 27.
Tell you what, just by sake of the slide on the screen, let's look at verse 23.
They scouted all this area, then they came to the valley of Eshkel.
They cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes.
Now look, my favorite place to buy grapes is Spring Market.
Have y'all noticed?
The grapes there are better than anywhere in Wichita Falls.
They are awesome.
I've gotten grapes at I think just about every grocery store in Wichita Falls,
and the best ones are at Spring Market right here.
So, now yeah, you know, Costco, or what is it, Sam's Club has the cotton candy grapes and stuff like that.
But we're not talking about your bougie, just grapes.
They're good.
But I have never seen a cluster that looked like that.
So what did they do?
They had to carry it on a pole with two guys, one cluster of grapes, unique to this valley of Eshkel.
So jump down now to verse 27.
They got back.
They got home.
And I can imagine that these guys starting out on their journey had a little different attitude than they did when they got back.
Why?
Well, we're going to see in just a minute.
But starting out, it's like, hey man, this is cool.
We got selected for a top secret mission.
This is awesome.
We're going to go do the spy thing.
We're going to hang out with our buddies, and we're going to go out, all 12 of us.
You put 12 guys together on a road trip, you think some hijinks are not going to ensue?
It's going to get crazy.
So I'm sure they had themselves a time.
Until they got to Negev and Hebron and this area where the descendants of Anak were.
Do you know the significance of that?
We're about to read it.
Verse 27.
They reported to Moses.
We did it, Moses.
We accomplished our mission.
Mission accomplished.
We went into the land where you sent us.
Indeed, it is flowing with milk and honey.
That's an expression that means it was very fertile.
It was great for growing crops.
It was good, attractive land that you would want to settle in.
Here is some of the fruit.
See, Moses?
Have a great.
However, verse 28.
The people living in the land are strong and the cities are large and fortified.
We also saw the descendants of Anak there.
The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev.
The Hethites, Jebusites, Amorites live in the country.
And the Canaanites live by the sea along the Jordan.
Do you realize who all these people are?
They're all Israel's enemies.
They're all big, strong, scary warriors.
The descendants of Anak were mighty, mighty people.
So, these guys brought back the grapes.
And they also brought back this terrifying report
that this land is inhabited by our strongest enemies.
God didn't know what he was doing by promising it to us.
This is crazy.
We can't go there.
So, Caleb jumps in.
Remember those two?
Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb.
Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses.
Now, why would he have to do that?
Why would he have to quiet all the Israelite people
after the ten spies got done talking?
Fear.
Because they're scared, right?
They're freaking out.
What if I got up here today and said,
listen, there's a group of people that want to kill us
and they're all circled outside the church waiting for us to leave.
Would you all just settle in and enjoy my sermon?
Some of you would be jumping up.
I'm packing, baby.
Let's go.
Now, there might be a little unrest, right?
And so, that is what is happening
as the people are intent on going into this land.
They've marched there.
They're ready to go.
And all of a sudden, it's going to be war.
So, they start talking.
Caleb gets up and quiets them in the presence of Moses
and says, let's go up now and take possession of the land
because we can certainly conquer it.
Why would Caleb think that they could take on all their enemies and win?
Because God's on their side.
We have this thing called faith, right?
We believe in the one true almighty God, right?
He promised us this land, right?
Okay, let's go take it.
Do we think he's not strong enough to beat these armies that hate us?
Of course he is.
But the men who had gone up with him outvoted him.
They responded and said, we can't attack the people
because they're stronger than we are.
We by ourselves or we with God?
I'm sure that's what Caleb was trying to make the point.
So, they gave a negative report to the Israelites
about the land they had scouted.
Now, watch this.
The land we pass through to explore
is one that devours its inhabitants.
All the people that we saw in it are men of great size.
There are no women there, apparently.
Just men of great size.
We even saw the Nephilim there.
The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim.
To ourselves, we seemed like grasshoppers,
and we must have seemed the same to them.
They went from,
hey, there are our enemies living in this region,
to all of a sudden,
the fish story just got bigger and bigger and bigger,
and now there's these like mythical creatures
who are going to eat you
is kind of how they passed it off to the people of Israel.
It just kept getting worse and worse and worse
as they talked.
The Nephilim,
if you want to know about the Nephilim,
talk to Wade Pierce.
He's sitting back there.
He can tell you all about it.
I am not going to take the time in this sermon,
but go back to the beginning of the Bible.
We don't even know 100% sure what it's talking about,
what it says.
The sons of God came from heaven
and bore children with the daughters of men,
and it produced this crazy race or species of people
that was like giants and huge and massive.
This is kind of what we're talking about here, okay?
The little guy on the left down there,
he's about six feet tall.
Legend has it,
they grew as big as like 36 feet tall.
Who knows, y'all?
Well, I don't know that we've found dinosaur bones
or human dinosaur bones
that would correlate to that,
but listen,
saying the word Nephilim
was like a buzzword around the Israelites.
Man, what?
The Nephilim are there?
And then there was this rumor
that they were bloodsuckers
and maybe even cannibalistic,
and so if we go into the promised land,
we're going to get eaten.
That was kind of the terror
that they were experiencing at this moment.
And what happened?
Verse 14,
the whole community,
I'm sorry,
chapter 14, verse 1,
the whole community broke into loud cries
and they wept that night.
Probably had bad dreams too.
And then they started complaining,
and then it just got worse from there.
Now look,
without following this story on,
you should keep reading in numbers.
Fascinating reading right here.
But without following to its conclusion,
let's stop
and see
what the power
of your attitude
can do.
Your attitude
can change everything.
Yours,
mine,
it can change
everything.
So,
let's see what
Paul has to talk about it
when he was teaching
Timothy.
We talked about this
last week.
Have nothing to do
with godless myths
and old wives' tales.
I brought this verse back in.
Because last week
we talked about training,
we talked about habits,
we talked about all that stuff.
But look,
this right here
has exactly to do
with what those ten spies
were doing.
Two of them had faith,
Caleb and Joshua.
But the ten,
their attitude
was completely overtaken,
completely changed,
completely affected
by fear
and lack of faith
in the one
who had brought them
all that way.
So the warning is,
don't get caught up
in that trap.
and then don't
you be the one
to spread
those godless myths
and old wives' tales.
And often,
our attitude
will make us
do that.
If we are
against something,
then we'll all of a sudden
make it sound
a whole lot worse
than it really is.
Because
we don't want to do it.
Or we don't like it.
So we're going to go
on the attack about it.
And we're going to
trump it up in our mind.
And it's going to
become bigger
than it ever
really is.
Instead,
train ourselves
to be godly.
Start those habits.
And we talked about
that last week.
So,
how do we do it?
How do we stretch
our attitudes?
How do we change
our attitudes?
First of all,
we have to understand
that our attitude
shapes our perspective.
Our attitude
shapes
our perspective.
perspective.
You ever been
triggered by something?
Those spies
got triggered
by giants.
Listen,
I think I would
probably get
triggered by giants too.
If all of a sudden
God wanted me
to go out
and fight a giant,
I would be
a little terrified.
I'd be like,
God,
can you put me
on the phone
with David
or something?
Because I need
a lesson
in how to do this.
But our attitude
shapes our perspective.
So,
if I have
an attitude
of faith
and reliance
on God
and he said,
you get out there
and fight that giant,
then I would say,
God,
kind of like Peter
when God told him
to get out of the boat
or Peter
when God told him
to put the boat
back into the water
and go catch fish
when we've been fishing
all night
and caught nothing
and say,
God,
I don't really know
what you're doing.
This doesn't seem
like a good idea.
It doesn't seem
like it's going to work.
But because you told me
to do it,
I'll do it.
Sometimes that's
enough faith
to change our attitude
enough from a no
to a yes.
Listen,
I'm not saying
that there weren't
dangerous enemy tribes
waiting for the Israelites
in the promised land.
There were.
But God was going
to give them
victory over them.
And all they had
to get to
was from a no
to a yes.
And that is what
God is waiting
for me
and for you
to do.
We don't have
to be sunshine
and roses
all the time.
We don't have
to be all bubbly
about everything
that we feel
like God
is leading us
to do.
But we have
to get from
a no
to a yes.
And that's
going to come
from our
perspective.
So,
the ten spies'
perspective
is fear,
panic,
discouragement.
Joshua and Caleb's
perspective
was faith,
courage,
and truth.
They knew.
They knew
that God
would deliver them.
And the attitude
shaped
their perspective
on it.
Yes,
there are enemies,
but we have
God on our side.
So,
let's go
take them.
Let's go
see God
win a mighty
victory.
Not,
let's run
in fear.
1 John chapter 5
talks about this.
Everyone born
of God
overcomes
the world.
I underline
that word.
It's in this verse
three times,
these two verses.
This is the victory
that has overcome
the world,
even our faith.
It's not our strength,
it's not our might,
it's not our smarts,
it's not how good
looking we are,
thankfully.
It's not how big
our bank account is,
thankfully.
It's not contingent
on all those
human things,
it's contingent
on our faith
in almighty God.
Because if we have
faith in God,
then that unlocks
God's power
to step in
and move.
So this is the victory
that's overcome
the world.
It's our faith.
Faith is the victory.
There's an old song
that said that.
Who is it
that overcomes
the world?
Only the one
who believes.
If you really believe,
then faith
will change
your attitude.
Faith will change
your perspective.
And you can go
from one
who cowers
in fear
or a negative Nancy,
so to speak,
into an overcomer.
This is what Caleb
was trying to get
the Israelites
to do.
He was trying
to break through
into those spies'
mind and say,
listen guys,
yeah,
they look scary,
but we can be
overcomers.
So are you
an overcomer today?
Does that characterize
your life?
Have you been able
to overcome
everything that the
devil throws at you?
You cannot
in your strength,
but by faith
you can.
By faith
you can overcome.
So attitude
shapes your perspective.
Can I get a volunteer
up here?
I need a volunteer.
Christopher,
I saw your hand first.
Come on,
let's go.
Let's go,
brother.
Come on,
son,
run,
let's go.
Come on,
let's go.
I don't get to coach
anymore,
I just wanted to do
something like that.
All right,
sir,
can you look out there
and see the crowd
pretty well?
Yes.
You see everybody's faces?
Yes.
They look nice,
don't they?
Some of them.
Some of them?
Wow.
I did not even
coach him to do that.
He just,
we need to stop
and pray for your
heart right now.
All right,
cool.
Would you just
put these on?
Do you wear glasses?
Yes.
You do wear glasses?
I have contacts.
You have contacts.
That ought to make
this real fun.
All right,
here you go,
man.
Would you mind
looking through those
and just see,
do they look as clear
as they did before?
No.
No?
Can you describe
how they look right now?
No.
No?
There are no words,
right?
Can you see Clayton
waving at you down there
vaguely?
Yeah.
Is it a little blurry?
Yes.
Okay.
That's great,
man.
So would you say
that those lenses
are affecting your vision
and how you see
our beautiful church?
Yes.
Okay.
Good to know.
Great to know.
You can take those off.
Would you say that
distorted or changed
your perspective
a little bit?
Yes, sir.
Okay.
Would you try those on?
Yeah.
Look at that.
Pretty cool, right?
By the way,
these were Dollar Tree's
finest lenses right here,
so.
What does that do?
How's everybody look?
Darker.
Interesting.
You can see them
more clearly probably,
right?
Yes.
But everything's
a little darker?
Yes.
That's cool.
All right, man.
Would you take those off?
You see everybody good again?
It didn't permanently damage your...
No.
All right, good.
All right.
Thanks, man.
That was awesome.
High five.
Let's give them a clap.
You did great, buddy.
By the way,
do you want these?
Here, Chris.
You can have these.
Catch.
Yeah!
Nice catch.
That was awesome.
Brandy was like,
you are going to kill me.
Does anybody wear
3.25 reading lenses?
Anybody?
No?
Just like,
thumbs down.
Nobody wants them!
All right.
Somebody come get them.
They're right up here.
I do not wear them.
All right.
The first time
he looked through
the enhanced readers,
y'all looked blurry.
I know that
because I tried them out
myself earlier.
He's still wearing them.
That's great.
You're awesome, Chris.
The second time,
he could see clearly,
but everybody
looked darker.
Everything looked darker.
Now look,
that's a silly little example.
But the truth is,
depending on the lens
you are looking through,
everything can look
a little darker
than it really is.
Believe me,
I've been there.
Or,
everything can look
distorted.
And you are not getting
an accurate view
of what you're looking at.
It's all because
of your lenses.
Y'all didn't change.
We didn't change.
The truth,
reality,
did not change.
Do you know
who always has
20-20 vision?
God.
He's the only one
who sees reality
as it really is.
The rest of us
are looking
through different lenses.
Looking through
different lenses
at different moments.
Those are driven
by our emotions.
Those are usually
driven by circumstances.
Those are driven
by what's going on
around us,
the people around us,
our experiences,
the triggers
that set us off.
And that immediately
changes our lenses.
And now,
the reality
that we're seeing,
the people
that we're listening to,
what we're watching
happen in the service,
what we're seeing
happen in the community,
what's happening
with our loved ones,
our friends,
what's happening
at home,
what's happening
the truth about ourselves,
those all of a sudden
become distorted.
We're not seeing it
accurately.
Or,
it might become
darker.
Everything just doesn't
look as bright anymore.
Everything doesn't
look as cheerful.
Everything doesn't
look as good.
The lenses
are our attitudes.
And that changes
our perspective.
Philippians 4.8
tells us
how to combat that.
Think on
these things.
Whatever's true,
whatever's righteous,
whatever's worthy
of praise,
there's a whole list.
Philippians 4.8.
This is what you think on.
This is what shapes
your attitude.
So,
what you look through,
the lens you look through,
shapes how you see life.
And a small shift
in that perspective
can have big impact
in your life.
number two.
Number two.
Before we get there,
I forgot to put this up there.
Do you see obstacles
or a chance
to overcome?
Do you see obstacles
or a chance
to overcome?
You can put that
in your bulletin.
Caleb was trying
to get the people
to be overcomers,
but the lens
those spies
were looking at
changed their
opportunity
to overcome
into obstacles
that they just
could not see past.
You ever been there?
Had an obstacle
in your life
you just can't see
how to get around?
God says
you can be an overcomer.
You might have
to take the long way.
Might be tough
going through it.
But God says
nothing is too hard
for Him.
You've got Him
if you're His child.
Now look,
if you're not
His child this morning,
then I can't help you.
You've got to take
that first step.
You have to take
that first step.
Become a child of God.
Recognize that
Jesus Christ
came and died
for your sins.
Not for anything
He did wrong,
but for your sins,
for mine.
Sacrificed His life
on the cross
and then rose
back from the dead.
We heard a wonderful
gospel presentation
from Ford Bachman
on his video
this morning
before he got baptized.
He put his faith
in that.
So many in this room
have put their faith
in the saving power
of Jesus
to forgive your sin,
to make you His child,
to give you a home
in heaven forever.
That's step number one.
And then,
God can help you
change your perspective.
God can help you
look through His lens,
not yours.
Point number two,
wow,
I am really getting
ahead of myself
and I apologize for that.
Before we get there,
oh,
that was not supposed
to be in there.
That's like an old version
of my slide.
Sorry guys,
I gave you the wrong thing.
Let's move along.
That was last week.
If you missed it last week,
it's on YouTube.
Here we go.
How do we stretch
our attitudes?
Our attitudes shape
the people around us.
Isn't that interesting?
Our attitudes do not
just shape our perspective,
they also shape our people.
They affect the people
that you care about.
I can promise you,
when I've got a rotten attitude,
everyone in my home knows it.
And Bo is like the biggest
empath in the world,
you know,
he feels deeply
and so he will come to me
and be like,
Dad,
are you stressed?
I'm like,
man,
you're too young
to be asking me that.
Yes,
I am.
Sorry.
But you know what?
It helps me start
changing my attitude
because it's like,
yeah,
you know,
it's affecting the kids
and they don't need
to carry that burden
right now.
Truth is,
I don't even need
to carry that burden
right now.
I need to give it
back to Jesus.
He's the one
who can carry it.
So our attitude
shapes our people.
Ephesians 4,
29,
do not let any
unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths
but only what is helpful
for building others up.
We talked about that
a couple weeks ago.
We talked about shaping
our talk,
building others up,
not tearing them down,
according to their needs
that it may benefit
those who listen.
I promise you,
someone is always listening.
Someone is always watching.
Someone is always affected.
And I'm not even
talking about the sense
in that someone's
checking up on you.
I'm talking about the sense
that whatever you do,
say,
think,
it affects others.
And usually,
the ones that affect the most
are the ones you care
about the most.
The ones I care about the most.
So let's benefit
those under the sound
of our voice.
Those in our circle
of influence.
The ten spies
fear,
spread,
panic.
You know what else it did?
Their negative attitude
caused Israel
to wander
in the desert
for 40 years.
But Joshua
and Caleb,
their response
was faith.
The people of Israel
still had to pay the price.
But Joshua
and Caleb
and all their families
got to go
into the promised land
someday.
Because they had faith.
Their attitude
of faith
affected
those around them
positively.
Those spies'
attitude of fear
affected all the people
negatively.
Ephesians 4.29
told us
to speak
words that
build up,
not tear down.
Can I tell you something?
Attitudes
are contagious.
You saw what happened
with the children of Israel.
Those guys
started telling
their tall tales
of just how bad it was
and they're going to get eaten
and all that stuff.
And what happened?
The people
lost it.
They freaked out.
That attitude
was contagious
and it spread
like wildfire
through the people.
So if attitudes
are contagious,
make yours worth catching.
Caleb and Joshua's
attitude was worth
catching that day.
Not too many
caught it.
So,
look at the person
next to you,
would you?
Say,
watch your attitude
around me.
Come on,
y'all can do it.
Say,
watch your attitude
around me.
I don't want
to catch
your bad attitude.
The kids
are having
way too much fun
saying this
to their parents,
man.
Bible says
respect your parents,
alright?
Honor them.
But listen,
sometimes parents,
we got to watch
our attitudes
around our kids.
Sometimes kids,
you got to watch
your attitude
around your parents
or around your siblings
or around your friends.
sometimes parents,
we got to watch
our attitudes
around each other.
We got to watch
our attitudes
in moments of conflict,
moments of disagreement.
Watch your attitude
around me.
Why?
Because it's contagious.
Because it can affect
so much.
It not only
affects your perspective,
it affects the people
around you.
And then number three,
your attitude
shapes your path.
It shapes
where you're going.
It shapes
what you're heading,
where you're heading.
Anybody like
Patti LaBelle?
Nobody likes
Patti LaBelle
in that room.
Okay, alright,
thank you.
Penny,
count on somebody.
I'm feeling good
from my head
to my shoes,
know where I'm going
and I know what to do.
I tidied up
my point of view.
I got a
new attitude.
There you go,
alright.
Nobody listens
to that stuff.
That's alright.
Listen,
I went through
that song,
I was like,
is there anything
wicked or unbiblical
in this song?
We're like,
no,
alright,
we're safe.
Look,
did you catch
that line though?
That's a silly
kind of example,
but did you catch
that line,
I know where I'm going
and I know what to do.
Why?
Because I got
a new attitude.
You know when you
usually don't know
where you're going
or what to do
is when you got
a rotten attitude
about life.
And that's when
you're kind of
sitting around like,
I don't know
what to do.
Like,
no,
but God does.
If you start
looking through
the lens of the Holy Spirit,
all of a sudden
He tells you
what to do.
The next thing is,
go make up
with your wife.
Go make up
with your kids.
Go make up
with your brother
or sister in Christ.
Go open the Bible
and read it.
Go for a walk.
The dog probably
wants to.
God will help you
figure out
what to do next.
It'll shape
your path.
And usually
what God's going
to do
is give you
the next thing,
not the next
hundred things
that's going to
take you ten years
to accomplish.
He's got all that
figured out,
but your attitude
day in
and day out,
moment by moment
will shape
the path
that you're on.
So,
Romans chapter 8
and verse 6,
the mind governed
by the flesh
is death,
but the mind
governed
by the Spirit
is life
and peace.
I love that
it uses
the word governed.
We've got some
people in the room
who are in
county government.
We've got some
people in the room
who are in
school government.
We've got some
people who understand
firsthand what
governing is.
It's a legal
term.
Whose laws
are you living
by?
Whose laws
are governing
your mind?
Is it your
own?
Is it mine?
Is it society's?
Is it culture?
What's governing
you?
Your weaknesses?
Your flesh?
Your rotten
attitude?
The mind
governed
by the Spirit
equals
life
and peace.
We're all
chasing peace,
aren't we?
We all just
want that
inner peace.
Gurus
and shamans
and everybody
out there,
self-help
people,
they're all
trying to
figure out
how to get
inner peace.
Jesus
is the
only way
to find
peace.
God
gave us
his Spirit
to walk
with us
every moment,
never leaves
us.
So let
him govern
your mind.
And that's
kind of how I
want to close
this morning.
Whose laws
are you living
by?
Or we could
ask it this
way.
What lens
are you looking
through?
Christopher,
thanks for being
a good sport
up here.
He's still
looking through
those lenses.
It was a
little bright
in the room,
wasn't it?
Now it's all
darker,
yeah.
The lenses
make a
difference.
That cityscape
is so blurry
until you put
on the
correct lenses.
Change
your lens,
change
your life.
That's our
takeaway this
morning.
Change your
lens,
change your
life.
It's my
challenge to
all of you,
to all of
us.
Whatever
is going
on,
it doesn't
really
matter.
What
triggers me
is different
than what
might trigger
you.
When the
longhorns
lose,
I get
triggered,
all right?
But there's
serious stuff,
isn't there?
If everything's
not okay with
me and my
wife,
I get
triggered.
She knows
that.
It's like,
I gotta have
everything okay.
I don't need
to be looking
through my
lens at that
moment.
I need to be
looking through
the lens of
the Holy Spirit.
So moment
by moment,
whatever the
conflict is,
whatever triggers
you,
whatever's going
on in your
little world,
give it to
Jesus and
say,
God,
change my
lens.
Change my
lens right
now.
I might be
looking through
a blurry
lens and it's
distorted.
I'm not seeing
an accurate
picture of
this situation.
I might be
looking through
a polarized
lens and
everything's a
little darker
and it changes
the color and
things just
don't look
as good as
I know you
really are.
So God,
change my
lens.
Would you
make that your
prayer this
morning?
Would you
bow your
heads with
me right
now?
I've been
trying to give
you a little
prayer to say
and listen,
this is not
anything magical,
it's just
helping you
out if you
need that.
So I'll
give you this
right now and
if you'd like
to pray it in
your heart,
if you'd like
to pray it
out loud,
you can do
this.
God,
help me see
through the
lens of
trusting you.
I'll say it
one more time
if you need
to hear it
again.
God,
help me see
through the
lens of
trusting you.
Change my
attitude and
change my
life.
Change my
attitude and
change my
life.
In Jesus'
name,
amen.
God,
that is what
we pray for
in this room.
God,
there are
people who
don't know
you personally
as Savior
in this room.
I believe
that in a
group this
size,
it'd be
foolish to
think otherwise.
I'm sure
the majority
of the people
in the room
would raise
their hand
and say,
yes,
I'm a
Christ follower.
I do my
best to
follow Jesus.
Truth is,
we don't
always do
our best.
But God,
we just
don't want
to say no.
We want
to get to
that amount
of faith
where we say
yes to
whatever you're
telling us
to do.
There might
be somebody
in the room
who needs
to put on
the lens
of your
Holy Spirit
and say,
I see
how God
wants me
to see
this.
I'm going
to stop
looking at
it through
the lens
of my
selfishness,
my pride,
my self-centeredness,
my lack
of experience,
my lack
of wisdom.
God,
you're the
fountain of
all that,
so let me
see through
your lens
and trust
you
in this
situation.
How many
of you would
raise your
hand and say
there's something
going on in
my life
that I need
to trust
God in
and ask
him to help
my perspective
on it,
change my
attitude on it.
Would you
slip your hand
up right now?
Thank you.
Some of you are
in prayer and I don't
want to disturb you
from that.
Would you just
keep your seats
for a moment?
Linda's praying.
If you need somebody
to come pray with,
Jared and I are
up here,
you can come
grab us.
If you need
to turn around
and kneel
in your seat,
do that.
If you need
to come kneel
at these steps,
do that.
Whatever you
need to do
to do business
with God
for just a
moment.
Amen.