"I Am Leaving These Thoughts Behind" I Rev. Steven Carter I August 8, 2026

Main message: The sermon urges listeners to stop carrying destructive, anxious thoughts and instead surrender worries to God through prayer and thanksgiving, receive the peace of God, and intentionally renew their thinking to produce transformed, purpose-filled living.

Key points:

• Identifies six common toxic thought patterns to leave behind: overthinking, comparing, people-pleasing, distrusting, dwelling, and regretting.
• Be anxious for nothing — pray, make requests known to God, and stop letting worry dictate your life.
• The peace of God will "guard" your heart and mind; peace is supernatural and changes how you view circumstances even if it doesn't remove them.
• Don’t try to carry life alone; lean on community and let God bring people to help you.
• Renew and upgrade your thinking by dwelling on what is true, noble, and worthy, and by doing what you've learned so that right thinking leads to right living.

Scriptures mentioned: Philippians 4:6-9, Proverbs 3:5