Happy 4th of July Everyone! Today we're talking about freedom in a unique way: freedom of the mind from the enemy.
During this episode I'm joined by the amazing Pastor Robert Kennedy. Drawn from his own experiences and spiritual journey, Pastor Kennedy sheds light on the power of the mind and how it can shape our lives, for better or worse.
Reflecting on Romans 8, he underscores the necessity of aligning our minds with the Spirit for a fulfilling life, a principle that has guided his personal spiritual journey.
Our minds are like busy DVD players, persistently replaying old memories and crafting imagined scenarios that often consume us. Isn't it fascinating how a single thought can trigger a chain reaction, spiraling out of control and amplifying a problem beyond its real size?
Pastor Kennedy and I discuss the intricacies of our thought life, revealing how Satan tries to exploit our mental vulnerabilities.
But remember, a bad thought is not a sin in itself, how we react to it is what truly matters!
In the spiritual battlefield that is our mind, victory is not a far-fetched dream. We talk about the mental strategies that can lead you to spiritual triumph, explaining the importance of understanding and mastering our mind's function.
So gear up to embark on a spiritual journey that starts within the corners of your mind and leads to peace and victory in Christ!
Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @AndyBHoward
Buy the book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Words-Dont-Come-Easy/dp/1955362084
Listen to the first chapter: soundcloud.com/andy-howard-788712319
Learn more at AndyHoward.com!
Happy 4th of July Everyone! Today we're talking about freedom in a unique way: freedom of the mind from the enemy.
During this episode I'm joined by the amazing Pastor Robert Kennedy. Drawn from his own experiences and spiritual journey, Pastor Kennedy sheds light on the power of the mind and how it can shape our lives, for better or worse.
Reflecting on Romans 8, he underscores the necessity of aligning our minds with the Spirit for a fulfilling life, a principle that has guided his personal spiritual journey.
Our minds are like busy DVD players, persistently replaying old memories and crafting imagined scenarios that often consume us. Isn't it fascinating how a single thought can trigger a chain reaction, spiraling out of control and amplifying a problem beyond its real size?
Pastor Kennedy and I discuss the intricacies of our thought life, revealing how Satan tries to exploit our mental vulnerabilities.
But remember, a bad thought is not a sin in itself, how we react to it is what truly matters!
In the spiritual battlefield that is our mind, victory is not a far-fetched dream. We talk about the mental strategies that can lead you to spiritual triumph, explaining the importance of understanding and mastering our mind's function.
So gear up to embark on a spiritual journey that starts within the corners of your mind and leads to peace and victory in Christ!
Follow on Instagram & Facebook: @AndyBHoward
Buy the book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/When-Words-Dont-Come-Easy/dp/1955362084
Listen to the first chapter: soundcloud.com/andy-howard-788712319
Learn more at AndyHoward.com!
Hey, what's up everybody. You are in for a real treat today. We have a special guest who is a dear friend of mine and Tiffany and I. We served under their ministry for 10 years And I can honestly say this man has taught me so much in my life. So many of my values, so much I learned about ministry came directly from him, and just the way he loves the Lord and the way he leads people and he loves people. He's a. He's a phenomenal leader. He's an author.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk so much about his book today and just on the mindset and how powerful your mind really is. And then not only just that, but what to do with it. It is such a good episode. I pray that you will listen all the way to the end because it is so powerful. So many nuggets, in fact, as you start hearing things that are a blessing to you. I hope you will share this to some of your friends or family or someone that God lays on your heart. It's just that good. All that and more is happening right after this. Welcome back to the when words don't come easy podcast. I am Andy Howard And, as I said earlier in the intro, you are in for a treat today. This is my pastor. This is pastor Robert Kennedy, a good friend of ours. We served on staff with him for almost a decade, for about 10 years, and two different two different sessions, yeah, and now you've heard.
Speaker 1:You guys have heard here. You've heard from pastor Judy Kennedy before. That is his lovely wife. Today you're in for a treat because this man is your special to me, pastor, and I want you to know that before we go any further.
Speaker 1:I do want you to know that because there's just so many life lessons I've learned through my time with you And I've heard it said so many times and I'm probably going to butcher this phrase, but it's something to the fact that things are better caught than taught. And there have been so many times whether gosh, i don't know Tiff would say, hey, do you mind stopping by the church office to pick up our check on the way home or when you're coming through to, and we would come in. Nobody would know And I would hear you just you know crying in the office and seeking the Lord in the office, and you'll never know what that meant for me, just as a man, as a pastor even, and I just love you so much. But thanks for doing this And I welcome to the show And please, i just greet the people for a second here.
Speaker 2:Man, we love you guys too. Y'all know this, but y'all are just like our kids And, man, we've been through some really really hard times together, been through some great times together, and so y'all are. Y'all are just very, very special to us And we love and appreciate you guys so very much, and it's an honor to be here today, man.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, And, yeah, you're going to learn a lot here today. A pastor he has his hands in pretty much everything, A busy man working for the kingdom, but he is an anointed man. That's why I want you to know he's an author, not only a pastor. He also serves with helping men, helping develop men in our, our denomination of our church. He's also and I don't know if you're still doing this, but there was definitely seasons when you were helping with disaster relief and heading and coordinating all that, And just when there's tornadoes or any kind of need, your your boots on the ground, you're running with it and just helping people. So you're always a busy man And I do appreciate you taking time, especially on this 4th of July, By the way it's a happy end of this day.
Speaker 1:Yes, And I thought about you, pastor, because I know your, your book Mental Madness, and I think it's going to so many thoughts from that will help us. But we're celebrating freedom today. We're celebrating We have a lot to be grateful for in this country. I know so many people. From time to time it's easy to to read headlines or see some of the negatives or some of the things that are going wrong, but we still are have so much to be grateful for, for our freedom here.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I just wanted to jump into this, jump into the, to the book. It's a. It's about your, your mind and your, your thought process. There's so much to it, but how big a deal is your thought life.
Speaker 2:Man, listen, I I'm. This is the biggest battle I ever faced in my life. I I was in continual turmoil on the inside. There was always something happening on the inside. Look, all of us have a mind right, All of us have a thought process, And and that's where the enemy's always trying to attack us He's always looking for an open door right. And so so our mind and our thought process, it's, it's huge. Let me. Let me just read something really quick, in maybe a little different way than people have heard it before.
Speaker 2:Out of Rome, out of Romans, chapter eight, It says for those who live according to the flesh, have their minds set on things of the flesh, Keep in mind when it talks about, or how often it says set on, they have their minds set on.
Speaker 2:And then it says those who live according to the spirit have set their minds on the things of the spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, But to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, For it does not submit to God, to God's love, Indeed, it cannot. So you think about, when you're processing, how big the mind is how the arena of the mind, the battles that go on in the mind, the thought processes of the mind, And if our mind and we are the ones that should be in charge of our mind and we have the power to set our minds and whatever our minds are set on dictates our destiny, It dictates the outcome, you know. So that it's huge. It really can be the difference between victory and freedom, or defeat and destruction.
Speaker 1:That is so good, Pastor, And you're exactly right, And I've seen so many people held back by those six inches in between their ears the power of the mind that it and we let it control what people might think about. Maybe it's not even there And all of a sudden these stories start brewing up, and of reasons of why you shouldn't do whatever you were called to do, And there's so much more to it. I do want to jump in. You give great illustration that helps explain the danger of an out of control thought life. Would you mind expanding on that?
Speaker 2:Well, to help, kind of the thought process there, so that people can see how ludicrous and out of the control thought life is. You know, most people never even realize that. You know, hey, it's just my thought life. I grew up thinking thoughts all the time. I grew up thinking about this, thinking about that.
Speaker 2:But I give an illustration in the book about being on the back of this big, beautiful horse And we're galloping along.
Speaker 2:You know, we're just kind of, you know, just at a steady pace, and then all of a sudden the horse starts picking up speed And before you know it we're in a dead run And off in the distance we see a bob to our fence coming up right Now, pause, right there for a second. What if you had no saddle, no bridle, no control over that horse whatsoever? You know, this big, huge, beautiful beast as it is Now, it has control over where it's going to take you rather than you having control over where you want to go. You know, i know we're getting into this, this new technology stage where we can have hands-free driving, right, but even hands-free driving, there's still a steering wheel in the car, you know. So I would never get in a car that didn't have some type of way for me to be in charge of where I'm heading, and so that's kind of a good mental picture of how important our thought life is and how ludicrous it is for us just to have out-of-control thoughts going on all day, every day.
Speaker 1:That's so good. We could probably spend the rest of the episode on just that illustration alone, just letting something so powerful run free like that. But what an illustration. And you know what? I'm the most city slicker country bumpkin. I tell people that all the time I don't know much about horses, but I do know that sounds like a very scary scenario and I don't have any control like that. I do love also that you share about some of your own personal journey, about your own story in the book. Can you share how, maybe some of the battles with us, with your thoughts that you've had? Well?
Speaker 2:Andy, let me back all the way up to my family, and my grandmother struggled with jealousy. My mother struggled with jealousy. My mom and dad got a divorce when I was seven years old, and so I grew up with a single mom. Now, truth be told, my dad had some, you know, faithfulness problems and and thought life induced as well. Right, Yeah.
Speaker 2:And my mother dealt with. Jealousy from her mother, you know, passed down generation to generation. And so there are these controlling thought patterns that happen as a very young man. Men lust grit my heart. I, you know, I struggle with it all the time, And as a young man, I was always somewhere else. And, and man, that's the truth in a generation today, We're never where we are right We're, we're never present. Our minds are always creating another life, creating another scenario, And so I tell people, I'm very transparent in reaching men, talking to men and showing my stars so that they can say hey, wait a minute, I'm not the only one dealing with this right.
Speaker 2:And it wasn't that I was with someone else. I got married at a very young age. It wasn't that I was with someone else. Truth of the matter is, Andy, I was with anyone else, It was. It was that bad in my mind All the time I was struggling with my thought life, And it was an ongoing process that kept my, my insights, my inside being just in a storm all of the time, never being present in the now and never, never truly being present in the relationship I was with, in with my wife at a very early age We got married, So so it was. It was always a stronghold, me dealing with lust, me dealing with these thoughts that I just couldn't get rid of.
Speaker 1:Wow, it's very good. I've heard, and I don't have anything to back this, i just trust the people that speak it to me sometimes, but I have heard that at today's average, attention span is like down to eight seconds And I don't know where they got that fact, But I believe it, my kiddos. I think it's the technology and things that are good but can also be bad if, if it goes back to that steering wheel, right, If you don't have a steering wheel if you're not controlling your thought process, and even myself.
Speaker 1:We're going to jump into this next question. I think it goes along with it so well. It's not always even bad thoughts, it's not always just like lustful thoughts, or sometimes it's just for me. For me, i don't always like confrontation, so for me it's easier to avoid confrontation and get away and just try to think about anything other than what I know I was supposed to do or called to do, and so it could not necessarily be a bad thing.
Speaker 1:I even saw a one of those memes or something today before we jumped on here, and it talked about the devil don't always stop you, or the enemy doesn't always stop you from doing what you're supposed to do. He just says, hey, why don't you do it tomorrow? And so I thought about that process too Just losing your mindset, losing your control, your thought process, even just keeping things in order to do what you were called to do. But the next question I wanted to ask you about, because you do emphasize this in the book, that it's not just sexual thoughts that people struggle with. So could you expand on that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, listen, it doesn't matter if you're whatever a doctor, a truck driver, an IT specialist, a custodian, someone that works in retail our minds are always going right. So this affects everyone, because everyone, and the more idle time you have, the worse it can be. But the truth of the matter is, is that Satan is looking for the avenue that every individual struggles with. So it could be worry. It doesn't have to be lust, yeah, it could be worry and anxiety, it could be addictions, you know, it could be unforgiveness. There are so many things. Whatever the avenue is that tends to work against that individual. That's the thought process, and then we become consumed. We have this imagination. You know, an imagination is what could be Okay, so. So, for instance, in lust, whoa man, if I had that woman, right you?
Speaker 1:know, it would fix everything right. All my problems would go away.
Speaker 2:Right, right, but but then those that struggle with an offense or a wound or a hurt. Well, if I had it to do over again, i'd say this, i'd do this. I wouldn't tolerate this, you know. And it just plays over. You know, we have these DVRs on our TV where we back up, rewind, rewind, play it again.
Speaker 2:And that's what we do in our mind And and you know, i even give an illustration in the book is a lot of times we think about. we think about thoughts as being something that hasn't happened or something that we want to happen. But what about the library that we have in the back room of our mind?
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Other women that we've slept with. You see, there's there's that thought process of oh, i wish I could, that, you know, i wish I could have this affair or this relationship. But there are people that are continually going back to high school, going back to old relationships, and well, what's the problem? What? I'm not hurting anybody, i'm not, i'm not acting on it, i'm not going in acting that, i'm just thinking about it, right, and we keep pulling those old memories off the shelf and reliving them. And, man, i'm telling you it really is amazing.
Speaker 2:But whatever avenue, whatever avenue, just like the worry, or just like the offense and the anger, we can either pull the book off the shelf and replace something they did to us, right, or, man, if they ever do, so and so, or we can just get caught up in this imagination. You know, there's a statement in the book I talk about. We think about a chain reaction, right, a chain of thoughts. I call it a train of thoughts. Wow, you think about that one car connected to another car connected to another car and that locomotive begins to run And before we know it, we have this runaway train of momentum Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And we're going and we're consumed with whatever that issue is It? you know it could be financial distress, It could be success. I'm consumed with it because that's all I can think about all day every day, right. So it affects all of us, and it affects us all in different ways.
Speaker 1:And so I, as you were talking, i thought about the and I'm sure you've heard this many times as a pastor. I've heard it many times throughout in church services throughout the years. But I thought about like forgiveness, and so many times we hear it's for you and not for the other person and in it wild, and it's happened to me myself, even when I, whatever it is, and I feel like I need to go confess something or ask for forgiveness If I've heard a brother or sister or whatever. What I find is that this story that, like you said, the locomotive is ran, left the building and I have built this huge problem, and then I, oh, i'm sorry, i didn't even realize anything could happen or whatever. And so we build these stories up and sometimes they're greater than what the initial thing even was. So that is. I love that. So what would you say, pastor? Someone comes up. They're like come on, man, is this, is this thought life really that big a deal? What? what would you respond to them with? What would you say?
Speaker 2:There. There are two, two different things. I would give you as a something that could illuminate this, to give greater understanding. You know, nothing, nothing comes to us. These, these things, these strongholds that we deal with, these battles that we deal with, they didn't come to us full grown. Everything starts as a seed. Well, think about. Everything starts is this little tiny sea, and you know, but now, now, here's what I want, here's what I want people to grasp is, you know, is Is a bad thought a sin?
Speaker 2:well, listen, it's. It's not that having a bad thought is a sin, it's. What do I do with That bad thought? right, yeah, because it totally depends on how I'm handling the thoughts that come my way. We're always gonna be hit over and over and over with thoughts from our enemy. He's our adversary, right He's? yeah, we can destroy, right, and so.
Speaker 2:So, everything starts as a seed, but it grows up. You know, and and so I get tickled At the people you know, you, watching a newscast and you see these people, that They were attacked by their pet wolf, or they were attacked by their pet tag Tiger, you know, and when they were small, they were so cute, you know, they were just cute as they could be. But they grow up. You know, everything grows up. And so this, when we think, well, it's, it's not that big a deal, i'm not really acting on it, i'm, i'm not really hurting anybody, I'm not, you know, nobody else knows but me, right, and so what's? what's the big deal? well, our situations start as a seed. Now. Now this may be a little heavier, heavy for some of the viewers, but, but I Really like it in the book That These thoughts Have a demonic origin. They're trying to take you somewhere. They're trying to take you on a journey. They're trying to what? if your mind is always set on the desires, the emotions, the feelings of this fleshly body, then it actually says death is coming right. Well, so There's a place in the scripture where it says you know, god doesn't tempt any man with evil, but every man is tempted when he was drawn away of his own lust and enticed, and when it's full-grown, then death happens right. And so I got the scratch in my head one day going oh my gosh, how in the world did that temptation get so powerful? that word drawn away One of the connotations there is to drag away, wow.
Speaker 2:So you think about those, those people that are struggling to be faithful in their marriage. Yeah, there came a point where those little bitty seeds of thought and I liken those seeds being planted Unto the, the sperm of demonic spirits they're planting. And because here's, here's the next thought process. Think about this in the beginning, god himself Created all things and he put the power in every seed To reproduce after it's kind, right, yeah, so if I'm allowing those seeds And not, it's not a sin when they come, but what do I do with them? if I hold on to them, let them germate, then there's a gestation period and I'm holding and I'm continuing to play these things. They become bigger and bigger and bigger, yeah, until they they have become so full-grown That they have controlled my emotions and they drag me away from the life That God wanted me to have, because my mind was set on those things.
Speaker 2:He said a mind Governed by Wow, in one translation, a mind governed by the flesh, or a mind governed by who's in control? Yeah, who's? who's actually steering the car? right? Yeah, it is my flesh In control of my thought, life, or am I my spirit? We're a spirit. You know. We have a body and a soul. We live in a body, we have a soul. So who's actually governing? Who's actually holding on to the, you know, to the bridle or to the reins on the back of that horse and Steering where it can or cannot go?
Speaker 1:So it's a big deal. It is a big deal That's so good. You're exactly right. Like the enemy, i never want to give him more credit. I believe with all my heart We have The power. we're a child of the king. He can't do More than we allow, so I don't want to give him too much credit. However, he's not an idiot, right? So he wouldn't just and you're exactly right He's not just going to present you the in picture of My family.
Speaker 1:My family is split up. My wife has got so upset with all the things, so that seed. If he presents another seed, i'm out of gym Working out and someone walks in front Oh, you can take a look. There's nothing wrong with a look. It starts off as something small like that. It never. He never presents the finished product until it grows into.
Speaker 1:How did we get here? nine times out of ten, i would say if you're, maybe you're in in a prison somewhere and you're meeting with several of the inmates and They wouldn't tell you. I never thought that I would lead to this point. You know, it was usually one, like you mentioned, train at a time, one action, one small step that grew into the final decision. Sometimes it does, sometimes someone just overreacts or or something, but that's another story. I love this so much. I'm gonna try to stay on point. I could ramble for for a while, but thank you so much. Well, how about with the Christians, when, when Christians come up to you, pastor, and they say well, you just need to pray more, you need to read the word more or fast more? In your book in middle madness, you say We're doing all these things but still struggling. Can you explain more on that or elaborate man listen, they?
Speaker 2:the truth of the matter is is, even after I got saved, see, we're, we're being made made new. Right, we're in the process of being made. We're a new creature, but we are continually being made new, and the No one ever really taught me that there was a problem with Having a thought life that was out of control. Nope, nobody really ever taught on this or walked me through this and and so I Was saved. You, if you had asked me, i would have you know. I'd been safe for several years. I was even in ministry, handy.
Speaker 2:So you know, here I was struggling and I was fasting, i was praying, i mean, i had a, i had a strong prayer life, i had a Regiment and a discipline in the word, you know, but I had this, this huge Economy going on. It was this, this crazy Thing that I couldn't understand. How is it that I'm a believer, how is it that I'm supposed to be a man of God but I Can't get victory? I'm still Struggling in this area. I'm in ministry. I'm not supposed to, i'm not supposed to be one that is struggling with these kinds of things. Yeah, so here's the deal. The truth of the matter is and this is, this is probably the key statement. If, if I could, if I could Tell anybody if you're listening to this, this is the statement. Write it down. Your heart Cannot quit feeling what your mind won't stop thinking.
Speaker 1:Hmm.
Speaker 2:Come on, all right. So so here's what I learned as a Christian, as a believer. I Was fasting, I was praying, i loved God. Listen, andy, i loved God so much and I struggle with this so bad that there was a point that I actually I Literally asked God to take my life because I didn't want to hurt God. Yeah, i didn't want to disappoint my father and I didn't want to hurt or destroy my family.
Speaker 2:Yeah and I thought I was doing all this, the spiritual things, i was doing the spiritual disciplines, but I didn't have any strategies. And so I, i finally came to this understanding that There was a traitor, somebody was creating or was committing treason, and that somebody was me, so so. So think about this. Spiritually I was doing the right things, yeah, but mentally I was destroying everything that I was trying to accomplish. Spiritually, right, so? so I didn't yet have the strategies.
Speaker 2:And so a house Divided against itself is sure to fall. That's what, that's what the scripture says, and that, as a matter of fact, jesus even says this. He says that the, the strongman, the the thief, can't enter the strongman's house unless he first binds the strongman, and then he can come in and destroy the family and steal and rob and kill. Right, yeah, but but he has to find that access point to get in. And So when we're divided against our own self, we're the one doing the damage, we're the one taking the bait. And Until we learn these other disciplines and these other strategies To go along with our spiritual discipline, spiritual strategies, we're, we're just losing the battle. We're continually torn. There's continually this inner Termal happening. All the time. We're discouraged, we're frustrated. We are our own Worth. You know what? just? we feel so Worthless and helpless because we haven't learned these other things.
Speaker 1:That is so good. This, this whole podcast, has been so good. The book itself and we're gonna give at the end Time to tell where to find this book because I know so many people are gonna want to find it. But now I want to kind of shift a little bit. Can you tell me how the framework came about Putting this plan together and in the writing of mental madness?
Speaker 2:Well, i was. I was struggling so bad and seeking God, and just For the longest time, andy, for for years, struggling, wanting victory. And There's a passage in in Corinthians that said You know, we, we don't war after the flesh. Right, the weapons are warfare. They're not Cornell, they're mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds. And it even goes on to say casting down Imagination and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity Every thought unto the obedience of Christ. So here's, here's an analogy here. Kind of follow me on this thought process, if you will.
Speaker 2:I Know I started out the podcast talking about a horse, right, well, think about this wild horse out in, running out in the open plains, and and liken that unto our thought processes just out, doing whatever they want to, going wherever they want to, whenever they want to, right. And so when I, when I look at that passage of scripture, the Lord gave me a mental, a mental picture of This horse that's out there running wild and we make the decision, wait a minute. This is why I'm losing the battle, this is why I'm struggling. I've got this Division going on in on the inside of me and I'm my own worst enemy. I'm the one creating trees and Committing trees, and I've got a stop. And so we make the decision.
Speaker 2:You know what? You're not gonna run wild anymore, i. Things are about to change, and so just take that mental journey of taking a lasso and roping this wild horse. And it says bringing every thought into captivity. And so when you think about roping that horse now, the next stage is you bring that wild horse into a corral, right, and you take away its ability. You begin to confront and challenge the will of this beast, right, and take away its freedom. Well, listen, you may think, okay, hey, it's all done, it's all good. Now We roped it, we've got it in the corral. Well, listen, if you've ever been around a wild horse before, they will do everything they can to kick your brains out because they want their freedom back and they do not want to submit right.
Speaker 2:And so it not only making the decision or roping the horse and saying, nope, things are about to change, but bringing it into captivity and actually taking the right steps to make firm biblical decisions. Things are changing in my house, things are changing in my mind and my heart, but it says it goes another step. It says bringing it into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. So there's a vast difference between owning a wild horse and owning a trained, obedient horse. Right, there's a huge difference. There's a process that we have to go through And it's tough.
Speaker 2:It's a hard process. I'm telling you it's the greatest victory I've ever won in my life, but it's also the most challenging battle I ever faced in my life. But it was because it was going to bring the greatest rewards and greatest yield of my life. And so, when you think about that process, we're going to make the decision not to let our thought life run free. We're gonna bring it into captivity, like putting a prisoner in jail, right, and are putting a horse in a corral. And then we're going to begin to work with it diligently Because, andy, listen, the scripture says bringing every thought.
Speaker 1:Every thought, i just thought.
Speaker 2:So consistency is key. And we can talk a little bit more about that in a minute. But consistency is key, no matter what you're training, and so every thought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. Just a mindset flip, a thought process change of. You're no longer going to control me, control my destiny, but somebody there's new sheriff in town, right? Yeah Well.
Speaker 1:I love that And I think so much. I talk about this all the time. So much about mindset how much it matters in everything And even in our own health journey. And you've, if you've been listening for a while here, you've heard Tiff and I share our story here. Even when we got to a place where it was time to level up and we started working out which is something I hated in the beginning I never worked out all my life, But what I found in everything, whether it was through my health journey, whether it was through my prayer life, even working out, I would put these in structure to start the day with them, Cause otherwise, if I put them off, I'm going to work out at six tonight.
Speaker 1:By the time six comes around, I still have three other things I got to do and it never happens. And so, even with my prayer and what I found, even on my health journey, like the first thing I taste in the morning, if it's something that's not on my plan or on my structure, I tend to say, well, I've already had a cookie, I can tend to the rest of the day as gone. And I feel like it's the same even with our prayer excuse me, our prayer life. So I try to spend my time with God first thing in the morning and I feel like it sets my day. What are some strategies, What are some tips? you've given a lot of great wisdom here today on mindset, on our thought process, on the power of the mind. Now, what are maybe some strategies to help us implement what you've taught us today?
Speaker 2:You know, there's several things that I personally did to begin to discipline my mind and to take back control. And again, i want to be very clear to everyone this was a bloody battle. The enemy did not want to lose control of what was going on, as you said, but that six inches between my ears. He did not want some because he was being so effective, but the Lord began to give me some strategies. First of all, i would tell your viewers that you truly have to make up your mind, that you want victory, and the thing the scripture says oh Lord, you know my thoughts from afar off, and so, instead of often, our thoughts are this dark place where nobody else is welcome. You know, i'm the only one that knows how dark and you know, cynical and wicked or hateful my thoughts, my thoughts, really are. And you know, of course, God knows I don't know why we think, he doesn't know, but we tend to have this secret place. It is our secret place, and I wanted victory so bad, andy, that I began to pray that Lord know my thoughts, man. I wanted victory so bad that I began to invite the Lord in to my secret place right, and so, on a daily basis, god know my thoughts. Let me put this practically.
Speaker 2:I was on my way to work one day, andy, i was on my way to the church office, all right, and I'm driving down the road and I stop at a stoplight. Now, look and just a glance, just, you know, just sitting at a stoplight, and there was this woman next to me and it was like, oh man, she's fine. That was the thought that went through my mind And all of a sudden, you know, it didn't hit me for about the first 10 or 15 seconds, but then all of a sudden it was like, oh, wait a minute. Hey God, did you hear that thought? You know, it was like I would say come here, god, come close, god.
Speaker 2:You know, i wanted to invite him into my thoughts because you know the old analogy you walk into a dark room and you flip the light on. You know there's roaches in the room a lot of times And you know I've been on a lot of missions, trips to third world countries and so forth, and you never know what's in the dark right, and you flip the light on and what happens? They scatter.
Speaker 2:They scatter yeah, they scatter. And so if we would stop allowing the enemy to operate in his favorite place and that's in anonymity, in the dark. he loves that If we would flip the light on, begin to invite God into our thought processes. that's just one thought process. Here's another. I wanted to stop just playing defense. Now here's a good sports analogy for you, right?
Speaker 1:Mr sports lover.
Speaker 2:That's Andy's love language. But we often just play defense I'm just gonna restrain, i'm just gonna refrain. You know, i don't really have victory, but I'm just gonna keep struggling not to do something wrong. I don't really have the victory, but I'm just struggling not to do something wrong And I keep apologizing. I keep asking the Lord to forgive me.
Speaker 2:And so I decided to go on offense. And so I told the devil I made a promise to the devil. I did literally. I made a promise to the devil. I said, okay, every time you come at me with this thought, here's what you're gonna get. God, i bless your name, i love you, you are holy, you are righteous, you are kind, you are good to me, you're a loving father And I just praise you for who you are. I thank you for all you have done for me and for my family. I thank you for salvation. And I said, every time you come at me with this, you're gonna get that. And I kept my word.
Speaker 2:Andy, remember the consistency thing If we're gonna have victory, we can't just respond with every other thought. We can't just be. We can't just take control of every other thought and hang on to the good thoughts, because here's the deal. You don't need pornography if you have a good imagination. Come on, yeah, i mean, you got it all right here. They say pictures worth a thousand words. Well, listen, you can create a lot of pictures in your mind, right, yeah? and so you've got to be consistent and bring every thought into captivity, attack every thought, you know.
Speaker 2:Here's another thought process strategy. It says casting down imaginations. Now, that doesn't sound like, oh, you know, bless your heart. But you know, i kind of like you And you really, you know you release a lot of indoor funds. You make me feel really good, but you know, i really I really shouldn't be thinking about you, right, come on, yeah, that's not what it says. It says casting them down. So there's a strong response, a powerful response, no. And so, as time went on, the enemy would come against me and I would say, oh, no, no, no, my mind is a holy place And it belongs to the Lord and you're not welcome here, you know. So it's that strong, offensive reaction to that thought process and not allowing it. Now, last one, and I need your participation with me on this one And we're gonna do an exercise.
Speaker 1:It is an exercise. This always makes me nervous. Last time you said this, I ended up with trash around my neck on the stage in front of people.
Speaker 2:This is so easy, so easy And Andy knows I love illustrated, so But just, this is really simple. But think about I want you in your mind, just slowly and methodically, not out loud, i just want you to start counting one to 10 in your mind. Go Now, open your mouth and say praise the Lord, praise the Lord, yeah. So what happens? immediately when you open your mouth? you stop your mind process.
Speaker 1:I got to three and a half.
Speaker 2:I think Yeah, So that's good, And he's like one one, one, five, two.
Speaker 1:I'm a slow counter Yeah 3.5.
Speaker 2:No, but seriously think about interrupting, interrupting, if we would go to the word now. Listen a lot of times, andy. We pray our problems. Praying our problems doesn't fix things. The word of God is our sword, right? The word of God is an offensive weapon, and the enemy doesn't care what I think about my problem. He doesn't care what my need is. He doesn't care how desperate I am. The only thing that he really cares about is the word of God, and he hates it.
Speaker 2:When we worship, when we take our attention off of him and what he's doing, and when we begin to praise and worship God, come on, yeah. So if we would, when this attack begins to happen, open our mouth and say I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth. Just go. You may have never read the scripture before. Maybe you're just on your beginning your journey in this walk with Christ. Go and learn, memorize one verse, two verses that pertain to your struggle, whether it's worry, whether it's finances or whether it's lust, your thought processes and began to He says that we are a new creation, we're a new creature, but he says that we are being renewed in our minds, right, and so we can literally begin to take back control, and the more we exercise this muscle, well, stronger again we begin to be the one in charge of our thoughts, instead of our thoughts being in charge of us.
Speaker 1:And this has been so good, pastor. I have enjoyed this so much. In closing here, and just if you have anything on your heart, i'm going to give you that space, but I would also love for you to tell them how they can find the book, can I know there's so many that like me when you hear someone on a podcast, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more. So tell them how they can find the book, but also tell them how they can find more about Mustang Creek, where you pastor at you and Pastor Judy, or just anything else that may be on your heart, or how they can connect with you and how they can find you yourself. So thanks so much for doing this And, yes, anything on your heart in closing here.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, here's what I didn't realize, because I had always lived with this chaos going on on the inside. And that's really what it was. It was continual chaos on the inside of me, trying to balance between reality my real life, my real marriage, you know and this imagination, life and the struggles that were going on on the inside of me. When I finally did get this victory, andy and it didn't come over or not, i promise you, it was a bloody battle that took a while, but when I did finally get the victory, all of a sudden I found the peace that I didn't know I was missing. There was a calm and a peace on the inside of me that it was incredible. So that victory is waiting for us.
Speaker 2:Matter of fact, if we could just remember again Romans chapter eight, to a mind that is governed by the spirit and not by the flesh. The one governed by the flesh is dead, but it says the one governed the mind set on the spirit right, the one governed by the spirit, as another translation says, there is life and peace. So you get your life back right And you get peace along with it, and it's incredible, it'll change your life forever. And so, listen, i love that you invited me on here. It's been a joy.
Speaker 2:People can email me at pastor at Mustang Creekorg Mustang like the horse I don't know why horses keep coming up and then Creek like a water stream Mustang Creekorg. And if they're interested in the book, we have them in English and in Spanish, and so I'd be happy to help somebody out and respond to any emails or questions. And, as you said, i pastor at Mustang Creek Community Church in Forney, texas, just about 12 miles on the east edge of the DFW Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and just you can connect with us on YouTube, on Facebook. You can watch live if you're further away and distance is a problem, but we'd love to see you.
Speaker 1:Well, this has been an honor pastor. Thanks for doing it. So much wisdom, and we'll have to have you back for sure, but that was so good And thanks for doing this and God bless you.
Speaker 2:Love you, man, thank you.
Speaker 1:We love you. Well, that was so good. That was so good. This is one you're gonna wanna keep on repeat. You're gonna wanna listen to it again and again, because there were so many nuggets thrown at you there. There were some that may have just flew right past you and you're gonna have to try to dissect and come back and listen again. So, and also, if God has laid someone on your heart as you were listening to this episode, please share it with somebody, so it will be a blessing to them as well.
Speaker 1:You know I spend a lot of time and a lot of focus here on mental health and just the mindset in general, because it is that big a deal. And I wrote the book When Words Don't Come Easy because I care about people, and so if you haven't got this book yet, please check it out. When words don't come easy you can get it at AndyHowardcom, on Audible, on Amazon, even on Kindle, and it is a book about hope And it shares our struggle, shares our journey, but not only of where we were but where we're headed. So thank you guys, so much for tuning in. It's always an honor to be with you. I hope you've gotten as much out of this episode, as I did, until we meet again. God bless you.