2 TYPES OF GARBAGE (LIES) THAT CAN FILL OUR MINDS…

1. THE GARBAGE SOMEONE ELSE PUT IN OUR MINDS

• You’ll never amount to anything
• You’re not good enough
• You’re not smart enough
• You’re too short, too fat, too ugly, too skinny, too loud, too quiet, too old, not old enough, too weird, not weird enough
• You’ve made too many mistakes. 3 strikes you’re out and you’ve had 5, 6, or more!
• What you did disqualifies you from being able to do that, or from being that… 
• That failure was too big  
• That sin was too great
• You can’t recover from something like that! A mistake like that! Might as well go ahead and put on the old scarlet letter.
• I’m just a complete failure!

You know what all that is? A BUNCH OF GARBAGE THAT SATAN HAS BEEN FILLING YOU WITH AND IT’S TIME TO EMPTY THE TRASH, SEAL THE LID, AND GIVE SATAN A GOOD KICK IN THE TAIL AND REMIND HIM, AND YOU THAT HE HAS NO PLACE IN YOUR LIFE!

Romans 8:1-3a - 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. (My sin offering, your sin offering… Christ paid our debt 100%. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus! His grace is sufficient for you, for me, no matter who we are or what we’ve done!

Satan doesn’t want you to believe this though. And he is looking for every opportunity he can to remind you of your sin, your failures…to feed you lies about how bad you are, how unworthy you are. But remember, Satan has no power over you. And the key is to resist him, to not give in to his lies, and the scripture says that he will flee from you. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 - Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

 

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

2. THE GARBAGE YOU YOURSELF PUT INTO YOUR MIND

Ephesians 5:1-12 - Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them. 8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

HOW TO GET RID OF YOUR GARBAGE…

 

1. Claim who you are in Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2. Quit letting the devil have the victory.  

James 4:7-10 - Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. (Whatever it takes… 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

3. Let go of the garbage of the past and live in the grace of your future!

 

Philippians 3:12-18 - Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

 

4. Quit putting garbage in there!

 

Ephesians 4:17-24 - So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking (a lot of thoughts that lead to nothing). 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

 

5. Pray and Believe!

 

James 5:13-17 - Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.  

James 1:5-8 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.