April 12, 2026
Freedom in a Renewed Mind
Because He Lives, Resurrection life in real time, Not just someday
This Week’s Sermon
Because He lives, our minds are renewed - we cannot live a resurrected life while clinging to a buried mindset
The message opens with celebration and gratitude: 25 people gave their lives to Jesus on Easter, over 1400 people were ministered to, and dads spent intentional time with their kids at the “Built to Be Present” event. Pastor Barry pivots into the deeper “why” behind all of it - this isn’t just about events or an academy, it’s about transformed lives and a generation formed by truth, not by the world. He names the tension we all feel: we are still in the world, but no longer of it, and yet our minds often still think like the old us.
He lays out the central claim: because Jesus lives, we can live with a renewed mind - but it’s not automatic. We can be spiritually saved and still mentally stuck, weighed down by thoughts Jesus has already defeated. Drawing from Proverbs and Isaiah, he shows how our thoughts are not neutral; they are formative. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”—our lives eventually align with our internal narrative. Peace is not random; it’s connected to where our minds stay. Wrong thinking rots the bones, while steadfast minds fixed on the Lord are kept in perfect peace.
The sermon then moves into five practical steps for “resurrection thinking”: recognize the thought, reject the lie, replace it with truth, reinforce it daily, and rely on the Holy Spirit. Using vivid images like “mental squatters” and strongholds, Pastor Barry calls us to guard our minds like we would guard our homes—refusing to host shame, fear, anxiety, bitterness, and hopelessness. He reminds us that we are not products of our trauma or past, but of the finished work of Jesus. Because He lives, we can retrain our minds with truth, pray in the Spirit when we don’t know what to pray, and walk in real freedom where the thoughts may still knock—but the guard no longer lets them in.
Romans 6:4–8 — Resurrection life: buried with Christ, raised to walk in newness of life.
Romans 12:2 — Do not conform to the pattern of this world; be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) — “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he”: your life follows your internal narrative.
Proverbs 14:30 — A heart at peace gives life to the body; envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 12:25 — Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Isaiah 26:3 — Perfect peace for those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in the Lord.
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Key Takeaways
In this week’s message…
Our thoughts are not neutral - our lives eventually align with our internal narrative.
You can be spiritually saved but mentally stuck if you keep thinking like the old you.
Because He lives, you can recognize toxic thoughts and refuse to host them like “squatters” in your mind.
Lies must be rejected and replaced with God’s Word, then reinforced daily in worship, Scripture, and agreement with truth.
Some strongholds don’t just need discipline; they need the power of the Holy Spirit to break.
Reflection
Here are the truths we carried home this week.
Resurrection life is not just about where we go when we die - it’s about how we think and live right now. Many of us love Jesus, but our minds have become battlefields. We carry thoughts that don’t come from Him, and we’ve allowed “mental squatters” to move into rooms that belong to the Holy Spirit. As he said, “We can be spiritually saved, but oftentimes mentally stuck, still thinking like the person that we used to be. Still weighed down and bothered by things that Jesus has already defeated.”
This week’s word called us to a holy refusal. We are not products of our childhood, trauma, or worst moments; we are products of the finished work of Jesus. Because He lives, we can live with a renewed mind. That means recognizing the lies, rejecting them boldly, and replacing them with truth—over and over again. It means guarding our hearts like we would guard our homes, refusing to let fear, shame, anxiety, and hopelessness set up a “she shed” or man cave in our thought life.
At the same time, this isn’t about white-knuckled striving. The Spirit of God lives in us. When we don’t know what to pray, the Spirit intercedes. When we feel stuck, He reminds us of Jesus’ words and leads us into all truth. Resurrection thinking is not just “trying harder”; it’s yielding deeper - agreeing with what Jesus has already buried and choosing to think like someone who has been raised with Christ.
A Prayer for This Week
Let Your risen life reshape my heart, my mind, and my steps today.
Lord Jesus, thank You that because You live, we are not who we used to be. Thank You that Your cross and resurrection have not only forgiven our sins but opened the door for our minds to be renewed.
Holy Spirit, fill us afresh. When anxiety weighs down our hearts, remind us of Your perfect peace. When shame tries to speak, let us hear Your declaration of “no condemnation” instead. Teach us to take every thought captive and to replace it with Your Word—what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy.
Father, help us to live like people who have been raised with Christ. Guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and let our homes, our conversations, and our inner worlds reflect the freedom You purchased for us. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Guiding Scripture - Psalm 19:14
Can We Pray With You?
Please send your prayer request to our Prayer Team in the form below.
What Do I Do With What I Learned?
Your Invitation for This Week:
Relational:
When a loved one shares their struggles, speak a “kind word” that lifts anxiety instead of feeding fear—remind them who they are in Christ, not who their past says they are.
Spiritual:
Set aside a daily moment to take one recurring thought captive. Name it, reject it in Jesus’ name, and replace it with a specific Scripture you speak out loud.
Practical:
Identify one “mental squatter” (shame, fear, comparison, hopelessness) and write it down. Then write a truth from God’s Word directly underneath it and keep that truth where you’ll see it all week.
Communal:
Share this message or your notes with someone whose mind has been a battlefield. Invite them to join you next Sunday as we continue the “Because He Lives” series and step into purpose together.
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