Max Lucado: Conquering Negative Thoughts for Peace of Mind | Takeaways with Kirk Cameron

August 25, 2025 | S1 E147 | 54:47

Kirk Cameron is joined by author Max Lucado to discuss how to control our thoughts away from negativity and apply Biblical steps in renewing our minds to improve our mental health.

#inActive #Author #Thinking #RenewingtheMind #Peace #SeekGod #Culture #MentalHealth #SpiritualGrowth #TrustGod #Shame #Guilt #Anger #Healing

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Takeaways with Kirk Cameron | Max Lucado: Conquering Negative Thoughts for Peace of Mind | Takeaways with Kirk Cameron | August 25, 2025

Kirk cameron: do you struggle with anxious negative thoughts?
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Are you sometimes overwhelmed with guilt?
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Our mind is a battlefield of constant thinking.
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For you right now, which side is winning?
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Thoughts of anxiety, worry, rejection, or thoughts of peace
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And joy?
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Well, we're gonna talk with pastor and bestselling author
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Max lucado about the tools we need to calm our worrisome,
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Negative thoughts and exchange them
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For positive, peaceful ones.
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Let's get to it right now on "takeaways."
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Max lucado: philosophers talked about clearing your mind,
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Emptying your thoughts.
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What is unique to the gospel story is that god has given us
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Truth, truth scriptures that we can, after we uproot, we
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Can replant.
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It's not enough just to get the weeds out.
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You gotta put the truth in.
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♪♪♪
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Kirk: with more than 150 million products in print, max lucado is
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Known for combining poetic storytelling and homespun humor
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With the heart of a pastor.
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His books have been published in 56 languages worldwide and
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Regularly appear on bestseller lists, including "the new york
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Times," "publishers weekly," and "usa today."
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We're gonna be talking today about his most recent book,
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"tame your thoughts."
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Max, it is such an honor to meet you.
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Thanks for coming on "takeaways."
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Max lucado: absolutely, absolutely.
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Kirk: you know, of all of your books, the one that has impacted
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Our family was the book about punchinello, the little puppet
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And the stars and the dots, and caring more about what god
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Thinks of us than what others think of us.
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Max: i get a lot of feedback on that book.
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It's called, "you are special," and there's a curious story
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About it.
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This was written back in the early 1990s.
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By the way, thank you for letting me come on the program.
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Kirk: our honor.
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Max: but this is back in the early '90s, and crossway, who
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Publishes that book, was putting out an illustrated book and i
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Agreed to write seven children's stories.
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And so on, let's say tuesday of a particular week, someone from
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The office called and said, "mr.
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Lucado, we're still waiting on story number seven."
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And i said, "i thought i sent you seven."
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They said, no, "you sent us six and the deadline is thursday."
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Well, i'm a pastor.
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I had other things to do, you know, and i couldn't just drop
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Everything, but i did block out two or three hours on that
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Thursday afternoon to write a story that i had begun telling
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To my daughters.
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They were all elementary, kindergarten age at the time,
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And we began making up the story about a village where
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Everybody's always either criticizing or applauding you.
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And we came up with this idea of sticking stars on you
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Or dots on you.
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But that's where that story started, with my kids.
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And so i went ahead and wrote it.
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I put it--i hadn't written it.
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It was just oral at that point.
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And so i wrote it and i sent it to the publisher.
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I don't remember getting any feedback from them for about a
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Year or so.
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The book came out and they said, "everybody's talking about this
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Stars and dots story, we're gonna turn it
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Into a standalone book."
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So anyway, i tell that story because it wasn't like i was
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Super inspired to write this wonderful story.
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I had to keep a promise that didn't came out.
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Kirk: yeah, and under pressure with a deadline, you and your
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Kids came up with your special.
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Max: and sometimes i remember a musician from way back when,
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Dallas holm.
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He once said, "sometimes the holy spirit works through
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Inspiration, but sometimes he works through perspiration."
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I thought that was good.
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You just gotta get the job done and the holy spirit can use
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Either one.
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Kirk: max, you've written so many books on so many topics and
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You're pastoring in church and, with all the things that you
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Have going on, i'm so curious, what is your process for
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Starting a new book?
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Max: all of my books come out of sermons.
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And i've been at this same church in san antonio since
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1988, and i have found that if it connects as a sermon series,
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Odds are it'll connect as a book.
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And now i'm to the point where once i land on what we sense the
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Church could benefit from, i know eventually it will become
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A book.
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And so to select the topics, sometimes it's real clear to me
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This particular one we're gonna discuss today came out of
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Reading statistics about mental health, you know, the terrible
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Statistics we--may we'll talk about.
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Other times i talk to other staff, members of the staff or
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Elders of the church or people in the church and say, "where do
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You think we are as a congregation?
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What do we need to hear?"
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I'm about to kick off a series that deals with the whole idea
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Of pluralism.
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You know, that there are a lot of gods out there and it doesn't
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Matter which one, you pick the one you want.
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So i'm gonna bring a sermon series based on the uniqueness
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Of jesus christ.
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But that came out of a conversation that i had with
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Somebody in our congregation who said, "my kids, they don't see
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The difference between christ and muhammad or christ and
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Confucius and they wanna know the difference."
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That resonated with me.
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I thought, okay, that's our job.
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Anyway, so that's kind of how they start.
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Kirk: that's so good because all of your books, i feel have their
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Finger on the pulse of what people are feeling--
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Max: you think so?
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Kirk: what they're thinking, and yes, they're timely.
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And to have someone like you who's able to combine such great
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Storytelling together with biblical insights is
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So important.
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If you were to look at all the books that you've written, is
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There one that stands out to you that says, you know, this is the
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One that really taught me so much about god?
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Max: what a great question.
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I think in the early '90s, there was a book i wrote called, "in
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The grip of grace" that was as much for the audience--for me it
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Was for the audience.
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And it was a study of the first six chapters--or seven chapters
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Of romans, and it wasn't the whole book.
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But i personally was becoming increasingly aware that i had--i
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Was adding to the gospel, kirk.
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I was teaching you are saved, but you need to
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Do your part, you know?
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And i didn't--i don't think i realized that i was a
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Closet legalist.
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I never used that phrase till right there, but i was kind of
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Adding to the gospel, right?
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And i came under the conviction that i wasn't teaching the pure
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Gospel, and i wanted to do better at it, and someone
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Introduced me to a commentary on romans written by john r.w.
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Stott.
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And they said, "you need to read everything that john
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Stott writes."
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And so i read through that commentary.
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And that--wow.
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I don't think i realized that i was weighed down by performance.
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I wanted to perform for god.
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I believed i was saved, but i needed to perform in order to
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Be--stay saved.
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Kirk: and it's fascinating to me, now, did you write that
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Before or after you wrote, "you are special?"
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Max: before.
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Kirk: before.
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Do you see how that lines up because "you are special " is
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All about performance and, boy, you see god prepared your heart
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Through reading stott, and that book to be able to do that and
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Pass that message on to kids.
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Oh, that's so great. that's so exciting to see.
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Max: another book, if i can just say, about 20 years ago,
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I wrote a book all based on john 3:16.
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It's called, "3:16."
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And i just loved writing it.
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I loved that it's still out there because it's--the best
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Way--i mean, we went phrase by phrase, "god,
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So loved, the world."
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Just phrase--every word or two got a chapter.
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And if i could give anybody one book, it's always "3:16."
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Yeah, i know you have a heart for evangelism, and so
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That's where you and i certainly have that in common.
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Kirk: well, this is an exciting book.
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"the way we think directly impacts our joy and our peace."
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And you give us within this book a mental tool kit to help us
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With anxiety and fear and worry.
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You said in the book that at the writing of this book, 43% of us
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Adults feel more anxious than they did the previous year.
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Why do you think that is?
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Max: that's a great question, and i think there are two or
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Three contributing factors to the increase, the tidal wave of
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Anxiety that we have.
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First of all, we get more news than ever before, right?
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I mean, even if you don't have a television on, odds
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Are something's gonna pop up on your device or on your phone.
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My wife called me last night and she said, "hey, did you hear
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That there were two ships that collided off the coast
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Of china?"
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I said, "no, i haven't heard that," but i had this thought,
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My parents would not have known that unless it was on the
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Evening news.
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She knew that because it popped up on her phone.
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She get the feeling like something bad is happening all
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The time, all the time, all the time.
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And then i think reason number two is just the speed at which
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We live, you know, the pace, and i'm guilty of it.
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I mean, i hurry from appointment to appointment.
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And the lack of time to breathe and just reassimilate makes it
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Difficult for us in this fast-paced world to process all
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Of this information, and it leads to that level of anxiety.
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Kirk: and i imagine for those who don't have a real
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Relationship with god through faith in christ and a reverence
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For his word and a trust in his promises,
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Imagine that level of anxiety, living that life.
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It's just gotta be through the roof.
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And we're seeing the results of that in this young generation.
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And so i'm so glad that you wrote this book.
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Before we go to a break, is there a time when you can
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Remember back when you could've really used the advice in
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This book to tame your own thoughts?
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Max: another great question.
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I became a christian when i was 20.
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By then i was a drunk and i was a troublemaker and a fighter.
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And i was battling not just guilt, kirk, but shame, shame.
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I didn't know the words back then, right?
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But now i understand that guilt is i did bad, shame is i am bad.
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I was convinced that i was just, at my core, a bad person.
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And i couldn't--i didn't know what to do with that shame.
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And ironically, in my case, i treated shame with more drinking
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Because drinking made me feel ashamed 'cause i've been raised
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In a healthier home than the way i was living.
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And so i felt shame because i was not, you know, following
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What i knew to do, and then
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I would treat that with more drinking.
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So it was a cycle. it was a cycle, cycle.
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I needed somebody to sit me down and talk to me about god's way
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Of dealing with guilt, with guilty thoughts before they
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Become shameful thoughts.
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Kirk: and that's exactly what you do for us in this book
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Called, "taming your thoughts."
00:11:17.166 --> 00:11:19.869
When we come back, we're gonna talk more with max about the
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Mental tool kit that we spoke of that we can use in helping us
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Control our negative thoughts.
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So don't go away.
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♪♪♪
00:11:29.512 --> 00:11:33.315
♪♪♪
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Kirk: would you like to experience more peace of mind?
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We have pastor max lucado with us today to guide us through
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Some of the strategies to better control our negative thinking.
00:11:46.941 --> 00:11:51.145
Well, max, you talk about a mental tool kit.
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I love this idea.
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I love tools.
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I'm bob the builder at heart and i want a tool to fix
00:11:58.853 --> 00:12:02.857
My problems.
00:12:02.857 --> 00:12:04.225
So in this tool kit, you say that tool one is practice
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Picky thinking.
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Could you give us an example of this?
00:12:09.864 --> 00:12:11.932
Max: and a person might hear this and say, "well i thought
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Everybody knew to practice picky thinking."
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And the truth is we need to remind ourselves that just
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Because we have a thought, we don't have to think it, we don't
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Have to dwell on it.
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We're besieged throughout the day with a variety of thoughts.
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According to the cleveland clinic, four out of five
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Thoughts that we have are negative and critical.
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So we're besieged by negative.
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I know i did the same thing, kirk when i saw that statistic.
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I thought, are we really the world of eeyore?
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I mean, where everything is bad?
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But that might explain why we battle with mental health
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So much.
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So anyway, learning to screen those out, you know, to filter
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Out those thoughts before they enter into our process is
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Really, really step number one.
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Kirk: so just because i have a thought doesn't mean i need to
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Think it, i don't have to dwell on it,
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I don't need to ride it down the street, let it grow handles, and
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Hang on to it all day long.
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Max: you got it.
00:13:11.926 --> 00:13:13.260
Kirk: i can just--well, pushing it away is not always easy
00:13:13.260 --> 00:13:16.030
'cause sometimes they're intrusive thoughts.
00:13:16.030 --> 00:13:17.731
Max: the apostles' words for this were, take every thought
00:13:17.731 --> 00:13:21.068
Captive and present it before the glory of christ or make it
00:13:21.068 --> 00:13:24.371
Submit to the presence of christ.
00:13:24.371 --> 00:13:26.674
And so we put that passage into work.
00:13:26.674 --> 00:13:30.411
We take those thoughts captive.
00:13:30.411 --> 00:13:32.346
And what i learned in studying for this is that that phrase
00:13:32.346 --> 00:13:36.250
"take thoughts captive" is a military term, and it carries
00:13:36.250 --> 00:13:40.354
With it the idea of actually poking a spear in the back of
00:13:40.354 --> 00:13:42.890
A pow.
00:13:42.890 --> 00:13:44.225
It was used in military language.
00:13:44.225 --> 00:13:46.160
So my thoughts, i take them captive, i say, okay, am i
00:13:46.160 --> 00:13:50.364
Supposed to be thinking about this criticism or somebody has
00:13:50.364 --> 00:13:55.436
Said something tacky to me.
00:13:55.436 --> 00:13:57.571
What if i take that thought, not suppress it, but express it to
00:13:57.571 --> 00:14:01.242
Christ and say, "christ, am i supposed to be dwelling on this
00:14:01.242 --> 00:14:07.448
And could you help me?
00:14:07.448 --> 00:14:08.782
I don't want to get in this negative spiral or critical
00:14:08.782 --> 00:14:12.419
Spiral, this quicksand that's gonna suck me under."
00:14:12.419 --> 00:14:17.458
And so taking those thoughts captive or practicing
00:14:17.458 --> 00:14:20.694
Picky thinking simply means being a good--taking in or being
00:14:20.694 --> 00:14:26.100
A good steward of what you allow to come into your mind.
00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:28.936
Kirk: i love that, you know, you're reminding me of christian
00:14:28.936 --> 00:14:33.040
In the "pilgrim's progress" and the slough of despond
00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:36.343
When he was stuck in that miry pit of despondency,
00:14:36.343 --> 00:14:40.514
Right, with that burden of sin, and just he just can't get out
00:14:40.514 --> 00:14:43.217
Of it until the lord just reached out that hand of
00:14:43.217 --> 00:14:46.253
Grace and pulled him out of it.
00:14:46.253 --> 00:14:48.689
And that's what god does for us.
00:14:48.689 --> 00:14:50.424
All right, tool number two is ufos, what are these?
00:14:50.424 --> 00:14:54.828
Max: people think i'm talking about something that flies over
00:14:54.828 --> 00:14:57.531
Roswell, new mexico, right?
00:14:57.531 --> 00:14:59.333
The alien spaceships.
00:14:59.333 --> 00:15:01.669
This is just a tool that i've used with people,
00:15:01.669 --> 00:15:04.204
I've developed.
00:15:04.204 --> 00:15:05.906
It's an acronym: an untruth leads to a false narrative that
00:15:05.906 --> 00:15:10.577
Leads to an overreaction.
00:15:10.577 --> 00:15:13.514
And untruth, this is why scripture is so important 'cause
00:15:13.514 --> 00:15:16.684
We have to be able to counterbalance the untruths that
00:15:16.684 --> 00:15:19.586
Come our way, but let's say the untruth comes my way.
00:15:19.586 --> 00:15:23.090
"i'm only as valuable as i appear.
00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:26.794
My value is based on my appearance."
00:15:26.794 --> 00:15:30.030
Well, that's a lie. that's a lie.
00:15:30.030 --> 00:15:32.099
But it's a very common misconception.
00:15:32.099 --> 00:15:35.135
So that untruth leads to a false narrative.
00:15:35.135 --> 00:15:37.971
And that is the purpose of life is to look good, you know, to
00:15:37.971 --> 00:15:41.608
Impress people by the way i--my appearance by what i wear, by my
00:15:41.608 --> 00:15:46.914
Hair, by my clothing, by what i drive.
00:15:46.914 --> 00:15:49.850
That then leads to a variety of overreactions, right?
00:15:49.850 --> 00:15:54.088
Maybe i go into debt, buying things i don't need
00:15:54.088 --> 00:15:57.358
To impress people i don't know.
00:15:57.358 --> 00:15:58.692
Kirk: to improve the way i look so that i feel more valuable.
00:15:58.692 --> 00:16:01.228
Max: and it's an overreaction.
00:16:01.228 --> 00:16:03.364
So the young pastor max always preached to people's
00:16:03.364 --> 00:16:08.669
Overreactions, behavior.
00:16:08.669 --> 00:16:11.972
Now i think more seasoned pastor max says, "okay, this
00:16:11.972 --> 00:16:15.843
Overreaction that i see in this person's life is there because
00:16:15.843 --> 00:16:19.012
Of some misconception or maybe a lie that satan deposited
00:16:19.012 --> 00:16:23.817
In their mind."
00:16:23.817 --> 00:16:25.152
And so, if you're over here and you're dealing with an
00:16:25.152 --> 00:16:28.055
Overreaction, maybe you're always angry or irritable or
00:16:28.055 --> 00:16:31.425
Anxious or worried or guilty or full of shame, there's a reason
00:16:31.425 --> 00:16:36.797
For that.
00:16:36.797 --> 00:16:38.132
And learning to trace that upstream to the untruth and then
00:16:38.132 --> 00:16:41.935
Dealing with that lie, that's what jesus did in the wilderness
00:16:41.935 --> 00:16:45.773
Whenever satan tempted him.
00:16:45.773 --> 00:16:47.541
Three times he said, "it is written,
00:16:47.541 --> 00:16:49.543
It is written, it is written."
00:16:49.543 --> 00:16:51.445
And he was treating the lies of the devil
00:16:51.445 --> 00:16:53.781
With the truth of scripture.
00:16:53.781 --> 00:16:55.115
Kirk: boy, that is so good.
00:16:55.115 --> 00:16:56.450
And i love what you said there of, like, tracing that
00:16:56.450 --> 00:17:01.188
Overreaction upstream and finding out what the source of
00:17:01.188 --> 00:17:04.658
That is, and--it's probably based on an untruth
00:17:04.658 --> 00:17:09.363
That and you're believing.
00:17:09.363 --> 00:17:11.165
Tool number three is uproot and replant.
00:17:11.165 --> 00:17:14.935
Can you unpack that?
00:17:14.935 --> 00:17:16.303
Max: yeah, uproot and replant.
00:17:16.303 --> 00:17:18.005
When i was 12-years-old, my dad put me in charge of our lawn.
00:17:18.005 --> 00:17:21.642
I grew up in west texas, and in west texas--
00:17:21.642 --> 00:17:25.179
Kirk: do they have lawns in west texas?
00:17:25.179 --> 00:17:26.713
It's pretty dry.
00:17:26.713 --> 00:17:29.583
Max: that's a good question.
00:17:29.583 --> 00:17:31.118
Yeah, and it takes a lot of work to keep them irrigated.
00:17:31.118 --> 00:17:34.388
We have weeds in west texas called grass birds.
00:17:34.388 --> 00:17:38.425
And they're about 6 inches tall and there's a cluster of
00:17:38.425 --> 00:17:41.695
Stickers on the top of a 6 inch stalk.
00:17:41.695 --> 00:17:45.032
They're everywhere.
00:17:45.032 --> 00:17:46.366
Pity the poor kid who's playing baseball and lands in a patch of
00:17:46.366 --> 00:17:49.736
Grass birds.
00:17:49.736 --> 00:17:51.071
But we had this lawn--we bought a different house and it was
00:17:51.071 --> 00:17:54.241
Full of grass birds, and dad put me in charge of
00:17:54.241 --> 00:17:56.877
Cleaning the lawn up.
00:17:56.877 --> 00:17:58.212
So i took the lawn mower out and i cut them all down, only to
00:17:58.212 --> 00:18:01.315
Find a week later they were back.
00:18:01.315 --> 00:18:03.317
So my dad had to teach me how to get rid of weeds, and he did
00:18:03.317 --> 00:18:07.087
So uprooting.
00:18:07.087 --> 00:18:08.455
He taught me to uproot.
00:18:08.455 --> 00:18:09.790
And i can remember he had a garden spade and i had a garden
00:18:09.790 --> 00:18:12.993
Spade and we spent a saturday pulling 'em up.
00:18:12.993 --> 00:18:16.330
I think careful thought management requires this
00:18:16.330 --> 00:18:19.933
Serious uprooting.
00:18:19.933 --> 00:18:21.702
And if you ever want to have a better day tomorrow, you gotta
00:18:21.702 --> 00:18:24.037
Uproot those weedy destructive thoughts today.
00:18:24.037 --> 00:18:28.242
Now, that's not unique to the christian message because many
00:18:28.242 --> 00:18:33.013
Philosophers talk about clearing your mind, emptying
00:18:33.013 --> 00:18:36.316
Your thoughts.
00:18:36.316 --> 00:18:37.684
What is unique to the gospel story is that god has given
00:18:37.684 --> 00:18:41.488
Us truth.
00:18:41.488 --> 00:18:43.290
Truth, scriptures that we can--after we uproot, we
00:18:43.290 --> 00:18:46.793
Can replant.
00:18:46.793 --> 00:18:48.462
We can replant.
00:18:48.462 --> 00:18:49.830
It's not enough just to get the weeds out.
00:18:49.830 --> 00:18:52.065
You gotta put the truth in.
00:18:52.065 --> 00:18:53.767
And so i urge people, find out what your particular negative
00:18:53.767 --> 00:18:58.005
Thought spiral is and treat it with truth.
00:18:58.005 --> 00:19:00.974
Treat it with truth.
00:19:00.974 --> 00:19:02.342
If it's anxiety, then get a good dose of philippians 4, "be
00:19:02.342 --> 00:19:06.179
Anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
00:19:06.179 --> 00:19:08.081
Petition, let your request be made known to god."
00:19:08.081 --> 00:19:10.517
If it's shame, then get a little romans 8, verse 1.
00:19:10.517 --> 00:19:13.954
You know, "there's no condemnation for those
00:19:13.954 --> 00:19:15.422
Who are in christ jesus."
00:19:15.422 --> 00:19:16.924
But find a few verses that will speak to that particular
00:19:16.924 --> 00:19:21.261
Struggle that you have and treat it with truth.
00:19:21.261 --> 00:19:24.965
Kirk: i love that you're talking about not just uprooting the
00:19:24.965 --> 00:19:28.235
Wrong, but replanting with the right.
00:19:28.235 --> 00:19:30.370
And that is so important because if we leave--nature abhors a
00:19:30.370 --> 00:19:33.574
Vacuum and i think that everything dark and wicked and
00:19:33.574 --> 00:19:37.210
Evil will just love and be glad to fill our minds if we're not
00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:42.082
Purposefully pouring the truth of god into our hearts and into
00:19:42.082 --> 00:19:46.687
Our minds.
00:19:46.687 --> 00:19:48.021
Max: you know, when we give our hearts to christ, when we say
00:19:48.021 --> 00:19:50.824
Yes to him, he says yes to us.
00:19:50.824 --> 00:19:53.527
And he equips us with what ephesians 6 calls that armor,
00:19:53.527 --> 00:19:57.264
The full armor that we love to read and study about.
00:19:57.264 --> 00:20:00.601
Well, a part of that armor is the helmet of salvation.
00:20:00.601 --> 00:20:04.438
And that helmet covers our brain, right?
00:20:04.438 --> 00:20:06.940
And so he's saying i have claimed your brain.
00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:10.043
I have claimed your brain.
00:20:10.043 --> 00:20:11.445
I have claimed your mind.
00:20:11.445 --> 00:20:13.447
He made our brains and he can retrain our brains.
00:20:13.447 --> 00:20:16.550
So if a person finds himself day after day bogged down by
00:20:16.550 --> 00:20:20.520
Negative thoughts, feeling the frustration and fear that is a
00:20:20.520 --> 00:20:24.224
Result, then go to god and ask him for help and he will
00:20:24.224 --> 00:20:28.195
Help you.
00:20:28.195 --> 00:20:29.563
Nobody wants you to have happier thoughts more than god does.
00:20:29.563 --> 00:20:32.099
Kirk: i love that.
00:20:32.099 --> 00:20:34.001
Max, what are some of your go-to scriptures to help you overcome
00:20:34.001 --> 00:20:37.471
Negative thoughts?
00:20:37.471 --> 00:20:38.972
Max: well, i would be on that list of people who
00:20:38.972 --> 00:20:45.078
Battle anxiety.
00:20:45.078 --> 00:20:46.913
I feel like i do much better than i used to.
00:20:46.913 --> 00:20:50.417
Early in my ministry, i really struggled with insomnia because
00:20:50.417 --> 00:20:54.187
I felt like i needed to please everybody in the church.
00:20:54.187 --> 00:20:57.991
Nobody can please everybody in the church, not even god
00:20:57.991 --> 00:21:01.695
Pleases everybody.
00:21:01.695 --> 00:21:04.097
People get upset with god, so i wonder why would i think
00:21:04.097 --> 00:21:06.700
I could.
00:21:06.700 --> 00:21:08.068
And so i do much better and that's because i truly do
00:21:08.068 --> 00:21:13.106
Meditate on scriptures like philippians 4, "be anxious for
00:21:13.106 --> 00:21:18.445
Nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with
00:21:18.445 --> 00:21:21.481
Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to god."
00:21:21.481 --> 00:21:24.851
And on my good days, kirk, i can--if you could hear my
00:21:24.851 --> 00:21:28.021
Thoughts, you would hear me saying scriptures like that or
00:21:28.021 --> 00:21:30.991
Genesis 50:20, "what was intended for evil, god has used
00:21:30.991 --> 00:21:35.262
For good," and just turn that, recite that, repeat it over
00:21:35.262 --> 00:21:39.666
And over.
00:21:39.666 --> 00:21:41.034
Those scriptures truly do help me.
00:21:41.034 --> 00:21:43.770
And the reason is because they're living and
00:21:43.770 --> 00:21:45.105
Active, right?
00:21:45.105 --> 00:21:46.473
The word of god is living and active.
00:21:46.473 --> 00:21:48.041
We're not just memorizing words of a pastor or an author.
00:21:48.041 --> 00:21:50.977
We're memorizing the words of god, and they're living
00:21:50.977 --> 00:21:54.147
And active.
00:21:54.147 --> 00:21:55.482
That is to say they have a life of their own.
00:21:55.482 --> 00:21:57.250
They're alive inside us and they're busy working.
00:21:57.250 --> 00:22:01.121
So the more we can make god's word our home, the more the
00:22:01.121 --> 00:22:05.859
Peace of christ can have access to our thoughts.
00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:09.296
Kirk: boy, that's been my experience too.
00:22:09.296 --> 00:22:11.498
There is nothing more powerful to tackle an overreaction that
00:22:11.498 --> 00:22:17.671
I'm experiencing than to use scripture to go back and correct
00:22:17.671 --> 00:22:22.075
An underlying belief that i've had, that i may not even known
00:22:22.075 --> 00:22:25.278
That i believed for a long time.
00:22:25.278 --> 00:22:28.615
But once that changes, like dominos, the narrative changes
00:22:28.615 --> 00:22:32.786
And then my reaction changes and then i find peace.
00:22:32.786 --> 00:22:35.689
I wanna drill down deeper into all of
00:22:35.689 --> 00:22:37.557
These principles and more.
00:22:37.557 --> 00:22:38.892
After the break, we're gonna look at some common thought ruts
00:22:38.892 --> 00:22:41.928
Like anxiety, lust, and guilt, and ways to break free from
00:22:41.928 --> 00:22:46.199
These destructive thought patterns.
00:22:46.199 --> 00:22:48.001
Stay with us.
00:22:48.001 --> 00:22:49.536
Kirk: i'm so excited to tell you about a new movie being released
00:22:52.672 --> 00:22:55.742
In theaters on september 5 called,
00:22:55.742 --> 00:22:58.812
"light of the world."
00:22:58.812 --> 00:23:00.147
This beautifully animated film powerfully illustrates how jesus
00:23:00.147 --> 00:23:03.984
Of nazareth changed the world and he's still changing
00:23:03.984 --> 00:23:07.254
Lives today.
00:23:07.254 --> 00:23:08.622
And with us now, i want to welcome one of the directors of
00:23:08.622 --> 00:23:11.258
That movie, tom bancroft.
00:23:11.258 --> 00:23:13.193
Tom, thanks for coming on "takeaways."
00:23:13.193 --> 00:23:14.528
Tom bancroft: yeah, i'm happy to be here.
00:23:14.528 --> 00:23:15.896
Kirk: so tell us all a little bit about "light of the world."
00:23:15.896 --> 00:23:19.099
Tom: well, it's a 2d animated film.
00:23:19.099 --> 00:23:21.134
And i say 2d because that's a big deal.
00:23:21.134 --> 00:23:23.403
We see a lot of computer animated films nowadays.
00:23:23.403 --> 00:23:26.673
This was financed by somebody that said, we wanna make it 2d
00:23:26.673 --> 00:23:29.576
'cause that's classic.
00:23:29.576 --> 00:23:30.944
That's how we got to remember the disney films of the '90s,
00:23:30.944 --> 00:23:33.847
Which were films that i worked on, actually.
00:23:33.847 --> 00:23:35.682
I worked on "lion king," "aladdin," "pocahontas,"
00:23:35.682 --> 00:23:37.951
"mulan," "tarzan."
00:23:37.951 --> 00:23:39.586
So, but we're telling this story, "light of the world"
00:23:39.586 --> 00:23:43.023
Through the eyes of young john the apostle.
00:23:43.023 --> 00:23:45.926
And so rather than tell the story through the eyes of jesus,
00:23:45.926 --> 00:23:49.296
But jesus doesn't have your traditional story arc that
00:23:49.296 --> 00:23:51.932
You're looking for in entertainment.
00:23:51.932 --> 00:23:53.633
He knew exactly what he wanted to do and he
00:23:53.633 --> 00:23:55.468
Never wavered from it.
00:23:55.468 --> 00:23:56.803
Well, that makes him a messiah, it makes him a savior.
00:23:56.803 --> 00:24:00.907
It doesn't make him great to be the focal point of a movie.
00:24:00.907 --> 00:24:04.978
So traditionally writing a script, you wanna have an arc
00:24:04.978 --> 00:24:08.181
And the characters questioning themselves and not knowing, and
00:24:08.181 --> 00:24:11.318
So that was what was great is all the apostles represented
00:24:11.318 --> 00:24:14.821
That, and we picked the youngest one, john, and we made him about
00:24:14.821 --> 00:24:18.558
13, 14 years old, and that therefore, kids can watch this
00:24:18.558 --> 00:24:22.095
All over the world and say, "i'm just like john."
00:24:22.095 --> 00:24:24.598
Kirk: wow, what an exciting opportunity to be faithful to
00:24:24.598 --> 00:24:27.767
The story of the most powerful man who ever lived.
00:24:27.767 --> 00:24:32.372
He split time in two, and yet be creative in the way that you
00:24:32.372 --> 00:24:36.243
Tell the story from one of the supporting
00:24:36.243 --> 00:24:38.011
Characters' points of view.
00:24:38.011 --> 00:24:39.913
So as a director in this, was there a moment that stands out
00:24:39.913 --> 00:24:44.150
To you as a game changer in the film?
00:24:44.150 --> 00:24:47.220
Tom: there was a moment in the film, if somebody's asked me,
00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:49.789
Like, what's your favorite--one of your favorite scenes, it's so
00:24:49.789 --> 00:24:52.659
Hard 'cause, like, we have peter walking on water and it's a huge
00:24:52.659 --> 00:24:56.730
Magical effects moment that looks amazing and we're really
00:24:56.730 --> 00:25:00.100
Happy and proud of it.
00:25:00.100 --> 00:25:01.434
But there's a really tender moment where we have young john
00:25:01.434 --> 00:25:05.038
At the wedding and he's just met jesus for the first time and
00:25:05.038 --> 00:25:08.875
He's seen the miracle of, you know, turning water into wine by
00:25:08.875 --> 00:25:14.381
Jesus and he goes, he sees mary across the way and he goes to
00:25:14.381 --> 00:25:18.618
Her and he says, you know, just like we all would, "is he
00:25:18.618 --> 00:25:22.022
Really--you know, you're supposed to be his mom, but is
00:25:22.022 --> 00:25:24.324
He also the son of god?"
00:25:24.324 --> 00:25:25.692
Like he doesn't get it.
00:25:25.692 --> 00:25:27.060
And she's just like pats, come sit down, and she tells him the
00:25:27.060 --> 00:25:30.897
Story of when he was born.
00:25:30.897 --> 00:25:32.699
And so we get a little piece of that story.
00:25:32.699 --> 00:25:35.302
And it's a tender moment of her representing, you know, his mom
00:25:35.302 --> 00:25:38.872
In a way too, but obviously jesus's mom, his human mother,
00:25:38.872 --> 00:25:44.678
Telling the story of jesus as a baby.
00:25:44.678 --> 00:25:46.980
And she knew what was gonna happen to him and that he was
00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:49.883
The one.
00:25:49.883 --> 00:25:51.451
And we can hear it from mary's point of view.
00:25:51.451 --> 00:25:53.353
And it's such a nice sensitive moment between the two of them.
00:25:53.353 --> 00:25:56.890
That's the kind of stuff that i live for in an animated film.
00:25:56.890 --> 00:26:01.628
Kirk: because i know that you worked on these films that i
00:26:01.628 --> 00:26:05.532
Remember as a kid, "the lion king," and "mulan"--
00:26:05.532 --> 00:26:07.934
Tom: wait a second, you were a kid too?
00:26:07.934 --> 00:26:10.670
Kirk: and not only that, but "veggietales" and
00:26:10.670 --> 00:26:14.374
Other classics.
00:26:14.374 --> 00:26:16.710
And this 2d animation is just--it's so much of
00:26:16.710 --> 00:26:21.214
Our childhood.
00:26:21.214 --> 00:26:22.549
I can't wait to see "light of the world."
00:26:22.549 --> 00:26:23.984
What message or feeling do you hope people walk away with after
00:26:23.984 --> 00:26:28.221
Watching this movie?
00:26:28.221 --> 00:26:30.090
Tom: wow! you know, you're right.
00:26:30.090 --> 00:26:32.425
I worked on "lion king" and "aladdin," pocahontas," all
00:26:32.425 --> 00:26:34.894
Those movies in the '90s at disney, and it was all about,
00:26:34.894 --> 00:26:39.399
You know, are we telling an entertaining, fun story?
00:26:39.399 --> 00:26:42.936
This was the first time i got invited in to make a movie that
00:26:42.936 --> 00:26:46.873
Was all of those things, but also had this deep meaning.
00:26:46.873 --> 00:26:51.144
I got a little glimpse of that at "veggietales," but it was
00:26:51.144 --> 00:26:53.546
Really kind of fun and kind of nutty all the time and just the
00:26:53.546 --> 00:26:57.684
Songs are so important to that.
00:26:57.684 --> 00:26:59.586
This was a story we're telling it, now we're telling about real
00:26:59.586 --> 00:27:02.355
People and real situations.
00:27:02.355 --> 00:27:04.024
So there's a little bit of that pocahontas element, right, of
00:27:04.024 --> 00:27:06.760
Having to stay true to that, and of course we don't want to
00:27:06.760 --> 00:27:08.862
Change the bible.
00:27:08.862 --> 00:27:10.964
So there was all that weight, but then also adding some of
00:27:10.964 --> 00:27:13.933
That fun to it, it's never really been done before.
00:27:13.933 --> 00:27:17.303
And that's what gets me excited about "light of the world."
00:27:17.303 --> 00:27:20.673
I think that kids are gonna watch it and go, wow.
00:27:20.673 --> 00:27:23.576
I'm entertained by it too.
00:27:23.576 --> 00:27:24.944
I'm learning so much.
00:27:24.944 --> 00:27:26.279
I'm meeting my savior maybe for the first time and seeing that
00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:30.283
He could be a friend of mine.
00:27:30.283 --> 00:27:32.052
Kirk: if people wanna get behind this movement of telling the
00:27:32.052 --> 00:27:34.988
Story of jesus, who changed the world and is changing lives
00:27:34.988 --> 00:27:39.492
Today, where can they find out more about it?
00:27:39.492 --> 00:27:41.995
Tom: salvation poem foundation made this film, and so if they
00:27:41.995 --> 00:27:45.031
Go to lightoftheworld.com, they'll know
00:27:45.031 --> 00:27:47.400
More about this film.
00:27:47.400 --> 00:27:48.902
There's a lot of ancillary things that they're making,
00:27:48.902 --> 00:27:51.304
Products like books and devotionals and things like that
00:27:51.304 --> 00:27:54.174
That are just beautiful.
00:27:54.174 --> 00:27:55.909
So there's some really quality work that they're putting out.
00:27:55.909 --> 00:27:58.711
Some of it is for free and some of it's through tyndale
00:27:58.711 --> 00:28:01.347
Publishing and things like that.
00:28:01.347 --> 00:28:03.016
But going to see the movie, honestly, september 5 is when
00:28:03.016 --> 00:28:06.986
It comes out, that is the thing-- i'm looking right at
00:28:06.986 --> 00:28:10.023
This camera and saying please go see it.
00:28:10.023 --> 00:28:12.559
Honestly, that's the way that you help people like me.
00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:15.361
That's how you help people like you.
00:28:15.361 --> 00:28:17.664
Is go see that entertainment that's been created for you and
00:28:17.664 --> 00:28:21.501
To help you teach your kids about jesus.
00:28:21.501 --> 00:28:24.037
This one--that was our 100% our goal.
00:28:24.037 --> 00:28:26.706
And we also hopefully did it in a really fun way.
00:28:26.706 --> 00:28:29.676
Kirk: yeah, thank you so much. this is so important.
00:28:29.676 --> 00:28:32.378
I'm so grateful to be able to share the message about this and
00:28:32.378 --> 00:28:34.581
That you came on "takeaways" and it really is true.
00:28:34.581 --> 00:28:38.184
You know, the eyes are the window to the soul, the
00:28:38.184 --> 00:28:42.188
Scriptures say.
00:28:42.188 --> 00:28:43.523
And, you know, hollywood is-- they want your eyeballs.
00:28:43.523 --> 00:28:48.394
They want you to watch and they're watching what you watch.
00:28:48.394 --> 00:28:52.532
And if they see you going to see "light of the world" and
00:28:52.532 --> 00:28:55.435
Projects that support these types of values, they will say,
00:28:55.435 --> 00:28:58.838
"we will make more of these things."
00:28:58.838 --> 00:29:00.740
So if you wanna learn more about this movie, please visit their
00:29:00.740 --> 00:29:04.244
Website lightoftheworld.com, and we'll be right back with
00:29:04.244 --> 00:29:07.413
More "takeaways."
00:29:07.413 --> 00:29:10.683
♪♪♪
00:29:11.386 --> 00:29:15.090
Kirk: what can we do when we're overwhelmed with ants, a-n-t's,
00:29:18.860 --> 00:29:23.532
That is anxious negative thinking.
00:29:23.532 --> 00:29:26.201
Well, we're gonna look at some solutions with our special
00:29:26.201 --> 00:29:28.803
Guest, max lucado.
00:29:28.803 --> 00:29:30.739
So, max, when we're dealing with anxiety, anxious thoughts, what
00:29:30.739 --> 00:29:35.777
Do you suggest is the best way for us to battle them?
00:29:35.777 --> 00:29:39.281
Do we just sort of like, forget about them or do we look them in
00:29:39.281 --> 00:29:43.018
The face and go after them head on?
00:29:43.018 --> 00:29:45.987
Max: such an important and relevant question, kirk, because
00:29:45.987 --> 00:29:48.957
I think this is, for most people, the area they have the
00:29:48.957 --> 00:29:53.562
Most challenges, and that is anxiety.
00:29:53.562 --> 00:29:56.831
So, i think important, it's important that we acknowledge,
00:29:56.831 --> 00:30:00.368
Number one, that anxiety serves a purpose.
00:30:00.368 --> 00:30:04.673
It alerts us to potential danger.
00:30:04.673 --> 00:30:07.309
Now, over anxiety and fear can overlap a bit in terminology.
00:30:07.309 --> 00:30:11.980
So i don't want maybe just messing with semantics here, but
00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:16.051
I think there is a part of anxiety that's helpful.
00:30:16.051 --> 00:30:19.154
I need to be anxious in a healthy way to get my
00:30:19.154 --> 00:30:22.223
Assignments done.
00:30:22.223 --> 00:30:23.658
I need to be anxious in a way not to put my foot in a
00:30:23.658 --> 00:30:26.428
Snake pit, you know.
00:30:26.428 --> 00:30:27.762
There's an important role that anxiety plays, but anxiety is a
00:30:27.762 --> 00:30:33.635
Bit like a house alarm.
00:30:33.635 --> 00:30:35.804
It's supposed to trigger an alarm to either complete the
00:30:35.804 --> 00:30:40.041
Assignment or stay out of the snake pit, but then it's
00:30:40.041 --> 00:30:42.377
Supposed to shut off.
00:30:42.377 --> 00:30:44.346
Anxiety, unhealthy forms of anxiety come at us when that
00:30:44.346 --> 00:30:48.750
Alarm just never stops, never stops, never stops, and it
00:30:48.750 --> 00:30:52.187
Creates a whole new way of thinking,
00:30:52.187 --> 00:30:55.390
And it creates a habit.
00:30:55.390 --> 00:30:56.725
And again, that's what thinking is.
00:30:56.725 --> 00:30:59.294
It's a habit, it's a mental habit.
00:30:59.294 --> 00:31:03.164
Our brains are not blocks of concrete, they're malleable.
00:31:03.164 --> 00:31:08.003
Neuroplasticity is the fancy word that says that our brains
00:31:08.003 --> 00:31:11.406
Are always being shaped and reshaped.
00:31:11.406 --> 00:31:14.042
So as i learned to deal with these negative thought patterns,
00:31:14.042 --> 00:31:18.279
My brain literally is shaped.
00:31:18.279 --> 00:31:20.115
God is remaking.
00:31:20.115 --> 00:31:21.716
Remember romans 12:2, "don't be conformed to the world, but be
00:31:21.716 --> 00:31:25.654
Transformed by the renewal of your mind."
00:31:25.654 --> 00:31:28.156
So god changes our mind.
00:31:28.156 --> 00:31:29.958
So anxiety, first we acknowledge, let
00:31:29.958 --> 00:31:32.994
Anxiety do its work.
00:31:32.994 --> 00:31:34.329
Let it keep me on schedule.
00:31:34.329 --> 00:31:35.997
Keep me out of the snake pit, but then if it just
00:31:35.997 --> 00:31:38.967
Lingers, that's when we take that thought captive, we march
00:31:38.967 --> 00:31:43.038
It into the presence of christ, and we say, "lord jesus, do you
00:31:43.038 --> 00:31:46.675
Want me to remain in the spirit of anxiety?"
00:31:46.675 --> 00:31:49.577
And of course we know the answer is no.
00:31:49.577 --> 00:31:51.946
And so jesus then gives me permission to give that thought
00:31:51.946 --> 00:31:55.250
The boot and i replace it.
00:31:55.250 --> 00:31:57.085
I uproot it and i replace it.
00:31:57.085 --> 00:31:59.220
"all things work together for good."
00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:02.023
Kirk: i love it. i love it.
00:32:02.023 --> 00:32:03.758
What are the abcs of joy?
00:32:03.758 --> 00:32:06.895
Max: well, first of all, joy is god's desire for all of us.
00:32:06.895 --> 00:32:11.232
Now, i'm not talking about some flitty, giddy, superficial
00:32:11.232 --> 00:32:15.236
Happiness, but a deep-rooted conviction that everything is
00:32:15.236 --> 00:32:18.606
Gonna be okay.
00:32:18.606 --> 00:32:19.941
That's what joy is.
00:32:19.941 --> 00:32:21.309
And the abc's of joy are, number one, always assess your
00:32:21.309 --> 00:32:24.179
Joy level.
00:32:24.179 --> 00:32:25.513
Has it been a while since you had joy in your life, a
00:32:25.513 --> 00:32:28.083
Confidence that the sky's gonna be blue, that everything's gonna
00:32:28.083 --> 00:32:31.419
Work out, assess that.
00:32:31.419 --> 00:32:33.488
And then number two, believe that joy is possible.
00:32:33.488 --> 00:32:35.990
It's within the reach of every single person.
00:32:35.990 --> 00:32:39.894
Jesus said, "i have given you this so that your joy may
00:32:39.894 --> 00:32:42.831
Be full."
00:32:42.831 --> 00:32:44.199
He wants to give us his joy.
00:32:44.199 --> 00:32:45.900
And then call out to the father.
00:32:45.900 --> 00:32:47.936
Call out to him constantly and say, "lord, grant me that joy,
00:32:47.936 --> 00:32:51.039
That deep-rooted conviction that everything is gonna be okay"
00:32:51.039 --> 00:32:55.009
Because that's god's desire for us.
00:32:55.009 --> 00:32:57.145
Kirk: assess, believe, and call out to the lord.
00:32:57.145 --> 00:33:01.916
Let's talk for a minute about overwhelming thoughts, where you
00:33:01.916 --> 00:33:06.321
Feel like it's the deluge has just been dumped on your life
00:33:06.321 --> 00:33:12.160
And you have these catastrophizing thoughts.
00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:16.431
Have you ever felt like you've catastrophized things in your
00:33:16.431 --> 00:33:20.568
Mind, and how were you delivered from it?
00:33:20.568 --> 00:33:22.537
Max: i love the story of david and goliath for that reason.
00:33:22.537 --> 00:33:25.540
You know, that story is so helpful.
00:33:25.540 --> 00:33:27.809
Because david, he only acknowledges goliath in passing.
00:33:27.809 --> 00:33:36.017
But all of his thoughts, nine thoughts about god, two thoughts
00:33:36.017 --> 00:33:40.188
About goliath.
00:33:40.188 --> 00:33:41.589
Nine times he makes reference to god.
00:33:41.589 --> 00:33:44.125
He refers to the armies of the living god, the god of israel.
00:33:44.125 --> 00:33:48.096
God will be victorious.
00:33:48.096 --> 00:33:49.464
He's talking and thinking.
00:33:49.464 --> 00:33:51.266
His vocabulary suggests a brain that is obsessed with god.
00:33:51.266 --> 00:33:55.770
And when he does mention goliath, the two times, he calls
00:33:55.770 --> 00:33:58.973
Him an uncircumcised philistine.
00:33:58.973 --> 00:34:02.410
Not very politically correct, right?
00:34:02.410 --> 00:34:05.079
And so look how he's facing his giant.
00:34:05.079 --> 00:34:07.549
He's allowing his god--his mind to be drenched in thoughts
00:34:07.549 --> 00:34:11.986
Of god.
00:34:11.986 --> 00:34:13.321
Now, i wish i could say that when i face my large challenges,
00:34:13.321 --> 00:34:16.958
That i'll have two thoughts about the challenges and nine
00:34:16.958 --> 00:34:19.294
Thoughts about god.
00:34:19.294 --> 00:34:20.962
It quite honestly could be the opposite.
00:34:20.962 --> 00:34:23.631
But what we can do when we're facing whatever overwhelming
00:34:23.631 --> 00:34:26.634
Challenge it is, might be a person going through a divorce,
00:34:26.634 --> 00:34:30.471
Might be a person going through a challenge with a child.
00:34:30.471 --> 00:34:34.676
It could be your own personal sickness, pursue god.
00:34:34.676 --> 00:34:40.348
Pursue him.
00:34:40.348 --> 00:34:42.684
Keep worship music on.
00:34:42.684 --> 00:34:44.619
Keep scriptures playing.
00:34:44.619 --> 00:34:46.387
Read books about god.
00:34:46.387 --> 00:34:47.755
Watch christian television.
00:34:47.755 --> 00:34:49.757
Allow your brain to be baptized in the awareness and the
00:34:49.757 --> 00:34:53.494
Nearness of god, and that allows your thoughts to be focused more
00:34:53.494 --> 00:34:58.099
On god and less on the goliath.
00:34:58.099 --> 00:35:00.235
Kirk: i like that. i like that.
00:35:00.235 --> 00:35:02.537
Wow, mental health is so important for every aspect of
00:35:02.537 --> 00:35:04.873
Us, our emotional, our physical health.
00:35:04.873 --> 00:35:07.508
All seems to stem from that mental piece upstairs.
00:35:07.508 --> 00:35:14.782
You wrote a chapter also on the topic of lust, talking about
00:35:14.782 --> 00:35:17.652
That as an unhealthy thought pattern.
00:35:17.652 --> 00:35:20.355
Why did you choose lust?
00:35:20.355 --> 00:35:21.689
Max: that's a great question. thank you, kirk.
00:35:21.689 --> 00:35:23.825
Well, i think pornography is the pandemic right now of our day,
00:35:23.825 --> 00:35:28.363
And never in the history of the world has it been easier for a
00:35:28.363 --> 00:35:34.869
Person to look twice where they never have any business
00:35:34.869 --> 00:35:38.406
Looking once.
00:35:38.406 --> 00:35:39.741
And the pornography that our young men and girls, but mainly
00:35:39.741 --> 00:35:44.545
Young men, are seeing is this misogynistic--
00:35:44.545 --> 00:35:52.220
Kirk: self-serving, wicked evil.
00:35:52.220 --> 00:35:54.689
Max: it turns, again, i'm looking at it
00:35:54.689 --> 00:35:58.593
From a male perspective.
00:35:58.593 --> 00:35:59.961
There are females who are battling pornography, but
00:35:59.961 --> 00:36:03.698
Overarching, overwhelmingly it's men.
00:36:03.698 --> 00:36:07.702
And it's causing young men to see women as nothing more than
00:36:07.702 --> 00:36:11.606
Objects who are created to gratify their sexual desires.
00:36:11.606 --> 00:36:16.311
And i'm really concerned, really concerned about what it's gonna
00:36:16.311 --> 00:36:19.981
Do to a generation of young men.
00:36:19.981 --> 00:36:23.551
Kirk, i'm 70.
00:36:23.551 --> 00:36:25.887
In order for me at the age of 15 or 16 to look at pornography, i
00:36:25.887 --> 00:36:30.925
Don't know what i--i mean, i guess go to the drugstore and
00:36:30.925 --> 00:36:34.429
Find one of those magazines on the top shelf, a playboy that's
00:36:34.429 --> 00:36:37.632
Already wrapped in brown--
00:36:37.632 --> 00:36:39.000
I mean, i couldn't, you know, i would have gotten caught.
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:41.469
But compare that to a young guy today who's 15 or 16 and has an
00:36:41.469 --> 00:36:45.974
Unfiltered phone or unfiltered computer, they're three
00:36:45.974 --> 00:36:49.510
Clicks away.
00:36:49.510 --> 00:36:50.912
And so it's really gonna be a challenge.
00:36:50.912 --> 00:36:53.548
And so i felt it appropriate, as long as we're talking about
00:36:53.548 --> 00:36:56.417
Thought management, to focus an entire chapter on
00:36:56.417 --> 00:36:59.620
The topic of lust.
00:36:59.620 --> 00:37:00.955
Kirk: and then lust leads to guilt and guilt leads to shame,
00:37:00.955 --> 00:37:07.562
And you deal with these unhealthy
00:37:07.562 --> 00:37:09.263
Thought patterns as well.
00:37:09.263 --> 00:37:10.598
And what's so--you know, sometimes these thoughts, they
00:37:10.598 --> 00:37:14.335
Come to us sort of unwelcomed and they come maybe not because
00:37:14.335 --> 00:37:18.139
Of things that we've done.
00:37:18.139 --> 00:37:19.474
Maybe there's things been done to us in the past or we're just
00:37:19.474 --> 00:37:22.643
Worried because we're not trusting god, but then some of
00:37:22.643 --> 00:37:24.645
Them come because of things, wicked things that we know we're
00:37:24.645 --> 00:37:28.316
Responsible for, and that makes us feel guilty.
00:37:28.316 --> 00:37:31.085
And then that undermines our sense of our own worth, you
00:37:31.085 --> 00:37:35.289
Know, like you said earlier, it's not just
00:37:35.289 --> 00:37:38.126
That i did bad, i am bad.
00:37:38.126 --> 00:37:39.460
Max: i am bad, and that shame can suck us under,
00:37:39.460 --> 00:37:42.930
But god has a plan for that.
00:37:42.930 --> 00:37:45.099
"if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our
00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:48.669
Sins," right out of 1 john.
00:37:48.669 --> 00:37:50.671
What a powerful passage that is for somebody who's
00:37:50.671 --> 00:37:52.874
Battling guilt.
00:37:52.874 --> 00:37:54.242
Maybe somebody's listening right now they think god could never
00:37:54.242 --> 00:37:56.711
Forgive what i have done.
00:37:56.711 --> 00:37:58.546
And my word to you is yes, if we confess our sins.
00:37:58.546 --> 00:38:02.650
So we agree with god that we're a sinner.
00:38:02.650 --> 00:38:05.086
We just agree.
00:38:05.086 --> 00:38:06.454
No more--confession is that greek word "homologeo" which
00:38:06.454 --> 00:38:10.458
Means to say the same.
00:38:10.458 --> 00:38:12.393
We say the same that god says.
00:38:12.393 --> 00:38:15.063
We don't say, "oh, if it wasn't, you know, it's his fault or her
00:38:15.063 --> 00:38:18.232
Fault or it was a bad day."
00:38:18.232 --> 00:38:20.101
We say, "no, you know what?
00:38:20.101 --> 00:38:21.469
I'm a sinner.
00:38:21.469 --> 00:38:22.804
I'm a sinner, and i need forgiveness, but god loves me."
00:38:22.804 --> 00:38:26.908
So i confess that sin.
00:38:26.908 --> 00:38:29.010
Now, confession, we articulate exactly what we did.
00:38:29.010 --> 00:38:33.247
"lord, i looked twice where i shouldn't have looked once, or
00:38:33.247 --> 00:38:35.950
I dabbled in some activity with my buddies, and i had
00:38:35.950 --> 00:38:41.589
Told you i would quit."
00:38:41.589 --> 00:38:42.924
We get specific.
00:38:42.924 --> 00:38:44.258
"lord, i lost my temper this morning with my kids and i'm
00:38:44.258 --> 00:38:47.929
Very, very sorry about it, lord.
00:38:47.929 --> 00:38:49.630
I'm very sorry."
00:38:49.630 --> 00:38:50.998
We agree with him.
00:38:50.998 --> 00:38:53.000
And sometimes we need to confess to others.
00:38:53.000 --> 00:38:55.970
Sometimes, the book--epistle of james says "confess your sins to
00:38:55.970 --> 00:39:00.208
One another, so you may be healed."
00:39:00.208 --> 00:39:02.343
There's healing that happens when i confess either to a
00:39:02.343 --> 00:39:06.080
Mentor, to a pastor, or to a dear and trusted friend, or to
00:39:06.080 --> 00:39:11.085
Someone i've hurt.
00:39:11.085 --> 00:39:12.420
To my wife, to my kids, "i'm sorry i lost my cool."
00:39:12.420 --> 00:39:15.790
What we're doing there is we're disarming the devil, we're
00:39:15.790 --> 00:39:18.759
Disarming the devil so that when he brings it up tomorrow, i can
00:39:18.759 --> 00:39:22.864
Honestly say, "oh, i dealt with it.
00:39:22.864 --> 00:39:25.099
I gave that to god.
00:39:25.099 --> 00:39:26.434
I have confessed that."
00:39:26.434 --> 00:39:27.935
Now, you mentioned earlier in our conversation that, as
00:39:27.935 --> 00:39:31.606
Christians, we have tools that secular thinkers do not, and
00:39:31.606 --> 00:39:35.676
That's one of them.
00:39:35.676 --> 00:39:37.512
I believe the ability to confess sins to god and know those sins
00:39:37.512 --> 00:39:41.048
Are forgiven is a secret sauce in the world.
00:39:41.048 --> 00:39:44.619
So many people live weighed down with shame and guilt 'cause they
00:39:44.619 --> 00:39:47.922
Don't know where to go with their guilt.
00:39:47.922 --> 00:39:49.790
They try to cover it up, drink it away, pretend,
00:39:49.790 --> 00:39:52.426
Justify, rationalize.
00:39:52.426 --> 00:39:55.029
As christians, we don't have to do that.
00:39:55.029 --> 00:39:57.098
Say, "lord, i screwed up.
00:39:57.098 --> 00:39:58.533
I'm so sorry, but i trust you to forgive me."
00:39:58.533 --> 00:40:01.536
Kirk: i love that. boy, this is so good.
00:40:01.536 --> 00:40:03.371
We have so much more to talk about, max.
00:40:03.371 --> 00:40:05.573
And we're gonna be right back with max sharing more insights
00:40:05.573 --> 00:40:08.709
From his book, "tame your thoughts."
00:40:08.709 --> 00:40:10.411
So don't go away.
00:40:10.411 --> 00:40:11.746
♪♪♪
00:40:11.746 --> 00:40:15.883
♪♪♪
00:40:16.092 --> 00:40:20.130
Kirk: we're back with bestselling author and pastor
00:40:23.666 --> 00:40:25.969
Max lucado.
00:40:25.969 --> 00:40:27.570
Max, your wife, denalyn, she posed a profound question for
00:40:27.570 --> 00:40:33.410
You when you were struggling with a difficult situation.
00:40:33.410 --> 00:40:36.813
And she asked you, "hey, max, is god in this anywhere?"
00:40:36.813 --> 00:40:42.919
Is he part of this equation?
00:40:42.919 --> 00:40:44.654
You know, you're a pastor.
00:40:44.654 --> 00:40:46.356
Where is he?
00:40:46.356 --> 00:40:47.724
How did that shift your perspective?
00:40:47.724 --> 00:40:49.259
Max: well, she reminded me because i had just provided her
00:40:49.259 --> 00:40:52.595
A litany of all my woes, problems, issues that i was
00:40:52.595 --> 00:40:58.535
Trying to face, and she was--that's when she said, "now
00:40:58.535 --> 00:41:01.971
Is god in this anywhere," as if to say, "are you aware that god
00:41:01.971 --> 00:41:06.009
Is still on the throne?
00:41:06.009 --> 00:41:07.677
He's not abandoned us.
00:41:07.677 --> 00:41:09.012
He's not forgotten us."
00:41:09.012 --> 00:41:10.346
And i needed that little jolt because my thinking had become
00:41:10.346 --> 00:41:15.585
So focused on max solving the problems.
00:41:15.585 --> 00:41:19.923
Wasn't including god in the equation.
00:41:19.923 --> 00:41:22.025
Kirk: yeah, yeah, i have some kids who are wrestling with
00:41:22.025 --> 00:41:25.695
Things right now that are understandably difficult,
00:41:25.695 --> 00:41:28.965
Relational issues.
00:41:28.965 --> 00:41:30.834
And that's the question really that would help them more
00:41:30.834 --> 00:41:34.838
Than anything.
00:41:34.838 --> 00:41:36.172
It's not my advice, but is god in this anywhere because if they
00:41:36.172 --> 00:41:40.443
Would only remember that he's still on the throne and that
00:41:40.443 --> 00:41:43.246
These are all good things, even the painful things because they
00:41:43.246 --> 00:41:47.217
Develop character and faith and hope,
00:41:47.217 --> 00:41:49.486
And he's working it all out.
00:41:49.486 --> 00:41:50.820
One day we look in the rear view mirror and we say, "i never
00:41:50.820 --> 00:41:55.859
Would have written that into the story, but i'm so glad god did."
00:41:55.859 --> 00:42:00.129
Max: remember the story of jesus feeding the 5000 and how the
00:42:00.129 --> 00:42:03.700
Disciples, upon jesus saying to them, "you feed them," they went
00:42:03.700 --> 00:42:08.605
And they got the little basket that, you know, five loaves and
00:42:08.605 --> 00:42:11.407
The two fish.
00:42:11.407 --> 00:42:12.775
Anyway, they came and they said, "this is all we have."
00:42:12.775 --> 00:42:15.612
You can just see that they had, okay, we got one, two, three,
00:42:15.612 --> 00:42:19.182
Four, five, six, seven, five loaves.
00:42:19.182 --> 00:42:21.217
This is all we have.
00:42:21.217 --> 00:42:22.685
And what are these to feed all these people?
00:42:22.685 --> 00:42:25.622
And i remember reading a commentary once, frederick
00:42:25.622 --> 00:42:28.825
Bruner, and he wrote, "maybe they should have counted
00:42:28.825 --> 00:42:32.395
To eight."
00:42:32.395 --> 00:42:33.730
Instead of just counting the five loaves and the two fish,
00:42:33.730 --> 00:42:36.833
Maybe they should have said, well, we only have five loaves
00:42:36.833 --> 00:42:39.068
And two fish, but we have jesus, and he has walked on the water.
00:42:39.068 --> 00:42:44.774
You know, he has delivered people from demon possession.
00:42:44.774 --> 00:42:48.344
But they didn't even think about it.
00:42:48.344 --> 00:42:49.679
He was right there in front of them.
00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:51.414
They didn't even think about including jesus as a
00:42:51.414 --> 00:42:54.350
Potential solution.
00:42:54.350 --> 00:42:55.852
Kirk: you know, one of the things i find so valuable about
00:42:55.852 --> 00:42:58.955
Talking with you, max, is that you're not just a researcher who
00:42:58.955 --> 00:43:02.692
Can come to us with statistics and graphs and dry pieces of
00:43:02.692 --> 00:43:07.397
Data about anxiety and worry.
00:43:07.397 --> 00:43:09.566
You're a pastor.
00:43:09.566 --> 00:43:10.900
And you have that shepherd's heart and you love your flock.
00:43:10.900 --> 00:43:14.771
What could you say to encourage somebody who might be watching
00:43:14.771 --> 00:43:17.707
Right now who is just feeling overwhelming doubt, fear, and
00:43:17.707 --> 00:43:22.145
Anxiety about something in their life?
00:43:22.145 --> 00:43:23.880
Max: mmm.
00:43:23.880 --> 00:43:25.214
I believe that a person's life changes for the better,
00:43:25.214 --> 00:43:30.620
Beyond words for the better, when you simply believe that god
00:43:30.620 --> 00:43:35.124
Loves you.
00:43:35.124 --> 00:43:36.626
When you simply believe that god loves you.
00:43:36.626 --> 00:43:39.495
One of the most remarkable statistics that i came across in
00:43:39.495 --> 00:43:43.366
Studies of people who battled the hiv virus is that people who
00:43:43.366 --> 00:43:48.371
Say yes to the question, is there a god and is this god a
00:43:48.371 --> 00:43:52.875
God of love?
00:43:52.875 --> 00:43:54.243
That their odds of recovery are 300% greater than those who
00:43:54.243 --> 00:43:59.015
Answer that question in a negative way.
00:43:59.015 --> 00:44:01.618
There's just something about believing in not just the
00:44:01.618 --> 00:44:04.554
Existence of god, but the existence of a good god
00:44:04.554 --> 00:44:08.324
That can change you forever.
00:44:08.324 --> 00:44:10.126
So i would just say reach out to him, test it.
00:44:10.126 --> 00:44:14.297
You don't have to offer a fancy prayer, doesn't have to be an
00:44:14.297 --> 00:44:17.266
Eloquent prayer, but let it be a prayer and tell the lord what's
00:44:17.266 --> 00:44:21.237
On your heart.
00:44:21.237 --> 00:44:22.605
Tell him what's bothering you and trust in the fact that he
00:44:22.605 --> 00:44:25.475
Loves you and he will help you and allow your mind to be more
00:44:25.475 --> 00:44:29.579
And more about him and less and less about the problem and i
00:44:29.579 --> 00:44:33.216
Think you'll see that problem begin to come into perspective
00:44:33.216 --> 00:44:37.220
Underneath his ability to solve it.
00:44:37.220 --> 00:44:40.823
Kirk: wow!
00:44:40.823 --> 00:44:42.158
You just--that song is playing in my mind when you said that.
00:44:42.158 --> 00:44:44.360
"turn your eyes upon jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and
00:44:44.360 --> 00:44:48.464
The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of
00:44:48.464 --> 00:44:51.768
His wonder and grace."
00:44:51.768 --> 00:44:54.704
That's so true.
00:44:54.704 --> 00:44:56.039
Well, i just got choked up there just thinking of the simplicity
00:44:56.039 --> 00:44:58.341
Of believing that there is a god who loves me.
00:44:58.341 --> 00:45:01.711
I mean, isn't that what we all want at the end of the day?
00:45:01.711 --> 00:45:03.579
I wanna be valued and i wanna know i'm not alone.
00:45:03.579 --> 00:45:06.182
You give me that, i feel like life is worth living.
00:45:06.182 --> 00:45:08.685
You take that away from me,
00:45:08.685 --> 00:45:10.053
It doesn't matter how much money i have, how much fame i have, or
00:45:10.053 --> 00:45:13.623
Power i have, if i don't feel that i'm valuable and that
00:45:13.623 --> 00:45:17.860
Somebody wants to go through life with me, i'm just a wreck.
00:45:17.860 --> 00:45:22.699
Max: and kirk, i don't know how to help somebody apart from
00:45:22.699 --> 00:45:25.668
The gospel.
00:45:25.668 --> 00:45:27.003
I mean, we can help one another, but if you wanna really help
00:45:27.003 --> 00:45:30.606
Somebody, if you wanna really help somebody have a life that's
00:45:30.606 --> 00:45:34.043
Full of love and life and looking forward to the world
00:45:34.043 --> 00:45:37.013
That is to come, this is the christian worldview.
00:45:37.013 --> 00:45:40.049
Now, the christian worldview says, god is, god is love, god
00:45:40.049 --> 00:45:45.655
Is caring, and god is coming.
00:45:45.655 --> 00:45:49.092
God is, there's a god in charge.
00:45:49.092 --> 00:45:51.494
God is love. he knows me and cares about me.
00:45:51.494 --> 00:45:54.297
God is caring, he's watching over my life right now.
00:45:54.297 --> 00:45:57.867
He's as concerned as i am about me getting done what he's called
00:45:57.867 --> 00:46:01.504
On me to do, and he's coming.
00:46:01.504 --> 00:46:03.940
This life is brief and it can be difficult, but it doesn't
00:46:03.940 --> 00:46:07.243
Compare with the glory that far outweighs it all.
00:46:07.243 --> 00:46:10.346
Kirk: max, you have a chapter in your book called, "when you fear
00:46:10.346 --> 00:46:13.249
God's rejection."
00:46:13.249 --> 00:46:14.617
Tell us about this.
00:46:14.617 --> 00:46:16.119
Max: well, as this might be a chapter that would be unique to
00:46:16.119 --> 00:46:20.723
Me--that would be unique that a pastor would include that maybe
00:46:20.723 --> 00:46:25.194
A psychologist would not.
00:46:25.194 --> 00:46:27.363
But this is the importance of trusting that the one who saved
00:46:27.363 --> 00:46:30.800
You initially will sustain you eternally.
00:46:30.800 --> 00:46:34.070
I've had more conversations that i would like to have with people
00:46:34.070 --> 00:46:38.374
Who say, "well, i know i'm saved, but i think i'm
00:46:38.374 --> 00:46:41.244
Lost again.
00:46:41.244 --> 00:46:42.578
And then i'm saved."
00:46:42.578 --> 00:46:43.946
And they go through this mindset of, i call it yo-yo salvation,
00:46:43.946 --> 00:46:48.184
Where they're saved one day, lost the next.
00:46:48.184 --> 00:46:50.887
Saved one day, lost the next, all dependent upon
00:46:50.887 --> 00:46:53.623
Their performance.
00:46:53.623 --> 00:46:54.991
It's a performance mentality.
00:46:54.991 --> 00:46:57.260
And that can take its toll on a person.
00:46:57.260 --> 00:46:59.929
And so i dedicated the chapter to learning to think with
00:46:59.929 --> 00:47:05.468
Thoughts of grace and trusting that the grace of christ is
00:47:05.468 --> 00:47:09.305
Sufficient, not just to save us on our good days, but sustain us
00:47:09.305 --> 00:47:14.811
In our less than good days.
00:47:14.811 --> 00:47:17.280
Kirk: now max, i have no idea if this is truth or just a
00:47:17.280 --> 00:47:22.351
Salacious rumor, but word on the street is you got your first
00:47:22.351 --> 00:47:25.755
Tattoo right before easter.
00:47:25.755 --> 00:47:28.391
Is this true? and why did you decide?
00:47:28.391 --> 00:47:30.526
Max: i'm wearing a jacket or i'd roll up my sleeve and show it to
00:47:30.526 --> 00:47:33.462
You, but yeah, i mentioned that i came to faith at the age
00:47:33.462 --> 00:47:37.533
Of 20, i've also mentioned that i'm 70.
00:47:37.533 --> 00:47:40.369
And when i realized that this is the golden anniversary of my
00:47:40.369 --> 00:47:43.272
Faith this year, i wanted to commemorate it.
00:47:43.272 --> 00:47:46.676
And so, i think i was saved on march 12.
00:47:46.676 --> 00:47:50.446
I've read through a journal and i think that's when it
00:47:50.446 --> 00:47:53.482
Took place.
00:47:53.482 --> 00:47:54.817
So right about on march 12, i found a tattoo parlor in
00:47:54.817 --> 00:47:58.387
San antonio.
00:47:58.387 --> 00:47:59.755
And i went in and i had the greek word "tetelestai" tattooed
00:47:59.755 --> 00:48:03.893
Just right here on the inside of my right arm.
00:48:03.893 --> 00:48:07.496
And that is the greek word that jesus--that's translated "it is
00:48:07.496 --> 00:48:11.934
Finished" in the gospel of john.
00:48:11.934 --> 00:48:14.470
Before jesus gave up his spirit, the word "tetelestai"
00:48:14.470 --> 00:48:19.375
Was expressed.
00:48:19.375 --> 00:48:20.710
And "tetelestai" means it is finished, or also translated, it
00:48:20.710 --> 00:48:24.747
Is paid.
00:48:24.747 --> 00:48:26.115
It is paid.
00:48:26.115 --> 00:48:27.450
Nothing else needs to be done.
00:48:27.450 --> 00:48:28.818
It was really a commercial term.
00:48:28.818 --> 00:48:30.486
And that word is found in ancient greek documents that
00:48:30.486 --> 00:48:33.856
When somebody made a purchase, the word "tetelestai"
00:48:33.856 --> 00:48:36.826
Was written, it's completely paid.
00:48:36.826 --> 00:48:38.227
Kirk: like paid in full.
00:48:38.227 --> 00:48:39.562
Max: paid in full, absolutely.
00:48:39.562 --> 00:48:41.230
Nothing else needs to be done.
00:48:41.230 --> 00:48:42.665
So i celebrated my 50th anniversary by having
00:48:42.665 --> 00:48:45.935
"tetelestai" tattooed on the inside of my right arm.
00:48:45.935 --> 00:48:49.805
Kirk: well, i can just imagine your grandkids.
00:48:49.805 --> 00:48:51.440
"grandpa got a tattoo.
00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:52.808
Grandpa got a tattoo."
00:48:52.808 --> 00:48:55.011
Max: not everybody likes the idea of a 70-year-old pastor
00:48:55.011 --> 00:48:57.713
Getting a tattoo, but i don't really care.
00:48:57.713 --> 00:48:59.815
You know, it's my way of thanking the lord and it's a
00:48:59.815 --> 00:49:03.185
Great conversation starter.
00:49:03.185 --> 00:49:05.154
Kirk: max, in closing, what do you hope people will take away
00:49:05.154 --> 00:49:08.491
From your new book?
00:49:08.491 --> 00:49:09.992
Max: i believe that the promise of romans 12:2 is behind that
00:49:09.992 --> 00:49:14.363
Book, and that is don't be conformed to the world, but
00:49:14.363 --> 00:49:17.867
Be transformed.
00:49:17.867 --> 00:49:19.368
And how are we transformed?
00:49:19.368 --> 00:49:20.937
By the renewal of your mind.
00:49:20.937 --> 00:49:22.972
And god is the one who does the renewing.
00:49:22.972 --> 00:49:26.075
God is the one who does this.
00:49:26.075 --> 00:49:27.443
He made our brains.
00:49:27.443 --> 00:49:28.778
He will retrain our brains.
00:49:28.778 --> 00:49:30.246
So i'm so excited to tell people, "you're not gonna be the
00:49:30.246 --> 00:49:32.915
Same person you used to be.
00:49:32.915 --> 00:49:34.617
God is gonna help you think thoughts that will lead to a
00:49:34.617 --> 00:49:37.520
Better life."
00:49:37.520 --> 00:49:38.888
Kirk: i love it. thank you so much.
00:49:38.888 --> 00:49:40.523
God bless you.
00:49:40.523 --> 00:49:42.024
After the break, we'll review today's "takeaways."
00:49:42.024 --> 00:49:45.027
♪♪♪
00:49:45.027 --> 00:49:49.131
♪♪♪
00:49:49.382 --> 00:49:53.086
Kirk: i really enjoyed our time today with max lucado.
00:49:56.723 --> 00:49:59.259
His shepherd's heart is incredible and he gave us so
00:49:59.259 --> 00:50:02.195
Many helpful insights that we can put into practice today to
00:50:02.195 --> 00:50:05.732
Get out of our stinking thinking thought patterns of worry
00:50:05.732 --> 00:50:09.402
And anxiety.
00:50:09.402 --> 00:50:10.770
There's so many takeaways.
00:50:10.770 --> 00:50:12.172
Here's just a few.
00:50:12.172 --> 00:50:14.207
Practice picky thinking.
00:50:14.207 --> 00:50:16.176
Wasn't it fascinating to hear from max that, on average, four
00:50:16.176 --> 00:50:19.813
Out of the five thoughts we think are negative and critical?
00:50:19.813 --> 00:50:24.217
I loved his challenge.
00:50:24.217 --> 00:50:25.752
To be good stewards of what we allow into our minds.
00:50:25.752 --> 00:50:29.422
And of course, we then have to watch out for the ufos, the
00:50:29.422 --> 00:50:34.060
Untruths that lead to false narratives that often lead us
00:50:34.060 --> 00:50:38.965
To overreact.
00:50:38.965 --> 00:50:41.234
When we recognize these thought patterns, he says we should
00:50:41.234 --> 00:50:44.704
Then quickly uproot and replant.
00:50:44.704 --> 00:50:49.209
Max stressed the dual importance of both uprooting damaging
00:50:49.209 --> 00:50:53.513
Untrue thought patterns and replanting the truth of god's
00:50:53.513 --> 00:50:57.617
Word into our minds.
00:50:57.617 --> 00:50:59.686
Such a great word picture.
00:50:59.686 --> 00:51:02.155
The abcs of joy.
00:51:02.155 --> 00:51:04.958
Max defined joy as a deep rooted conviction that everything is
00:51:04.958 --> 00:51:09.729
Gonna be okay because that's god's desire for you.
00:51:09.729 --> 00:51:14.067
Do you remember the abc's that max mentioned?
00:51:14.067 --> 00:51:16.603
Here's a reminder.
00:51:16.603 --> 00:51:17.937
A, assess your joy level.
00:51:17.937 --> 00:51:20.540
When's the last time you experienced joy?
00:51:20.540 --> 00:51:23.576
B, believe that joy is possible, and c, call out to the father,
00:51:23.576 --> 00:51:30.150
Asking him to grant you this joy that he gives.
00:51:30.150 --> 00:51:34.254
Let's be a people who know our abc's when it comes to joy and
00:51:34.254 --> 00:51:38.391
Then quickly put them into practice when we need to.
00:51:38.391 --> 00:51:42.429
Ask, is god in this anywhere?
00:51:42.429 --> 00:51:45.598
Max shared that when his wife asked him this simple question,
00:51:45.598 --> 00:51:48.902
It interrupted his own, how do i fix this mentality and factored
00:51:48.902 --> 00:51:53.540
Our ruling and reigning god into the equation.
00:51:53.540 --> 00:51:57.544
In the difficulties of life that each of us will inevitably face,
00:51:57.544 --> 00:52:01.314
Let's remember to pause and ask, is god in this anywhere?
00:52:01.314 --> 00:52:06.286
And remember that the answer is always yes, he's still on the
00:52:06.286 --> 00:52:10.023
Throne despite what we're facing, and he's working all
00:52:10.023 --> 00:52:13.293
Things together for our good because we are his children,
00:52:13.293 --> 00:52:17.297
The family of faith.
00:52:17.297 --> 00:52:19.032
That's a good word for a worried soul.
00:52:19.032 --> 00:52:22.669
Well that's all for this episode of "takeaways."
00:52:22.669 --> 00:52:24.471
Thanks for watching.
00:52:24.471 --> 00:52:25.839
And if you've enjoyed the show, don't forget to set your dvr so
00:52:25.839 --> 00:52:29.242
You never miss an episode.
00:52:29.242 --> 00:52:30.977
And of course, you can always catch up on past episodes by
00:52:30.977 --> 00:52:34.047
Searching for "takeaways" on tbn+ or by visiting the kirk
00:52:34.047 --> 00:52:38.718
Cameron on tbn youtube channel.
00:52:38.718 --> 00:52:41.454
We hope to see you here next time for more
00:52:41.454 --> 00:52:43.757
Great conversations.
00:52:43.757 --> 00:52:45.091
♪♪♪
00:52:45.091 --> 00:52:48.795
♪♪♪
00:52:51.264 --> 00:52:51.264

Max Lucado: Conquering Negative Thoughts for Peace of Mind | Takeaways with Kirk Cameron

August 25, 2025 | S1 E147 | 54:47

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