Storyside Church

2 Samuel 13

37 And David mourned many days for his son Amnon. Absalom fled to his grandfather, Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. 

38 He stayed there in Geshur for three years. 

39 And King David, now reconciled to Amnon’s death, longed to be reunited with his son Absalom.

2 Samuel 14

23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. 

24 But the king gave this order: “Absalom may go to his own house, but he must never come into my presence.” So Absalom did not see the king.

2 Samuel 14:25 — Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.

We all need someone who can see our shortcomings. 

Absalom needed challenged for what was on the other side of his appearance.

2 Samuel 14:28 — Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never got to see the king.

2 Samuel 14:33 — So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him.

2 Samuel 15

1 After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him. 

2 He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe. 

3 Then Absalom would say, “You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it. 

4 I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!”

5 When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them. 

6 Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.

Absalom capitalizes on controversy. 

10 But while he was there, he sent secret messengers to all the tribes of Israel to stir up a rebellion against the king. “As soon as you hear the ram’s horn,” his message read, “you are to say, ‘Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron.’” 

11 He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions. 

12 While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors who lived in Giloh. Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum.

13 A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!”

30 David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.

2 Samuel 17

1 Ahithophel also said to Absalom, “Now, let me choose 12,000 men to chase David tonight.

2 I will catch him while he is tired and weak. I will frighten him, and all his people will run away. But I will kill only King David.

2 Samuel 17:12 — We will catch David wherever he is hiding and attack him with so many soldiers that they will be like the dew that covers the ground. We will kill David and all of his men—no one will be left alive.

2 Samuel 18:5 — And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.” And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.

2 Samuel 18

15 Ten of Joab’s young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.

17 They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes.

33 The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

Psalm 3 

1 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

The Lord sustained me. 

How healthy is my thought life?

Do I let things get to me?

Do I let them get in my head? 

Am I allowing (entertaining) too many toxic thoughts? 

Genesis 6:5 — The Lord saw that the people on the earth were very evil. He saw that they thought only about evil things all the time. 

Proverbs 15:26 — The Lord hates evil thoughts, but he is pleased with kind words.

Ecclesiastes 9:3 — Of all the things that happen in this life, the worst thing is that all people end life the same way. But it is also very bad that people always think evil and foolish thoughts. And those thoughts lead to death.

Romans 1

21 People knew God, but they did not honor him as God, and they did not thank him. Their ideas were all useless. There was not one good thought left in their foolish minds.

26 Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex with men and started having sex with other women. 

27 In the same way, men stopped having natural sex with women and began wanting each other all the time. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.

28 People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking. And so they do what they should not do. 

29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip 

30 and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They don’t obey their parents, 

31 they are foolish, they don’t keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others. 

32 They know God’s law says that anyone who lives like that should die. But they not only continue to do these things themselves, but they also encourage others who do them.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 — The thoughts of the wise lead them the right way, but the thoughts of the foolish lead them the wrong way.

Neurological Pathways 

If you allow anger and fear to dominate, you will lose the neurological ability to think logically and act compassionately toward others. It is nearly impossible to find peace and serenity if your mind is preoccupied by negative, anxious, or hateful thoughts.

Your thoughts clearly affect the neurological functioning of your body.

Optimism is essential for maintaining a healthy brain.

Positive thoughts neurologically suppress negative thoughts.

Watching violence on the news, or taking in a violent movie, will make you feel more angry, aggressive, negative, and powerless. The same thing happens in your brain when you listen to songs with hostile lyrics, even if they are presented in a humorous way. 

A meta-analytic view of video-game research found that “violent video games increase aggressive behavior in children and young adults.

Our brains are designed to mimic the emotional expression of others. This is known as “emotional contagion”. When you see an angry expression, it takes less than one second for your brain to respond with fear.

Negative remarks and memories are more strongly encoded in the brain, and they are the most difficult memories to eradicate. 

Simply being around negative people will make you more prejudiced, because listening to negative opinions can easily undermine your positive opinions about virtually anything. 

My two cents on Swift. Unsaved in college, I loved Taylor Swift. I knew every word to Red and all the other albums too. Her music is intoxicating bc she’s done a very good job capturing worldly relationships and hookup culture. 

Now, as a believer– I stay far away from it. Why? Because I will like some of it. It will take my mind places that it shouldn’t go. There will be new lyrics in my head with tunes I can’t shut off with unedifying words on my lips. 

Hebrews 3:12 — So, brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has the evil thoughts that cause so much doubt that you stop following the living God.

Poise in the noise!  

Psalm 119:112 — I have made up my mind to obey your laws forever, no matter what.

(CEV)

Psalm 119:112 — I have resolved to obey your laws forever, at every step.

(CJB)

Psalm 119:112 — I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.

(KJV) 

Colossians 3:2 — Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

We have an average of 6.5 thought transitions per minute, and we can typically only think about 4 things. 

It’s possible that you could be repeating the same negative thoughts to yourself more than 5000 times a day. 

Come 

Consume 

We will control our thoughts — 

Or our thoughts will control us. 

Romans 8

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 

6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Where am I being led? 

Who has access to your mind?

FAITH 

F — Focus on the positives 

A — Affirm yourself 

I — Imagine God doing something good 

T — Trust God always 

H — Hope for the best 

Mindfulness 

Mindfulness helps us to stay in the moment. 

ABC’s 

A — Action (Activating Event) 

B — Belief 

C — Consequence (Feeling) 

Our BELIEF needs to be challenged. 

Philippians 4:8 — Finally, my brothers and sisters, always think about what is true. Think about what is noble, right and pure. Think about what is lovely and worthy of respect. If anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about those kinds of things.

Is it true?

If we take this thought to court, do we have enough evidence to win our case? 

Is my thought based on facts or feelings? 

Am I taking this personally? 

Am I jumping to conclusions?

Isaiah 26:3 — Lord, you keep those people safe who continue to trust in you. You give them peace in their minds, because they believe in you.