POWER THINKING BY PASTOR LORI

Table of Contents

1. Welcome, Appreciation, and the Healing Service Announcement
2. Pastor Lori's Personal Journey: Discovering the Power of Thoughts
3. A Merry Heart Is Good Medicine
4. Finding Joy When Life Feels Overwhelming
5. Discovering God's Love and Peace in Psalm 23
6. Rejoicing in Every Season of Life
7. Replacing Worry with Daily Prayer and Thanksgiving
8. Choosing Thoughts That Are True, Pure, and Lovely
9. Allowing the Holy Spirit to Transform Our Thinking
10. Strengthening Our Trust in God Through His Word
11. Jesus: Enduring Through the Power of Joy
12. Recognizing the Power of Christ Within Us
13. I Can Do All Things Through Christ
14. Final Encouragement: Living with Renewed Thoughts

Welcome, Appreciation, and the Healing Service Announcement

Pastor Leonard Rola opens the teaching by warmly welcoming everyone and introducing his wife, Pastor Lori Rola. He expresses his excitement about the thoughts and revelations God has been showing her and his confidence that the message will bless those listening.

Pastor Lori greets the audience with her familiar words, “Welcome saints.” Pastor Leonard explains that the word saints refers to blameless and holy ones. Together, they thank everyone who has supported and loved them, describing their supporters as God's hand extended.

Before the teaching begins, Pastor Leonard makes two announcements.

First, he recognizes Pastor Appreciation Month and expresses heartfelt gratitude for the cards, letters, emails, text messages, financial gifts, and personal expressions of appreciation they have received. He emphasizes that while people are showing appreciation to their pastors, he and Pastor Lori are equally reminded of how much they appreciate everyone who stands with them.

Second, he announces a healing service scheduled for the following Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the church.

He explains that they are believing God for miraculous healings because they live, dwell, and move within the kingdom of God, which he describes as a miraculous and supernatural kingdom. He expresses their conviction that healing is God's will.

He invites those living nearby to attend and encourages them to bring anyone in need of healing or a miracle. For those who cannot attend in person, he mentions their intention to try to broadcast the service live. He also invites people to submit prayer requests through comments or email so the ministry can pray and believe with them.

After these announcements, Pastor Leonard turns the teaching over to Pastor Lori.

Pastor Lori's Personal Journey: Discovering the Power of Thoughts

Pastor Lori begins by sharing something deeply personal about her journey approximately fifteen years earlier.

During that period, she experienced significant struggles in both her body and her mind. Looking back, she recognizes that her thinking had been wrong in ways she did not initially understand.

She explains that those patterns of thinking were creating considerable havoc within her body. Although she knew something was not right physically and mentally, she had not yet recognized the connection between what she was thinking and what she was experiencing.

The transformation did not happen overnight.

As she continued reading God's Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach her, she began receiving new understanding and revelation. The more she studied Scripture, the more she discovered about the importance of thoughts. Over time, she began to realize that thoughts are far more significant than many people recognize.

She introduces the message as a brief “Thought Thursday” teaching, intended to share an important truth that had changed her understanding and continued to grow through the Holy Spirit's guidance. Her central discovery was simple but powerful: thoughts matter. They are not insignificant simply because they remain unspoken. What happens in the mind can influence how a person experiences life, including their emotional and physical well-being.

Pastor Lori wants listeners to recognize the importance of what they allow themselves to think and to discover how God's Word can help transform those thoughts.

A Merry Heart Is Good Medicine

Pastor Lori introduces a connection between emotional distress and physical health.

She mentions research indicating that depression and anxiety can trigger inflammatory processes in the body and that these processes may contribute to bone loss.

Her purpose in sharing this observation is to emphasize that prolonged emotional distress does not necessarily remain confined to the mind. She believes that negative thought patterns can have physical consequences, even affecting the bones.

She then turns to the wisdom of Solomon.

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

Pastor Lori emphasizes that Solomon recorded this truth nearly three thousand years ago. She describes a merry heart as a happy, joyful, and cheerful heart. She connects that condition of the heart with peaceful thoughts, happy thoughts, and loving thoughts. These are the kinds of thoughts she believes can contribute to a person's well-being.

Pastor Leonard responds with amazement at the wisdom contained in this short passage. They discuss Solomon's reputation for extraordinary wisdom and how Scripture had already connected joy and physical well-being long before modern scientific research.

Pastor Lori then reads the same passage from The Passion Translation, which expresses the relationship between a joyful heart, healing, and the harmful effects of a crushed spirit in more contemporary language. She explains that the soul includes the mind, will, and emotions, emphasizing that joy affects more than a person's outward appearance or temporary feelings.

Her message is that joy is not merely something pleasant to experience. It has a meaningful place in the life and well-being of a believer. At the same time, she recognizes that understanding the value of joy is different from knowing how to experience it, particularly when someone is struggling emotionally. This leads directly into her next question.

Finding Joy When Life Feels Overwhelming

Pastor Lori recognizes that someone listening might agree with Solomon's wisdom but still wonder how to apply it.

A person struggling with depression, anxiety, discouragement, or overwhelming circumstances might ask how they are supposed to become joyful when so much is going wrong. She acknowledges that it can sound easy for someone else to say that a merry heart is good medicine. But the person experiencing emotional pain may still feel trapped in a broken spirit.

She returns to the central Scripture.

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

The question is how to move from the broken spirit described in the second half of the verse toward the joy described in the first half.

Pastor Lori explains that joy is not simply emotional relief. She describes it as good medicine and points listeners toward the Word of God as the place where they can begin discovering it. She also explains that the Holy Spirit continues to reveal more of God's truth to her as she reads and studies Scripture.

Rather than presenting joy as something people must manufacture through their own effort, she directs attention toward God's presence, His promises, and the work of the Holy Spirit within believers. She emphasizes that God's Word is living, active, and powerful. As believers spend time reading and receiving it, she believes that something begins to happen within them. This becomes the foundation for her practical explanation of how thoughts can be changed.

Discovering God's Love and Peace in Psalm 23

Pastor Lori shares that she has recently been spending time reading Psalm 23 and finding fresh encouragement in its familiar words. She reads from The Passion Translation, emphasizing the description of the Lord as a best friend and shepherd. She expands on what that relationship means, describing the Lord as a teacher, protector, provider, and guide.

The passage begins in the King James Version:

Psalm 3:1–3 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Pastor Lori reflects on the personal nature of God's care. She emphasizes that the Lord is not distant or uninterested in the needs of His people. He is a shepherd who provides, protects, leads, and restores. As she reads the Psalm, she becomes especially encouraged by its description of rest and peace.

The imagery of green pastures, still waters, and a restored soul speaks to the comfort and security believers can experience in their relationship with God. She describes how the Holy Spirit draws her attention to individual words and phrases, helping her recognize more deeply how wonderful the Lord is and how much He loves His people.

She is especially moved by the picture of God leading His people into a place of peace. The remaining verses of the Psalm continue the message of God's presence, provision, and faithful care.

Psalm 23:4–6 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Although Pastor Lori focuses on the opening portion of the Psalm, her central emphasis is on the loving nature of the Shepherd and the peace He provides. She encourages listeners to read the passage personally and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal God's love to them.

For her, this is not merely an exercise in reading familiar religious words. It is an opportunity to encounter the reality of God's care and allow that truth to influence the way a person thinks.

Rejoicing in Every Season of Life

Pastor Lori next turns to Philippians chapter 4, specifically verses 4 through 8.

She begins by reading the encouragement to rejoice and to allow joy to be expressed in every season of life.

Philippians 4:4–5 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

She emphasizes the instruction to rejoice regardless of the season a person is experiencing. Her point is not that every circumstance is pleasant or that difficult situations do not exist.

Instead, she focuses on the believer's relationship with Christ and the joy available through that relationship. In the translation she is reading, the passage emphasizes being cheerful with joyful celebration in every season and allowing gentleness to be visible in relationships. She draws attention to the fact that God is always near.

For someone struggling with fear, sadness, or uncertainty, this becomes an important reminder. Joy does not have to depend entirely on whether external circumstances are going well.

Pastor Lori recognizes that listeners may immediately ask how they can rejoice when they are facing serious problems. Rather than stopping at the command to rejoice, she continues into the following verses to show the practical instructions that accompany it.

Replacing Worry with Daily Prayer and Thanksgiving

Pastor Lori continues reading Philippians chapter 4 and focuses particularly on the instruction not to be consumed by worry.

Philippians 4:6–7 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

She explains that the passage encourages believers not to be pulled in different directions by anxiety and worry. Instead, they are instructed to bring their concerns before God through prayer. One particular detail stands out strongly to her: prayer is meant to be part of everyday life. She emphasizes that believers should not wait until something goes wrong before turning to God.

Rather than treating prayer as an emergency response, she encourages people to remain continually connected to Him. She describes the importance of being saturated in prayer throughout each day. This was one of the phrases that particularly caught her attention as she studied.

She explains how the Holy Spirit impressed upon her the importance of that daily consistency.

Another important element is thanksgiving. Pastor Lori describes how people sometimes approach prayer by immediately listing everything wrong. They may focus on their problems, frustrations, disappointments, and questions about why God has not yet intervened.

She contrasts that approach with the instruction to bring requests before God with gratitude. She encourages believers to begin with joy, faith, and thanksgiving rather than allowing their problems to dominate the entire conversation. This does not mean withholding concerns from God. The passage invites believers to tell Him what they need.

But Pastor Lori emphasizes the attitude of the heart while doing so. She explains that believers can bring every detail of their lives before God while maintaining gratitude and confidence in His love.

The result described in Scripture is God's peace.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Pastor Lori emphasizes that this is God's own promise. She wants listeners to recognize that peace is not something they must produce entirely through human effort. It is something God provides as they learn to trust Him, pray, and receive His Word.

Choosing Thoughts That Are True, Pure, and Lovely

Pastor Lori then moves into one of the central points of the entire teaching: believers have a responsibility to pay attention to what they think about. She reads the instruction in Philippians chapter 4 concerning the kinds of thoughts that should occupy the mind.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

She emphasizes the importance of continually directing thoughts toward what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

One of the practical examples she gives concerns imagining things that have not actually happened. People sometimes become upset by predicting what someone else might be thinking or what might happen tomorrow.

They may convince themselves that another person has negative intentions toward them, even though they have no evidence. They may anticipate a problem, imagine an unfavorable outcome, or repeatedly rehearse possibilities that have not occurred.

Pastor Lori points out that these assumptions are not necessarily authentic or real. They are possibilities created within the mind. Yet people can become emotionally troubled by them as though they were facts. She encourages listeners not to allow these imagined situations to dominate their thoughts.

Instead, they should return to what is true.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Pastor Lori also emphasizes thinking about the wonderful works of God and maintaining an attitude of praise. She believes that consistently following this instruction can begin changing the way people experience discouragement and emotional distress.

Rather than continually feeding fearful possibilities, believers can choose to focus on God's goodness, His promises, and what is genuinely true. She suggests that even applying this one passage could begin bringing a sense of hope and light into someone's life.

Her encouragement is not to overlook the simplicity of the instruction. The passage may be familiar, but she believes its practical application has tremendous power.

Allowing the Holy Spirit to Transform Our Thinking

After explaining the instructions in Philippians, Pastor Lori encourages listeners to spend time reading Psalm 23 and Philippians chapter 4 for themselves. She explains that the Holy Spirit may use just one verse or even one phrase to reveal something important.

That is how her own understanding began to change. She returns to the instruction concerning worry.

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

She recalls how the words concerning worry affected her personally. As she considered the passage, she began asking God whether He truly meant that she did not need to worry about anything. She describes repeatedly thinking about this truth as she went to bed at night.

One of her concerns involved cancer. She remembers asking the Lord whether He really meant that she should not worry even about something as serious as cancer. The instruction challenged the way she had been accustomed to thinking. She began to understand that God was inviting her to trust Him rather than live under the continual weight of fear.

Pastor Lori encourages listeners to allow the Holy Spirit to comfort and help them through this process. She emphasizes that this is part of the Holy Spirit's work in the believer's life. The change she describes is not merely an attempt to force the mind into positive thinking.

It comes from spending time in God's Word, receiving revelation, and allowing the Holy Spirit to make that Word real within the heart. As believers continue in that process, she believes their thoughts can begin changing.

Strengthening Our Trust in God Through His Word

Pastor Lori explains that the more God's Word becomes alive to a believer, the more that person begins to recognize its transforming influence. As people experience the Holy Spirit teaching and comforting them, their trust in the Lord can grow. She describes a gradual process.

The believer reads the Word, begins to recognize God's promises, experiences greater understanding, and discovers that old patterns of thinking are changing. That growing understanding also helps believers receive more of God's love.

Pastor Lori emphasizes that the transformation becomes something a person can recognize within themselves. They begin to see that they are not thinking the same way they once did. The fears and worries that previously dominated their minds may begin to lose their influence as they grow in confidence in God's care. She returns to the encouragement found in Psalm 23.

Psalm 23:1–3 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

The image of the Lord as Shepherd reinforces her message that believers are cared for, guided, and restored by God. She encourages everyone to get into the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen them with God's joy and love. Her closing encouragement in this portion connects directly to the opening passage from Proverbs.

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

She encourages listeners to allow their bones to be strengthened with God's joy and love. For Pastor Lori, the purpose of changing thoughts is not simply to feel better temporarily. It is to experience more deeply the love, peace, and life that God has already made available through His Word.

Jesus: Enduring Through the Power of Joy

After Pastor Lori concludes her main teaching, Pastor Leonard adds several thoughts. He begins by addressing people who may be going through extremely difficult circumstances. He recognizes that someone might believe their situation is uniquely painful or that no one else could understand what they are experiencing. He then directs attention to Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Pastor Leonard emphasizes the instruction to fix our eyes on Jesus. He describes Jesus as the author and perfecter of faith, drawing attention to the fact that Jesus endured the cross because of the joy set before Him. The word joy becomes the central emphasis of his point. He connects this directly to Pastor Lori's teaching about the importance of joy in the believer's life.

Jesus faced suffering, yet the joy set before Him was connected to His endurance.

Pastor Leonard describes joy as an amazing power source. His encouragement is for believers to look to Jesus when they are facing difficulties. Rather than becoming completely consumed by their circumstances, they can direct their attention toward Christ and the example He provides.

The joy described in this passage is not presented as the absence of suffering. It is associated with the ability to endure through suffering. Pastor Leonard wants listeners to recognize that joy is more powerful than a temporary feeling of happiness. It has a significant place in the strength and perseverance of the believer.

Recognizing the Power of Christ Within Us

Pastor Leonard then addresses another response people sometimes have when they hear teaching about overcoming fear, discouragement, or difficult circumstances.

Some may respond by saying they simply cannot do it. They may feel they have already tried and failed. Pastor Leonard speaks strongly about this way of thinking. He explains that when believers insist they cannot do what God says is possible through Christ, they are contradicting what God has declared in His Word.

He uses the forceful illustration of pointing a finger toward God and calling Him a liar. His purpose is to challenge believers to recognize the power God has placed within them. He explains that the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead has been placed within believers.

Pastor Lori adds a thought from the prayer in Ephesians chapter 3.

She explains that the life of Christ has been released deep within believers. She emphasizes that acknowledging this reality is important. The power and life of Christ are not presented as something believers must persuade God to give them.

Rather, Pastor Lori and Pastor Leonard emphasize recognizing what has already been placed within them through their relationship with Christ. This understanding connects directly with the earlier teaching about renewing thoughts.

A believer who continually thinks only about personal weakness may struggle to recognize the strength available through Christ. Pastor Leonard challenges listeners to change the way they see themselves and what God has made available to them.

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Pastor Leonard concludes his additional thoughts by turning to Philippians chapter 4, verse 13.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

He places particular emphasis on the words “all things.” He explains that the verse does not say some things or many things. It says all things.

For Pastor Leonard, this is an important declaration of the strength believers have through Christ. He challenges the mindset that continually says, “I can't.” His message is that believers should not allow their personal feelings of inability to become greater in their thinking than the promises of God's Word.

He encourages listeners to receive Pastor Lori's teaching and take it seriously. As they allow God's Word to influence their thoughts, he believes they can begin walking in victory.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that the promise does not originate with him or Pastor Lori. He explains that they are not the ones making the promise. God has spoken through His Word.

Their role is to encourage believers to receive and trust what He has said. This brings the teaching back to its central theme: the importance of allowing God's truth to shape what believers think and believe.

Final Encouragement: Living with Renewed Thoughts

As the teaching comes to a close, Pastor Leonard encourages everyone to enjoy the presence of the Lord and the experience of having their thoughts changed.

Pastor Lori has shared how her own journey began with recognizing that her thinking was affecting her life in ways she had not previously understood. Through reading Scripture and receiving revelation from the Holy Spirit, she began discovering a different way to think. Her message has consistently emphasized the importance of joy, prayer, thanksgiving, and focusing on the truth of God's Word.

The Scriptures she shared provide a practical direction for believers who want to experience that transformation.

Proverbs 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

This passage establishes the importance of joy and the effect of a troubled spirit.

Philippians 4:6–8 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

These verses provide the practical encouragement to pray, give thanks, receive God's peace, and direct thoughts toward what is true and good.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

This final declaration reinforces the strength available through Christ. Pastor Leonard reminds listeners once more about the upcoming healing service, describing it as a night of healing miracles. The pastors close by expressing their appreciation for everyone who supports the ministry.

Their final encouragement is to enjoy God's presence, embrace the transformation that comes through His Word, and recognize the wonderful experience of having thoughts renewed through the Holy Spirit.

We hope this teaching, “Power Thinking by Pastor Lori,” has encouraged you to recognize the importance of your thoughts and the transforming power of God's Word. As you spend time in Scripture, allow the Holy Spirit to reveal more of God's love, fill your heart with joy, and help you experience His peace in every season of life. Thank you for reading, and please share this message with someone who may need encouragement, hope, and a fresh reminder of the strength and love available through Jesus Christ.