It's so addictive this behaviour, and the moment you start to make a stand against it and you say no more put downs, I will not live in a put down environment anymore. I will create the environment in my own life that nurtures vitality and health. I will begin to catch these negative thoughts and stop them in a moment. I will meditate, and fix my mind every day on what God is saying about me. I will let the spirit of God come around my life, as I worship, and thank Him, and meditate, and dwell in His presence. I will consciously shift what is inside me. I'll no longer be an echo of negativity and put down. I will be a voice of the power of God to change a person's life. Now no one can make that for you. The challenge for you is this - let me ask you this. How many people know that it's an issue in your life of agreeing with, and allowing put downs to rest on you? How many know that's an issue? Just put your hand up, just let's identify it, see how widespread. See, its wider spread than you thought, and the reason it's so widespread, is because within you is the potential to change your community.
The devil's got to target you. He's got to put you down, because if he can get you to agree with it, you can never stand up and say oh, I'm here to bring God answer to something, and that's what he wants to stop you. Put downs mean you carry yourself like this. I've seen in some cultures and you watch people, they go [condemning expression]. You know what they're wearing? I'm wearing a shirt right now. That's wearing shame and put down. It is so visible on some people, you can literally see it on them, they walk down - and you can see the put down all over them. Don't wear that spirit! There's another spirit called the spirit of God. God has got the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. You've got to decide to put on another spirit! Oh yes! Confront that kind of thinking! Change what I believe, and begin to start to speak and declare, oh, this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice today! Now young people, you need to do something. Break out of all of that stuff. Be different. Don't follow the crowd. You want to live in depression? Oh, enjoy your misery. I'm not going there. I'm NOT going there! I was there. I used to be there for long periods of time, but no more!
You choose what spirit you'll wear. Why don't you put on the garment of glory, put on the spirit of God, put on a garment of praise, begin to be a different kind of person, make a difference, instead of coming under that thing! Stand up and say whoa! Well God put me in this school to make a difference. How am I going to go about doing it? God put me in this street to make a difference; how can I do it? God has put me in this community to make a difference; how can I do it? How can I be all that God wants me to be? That's what you've got to do, and if we can start to do that, you know what'll happen? Everything will change. When you stop echoing the negatives and put downs, and give voice to what God says, creative miracles happen. The Bible says in Job, He will decree, and it will happen. That's what I like, but you've got to change on the inside, change on the inside. Come on young people, the community you live in, the school you live in, the young people you're with, all want to put you down, and when they've got you down, they'll offer a comfort, a way out, called drugs, or sex, or all kinds of stuff.
It's anything to feel better. You look at all the young ones you know around you, that are into that scene. All of them have got the same thing; they carry a put down, and they don't know what to do with it. Because they don't know what to do with it, they've got to make themselves feel better, so they drink until they chuck. They do weird stuff to show off, and all of it's because they're put down on the inside. They're wearing something. They're wearing a garment. Oh, they look cool, they talk bravado, but inside there's broken people wearing a garment of shame and trying to feel better.