THOUGHTS! Sermon Notes Pastor Brad Myers

What’s On Your Mind March 16, 2025

Today: What’s On Your Mind?

Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

God knows our thoughts but will question us to ensure we do as well!

“What’s on your mind?” doesn’t appear in the Bible verbatim but it does represent virtually all the questions God asks to get people to understand their thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.

God asks:

• What are you thinking?
• What’s your thoughts?
• Where are you?
• Where is your faith?

These are open-ended question that allow us to share our thoughts. It signals a willingness to listen and engage in meaningful conversation.

In Scripture: Deeply significant because it reveals God’s desire to engage with us.

God’s Questions….

1. Invitation for Self-Reflection
2. Encourage Honest Communication
3. Expose Hidden Thoughts and Motives
4. Invitation to Faith our Deeper Understanding
5. Invitation to share your thoughts

Thought Study

• The average person has 60,000–70,000 thoughts per day.
• 48 thoughts per minute!

#1 factor that shapes our thoughts is what we Focus on.

#1 factor that affects what we focus on is our Desires

Desires: what our heart truly longs for.

In other words:

What our heart desires most is what we focus on which makes up most of our thoughts.

God differentiates two types of focus.

Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

• Heavenly things or earthly things.

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

If your heart is set on worldly things, your perspective will be worldly. If your heart is set on Godly things, your perspective will be Godly.

Ever hear “You need to focus”

Q: What Influences Our Focus?

1. What We Consume
   • TV & conversations, today Social media.
   • Why

Romans 12:2 (NLT)

1. Environment influences our Focus: People we hang with. (family, friends, church, job, etc.)
   • Why

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

1. Spiritual Warfare influences our focus: devil creates fear, doubt, and lies
   • John 8:44 – The devil is the father lies, that leads to fear and doubt.

What we focus on reinforces what’s on your mind and that leads to captivity (earthy) or freedom (heavenly).

Why Paul tells us what we should focus on.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

What’s it Mean though?

True: God’s Word or the world’s lies.

Noble: Christlike character.

Right: Righteousness and integrity?

Pure: Guarding your thoughts against sin and corruption.

Lovely: Love God and others.

Admirable: Would you be proud if others knew your thoughts?

Excellent & Praiseworthy: Are you focused on things that bring glory to God?

Most Famous “What’s on your mind” questions

Genesis 3:9 (NIV)

“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

• Adam’s physical location and spiritual condition.

Other examples

Elijah in the cave hiding

1 Kings 19:9 (NIV)

• God is prompting Elijah to examine “What’s on his mind”

#1 factor that affects all three, our thoughts, focus, & desires are our emotions

Ever hear: “You’re too emotional?”

Emotions shape how we view the world, think about information, and make decisions. They influence memory recall, attention, and even reasoning.

Emotions Dominate Our Thought Process.

1. Triggers dopamine and serotonin: Cognitive function, motivation, and memory.
2. Emotions prioritize information for survival: fight or flight
3. Emotions distort thinking patterns leading to biases.

How we feel alters how we interpret situations.

Adam & Elijah hid out of the emotion of fear!

Bible has a lot to say about emotions:

• Natural part of human life

1. God Created Emotions but we must manage them:

• God expressed emotions (love, anger, joy, compassion),
• Our emotions are part of God’s design.

Bible does not condemn emotions, but it teaches us to manage them wisely, align them with God’s truth, and bring them before Him in prayer. Instead of being led by emotions, Christians are called to be led by the Spirit and trust in God’s Word as the foundation for decision-making and inner peace.

SO, Are Men & Women emotional?

Most expressed emotion in Men: ANGER

• Doesn’t mean men experience anger more than other emotions—it is just the one they are most likely to outwardly display.

Most expressed emotion in Women: LOVE

• Anxiety & sadness close second.

Questions About Thoughts & Emotions

Luke 24:38 (NKJV)

Genesis 4:6 (NLT)

Mark 4:40 (NIV)

Questions About Honesty & Reflection

Luke 24:17 (NIV)

John 5:6 (ESV)

Questions That Expose the Heart’s Intentions

Mark 2:8 (NIV)

Luke 8:25 (NIV)

Questions That Challenge Our Belief & Trust in God

Matthew 9:28 (NIV)

Matthew 14:31 (NIV)

Questions That Call for Our Action

John 13:12 (NIV)

“What’s on your mind?”: Is a question of What are your thoughts and is meant to draw us into a deeper awareness of who we are in Christ Jesus!