25 - Why Your Thinking Shapes Your Life

How we think deeply influences how we experience our faith.

In this episode, Johan Toet begins a powerful teaching about the role of our mindset in the Christian life. The Bible reveals that before Christ, humanity was alienated from God not only through sin, but also through a way of thinking shaped by the world.

Through the Gospel, however, a new mindset becomes available. When Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God had come near, He invited people to repent — to reconsider, to think differently, and to believe the Good News.

This message explains how the finished work of Jesus opens the door to a completely new way of thinking rooted in grace, forgiveness, and love.

If you want to understand what it means to renew your mind and live from the truth of the Gospel, this episode will encourage and equip you.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Welcome to One Gospel, bringing you the full truth of God's Word. Clearly explained. Together with our host, Johann Tuit, we'll unpack scripture to understand what's written and grow as a disciple of Christ. Ready to take notes? Let's open the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Hi there and welcome to today's episode of One Gospel. I am your host, Johan Tut, and as always, I'm very excited to share the Word of God with you, and I also pray that you are excited to receive it. Amen. So today I'm gonna start a new teaching, and uh I'm really excited about it because it's an amazing teaching, and I really believe it can transform your life, the way that you think and the way that you look at things, you know, and um it really has been a blessing to me. And um I hope you brought you have your Bible with you, you know, that it's nearby. Please get it, because I'm gonna use a lot of Bible verses, and I want to show you, like reading together with you, show you, man. Look what it says here, look what it says there, you know. And I believe that you will receive things that you never heard of before, amen. And so, Father God, thank you so much for this teaching, and I pray it really will bless those who hear. Father, put those words on fire in their hearts and let them transform them, Father. In the name of Jesus, I give you all the praise, amen. Amen. And so I'm gonna give a title to this teaching, and the title is Thinking Thinking, because if there's something that has kept me busy, you know, uh for a long period of like months and months, you know, it was our thinking. Why? Because our thinking determines who we are. Let me say that again. Our thinking determines who we are. Now, don't get me wrong, I mean, God determines who I am, but if my thinking is not in line with what God says, then I don't experience, feel, or believe that. And even though then it's true, it still is not determining me. Man, that's deep stuff already. But how many times did you not hear, you know, like you need to renew your mind? And most of us believe that if you talk about renewing your mind, what they believe is that you have to put as much word that you can imagine, you know, and much word from the Bible to put it in your head, fill your head with the word, and then it will work out fine, you know, like really indoctrinate yourself with the word. But you know, I have discovered that there is way more to it than just put the word of God in your head. I mean, which a lot of people truly truly believe. And I hope I can teach you that, you know, we not only can renew our minds, but we also must renew our minds if we want to live in the fullness that God has for us. But I also want to show you what that renewing of your mind really looks like, you know, and that it's not just putting the word in it. So, first of all, I think it's good for us to look at how blinded we were in our minds concerning the things of God, concerning, you know, the kingdom. Before Jesus came into our lives, you know, we were alienated in our minds. Let's read in 1 Colossians, uh, 1 Colossians 1.21. 1 Colossians 1.21. 1 Colossians 1.21. It says this, and you who once, speaking about your past, your old life, you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works. You know, the Bible says we were alienated and enemies in our minds by the wicked works, yet now He has reconciled us in the body of His flesh. And so alienated means alien. And you know, I don't know if you um if you ever watch those um uh things, you know, like uh movies when you were a kid, when you were young, I don't know. I'm talking about people that have my age, you know, like ET and that kind of stuff, you know. For me, an alien is like something extraterrestrial, you know, it's not of this world, right? It's something strange, it's not it's not from this world. And um, so for me, aliens is something that is, you know, strange. And so, with other words, it is not the mindset, it is not the way of thinking of the kingdom of God. So if if my thoughts, if my mindset, if my thinking is alienated from the things of God, then it's it's strange to the kingdom of God. It is not of the kingdom of God, it's not it's not a kingdom mindset, it is a mindset of this world. So our thinking was alienated of the kingdom. Now it says in Psalm 115, verse 16, he says, The heavens, the heavens are the Lord's, but the earth he has given to the children of men. Now, when Satan came, that ugly toothless snake, old Sloughfoot, when he came, he was an alien, he was a stranger, he was not of this world. He wasn't, and then men started to listen to this alien. They started to listen to this stranger that was not of this world, and then they started to pay attention to his lies, and they came under the influence of this stranger, they came under his dominion because he started to speak to them things that were not of this world, things that were not the mindset of the kingdom. Because before Satan came, you know, men walked with God, you know, face to face, they had intimacy and relationship and all these kind of things, and so they they could do everything. They could, you know, they they they they already were like God and therefore, you know, fought like God, walked like God, act like God, because they were made after his likeness. But then the snake came and they started to listen to something strange, and when they started to pay attention to what they heard that was strange, you know, like look at the tree, desire it, you know. It's you know, God said this, but you know, I don't feel think God said that. And so there came a different thought in their minds, and they started to listen to it and they started to accept it, and they started to believe it instead of what God has said. So they they received alien thoughts, you know, that were against you know the thoughts of God and against the things of the kingdom. So they started to believe them, and when they started to believe them, their thinking started to change. Suddenly they became far off from God because man in his thinking became alienated, and so when they when their thinking became alienated, it caused distance between God and man because their thinking was not in line with the thinking of God, with the thinking of the kingdom, the mindset of the kingdom and the mindset of man were now um different, and that caused separation. And so, yes, sin caused separation. Don't get me wrong, but sin came because they started to think differently. Amen. It came because they started to change their mind concerning something that God had said into something that the enemy said, and when they changed their mind and they started to believe it and then started to act on it, then everything changed. And so that way of thinking caused separation between God and man, because if they wouldn't think like that, they wouldn't act on it, and if it wouldn't act on it, then there would never be a separation. Amen. And so a man that walked with God face to face had changed his mind and became alienated concerning the things of God, so it was no longer in line with the things of above. Let's go to Ephesians, uh, Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2, verse 1 and 3. It says, And you he made alive, you who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the cause of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, that were by nature children of wrath, just as the other ones, just as the others. And so, you know, when we walked according to the course of this world, the course means according to the mindset, the philosophy, the doctrine, the way they think in this world, which was now a fallen world. It is a fallen mindset, it's not the mindset of the kingdom of God, it's not the mindset of God, it's different thought life, it's a different way of thinking and reasoning, and it's a different doctrine. And so it's it's the cause of this world. The course of this world that is a fallen world, is according to the Prince of the Power of the Air, because that's Satan who came with an as an alien with different uh thoughts, with a different mindset. A lying mindset, but it was a different mindset, it was different from the things of God. And it's the spirit who now works in the sons of the disobedience. The spirit is people think about, you know, oh, you see, all those people, all these children of disobedience, they have a they have a spirit, they have a demon, you know, or something like that. No, that's not what it says. Spirit in this is mindset, it's thinking, it's your reasoning, it's your ideology, it's it's the way that the way of the world, and this spirit that is now working in them, in the children of disobedience, is the spirit that is from that is according to the will of the prince of the power of the air, that is causing the cause, the cause of this world, of this fallen world. It comes, it is influenced, you know, by Satan, by the God of this world with a little g. Amen. And so we also conducted ourselves in that time, you know, in ourselves, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and fulfilling the desires of the mind. You see, so here it says that you know we walked according to the way of this world that is now under the influence, under the dominion of the God of this world, with the children of the disobedience. It's a fallen world, and we are no longer of this world now. We are in, but not of. And so, you know, and that spirit, that that deceitful, lustful, desireful, prideful, lying and cheating spirit, mindset of Satan is now in the children of the disobedience. And we also were in that mindset, you know, when we were doing, when we were doing, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the desires of the mind. And by nature we were children of wrath, just as the others. And so, but then, you know, read on in verse 11, 13, it says, Therefore, remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh, you know, once in the fertility of your minds, who are called uncircumcisions by what is called circumcision, made in the flesh by hands, that at that time, that was before Christ, that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. And so we were aliens from the things of Israel, we were aliens from the things and the covenant of God, we were we were far off, we were strangers, because of the mindset, the fallen nature that we had, because of that sin nature that we had, because we were children of disobedience, just like the others, by nature children of wrath, just as the others. So in our hearts, we had a mindset, in our hearts, we had a spirit that was that was inspired by the God of this world. It was a futile, aimless mindset that has been taught and handed out to us by our fathers. Let's go to 1 Peter 1, you're really gonna love that. 1 Peter 1. James, I don't need you, James, not yet. 1 Peter 1, and then what it says here, 1 Peter 1 verse 18, uh 1 Peter 1, verse 18, it says, knowing now that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish or without spot. But listen what it says that we have been redeemed from our aimless conduct, that's that in the fertility of their minds, that is that mindset, that is that thinking, that Babylonical thinking, that that that mindset of this world to the reasoning of this world, you know, that we have been redeemed from this aimless conduct that we have received by the tradition of our fathers. And so the way we thought, the way we were reasoning, our mindset that was inspired by the God of this world, you know, has been handed out to us, you know, uh came to pass through a fallen nature, has been handed out to us by our fathers who had that same nature, same way of thinking, same mindset, same philosophy, same doctrine. You know, I don't know how I have to say the right words for you to to bring over what I'm trying to say, but you know, we had this mindset handed over to us, but already was in us because of sin nature, because by birth, you know, we are born egoistically in this world with a fallen nature, and we think and we are learned to think, you know, they encourage us to think, you know, like that. Me, me, me, me, myself, and I, I need, I want, I feel, I see, I think, I don't, I do, you know, and you just that egoistic, dark thinking that is not of God, has been handed out to us by our fathers who have encouraged us to walk like that, talk like that, act like that, and it all comes forth by that thinking, that mindset, that spirit that is now working in the children of this obedient and obedience that is influenced by the God of this world. Man, so it's a carnal, natural, alien mindset that has alienated us from the kingdom of God, and therefore there was no hope, and therefore we were without God in this world. But let's see what it says in Ephesians 4, verse 17. I said we're gonna do a lot of Bible verses because I want to explain this really good to you. Ephesians 4, verse 17. Here it says, This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, in this fallen nature mindset, the mindset of the kingdom of darkness. You know, uh having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God. They are alienated because of the way they think, in the fertility of their mind, in their darkened hearts, which they have no part in choosing for that. It's the way they have been taught, the way they have been born into this world. You are born as a sinner with a sin nature, and you have been taught according the course of this world. And so you were walking in your sins and your trespasses and all that kind of things. It's it's according to the will of the God of this world, the the power, you know, of the wickedness and and and in dark places, you know, it's it's that what is influenced to you, it's that what is you know that is that that people encouraged you, you know. So it's not like judgment or anything, but that's the way the way of the world. And so their understanding has been darkened and they are alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them. They have no clue, they don't know. And so, because of the blindness of their heart. Now, your heart is a very important part in thinking, and I'm gonna get to that, you know. But they were blind in their hearts, you know, and if you are blind, you cannot see, right? And so even Jesus says, if you're not born again, you cannot enter enter into the kingdom of God. If you if you're not born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Why? Because you are blind in your heart, and so that's what it says here. So the godless, they are blinded. The ones that have no, that don't have God and are far off, they are blinded, and they have a solution, carnal, aimless thinking, and with that they cannot enter into the kingdom of God and they cannot see the kingdom of God. They need to be born again. And so Nicodemus also says, but then how is that possible? Because Nicodemus also had this carnal, natural, sensor, sensory, fallen mindset, just like the rest of the world. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All of us have the same mindset, you know, that is inspired by the God of this world. That's the spirit that is that is in the children of disobedience. And so he he said, How? Because he thought carnal, he thought worldly, you know, he thought from his sensory man. He thought, like, like, man, can some child go back into his mother's womb to be born again? Again, you know, and so he didn't he couldn't grasp it because it's something spiritual, it's something from the kingdom, and he couldn't grasp it with his natural, carnal uh thinking. And so people who are not in Christ, but they are still in the world, they think on this useless, these aimless things of the world because, according to the word of God, their minds and their hearts are darkened. Man, that's this is a very, very powerful truth because you know it will show us very clearly what changes once we become children of God. Something changes radically, you know, and I will get to that. So we were bound by our way of thinking. Now, your thinking, you know, is your mindset is the core of who you truly are. It is the core of where your spirit and your soul come together in your heart, it determines everything, and that mindset that that you your faith system that you had before Christ was bound. And so John preached in Matthew 3 2, he says, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. And then Jesus he preaches exactly the same in Matthew 4 17. He says, Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand. Now, repentance in the Greek, in the new covenant, it is metanue in the Greek. And metanue means to reconsider, it means to change direction, it means to think differently. That's what it means in the new covenant, in the Greek, the word repent. So we are called by God to think differently. You see, this is what repent means. So there is there is a way of thinking that is not in line with the kingdom of God, that cannot please God, and then God calls us to think different. He says, Hey, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent, think different, change direction, reconsider. So we had the mindset of the God of this world and his carnal thinking, and we were carnal in our thinking, and so, but there also was no other kind of thinking than this futile way of thinking. There was no other way. This was the way of the world, this was the way that people think. This is the spirit that is now still working in the children of disobedience. This is the mindset, this is the this is the the philosophy, this is the doctrine and the way, the course of this world. Because it's a fallen world with all fallen people. That's why the Bible says that we are no longer of this world. We don't, we no longer have that mindset. We don't. We no longer have that mindset. Now, in the old covenant, you know, we can read it in Jeremiah. I'm just looking at my time in Jeremiah 2. Let me just see if I can go there quickly. In Jeremiah 25, verse 5, just to take an example because there's a lot more verses about that. But here it says, Repent now every one of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your father forever and ever. Repent now every one of his evil way and his evil doings. Now, Jesus says repent and believe the gospel, you know, because the kingdom of God has come. But here in the old covenant, they said repent. And that word repent now, you know, it means shoop. And shoop means turn back, set again, return to starting point. You see, there was no mindset of the kingdom available to them, so they couldn't adapt that kingdom mindset. They couldn't because it was not there yet. Jesus came and said, The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the gospel. You could adapt that kingdom mindset because the kingdom had come. But the kingdom didn't come near in the time of the old covenant. And so they couldn't adapt that kingdom mindset. The only thing that they could do was to go turning back to the starting point where they started. So they go back, they repent, they go back to the starting point, and they try to keep all those rules and regulations and keeping the law, you know, and all those ordinances, etc. etc. etc. And they're trying to do it, you know, but then when they fall to the left and they fall to the right, and so they had to go back with a lot of animals, cut them, you know, the blood, we'll cover them for a moment, you know, they repent, they went back to the starting point, everything returning to starting point, returning to starting point, returning to starting point, returning to starting point, but always kept the same mindset. The mindset of this world, why? Because there was no other mindset available. It wasn't there yet. And because it wasn't there, they couldn't adapt it. And so the only thing they could do was to return to starting point. That was the only thing that they could do, to start over again and over again and over again. And you can read it through the whole old covenant, how they over and over and over again keep killing animals, slaughter animals, bringing sacrifices, you know, to just cover the sins, you know, and all that stuff, you know, under the blood, etc. etc. You know, and then you know, they have to start every time God called them to go back. It didn't even call one to repent, it called everyone to repent, like whole the whole country, everybody, the all the people come back, return to starting point, let's start over again, and let's start over again to keep them in lane, you know, to keep them, you know, in uh in the on the right track. But the mindset never changed. The mindset never changed. It's the way that the world thinks, but now something new has come. Now the kingdom of God has come near. And now, with that kingdom of God, a whole new way of thinking, a new system of thinking has come. A new faith system had come. And that's a thinking that's the opposite of how the world thinks. I mean, the world thinks take, but the kingdom of God thinks give. The world thinks, you know, persecute, but the kingdom of God thinks forgive. And the world, the world thinks hate, but the kingdom of God thinks love. You know, and so it's a thing that is complete, it's a thinking that's completely different than the thinking that so far this world had with their fallen nature. Man, that is powerful stuff, and now we can think on the things of above and has beencome available for us, and we can now change our mind, we can now create a different mindset, and that is what true repentance is. Man, there is a lot to think about and think on, and there's a lot you know to talk about. My time is up for now, but I will continue in the next episode with this amazing series, Thinking Thinking, and I really hope and pray you're gonna be blessed and that you're already blessed by today's episode. Amen. So, I hope to see you next time. God bless you. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

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