 So not give in to unrenewed thinking, we will not give in to the appetites of the flesh if we would walk in the Spirit. So when we say walk in the Spirit, we know that it's about living a life. It's about regulating our life. It's about how we conduct ourselves. So when we walk, which means when we are prompted, when we are led, when we yield to the prompting, when we yield to the leading, when we yield to the guiding and empowering of the Holy Spirit, then we will not give in to the other suggestions. So very clearly we have this key right there when we walk in the Spirit. The answer to a lot of frustrations, the answer to victory is in this, that we would walk as led by the Spirit of God, as prompted by the Spirit of God, obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. So let's pray. Father God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the voice of the Spirit that you've caused us to hear a lot. Father God, we thank you that you've enabled us to hear you. We thank you that we are born again. We thank you, Father God, that our Spirit is alive. The things that we were dead to, God dead to the voice of the Spirit, dead to the things of God, we have now come alive. And yes, Lord, we know, we reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to Jesus Christ. And Lord, we thank you that even as we hear your voice, even as we, Lord, listen and hear and sense your prompting, Lord, in our inner man, Lord, may we be careful to yield, careful to obey, Lord, obey joyfully, walk victoriously. And we know that we will not fulfill the call of the flesh, the invitation of the flesh to indulge in things, that do not, that are harmful for us, God. Father, we thank you. We thank you that our emotions are made whole as we walk in the Spirit. We thank you that strongholds are brought down as we walk in the Spirit. We thank you, Father God. We thank you for the victory that we can walk in. We thank you for those of us, God, who are yet to experience it. We thank you for the victory that awaits those of us who want to be consistent in walking in the Spirit. And we decree that, God, we decree that over them right now. In Jesus' matchless name we pray, amen, King. So let's continue within the wholeness where we left off. Last class we looked at journeying into wholeness, emotional wholeness, and we looked at a few things. Today we will look at how to stay in that place, right? Journeying in two different things, right? Journeying is how to walk into it, get into that place of wholeness. And we looked at certain spiritual disciplines that we need to be mindful of. And in the same way, we also need to... Once it's not that we journey into it and journey out of it, right? We need to stay in that place of strength, stay in that place of wholeness. And that also requires certain things to keep in mind, right? So we're going to look at that. Let me just quickly share that. So it's about staying emotionally whole, okay? We're going to look at a few things that... There are some overlap in what we are looking at, what we are studying right now, which we have already looked at, so we will just skip over those things. But some of these things will be a reiteration for us, right? Okay, so staying emotionally whole, right? So we know that we face challenges. We know that we face certain pressures, certain things that take us by surprise. And in order to stay emotionally whole, in order to stay in that place of strength, what are some disciplines that we can adopt? What are some things that we can make our own in order to be consistent, right? And to stay in that place of strength, okay? The first one is to renounce lies with the truth of God's Word, okay? Renouncing the lies. And we're going to look at how the second one being speaking, blessing, cancelling, curse. Third one is to guard ourselves against negative emotions. Well, I just wanted to mention there that, yes, we will experience negative emotions, but we don't have to stay in that place, right? So when we say guard ourselves against negative emotions, it's not like, you know, we will not face emotions. We can't be in that place. We can't be very stoic or, you know, guard ourselves emotionally, which means we will not, you know, experience the good emotions as well. You know, emotionally, if we want to protect ourselves from all kinds of emotions, then it's like a blanket thing, right? We will insulate ourselves from the good ones as well, right? So when we say guard against negative emotions, we're saying, you know, it's not that we won't feel those emotions, but how not to stay in that place, right? Because these kind of emotions just drain our energy, drain our strength, so that we should not stay in that place, right? And the fourth one is forgiveness, right? Practicing forgiveness daily. So some of these things we looked at, so we will just quickly go through it, okay? Renouncing the truth with the lies with the truth of God's Word, okay? So lies we will always have, we will always be exposed to, okay? And it will come packaged in different ways. There can be lies with a certain amount of truth in it. So truth is mixed with lies, or it can be outright lies. It can come as a very attractive option, right? Attractive course of action to take. It might come as a suggestion. And these lies come from the father of lies, right? Satan himself. He's the source of all lies. But the lies can come through well-meaning people also, right? People who sincerely want to do good, who sincerely want to, or sincerely maybe believe a lie, right? Who want to do the good thing for us now. They could come up with some suggestions, with some ideas, with some options, which need not be the truth, right? Just need not be the truth of God's Word. So this is what the psalmist says, that a blessed is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, right? So it could be a counsel of the ungodly, or it could be an ungodly counsel, you know, two different things. A counsel of the ungodly sometimes can be the truth, but it can be an ungodly counsel, okay? So these could be presented to us in various ways, but the thing is this, for us to discern it, for us to recognize it, and for us to discard that lie, when we, the best way to discard the lie, or the best way to recognize is when we recognize the truth, okay? When we are grounded in what is true. I'm sure you've heard that the best way, you know, someone can find out what is the count of faith is to be, is not to spend too much time with the count of faith, but is to spend time in what is real, right? I'm talking about currency, right? Count of faith currency. So spend most of the time to find out what is the authentic and the real, not so much to spend time with the count of faith itself, right? So when we are acquainted with what is true, what is real, what is authentic, then we know that anything less than this, or anything additional to this is a count of faith, or it's a lie, okay? So for us, it is important for us to know what the truth is. So this is what the Lord Jesus says in John chapter 8, verses 31 and 32. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believe them, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. So what it is saying, this is how you have access to the truth, or this is how you will know the truth, right? If you abide in my word, if you abide in my word, you are my disciples. Abiding in the word meaning, continue, stay, dwell, continue on. If you abide in my word, you are my disciples, and disciples know the truth, right? You shall know what the truth is, and the truth shall make you free. The truth has this aspect, this quality of liberating us, okay? Liberating us from lie and oppression, and the truth is that when you look at the way the Holy Spirit is referred to as the spirit of truth, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, or there is freedom. So you see, truth has that quality of liberating one from all kinds of constraints of the light, okay? So, for example, if deliverance happens for someone who has been oppressed, or who has been demonized for a amount of time, now they could be delivered in an instant when they have an encounter with the truth, but walking in that truth or victory is a journey, okay? So as we continue to walk in the truth of God's word, as we are yielded to the Holy Spirit, we come to a place of discerning and knowing what is not of God and what is of God, okay? So that is something that all of us come to, and this is what Scripture talks about also, that who by reason of use, talking about maturity in believers, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern what is good and what is evil, the spiritual senses are exercised to discern what is good and what is evil, okay? So the truth of God's word, so we get to engage with God's word, we get to imbibe or internalize God's word, and that's why we see in Ephesians also, we see that, sorry, Colossians, let there be a deposit, a rich deposit of God's word, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, okay? In all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. So not in a small measure, but in a rich manner, richly, in abundance. And also, one of the privileges for the believer is that we have the anointing, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, right? The presence and the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to know what the truth is, okay? So it's talking about the anointing within, right? The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, and that's what the Lord Jesus said in John 16, that he will, the Spirit of truth, he will guide us, he will lead us into all truth. So praise God for the Holy Spirit. In 1 John chapter 2, this is what we see, 1 John chapter 2 and verse 20 says, but you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things, okay? That you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things. And verse 27 says, the anointing which you have received from him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you, but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just as it has taught you, you will abide in him. So what is he talking about? Is he doing away with teachers or doing away with the teaching ministry itself, right? I think the anointing will teach you all things. If you look at the context, we see that it's talking about discernment. It's talking about the last hour, it's talking about the Antichrist and the people who are denying Christ, he's talking with verse 22. He says, who's a liar? He who denies that Jesus is the Christ. He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son and so on. So he's kind of warning the believer. He's saying this anointing that you have received from him abides in you. So you do not need anyone to teach you and show you this anointing. The Holy Spirit anointing will teach, will show what is of God, what is not of God. So he's talking about the people. He's saying that they went out from us, but they were not of us. So it means there are people who are in the ministry, in the church, but they are actually enemies of the cross. So they actually reject Christ. At some point in life, probably they do that. So he's saying this anointing that you have teaches you, shows you, because this anointing is from the Spirit of truth and he will lead into all truth. So in our daily course of life, when these lies come, when we are assaulted by lies, these lies could come from maybe from the workplace, from our colleagues, from our boss. It could come from virtually anywhere. So for us to hold on to the truth, for us to hold, see what the truth is, is very, very important. And the Word of God is the framework, the Word of God is the reference point. And the anointing of the Holy Spirit, who is the reference within. And he shows us that something is not of the truth. Therefore, we need to reject it. We don't have to consider that maybe it comes in the form of a statement, it comes in the form of an idea. We don't have to consider it. So this needs to be part of our lives, day in and day out. So it's very, very important. When somebody says something, maybe it could be various things. It could come as an opinion, it could come as a point of view, it could come as an idea, a suggestion. Let it go through the filter of God's Word and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Let it go through that filter so that we know, is it true or not. If it's the truth, then we engage with the truth. If it's not, then we do not have to consider. So how do we do it in a practical way? Well, people come and say, we don't have to be impolite and we don't have to be saying, I don't agree with that. All the time, sometimes people ask us, what do you think? And then we can say, okay, this is what I feel, this is what I think. And this is where my thinking comes from and that's where that. Sometimes people are just venting, just say a whole lot of things. We don't have to take it in. We can listen and they're not asking for our opinion. We just listen, but then we're not in agreement with it. We're listening to as much as, the only thing that we say, the acknowledgement is that, yes, I hear you. Yes, I listen to what you're saying, but the acknowledgement is not that I agree with this view or I agree with this thing that you are sharing. The agreement is, yes, I hear, yes, I acknowledge what you're saying. So that's something to do for us, something that we can do practically in our day to day. Because we will face this, maybe we all are in different environments. Maybe it's something like an academic thing or maybe it's even family sometimes where you're the only believer. Maybe you're in a workplace, you're the only believer. It could be surrounded by different kinds of worldly views and opinions that are not of the truth. So this is a good way of filtering out the line. Okay, second one is to speak blessing. Whenever there is, what is it? Which means we need to look at, okay, what is a curse? A curse is a negative blessing. Blessing brings good into our lives. When you pronounce a blessing over someone, it's we're pronouncing good things. Declaring good things that is brought into our lives, that is brought into one's lives by the power of God. By the grace of God, by the favor of God and by the promises of God in his word. So good things coming into someone's life. And a curse is something that is the opposite of that. These are negative things. These are things that are not good. So what do we do when somebody proclaims negative things over us? It could be parents, it could be a neighbor, it could be anyone, it could be a boss, it could be a peer. When they declare negative things, when they declare things, what do we do? We cancel it. So we have the privilege of speaking a blessing. We also have the authority to cancel the curse. We need to understand that. And the way to do it is by opening our mouths and speaking it out. Proverbs 18, 20, 21, a man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, from the produce of his lips, and he shall be filled. Verse 21, death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit. Now over and over again, we see that principle in Scripture. It's not a mantra or chanting or a formula, but it's based on the relationship with the Lord. It's based on intimacy with the Lord Jesus. That is the foundation, that is the basis. And the principle is this. The relationship is with the person of the Lord. And the principle is this, that once that foundation is there, the principle is that we speak in faith. What he has spoken or he has declared. And the Lord has designed things in such a way that we see the outcome of it. We see the consequence of it. That's why death and life are in the power of the tongue. Two extreme consequences, death, life, but the same source. In the sense it's in the power of the tongue. So we can speak death over something or we can speak blessing over something. And that's why we see in James where James actually rebukes when he's talking about the tongue. James 3 and verse 9 says, With it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing, my brethren, these things ought not to be so. So we as believers, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, we speak the blessing. When it comes to a curse, we don't pronounce the curse, but we cancel the curse. So we have the authority, we have the privilege of speaking a blessing and we have the authority to cancel the curse. So I'm sure we've learned quite a bit about speaking the word of God, confessing, declaring the word of God in faith, in our, when we studied about faith. So let's just go forward, move on to the next one. So we see some examples of Jabez and Balaam and so on. Okay, let's move to the next one. So which is to guard against negative emotions. To guard against negative emotions. And like we said earlier, we cannot be passive to things that are happening around us. We are designed in such a way that we are spirit, soul and body. What does a soul run? Soul run has to do with emotions, thoughts, imaginations, emotions, ability to analyze and imagine creativity, everything flows. So we are created that way. So we do feel emotions. We do feel positive emotions like joy and acceleration and faith and peace and so on. And we also feel negative emotions like fear, anxiety, sadness. So it's part and parcel of who we are. But when these negative emotions that we face because of certain situations, because of certain interactions with people, if we allow them to stay on, or if we revisit those instances, incidents and intentionally hold on to these emotions, now they will have consequences. Why do we say that? Because thoughts have consequences. Ideas have consequences. And that's why in problems we see as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So the context there is of course different. We are talking about having with a miser, someone who is very stingy and someone who is saying, okay, you eat and so on, but doesn't mean it. And as a man thinks in his heart, so is he in the sense he's saying something, but then he's thinking something else and that is his true self. So that's the context there. But the truth is this that as a person, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So in the realm, in the thought realm, if it's going to be only negativity, bitterness, having a very judgmental critical thinking attitude, now that is who you are going to turning out to be a person who is bitter, person who is cynical, person who is negative, pessimistic all the time. Is that what we want to be? Or is that what we want our output to be? Definitely not. Because God wants us to be people of faith. God wants us to be dispensers of joy. Which is a third of his kingdom. The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy. So God wants us to have that and also God wants us to be people who will be dispensers of that. Proverbs 12 and verse 25, Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad. So the thing is this, not to dwell, not to allow these things to remain. Now this is an ongoing thing again. So we need to discard. So sometimes we think, okay, how do I do that? How do I discard that? Or am I even able to do that? Because these things seem to have a life of their own. These negativity and the thoughts, they seem to have a life of their own. They just come and just take me in a swirl and pretty soon I'm just caught up in it and tangled in it. Is it possible? The truth is yes. The truth is yes. We can discard these negative emotions. It takes practice. It takes discipline. Well, sometimes because of the intensity of it or the lack of intensity of it, it seems easy to discard. Well, sometimes we are so rooted, so invested in what is happening, so ingrained. So I think rooted is the word. So rooted in that intensity of the emotion we feel and we find it difficult to come out. So here are some things that we can do practically. We know that the Lord Jesus carried our griefs, our sadness, our sorrows. And the Hebrew word there talks about pain, but it also talks about sicknesses. He carried our grief, whatever was causing that pain, whatever was causing that and pain in all realms, physical and emotional. So he carried, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. And the Lord's completed work on the cross covers all that. So when we are assaulted and trapped by negative emotions, things that are of this sort, it could even be an overwhelming flood of maybe lust or anger or rage. When we feel that, we come to the cross. We come to acknowledge the finished work of the cross and say, Lord, you've carried it for me. And today I just want to acknowledge that you are there to bear it, you are there to carry it. So we kind of unburden ourselves. Just like how we cast our cares on him, that casting our cares, that picture is of rolling a burden off the back. And the word picture there is that of a camel, which is heavily loaded with a lot of, it's a beast of burden. You use a camel to transport goods and everything, luggage and everything. So the picture there we have of casting our cares is that of a camel, full of loaded, all these things, burdens and everything. And the owner of the one who knows the camel, just asks the camel to give the command. And then the command is Galal. And the camel kneels down and shifts, tilts its back and so that the luggage and everything, at the end of the journey typically, everything rolls on to the sand. So that's the thing, when we commit our life to him, when we cast our cares on him, that's the picture that we have. So when it comes to these kind of things also, when it comes to these emotions which entrap, assault us, to cast it onto Jesus. To say, God, I just want to roll it off my back. I don't want to carry it because it affects me physically, it affects my outlook, it affects what I'm becoming. I've been carrying it for too long and it helps to have a short account. In the sense, we go to him every day, every time we go to him and say, Lord, I'm not carrying this. I'm not carrying this into the next day. I'm not carrying these things into the next moment, next hour, but Lord, I'm committing these. I'm rolling it off my back onto you, Jesus. I thank you that you've already carried this on the cross. You carried our griefs and our sorrows. So affirm what the Lord has done, the way He has carried, the way He has borne our burdens on the cross. And affirm that and release what we are carrying onto him. And this is something that we need to do. Keep a short account. Don't just drag on. Don't drag on. Don't just be entangled in it all the time. Just keep a short account. The practical thing that we can do not to be in that place of negative emotion is to live in a place of peace. John chapter 14 verse 27, the Lord Jesus says, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, do I give to you? Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. Let not your heart be troubled. So we can say, God, it's easy for you to say, difficult for me to follow through, difficult for me to implement this. But the Lord is actually telling this. He's sharing this with the disciples. He's telling them about the Holy Spirit. He's talking to them about how the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, how the Holy Spirit is a helper. And he's going to teach, he's going to bring to remembrance all the things that he has spoken. And he's saying that, you know, I will not leave you often. I'm not going to leave you alone. He's going to come. Then he will abide with you, stay with you. He's talking about how he's going to go away. And his physical presence, his earthly presence is not going to be. His earthly ministry is coming to an end. He's going away. His physical presence is not going to be there. But the Holy Spirit will be there, will abide and so on. So he's kind of, he's reassuring the disciples and he's saying that, you know, let not your heart be troubled. By all this, let not your heart be troubled. Okay. So he's talking about all these emotions of fear and anxiety and worry and what will happen, what will happen to me, what will happen to us. So he's saying, don't let your heart be troubled. Okay. Then he says, peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Okay. So the kind of peace he's saying, you know, he's qualifying it and he's saying, my peace. He's also saying that it's not the kind of peace that the world gives. Okay. Not as the world gives, do I give to you. Which means that in the world, there is a kind of peace. But it's very different from the peace that the Lord Jesus gives. Okay. Let's look at John 16 and verse 33, which gives a little more clarity. These things I have spoken to you that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. So he's saying, you know, I've spoken these things again, you know, the chapter 14, 15, 16. He's talking about the Holy Spirit, talking about, you know, how we need to stay by, stay with the wine and so on. So in chapter 16, he's on the same topic and he's saying that in this world, you will have tribulation. That's the reality. Okay. So it's not going to be devoid of tribulation. You cannot live an isolated, insulated, escapist kind of a life. You cannot escape this reality. In this world, you will have tribulations. But you be of good cheer in the midst of tribulations. Why? Or rather, how? Because he's saying, you know, these things I've spoken to you that in me, you may have peace. So in Christ, by the very virtue of us being spiritually one with Him, because of who we are in Christ, we have access to this peace. But in me, you may have peace. Again, going back to the kingdom of God, righteousness, peace and joy. So in His rule, there is peace by staying abiding in Him because of our spiritual union with Christ, there is peace. And this peace is not the way the world gives, but His own peace He is giving. So what is the kind of peace that the world gives? It's good to know and know that distinction. It's a kind of peace where everything, it's mostly when we look at the world and the kind of peace that the world gives. It's harmony and it's when everything is going fine, that maybe there's quiet, there is quietness and it's that kind of peace. Even if there is a little bit of a noise or a little bit of trouble, then that peace is shattered. But the kind of peace that Jesus is giving is the kind of peace that He had in the midst of the storm. And that's how He functioned and that's the kind of peace that He had where in the midst of the storm, He was able to sleep. And He's in that boat and there's a life-threatening storm. And it's life-threatening because the ones who were in the boat were seasoned fishermen, some of them. And they were afraid that the boat might capsize and their lives could be in danger. And as fishermen, the sea is their element. This is where what they do, day in and day out. But they were fearing for their lives and they tried to wake the Lord and said, Don't you care? Do you not care? Our lives are in danger. Do you not care? And the Lord said peace, be still. So the thing is that even in the midst of the storm, He was able to have that reassurance, that confidence and that peace. Right in the middle of it, He was able to have that. So that's the kind of peace, His peace. He's the source of it. He's the Prince of Peace. And also something that is His, just like how we say the God kind of love or agape, the God kind of love, unconditional love. That love, sorry, that peace He is giving. He's saying, My peace I give to you. So the thing is for us to stay in that place of peace. So we have it. I'm going through this trouble. I'm going through this tribulation. I'm going through this storm. I will not lose my peace. The peace that Jesus gives me, I would stay in that place of peace. So a couple of other scriptures will help us how to be in that place. Means we keep our mind stayed on Him. Isaiah 26, verse 3. You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because He trusts in you. So our imaginations, our thoughts, our constant meditations, what we go over and over and over again. If it is stayed on Jesus, the assurance is that we will be in that place of perfect peace. And the word used there is peace, peace, like shalom, shalom. And that's what Isaiah 26, 3 talks about, shalom, shalom, or abundant peace or perfect peace. So our minds, when our minds are stayed on Jesus, when our minds are on who He is and what He is giving us. And when our mind is on Him, then we will be able to stay in that place of, or He keeps us in that place of shalom, shalom. Perfect peace. The second one is to release everything to God in prayer. So we don't hold on to it, we don't control things, but we are releasing everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving. Now Philippians 4 and verse 6 to 8, again very, very familiar. Portion of Scripture says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Okay? So the first thing is, if you're anxious about something, don't be anxious. If at all you be anxious, you be anxious for nothing, right? In other words, say don't be anxious. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Look at verse 7, and the peace of God. The God kind of peace, the peace that comes from Him, right? And the peace of God with surpasses all understanding. Okay? Understanding is the realm of our minds, right? We understand things, we rationalize things with reason. So the peace of God, which surpasses our understanding, which goes beyond our understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Okay? So that's again a great reassurance and promise. I'm not going to be anxious, but I'm going to go to God. When the anxiety hits for whatever reason, I'm going to release it to Him. I'm going to give it, you know, I'm going to hand over to Him and I'm going to pray and take these things to God in prayer. And I'm going to give thanks because He's the answer, He has the answers and He is the answer for these things. So I'm going to give it to Him in prayer and supplication and thanksgiving, giving thanks for the answers. And I'm going to make my request known to Him and the peace of God, which goes beyond my understanding. I can't understand where the sense of peace is coming from. Will guard my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. So the guarding is the peace of God. The peace of God, you know, the word used there, God is sentry. The peace of God will be the sentry, will be the security guard, will be like that, you know, that Roman guard standing, guarding. And the peace of God actually acts like, in other words, if you want to use a word, acts like a firewall against the worry, will guard my heart and mind against worry, against anxiety. So when anxiety hits, I take it to God and I have this peace of God, which further protects guards my heart and mind. Okay, we'll stop here and we'll pick things up and next class tomorrow. Okay, so God bless, take care and we'll meet again. Bye bye. Thank you pastor. Right, see you. Bye bye. Thank you pastor.