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Avoiding the Ruts of Our Carnal Mind

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Bill Onisick

Brethren, we must recognize the dangers of the carnal mind, which draws us away from God and into ruts of sinful thinking. When we let go of control over our thoughts, it is as if we release the steering wheel of our mind, allowing it to drift wherever it wills, effectively saying to satan, "Take me wherever you wish." This lack of discipline leads us into perilous paths, as our mind becomes susceptible to evil influences. There are two primary ruts of the carnal mind that satan uses to derail us from godly thoughts. The first is the Laodicean rut, where we grow complacent, thinking we are fine as we are, distracted by the constant flood of worldly information and entertainment. Our electronic devices and demanding lives consume our time, leaving little room for God in our thoughts. If He is not at the forefront of our minds, we must repent and make space for Him. The second rut is the prideful, hypocritical one, which leads us to think too highly of ourselves and negatively of others. This rut fosters evil thoughts about our brethren, perhaps due to unforgiven wrongs or observed faults. When such thoughts take root, they often spill into words, defiling not only ourselves but others as well. We must recognize these seeds planted by satan for what they are—evil thoughts that cannot coexist with godly ones. As soon as we catch ourselves thinking or speaking of another's faults, we must acknowledge this hypocritical rut and strive to escape it. To avoid these ruts of the carnal mind, we must become self-aware of every thought, treating each as an inflection point followed by a decision. Is this thought from God or from satan? It cannot be both. We must test our thoughts against the fruit of His Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If a thought does not align with these, it is a danger, a path we must not take. We must expel it immediately and replace it with a godly thought through prayer and meditation. God is constantly searching and testing our minds, evaluating the intent behind each thought. He will give to each of us according to the fruit we produce—whether it be of His Holy Spirit or of our self-focused carnal mind. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our mind, and we must strive to maintain Him in all our thoughts, knowing He stands beside us, watching and evaluating every moment.

How Much of the Mind of Christ Do We Have?

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

Possessing the mind of Christ is a lifelong process rather than a quick transformation. True unity requires seeking Christ's mind through faith, humility, and love.

God Works In Marvelous Ways (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's highest goal is not salvation, but sanctification into godly character, leading to membership in His family as co-rulers with Jesus Christ.

Communication and Coming Out of Babylon (Part 2)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

All of us are influenced by the culture of the world, guided and inspired by the prince of the power of the air. Satan has deceived the whole world.

Human Will and God's Sovereignty (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A prophecy in Zechariah concerns prophets or church leaders who, being ashamed of their false teachings, will claim they were farmers rather than ministers.

Boundaries, Incursions, Migrations, and God (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The globalist enemies of language, borders, and culture have made themselves enemies of the will of God, who set up boundaries for all the children of Adam.

God Works in Marvelous Ways (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's mysteries have been in plain sight from the beginning of time, but carnality has obscured them from mankind.

Communication and Leaving Babylon (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Our human nature reflects the nature of malevolent spirits' attitudes. The only way to overcome it is through God's creating a new heart in us by His Spirit.

Is the Christian Required To Do Works? (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Just as a dead person does no works, so a faith that does not include works is also dead. A person in whom living, saving faith exists will produce works.

Continue to Live the Perfect Law of Liberty

Sermonette by Mark Schindler

America is an experiment in self-government, successful only if the citizens remain moral. The law of liberty works only if we obey God's Commandments.

Living by Faith: Human Pride

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Our human nature is pure vanity with a heart that is desperately deceitful and wicked, motivated by self-centeredness, a deadly combination for producing sin.

God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

For His Own reasons, God has chosen not to reveal His plan to those the world considers wise, but, instead, to work with the weaker sort of mankind.

Preparing To Rule

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

How can a group of rag-tag upstarts with no experience—that's how the world's leaders perceive us—hope to succeed where they have utterly failed?

God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Our carnal nature's desire to satisfy an addictive self-centeredness can eventually overrule the Christian's loyalty to God and His commandments.

Wilderness Wanderings (Part Three) - Handpicked Children

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God has allowed carnal nature to remain in His people so He can determine whether they seriously want to defeat the downward pulls of the flesh.

Handpicked By God

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim Myers

God handpicked us for a specific purpose, just as He did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Noah. God also handpicked second-generation Church members.

God Works in Marvelous Ways (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

False doctrines cut people off from a wholesome relationship with God. Doctrinal purity is measured according to how one emulates Christ.

Leadership and Covenants (Part Seven)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Our sinful nature drives us to disobey God's laws, just as Adam and Eve transgressed by choosing the way of death. Such choices have made this evil world.

The March Toward Globalism (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We cannot instill sound-mindedness in our offspring unless we are personally filled with the fruits of God's Holy Spirit, modeling these for our children.

Philippians (Part Eight)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

We must willing to yield to God's shaping of us, willing to be corrected and changed as He sees fit. If we become self-satisfied, He cannot work with us.

God Works in Mysterious Ways (Part Four)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

No one has any excuse for doubting God's purpose for mankind, whether revealed publicly through His Creation or privately through the Holy Scriptures.

Living By Faith and Human Pride

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God wants us to walk—live our lives—by faith, but our pride and vanity frequently get in the way. Critically, pride causes us to reject God and His Word.

Self-Government (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Regardless of whether one submits to God, government, or community, self-government is the best means to having a safe, smooth course toward an objective.

Humanism's Flooding Influence (Part Four)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

If people turn away from God and His laws, the only way they can move is to liberalize toward non-restraint and license.

The Christian Walk (Part Four): Mutual Submission in Godly Fear

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Americans have a hard time submitting to authority and like to consider themselves as sovereigns, having the last say over anything including church doctrine.