Robert Jeffress - Winning The Mind Games (Part 1)

October 14, 2025 | 29:0

Pathway to Victory offers a practical application of God’s Word to everyday life through the clear, biblical teaching of Pastor Jeffress.

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Dr. Robert Jeffress | Robert Jeffress - Winning The Mind Games (Part 1) | October 14, 2025
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Male announcer: from the pulpit of the first baptist church of
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  • Dallas, texas, this is "pathway to victory" with dr.
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  • Robert jeffress.
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  • Dr. robert jeffress: hi, i'm robert jeffress, and welcome
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  • Again to "pathway to victory."
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  • If you're like most people, you probably have hundreds of
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  • Thoughts racing through your mind right now.
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  • Some are helpful, some are distracting, and some might even
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  • Be destructive.
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  • But here's what many christians don't realize: our thoughts are
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  • The primary battlefield where our spiritual lives are won or
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  • Lost, and satan is working hard to influence what goes on in
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  • Your mind.
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  • Today i want to help you recognize his tactics and show
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  • You how to gain control over your thought life.
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  • My message is titled, "winning the mind games" on today's
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  • Edition of "pathway to victory."
  • 00:00:57.269 --> 00:01:02.908
  • Announcer: do your children and grandchildren know how to guard
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  • Themselves against satan's attacks?
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  • In "suit up! the armor of god for kids," dr. robert jeffress
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  • Shares practical strategies to protect your children from
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  • Satan's influence.
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  • This beautiful book helps you equip the children in your life
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  • And put on the spiritual armor of god every day.
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  • Plus, you'll receive the brand-new book for adults,
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  • "angels & demons: fact vs.
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  • Fantasy."
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  • Request both resources when you give a generous gift to "pathway
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  • To victory."
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  • ♪♪♪
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  • Jeffress: in his book, "among the heroes," author jere longman
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  • Describes in horrifying details the final preparations the four
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  • Islamic terrorists made before they hijacked united flight 93
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  • On september the 11th, 2001 and crashed it in a field outside
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  • Shanksville, pennsylvania.
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  • The hijackers believed they were in a holy war against the forces
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  • Of evil, and they prepared for that war accordingly.
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  • Jere longman writes, "by now, the morning of september 11, the
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  • Four islamic men in the first-class section were to have
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  • Made an oath to die, showered and shaved the excess hair off
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  • Their bodies and splashed themselves with cologne.
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  • They had been given detailed handwritten instructions on how
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  • To prepare for their final hours on earth.
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  • The letter was to have been read the previous night.
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  • It was a spiritual and practical guide on how the terrorists
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  • Should fortify against self-doubt and infighting, how
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  • They should prepare to enter paradise by killing their
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  • Victims and themselves.
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  • They blessed their bodies by reading the quran.
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  • By rubbing of the hands, they also blessed their luggage,
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  • Clothes, knives, ids, passports, and papers.
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  • 'check your weapons before you leave and long before you leave.
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  • You must make your knife sharp and must not discomfort your
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  • Animal during the slaughter.'
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  • They tightened their clothes before the battle.
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  • They secured their shoes and wore socks to make sure their
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  • Feet would stay in their shoes.
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  • They said a morning prayer as a group: 'oh, lord, take out your
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  • Anger against the enemy, and we ask you to protect us from
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  • Their evils.
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  • Oh, lord, protect me from them as you wish.
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  • Oh, lord, block their vision from in front of them so that
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  • They may not see.'
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  • When the confrontation began, they were to clench their teeth
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  • And strike like champions who did not want to go back into
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  • The world.
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  • They were to shout, 'allah akbar,'
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  • God is great, because this strikes fear in the hearts of
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  • The infidels."
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  • Prayer, mental focus, the sharpening of knives, the
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  • Tucking in of socks.
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  • Mental focus.
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  • All of these were an absolute necessity if these terrorists
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  • Had any hope of winning the battle.
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  • Contrast their precise preparations with the
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  • Lackadaisical attitude most christians have about the very
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  • Real battle we're in between good and evil.
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  • Oh, sure, many christians will acknowledge the existence
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  • Of satan.
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  • They will acknowledge that, yeah, he does have a plan to
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  • Destroy us, and yet in spite of that most christians find time
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  • To read their bibles only if there's nothing interesting
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  • On tv.
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  • They only are motivated to pray if their backs are up against
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  • The wall.
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  • They possess little knowledge of their opponent or his methods.
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  • They allow the enemy to distract them in such a way that they're
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  • Not aware right before the fatal blow is inflicted upon them.
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  • And they believe the enemy's lie, that we are effectually
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  • Powerless against satan's attacks.
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  • No wonder so many christians today are falling into
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  • Immorality, experience the dissolution of their marriage,
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  • Are controlled by depression, or end up wandering away from the
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  • Faith itself.
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  • With such a passive attitude toward satan, they have no
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  • Chance of winning.
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  • Contrast the passivity of most christians with the words of the
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  • Apostle paul in ephesians 6:10-13, and as we read this
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  • Together i want you to underline the action words in
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  • This passage.
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  • Paul says, "finally, be strong in the lord and in the strength
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  • Of his might.
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  • Put on the full armor of god, so that you will be able to stand
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  • Firm against the schemes of the devil.
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  • For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's
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  • Against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces
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  • Of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness
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  • In the heavenly places.
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  • Therefore, take up the full armor of god, so that you will
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  • Be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything,
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  • To stand firm."
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  • Be strong, put on, stand firm, take up--these are phrases that
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  • Describe how alert we need to be in the midst of this battle
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  • Instead of snoring soundly asleep while the bullets buzz
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  • And the bombs burst overhead.
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  • What is the reason we need to be active rather than passive?
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  • It all centers on this word "struggles" in verse 12.
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  • You need to understand the struggle you're in right now,
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  • Whether you realize it or not.
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  • We are in a struggle.
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  • That greek word struggle, pale, refers to a wrestling match, a
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  • Wrestling match.
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  • Now, when we think wrestling, we think entertainment, we think
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  • Fake, we think what we see on tv.
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  • I remember in a previous church we were having a 1-day revival.
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  • Remember those revivals?
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  • And we decided one night to have a special guest come and share
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  • His testimony, world wrestling federation champion ted dibiase.
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  • He was known as the million dollar man.
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  • And the staff came up with an idea.
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  • Before the service he was gonna share his testimony, they
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  • Decided to clear the parking lot and put a wrestling ring in the
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  • Middle of our parking lot and invite people in the community
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  • To come and watch a wrestling match between ted dibiase the
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  • Million dollar man and gorgeous george.
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  • Guess who got to be gorgeous george.
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  • I allowed them to convince me to wear a long flowing blonde wig,
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  • And they dressed me up and put me in the ring with ted dibiase
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  • And we went through the motion of a wrestling match.
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  • Thousands of people were in the parking lot hooting
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  • And hollering.
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  • It was all great entertainment, but that's all that it was
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  • Because ted and i had carefully choreographed our steps and our
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  • Actions, what we were gonna do so i didn't get destroyed in the
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  • Wrestling ring.
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  • But that's not what paul is talking about.
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  • In paul's day, pale, a wrestling match was a life-and-death match
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  • In which the loser would have his eyes gouged out and then
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  • Be executed.
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  • Paul says it's that kind of death struggle you and i are in
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  • Every minute of every day, whether we realize it or not.
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  • We've been talking in this series about spiritual warfare.
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  • We, first of all, talked about the reality of
  • 00:09:20.405 --> 00:09:22.574
  • Spiritual warfare.
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  • Just because it's invisible doesn't mean it's not real.
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  • It's a reality.
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  • It's every bit as real as what you see around you.
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  • We talked about the reality of spiritual warfare.
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  • We talked about our enemy in spiritual warfare.
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  • You've got to have a knowledge of the enemy.
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  • Our enemy is satan and his demons, and we talked about who
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  • They are, where they came from, what their goals are, what their
  • 00:09:44.062 --> 00:09:47.365
  • Strategy is.
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  • In the days ahead i promise we're gonna turn to a brighter
  • 00:09:49.067 --> 00:09:52.637
  • Subject, our resources in spiritual warfare.
  • 00:09:52.637 --> 00:09:56.608
  • God has given us the weapons we need, the strategies, if you
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  • Will, six of them, to defeat satan's plan to destroy
  • 00:10:00.512 --> 00:10:03.915
  • Your life.
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  • But today, before we get to the resources, we're going to talk
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  • About the battlefield of spiritual warfare.
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  • Where is this war being fought?
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  • Is the primary battlefield the church?
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  • No.
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  • Is it the home?
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  • No.
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  • Is it washington, d.c.?
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  • Ha! no.
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  • The primary battlefield for spiritual warfare is our mind.
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  • It's in our thoughts.
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  • Our war against satan and his demon is won or lost by our
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  • Thoughts, and that's what we're going to talk about today.
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  • First of all, let's look in scripture about the centrality
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  • Of our mind.
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  • We know from our anatomy lessons that the brain is the originator
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  • Of every thought, every impulse, every desire, every action of
  • 00:10:55.533 --> 00:11:00.105
  • Our body.
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  • It all begins with that mass of tissue and blood cradled in your
  • 00:11:01.473 --> 00:11:06.411
  • Cranium we call the brain.
  • 00:11:06.411 --> 00:11:09.748
  • And yes, on one level our thoughts and our impulses are
  • 00:11:09.748 --> 00:11:12.617
  • The results of a series of electrical and chemical
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  • Reactions in our brain, but they're more than that.
  • 00:11:15.487 --> 00:11:19.190
  • There's a spiritual element.
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  • You know, we make a tremendous mistake when we don't understand
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  • That man is not just one part.
  • 00:11:24.429 --> 00:11:26.231
  • He's three parts: body, soul, and spirit.
  • 00:11:26.231 --> 00:11:30.769
  • And in fact, these three--body, soul, and spirit--are so closely
  • 00:11:30.769 --> 00:11:34.405
  • Related, as one person said, if one element, one component of
  • 00:11:34.405 --> 00:11:38.777
  • Our being catches a cold, the other one sneezes.
  • 00:11:38.777 --> 00:11:43.181
  • So it's a mistake to try to isolate certain things as
  • 00:11:43.181 --> 00:11:46.918
  • Spiritual issues and certain things as physical issues.
  • 00:11:46.918 --> 00:11:50.889
  • We're trichotomous.
  • 00:11:50.889 --> 00:11:52.357
  • There is not an issue that is uniquely spiritual that doesn't
  • 00:11:52.357 --> 00:11:56.728
  • Have some physical or emotional component to it, and there's no
  • 00:11:56.728 --> 00:12:03.535
  • Issue that is strictly physical or emotional that doesn't have a
  • 00:12:03.535 --> 00:12:07.405
  • Spiritual component to it.
  • 00:12:07.405 --> 00:12:09.874
  • We need to understand we are body, soul, and spirit.
  • 00:12:09.874 --> 00:12:13.077
  • Nevertheless, the mind is the beginning place of our thoughts,
  • 00:12:13.077 --> 00:12:17.015
  • And that's why the scripture talks so much about the mind.
  • 00:12:17.015 --> 00:12:19.984
  • Now, many times the hebrews understood the center of
  • 00:12:19.984 --> 00:12:23.054
  • Thoughts to be the heart.
  • 00:12:23.054 --> 00:12:26.224
  • The heart wasn't the place of emotion, it was the place of
  • 00:12:26.224 --> 00:12:28.827
  • Thoughts, and that's why proverbs 23, verse 7 says,
  • 00:12:28.827 --> 00:12:32.130
  • "for as a person thinks within himself," in his heart, "so
  • 00:12:32.130 --> 00:12:37.235
  • Is he."
  • 00:12:37.235 --> 00:12:38.736
  • If you wanna understand the centrality of your thoughts,
  • 00:12:38.736 --> 00:12:41.139
  • Just think about this.
  • 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:42.607
  • Most every major milestone in your life, every major event
  • 00:12:42.607 --> 00:12:46.344
  • Begin with a thought.
  • 00:12:46.344 --> 00:12:47.779
  • Think about your marriage.
  • 00:12:47.779 --> 00:12:49.881
  • You said, "i think i'm in love with this person and wanna spend
  • 00:12:49.881 --> 00:12:54.118
  • The rest of my life with her or with him."
  • 00:12:54.118 --> 00:12:57.121
  • Think about your vocation.
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  • "i think this career would be the best use of my time and my
  • 00:12:59.023 --> 00:13:03.528
  • Talents and my interest."
  • 00:13:03.528 --> 00:13:05.363
  • Or think about your salvation, how your thoughts were
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  • Instrumental in that.
  • 00:13:08.733 --> 00:13:10.101
  • "i believe with all of my heart that jesus is the son of god and
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  • That he died for my sins."
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  • Most of our major decisions begin with a thought.
  • 00:13:17.542 --> 00:13:20.178
  • But beyond these major milestones, every day we're
  • 00:13:20.178 --> 00:13:23.081
  • Making hundreds of decisions that are made in our minds.
  • 00:13:23.081 --> 00:13:27.552
  • "will i take this route to work or this route?
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  • Will i put this on or that on?
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  • Will i exercise or not exercise?"
  • 00:13:32.857 --> 00:13:35.793
  • All of these choices are made every day.
  • 00:13:35.793 --> 00:13:38.263
  • And when you think about it, our lives are pretty much the sum
  • 00:13:38.263 --> 00:13:41.799
  • Total of the decisions, both major and minor, that we make.
  • 00:13:41.799 --> 00:13:47.005
  • If our thoughts are so critical to our not only life but our
  • 00:13:47.005 --> 00:13:51.075
  • Eternal destiny, should it be any surprise that satan wants to
  • 00:13:51.075 --> 00:13:55.780
  • Influence our thoughts?
  • 00:13:55.780 --> 00:13:57.382
  • Sometimes we feel those contrasting thoughts and desires
  • 00:13:57.382 --> 00:14:03.054
  • Playing war against one another in our minds.
  • 00:14:03.054 --> 00:14:06.357
  • Henry newman, the philosophers compared our mind to a
  • 00:14:06.357 --> 00:14:10.328
  • Banana tree filled with monkeys that are constantly jumping up
  • 00:14:10.328 --> 00:14:14.732
  • And down.
  • 00:14:14.732 --> 00:14:16.067
  • "it is rarely still or quiet.
  • 00:14:16.067 --> 00:14:18.336
  • All of these thoughts, like so many chimps, clamor for
  • 00:14:18.336 --> 00:14:22.040
  • Our attention."
  • 00:14:22.040 --> 00:14:23.975
  • By the way, i just guess that's happening in your thoughts
  • 00:14:23.975 --> 00:14:26.844
  • Right now.
  • 00:14:26.844 --> 00:14:28.212
  • You're not thinking one thing.
  • 00:14:28.212 --> 00:14:29.547
  • I wish you were just thinking about what the preacher's
  • 00:14:29.547 --> 00:14:31.182
  • Saying, but you're not.
  • 00:14:31.182 --> 00:14:33.184
  • Like any audience, you've got a number of things that are going
  • 00:14:33.184 --> 00:14:36.054
  • Through your mind.
  • 00:14:36.054 --> 00:14:37.388
  • "don't forget to stop off at the grocery store and get milk on
  • 00:14:37.388 --> 00:14:40.024
  • The way home.
  • 00:14:40.024 --> 00:14:41.459
  • I wonder if my boss is gonna be there tomorrow.
  • 00:14:41.459 --> 00:14:44.362
  • I wonder how i'm gonna make it through the month financially.
  • 00:14:44.362 --> 00:14:47.465
  • I wonder why the pastor chose to wear that tie."
  • 00:14:47.465 --> 00:14:50.201
  • I mean, you've got all of these thoughts that are going through
  • 00:14:50.201 --> 00:14:53.137
  • Your mind right now.
  • 00:14:53.137 --> 00:14:54.706
  • Now, not every thought is godly or satanic, good or evil, but my
  • 00:14:54.706 --> 00:14:59.210
  • Point is our thoughts are the primary way through which both
  • 00:14:59.210 --> 00:15:03.081
  • God and satan impact our lives.
  • 00:15:03.081 --> 00:15:06.584
  • For example, turn over to philippians chapter 4, verses 8
  • 00:15:06.584 --> 00:15:10.388
  • Through 9.
  • 00:15:10.388 --> 00:15:11.723
  • "finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is
  • 00:15:11.723 --> 00:15:15.193
  • Honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
  • 00:15:15.193 --> 00:15:18.563
  • Lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
  • 00:15:18.563 --> 00:15:21.666
  • Excellence or anything worthy of praise, dwell on," think on,
  • 00:15:21.666 --> 00:15:25.803
  • "these things.
  • 00:15:25.803 --> 00:15:27.338
  • For the things you have learned and received and heard and seen
  • 00:15:27.338 --> 00:15:30.241
  • In me, practice these things, and the god of peace will be
  • 00:15:30.241 --> 00:15:35.279
  • With you."
  • 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:36.647
  • Now, as we're gonna see next time, worry, anxiety is a
  • 00:15:36.647 --> 00:15:40.018
  • Paralyzing emotion, but it begins in the mind.
  • 00:15:40.018 --> 00:15:44.789
  • All worry begins in the mind.
  • 00:15:44.789 --> 00:15:48.226
  • And so if satan wants to paralyze us with worry, he does
  • 00:15:48.226 --> 00:15:51.829
  • So by influencing our thoughts.
  • 00:15:51.829 --> 00:15:54.032
  • It should be no surprise that if anxiety begins in the mind,
  • 00:15:54.032 --> 00:15:58.703
  • God's antidote to worry also begins in the mind.
  • 00:15:58.703 --> 00:16:03.708
  • Whatever is good and lovely and of good repute, dwell on, learn
  • 00:16:03.708 --> 00:16:09.047
  • To think on these things.
  • 00:16:09.047 --> 00:16:12.150
  • "well, pastor, i don't have any argument that satan wants to
  • 00:16:12.150 --> 00:16:15.686
  • Influence me through my mind, but how exactly does he
  • 00:16:15.686 --> 00:16:19.424
  • Do that?"
  • 00:16:19.424 --> 00:16:20.758
  • Well, in the few minutes we have left this morning, i wanna
  • 00:16:20.758 --> 00:16:23.628
  • Suggest to you from god's word four channels through which
  • 00:16:23.628 --> 00:16:28.266
  • Satan tries to influence our thoughts.
  • 00:16:28.266 --> 00:16:32.370
  • Write them down.
  • 00:16:32.370 --> 00:16:33.738
  • First of all, he tries to influence us through
  • 00:16:33.738 --> 00:16:36.974
  • Our desires.
  • 00:16:36.974 --> 00:16:38.976
  • Now, i use an apple computer every day of my life, but when i
  • 00:16:38.976 --> 00:16:45.116
  • Turn on my apple computer, there is no unseen engineer in simi
  • 00:16:45.116 --> 00:16:50.655
  • Valley who's controlling my computer and determining what it
  • 00:16:50.655 --> 00:16:55.026
  • Can and can't do.
  • 00:16:55.026 --> 00:16:56.694
  • That was already decided before i ever took the computer out of
  • 00:16:56.694 --> 00:17:00.064
  • The box.
  • 00:17:00.064 --> 00:17:01.432
  • When it was being manufactured, there was what was called an
  • 00:17:01.432 --> 00:17:04.502
  • Operating system installed in that computer, and that
  • 00:17:04.502 --> 00:17:08.473
  • Operating system already put in the computer determines what it
  • 00:17:08.473 --> 00:17:12.510
  • Does and doesn't do.
  • 00:17:12.510 --> 00:17:15.012
  • Did you know when you and i are born, we are born with an
  • 00:17:15.012 --> 00:17:18.983
  • Operating system already installed in us?
  • 00:17:18.983 --> 00:17:22.954
  • Unfortunately, that operating system is flawed.
  • 00:17:22.954 --> 00:17:27.525
  • It has a virus in it that causes it to default in every situation
  • 00:17:27.525 --> 00:17:34.465
  • To oppose god and his plan for our life.
  • 00:17:34.465 --> 00:17:38.102
  • Whenever god says, "you shall," the operating system says, "i
  • 00:17:38.102 --> 00:17:42.440
  • Shall not."
  • 00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:43.774
  • Whenever god says, "you shall not," this flawed operating
  • 00:17:43.774 --> 00:17:47.411
  • System says, "i shall."
  • 00:17:47.411 --> 00:17:50.915
  • Why do we all have that system inside of us?
  • 00:17:50.915 --> 00:17:54.452
  • It can be traced back to adam and eve and their rebellion
  • 00:17:54.452 --> 00:17:58.256
  • Against god.
  • 00:17:58.256 --> 00:17:59.624
  • When adam and eve sinned against god, romans 5:12 says their
  • 00:17:59.624 --> 00:18:03.861
  • Choice became our choice, and each one of us has that natural
  • 00:18:03.861 --> 00:18:08.966
  • Inclination to be rebellious against god.
  • 00:18:08.966 --> 00:18:13.538
  • That means if satan were to be destroyed tomorrow, there would
  • 00:18:13.538 --> 00:18:19.644
  • Still be murder, immorality, greed, and idolatry in our world
  • 00:18:19.644 --> 00:18:25.116
  • Even though satan had been destroyed, why?
  • 00:18:25.116 --> 00:18:27.618
  • Because he was successful in making sure that every human
  • 00:18:27.618 --> 00:18:31.189
  • Being born is born in this flawed condition.
  • 00:18:31.189 --> 00:18:35.993
  • Remember the temptation equation we talked about in james 1:14?
  • 00:18:35.993 --> 00:18:40.398
  • James said, "but each one of us is tempted when he is carried
  • 00:18:40.398 --> 00:18:44.569
  • Away and enticed by his own lust."
  • 00:18:44.569 --> 00:18:48.406
  • What causes sin?
  • 00:18:48.406 --> 00:18:50.441
  • Corrupt desires plus the right bait plus the wrong choice
  • 00:18:50.441 --> 00:18:54.045
  • Equals sin.
  • 00:18:54.045 --> 00:18:55.446
  • But notice what james talks about, the two major components
  • 00:18:55.446 --> 00:18:58.983
  • Of sin.
  • 00:18:58.983 --> 00:19:00.952
  • They cause us to be carried away, elkomai.
  • 00:19:00.952 --> 00:19:04.188
  • That means to be drawn with an inward power.
  • 00:19:04.188 --> 00:19:07.191
  • And enticed, that means to be hooked by his own lust.
  • 00:19:07.191 --> 00:19:11.829
  • Remember, satan is that master fisherman.
  • 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:14.765
  • He's always dangling the right piece of bait at the wrong time
  • 00:19:14.765 --> 00:19:18.436
  • To get us to bite.
  • 00:19:18.436 --> 00:19:19.937
  • But that bait would have no influence on us if we didn't
  • 00:19:19.937 --> 00:19:23.708
  • Have a hunger for what he's dangling in front of us.
  • 00:19:23.708 --> 00:19:26.978
  • And that hunger didn't come from satan directly, it came from our
  • 00:19:26.978 --> 00:19:32.116
  • Old nature that he successfully made sure each one of us have.
  • 00:19:32.116 --> 00:19:36.921
  • So the beginning place for sin is this inward corrupt desire
  • 00:19:36.921 --> 00:19:41.592
  • For those things outside god's will.
  • 00:19:41.592 --> 00:19:44.562
  • So you could say, "well, if satan has that internal
  • 00:19:44.562 --> 00:19:49.100
  • Deficient system in every human being, i guess he can
  • 00:19:49.100 --> 00:19:52.103
  • Just take the day off.
  • 00:19:52.103 --> 00:19:53.471
  • He doesn't have to do any work, right?"
  • 00:19:53.471 --> 00:19:55.306
  • Well, wrong.
  • 00:19:55.306 --> 00:19:56.641
  • Satan is smart enough to know that he can't rely on people's
  • 00:19:56.641 --> 00:20:00.044
  • Flawed nature to do his dirty work for him.
  • 00:20:00.044 --> 00:20:03.114
  • You see, there's another truth that satan understands better
  • 00:20:03.114 --> 00:20:06.884
  • Than most christians, and that is when somebody trust in christ
  • 00:20:06.884 --> 00:20:10.588
  • As his savior, he not only receives a pardon from sin, he
  • 00:20:10.588 --> 00:20:14.592
  • Receives the power to say no to sin.
  • 00:20:14.592 --> 00:20:17.628
  • When we become a christian, we have another operating system
  • 00:20:17.628 --> 00:20:21.365
  • That's installed in us.
  • 00:20:21.365 --> 00:20:23.200
  • It's not defective.
  • 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:24.702
  • This operating system, we call him the holy spirit, and the
  • 00:20:24.702 --> 00:20:29.040
  • Holy spirit gives us the power to override that flawed
  • 00:20:29.040 --> 00:20:33.511
  • Operating system, to override our natural rebellious spirit
  • 00:20:33.511 --> 00:20:37.982
  • Toward god, the power to obey god in everything.
  • 00:20:37.982 --> 00:20:41.719
  • And so satan can't just rely on our corrupt desires.
  • 00:20:41.719 --> 00:20:45.990
  • He has three other methods he uses to lure us into sin.
  • 00:20:45.990 --> 00:20:50.428
  • Secondly, he speaks to us through other mediums, through
  • 00:20:50.428 --> 00:20:54.965
  • Other mediums.
  • 00:20:54.965 --> 00:20:56.701
  • Go back to adam and eve for a moment before they sinned.
  • 00:20:56.701 --> 00:21:00.938
  • Remember what genesis 3:1 says?
  • 00:21:00.938 --> 00:21:03.741
  • "now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field
  • 00:21:03.741 --> 00:21:08.679
  • Which the lord god had made.
  • 00:21:08.679 --> 00:21:11.015
  • And he said to the woman, 'indeed, has god said, "you
  • 00:21:11.015 --> 00:21:14.819
  • Shall not eat from the tree of the garden?"'"
  • 00:21:14.819 --> 00:21:18.956
  • When satan approached eve for the first time, he was wise
  • 00:21:18.956 --> 00:21:24.395
  • Enough not to appear in his normal appearance.
  • 00:21:24.395 --> 00:21:28.165
  • What is satan in his normal appearance?
  • 00:21:28.165 --> 00:21:30.735
  • Revelation 12 tells us he is like a great red dragon with
  • 00:21:30.735 --> 00:21:34.839
  • Seven heads and ten horns.
  • 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:37.375
  • Now, just think if that beast had approached eve.
  • 00:21:37.375 --> 00:21:40.044
  • Would she have run toward him?
  • 00:21:40.044 --> 00:21:41.545
  • No, she would have run from him as quickly as she could and
  • 00:21:41.545 --> 00:21:44.348
  • Jumped back into adam's arms.
  • 00:21:44.348 --> 00:21:46.650
  • But he didn't appear as he really is, he appeared as
  • 00:21:46.650 --> 00:21:49.387
  • The serpent.
  • 00:21:49.387 --> 00:21:50.755
  • Genesis 3:1 tells us that the serpent was the most crafty.
  • 00:21:50.755 --> 00:21:55.526
  • Some translate it the most beautiful of all of
  • 00:21:55.526 --> 00:21:57.962
  • God's creations.
  • 00:21:57.962 --> 00:21:59.363
  • No, he wasn't slithering in the grass at that time.
  • 00:21:59.363 --> 00:22:03.801
  • He walked uprightly.
  • 00:22:03.801 --> 00:22:05.603
  • He was beautiful, and he was crafty in his appearance.
  • 00:22:05.603 --> 00:22:10.107
  • That's how satan chose to spoke to eve, through the medium of
  • 00:22:10.107 --> 00:22:14.445
  • The serpent.
  • 00:22:14.445 --> 00:22:15.780
  • What could be more enticing than him?
  • 00:22:15.780 --> 00:22:19.150
  • Well, how about this?
  • 00:22:19.150 --> 00:22:21.819
  • Just imagine there were a box, a talking box that was in the
  • 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:26.657
  • Center of your house and it was able to voice in a very warm and
  • 00:22:26.657 --> 00:22:31.429
  • Appealing tone great invitations to you and enticements.
  • 00:22:31.429 --> 00:22:35.699
  • It could create sparkling full-color images that enticed
  • 00:22:35.699 --> 00:22:40.905
  • You and told you the lie you can have wonderful sex without
  • 00:22:40.905 --> 00:22:46.477
  • Commitment to anyone, you can have great wealth without any
  • 00:22:46.477 --> 00:22:50.815
  • Work whatsoever, you can disobey god without any negative
  • 00:22:50.815 --> 00:22:55.319
  • Consequences whatsoever.
  • 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:57.788
  • And just imagine this talking box with these beautiful images
  • 00:22:57.788 --> 00:23:01.992
  • Was on in your house an average of 8 hours a day, 365 days
  • 00:23:01.992 --> 00:23:08.933
  • A year.
  • 00:23:08.933 --> 00:23:10.267
  • Do you think satan could use that medium?
  • 00:23:10.267 --> 00:23:12.903
  • Now, i realize that's about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but
  • 00:23:12.903 --> 00:23:15.573
  • You get the picture.
  • 00:23:15.573 --> 00:23:18.008
  • Jeffress: the enemy is constantly working to deceive
  • 00:23:22.112 --> 00:23:25.082
  • And distract us from god's truth, but when we learn to
  • 00:23:25.082 --> 00:23:28.786
  • Filter every thought through scripture, we can stand firm
  • 00:23:28.786 --> 00:23:32.823
  • Against his schemes.
  • 00:23:32.823 --> 00:23:34.892
  • Well, at "pathway to victory" we're committed to providing you
  • 00:23:34.892 --> 00:23:37.695
  • With solid biblical teaching that you can apply directly to
  • 00:23:37.695 --> 00:23:41.599
  • Your life, and i am so grateful for our pathway partners and
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  • Other faithful friends who make this ministry possible through
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  • Their generous support.
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  • People every week through television, radio, and digital
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  • Word with our nation and our world.
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  • Standing with us as together we pierce the darkness with the
  • 00:24:07.658 --> 00:24:11.762
  • Light of god's word.
  • 00:24:11.762 --> 00:24:13.464
  • Now please stay right there.
  • 00:24:13.464 --> 00:24:14.865
  • I'll be back with more in just a moment.
  • 00:24:14.865 --> 00:24:17.234
  • Announcer: remember when you were a kid and seeing the
  • 00:24:18.969 --> 00:24:21.005
  • Difference between good and bad was easy to tell, the good guys
  • 00:24:21.005 --> 00:24:24.675
  • Versus the bad guys all in good fun?
  • 00:24:24.675 --> 00:24:28.646
  • But this was never a real battle.
  • 00:24:28.646 --> 00:24:31.048
  • But there's a real battle going on for the lives of our children
  • 00:24:31.048 --> 00:24:34.051
  • And grandchildren and it's up to us to prepare them.
  • 00:24:34.051 --> 00:24:37.488
  • Equip the children in your life to stand firm in god's truth
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  • With, "suit up! the armor of god for kids."
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  • This full-color, fully-illustrated hardcover book
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  • Helps you teach your children to put on the spiritual armor of
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  • God every day.
  • 00:24:50.534 --> 00:24:51.969
  • Each interactive lesson includes discussion questions, practical
  • 00:24:51.969 --> 00:24:55.472
  • Applications, and prayers you can say together.
  • 00:24:55.472 --> 00:24:58.776
  • Jeffress: in my new children's book, "suit up!" i share the
  • 00:24:58.776 --> 00:25:02.112
  • Weapons and armor god has gifted us for protection, and i give
  • 00:25:02.112 --> 00:25:06.350
  • Practical ways to protect our children and grandchildren from
  • 00:25:06.350 --> 00:25:10.521
  • Satan's influence.
  • 00:25:10.521 --> 00:25:12.089
  • Announcer: request, "suit up! the armor of god for kids," when
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  • You give a generous gift to support the ministry of pathway
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  • To victory or when you become a pathway partner.
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  • Darkness with the light of god's word.
  • 00:25:46.323 --> 00:25:48.425
  • Jeffress: every major decision in your life begins with a
  • 00:25:51.462 --> 00:25:54.565
  • Thought, and that's exactly why satan works so hard to influence
  • 00:25:54.565 --> 00:25:58.869
  • What goes on in your mind.
  • 00:25:58.869 --> 00:26:01.205
  • If he can control your thoughts, he can control your actions and
  • 00:26:01.205 --> 00:26:05.075
  • Ultimately your destiny.
  • 00:26:05.075 --> 00:26:07.845
  • Now, in our next message, we're going to discover how to
  • 00:26:07.845 --> 00:26:11.048
  • Evaluate whether our thoughts are coming from god or
  • 00:26:11.048 --> 00:26:14.652
  • From satan.
  • 00:26:14.652 --> 00:26:15.986
  • I'll also give you three biblical filters to help you
  • 00:26:15.986 --> 00:26:18.555
  • Discern truth from lies.
  • 00:26:18.555 --> 00:26:21.291
  • Stay tuned for a preview of what's coming up next in our
  • 00:26:21.291 --> 00:26:23.727
  • Series "spirit wars."
  • 00:26:23.727 --> 00:26:26.764
  • Jeffress: how do i evaluate whether something is coming
  • 00:26:26.830 --> 00:26:29.533
  • Through satan or not into our minds?
  • 00:26:29.533 --> 00:26:32.202
  • Use those same three filters i just gave you for other people.
  • 00:26:32.202 --> 00:26:36.573
  • Are the words true, do the words motivate me to faith and
  • 00:26:36.573 --> 00:26:40.210
  • Obedience or to fear, and do these words violate any teaching
  • 00:26:40.210 --> 00:26:46.283
  • From god's word?
  • 00:26:46.283 --> 00:26:48.218
  • Announcer: set your dvr and join us next time for part two of the
  • 00:26:48.218 --> 00:26:51.488
  • Message "winning the mind games"
  • 00:26:51.488 --> 00:26:53.724
  • Here on "pathway to victory."
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  • Wilderness on the 2026 pathway to victory cruise to alaska with
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  • Dr. robert jeffress aboard holland america's
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  • Powerful worship.
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  • Make plans to set sail for an unforgettable week of adventure
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