In this devotional sermon, M.t. Clark opens with a photo of a leaf‑less tree sent by a traveling brother, using it as a metaphor for the journey of faith and the hidden lessons God places along the way. He connects the image to Stephen King’s novel and a past Buddhist meditation, illustrating how perceived reality (the blue sky) can be an illusion that masks a deeper, unseen spiritual realm. Clark then identifies several contemporary “lies” that trap believers: addiction, gender‑identity narratives, and everyday habits that become self‑imposed traditions of deception (e.g., always being a night owl, overindulging at celebrations, believing one will always be depressed). He explains how these patterned responses keep people from the abundant life Christ offers, emphasizing that repentance involves renewing the mind with Scripture to break these chains. Clark shares a personal example of confronting his own tradition of buying large popcorn and soda at the movies, committing to change for health and spiritual freedom. He urges listeners to examine their own deceptive traditions, walk continually with God, and seek the freedom Christ provides. The sermon concludes with a prayer for the audience, specifically mentioning Bob Griffin’s cancer treatment, and a call to visit the church’s website for further discipleship resources.
Chapters
To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a tree stripped bare of its leaves on a green roadside under pleasant skies comes to us from our brother in Christ Arthur Sinkadi, who captured the scene while traveling through Amish country on Wednesday. Arthur and his wife Susanna are traveling south to spend time with family over the next week, but they are taking the time to enjoy the journey, as Arthur has sent me a few photos of scenes along the way that indicate to me that while their final destination is determined, they are not so focused on the end that they aren't enjoying the process of getting there. Ja, when you walk in the Spirit, the Lord will call you to go places, and as I was reminded last week, sometimes there is more to the trip than what you will do when you get there. Every aspect of our travels with the Lord is noteworthy and can be a place where we— where the Lord has something to tell us. I especially like Arthur's photo because it caught the reflections of window and I don't know what, but it reminds me of imagery from Stephen King's The Drawing of the Three, where the hero was traveling through the countryside and was destined to encounter and go through doors that were just hanging in space with the cryptic— with cryptic titles on each indicating what would be found on the other side. I researched it this morning and was reminded those doors were labeled The Pusher, The Prisoner, and The Lady of Shadows. No spoilers from me, but I particularly like that book of Mr. King's in my youth. Anyway, it also reminds me of a particular meditation session I had back in my Buddhist days when I was seriously practicing and trying to break on through to the other side. I remember that I was doing a practice where you just meditate and look at the sky and you just rest, watching the clouds move and being open to the experience of the present moment. Well, in my efforts to see beyond, uh, to see, to see things as they really were, I was staring at the daytime sky with such intensity and the focus to see something that I contemp— that I contemplated: the fact that beyond the light of day, the cold dark blackness of space existed just beyond the windows of my perception. And while I couldn't see the blackness of space, I knew it was there. And when I thought of that, I realized in a way the daytime sky was a lie. It was an illusion called caused by the conditions of the sun illuminating our atmosphere. With that realization, I imagined that the sky was like a hologram and composed of individual tiles that, if focused on, could be broken. That I— that if I focused on the sky long enough, my effort would break the sky. Okay, pretty crazy, huh? But the real— but the revelation of this experience pointed out the illusory nature of our lives here on Earth, and that two things that are seemingly the opposite opposite of one another could exist simultaneous— simultaneously, even though I could see only one. The cold, dark expanses of space were out there. The blue sky was there. Both were there. Both were true, but I could only see one. But as time would progress, things would change, and one would disappear to reveal the other. Likewise, our world of flesh and blood is all that all that some people can see. Meanwhile, uh, there is the unseen spiritual realm that exists with angelic and demonic entities. Just because we can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Just because we can't see God doesn't mean that he isn't there. And just like how the day dissipates and allows us to see into the far reaches of space at night, as time progresses the spiritual world will be revealed one way or another to all of us. Just wait for it. So what should we do to prepare for that day? Well, Christ didn't come to earth and die on the cross for nothing. He came to reveal that which was hidden and shrouded in mystery. He came to let us know what God's word really meant and to offer us a way to have peace with the Father. To place our faith in him. So do that and read the Bible to renew your mind with God's truth so you can expose the world's lies and, and live in harmony with God. Lies are so ingrained in our world system and crafted by our experiences in it that sometimes we don't even know how pervasive the lies are and how they continue to imprison us with pattern responses for living. Addicts believe the lie that their drug of choice is good, in spite of the facts that they often experience negative consequences through its use, and that the thing that gives them peace causes a lot of disruption in their lives. Some believe the lie that— right— The lie that they are men trapped in a woman's body or women trapped in a man's body. This belief of feeling or feeling was once classified as a mental illness because biology, your chromosomes, indicate that however compelling those feelings may be, that you are in the wrong body, that they are wrong. Biology would indicate that you are not in the wrong body, you are in the wrong mind. Unfortunately, those who believe this lie were influenced by various experiences, dysfunctions, and traumas, and possibly demonic encouragements to believe that they were not the people that God created them to be. These are easy examples of deceptions, though, although there, there may be nothing easy about being set free from these lies. No, what I, what I have come to see more and more, especially through some of the dialogues I've had through the latest Freedom in Christ course, is that we can have ingrained beliefs that just aren't true that deeply affect how we live, sometimes in subtle or even benign ways that aren't necessarily harmful, but which cause us to remain stuck in the same patterns of thoughts and behaviors. I'll always be depressed. Celebrations always involve overindulging in alcohol or in food. I'm a night owl. I don't go to bed before 11:00 PM. These are some examples of statements that are not true. Or don't have to be true, that I encountered recently when that revealed to me the subtle way we can develop traditions of deceptions that keep us locked in pattern responses that go against what we would desire for our lives. If you believe you'll always be depressed, you will be. If you believe celebrations always involve overindulging in alcohol and food, you will continue to overindulge. If you believe you are a night owl, you will rarely go to bed early. So what's wrong with that? Nothing. Or possibly everything. These beliefs, or other ones like them, can cause us to stay where we are and not experience the abundant life God wants us to have. Part of the process of repentance is to change our minds to align with God's word. But in order to do that, we have to break the chains of patterned thoughts and behaviors and to consider alternate ways, God-like ways, of thinking and behaving. If we want to receive the healing and abundant life that God has for us, we have to abandon what we know and surrender to his wisdom and adapt his ways. A part, part of the process of repentance is revelation. You don't have to celebrate by overindulging in alcohol and food. Everybody is doing it is a lie. Um, look around, look around. Some people don't, um, thus you can be like them. I will always be depressed. Uh, you don't have to be if you understand the magnificent gift that the Lord has given you in your salvation, and if you turn from your sinful patterns of thinking and behaving. God said in Genesis 4:6-7 to Cain, 'Why are you so angry?' the Lord asked Cain. 'Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. Control you! But you must subdue— subdue it and be its master.' Right from the beginning, God encouraged us to do what was right, to cure our mental disturbances, and to keep us free from the disrupt disruptive influences of sin. As for the night owl, that may be harmless. Although children of God are to be, to be in the light, I suppose the nighttime hours could meet the needs of solitude, for solitude and silence to commune with the Lord in Bible study and prayer. But as a former night owl, I know that rarely are any spiritual practices the activities of of night owls. Usually nighttime is the time to indulge in selfish pursuits that are independent of God. However, they could be used for God, so there isn't anything necessarily wrong with staying up late. But what could be a major obstacle to our freedom is the proclamations that identify ourselves by certain activities and cause us to remain in pattern thinking. I am, I can't, I don't, I never, I always, and I don't want to statements are all possible ways that we limit our freedom and keep ourselves in chains. All of this came about this morning because I am going to the movies this evening and my wife reminded me that I will have my soda and popcorn. I have been subject to my own lie or tradition of deception that could be expressed in one or one of two ways: "I always have soda and popcorn at the movies," or "I can't go to the movies without having soda and popcorn." And unfortunately, as it applies to me, my statement would have to include the word "large," as in "I must have the large popcorn and soda and take advantage of the free refills at Regal Cinemas." So apparently the Lord is revealing this lie to me because as I was working out this morning, I considered it. And realize that I have been living in a lot— in a tradition of deception that runs contrary to my health goals. So I intend to break the change of— chain of large popcorn and soda tonight. So as we go into this weekend, I wish everyone a happy Friday. Would encourage you to thank the Lord and to examine your life to see what traditions of deceptions, uh, that you, that you might have. Uh, let's see. The Lord came to set us free, and sometimes he came to set us free from the chains we willingly put on time and time again. So keep walking and talking with God and seek to discover the freedom and peace he has for you. Well, things are really late this morning, so I'm just gonna, uh, encourage you to go to mtforchrist.org to check out uh, Bonhoeffer's offering from discipleship. And I'm going to pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for what you've done for us. Um, Lord, we're praying for everyone out there, especially Bob Griffin's, uh, healing, um, as he's having a rough spell on his cancer treatments. And, um, that's rough, Lord. So while we pray for everyone out there that they'd be blessed by you, Lord. And as always, we pray that you go before us, open our eyes to everything you have for us to see, and to lead us in the way we should go. Um, Lord, we thank you, we love you, and we praise your holy name. And all these things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
