GIT- "Three Spheres"- June 21, 2026

The Clarksville Vineyard mission keeps things real simple: a church without walls wants people to freely say yes to God. The call does not require fancy religious words, a theological degree, or having every Bible question settled. Being led by the Spirit, reaching out in love, and growing in truth all serve that one aim.

God’s word carries the value that was laid out the week before. The word is not just something to read and move on from. The word is meant to be consumed, ruminated on, digested, written, spoken, shared, and worked into every part of life. The Dead Sea picture warns that inlet without outlet turns life stagnant, because disciples need others pouring in and also need places to pour out.

The three spheres name a simple but really helpful way to think biblically about limited time, limited energy, and limited emotional bandwidth. The earth is the Lord’s, so even a tool borrowed from psychology has to be viewed through Scripture, not the other way around. The first sphere contains things that can be controlled: thoughts, attitudes, words, actions, obedience, and responses. Second Corinthians calls thoughts to be taken captive to Christ, James calls trials to be counted as joy, Thessalonians calls gratitude into all circumstances, Proverbs calls lips to be guarded, Colossians calls conversations to be full of grace, and James calls hearers to actually do what the word says.

The second sphere contains things that can be influenced but not controlled. Children, spouses, community, coworkers, church, and those being led or served can be influenced through faithful example. Ephesians calls parents to train children without exasperating them, because “poking the bear” can turn a two out of ten into an eight out of ten. Matthew calls God’s people salt and light, and First Timothy calls believers to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Influence is real, but control and manipulation are not godly.

The third sphere contains things that cannot be controlled: other people’s choices, the future, the past, national events, the weather, approval, and the outcome of effort. Matthew says tomorrow has enough trouble of its own, Proverbs says the Lord establishes steps, Isaiah says not to dwell on former things, and Paul says God makes the seed grow. Control calls for obedience, influence calls for wisdom and stewardship, and what cannot be controlled calls for trust in the Lord.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Control begins with captive thoughts Second Corinthians does not treat the mind like a runaway train that just has to be endured. The thought that enters the head still has to answer to Jesus, whether it came from fear, the enemy, habit, or the person’s own imagination. Spiritual maturity includes learning how to redirect attention instead of being dragged around by every mental picture that shows up. [68:53]
• 2. Gratitude changes the whole angle James and Thessalonians do not pretend trials are fun or painless. The shift comes when the trial is considered in light of what God can form through it, not just what the circumstance has taken. A flat tire can still be frustrating, but thanksgiving trains the soul to see mercy inside inconvenience instead of only loss. [70:40]
• 3. Influence is not control Children, spouses, church family, and community can be shaped by godly example, but they cannot be forced into faithfulness. The difference matters because influence honors freedom while control slips toward manipulation. Faithful discipleship plants, trains, serves, and models, then leaves the final bending of the knee before Jesus to each person. [76:52]
• 4. Freedom must protect the weak First Corinthians does not let Christian liberty become careless self-expression. A person may have the right to do something and still lay that right down so a weaker brother or sister is not tripped up. Mature freedom asks not only, “Is this allowed?” but also, “Could this harm someone God has placed nearby?” [86:32]
• 5. Trust belongs beyond control The future, the past, approval, weather, politics, and outcomes do not sit inside human control. Anxiety grows when the future gets held too tightly, and heaviness grows when the past gets replayed too long. The Lord calls for obedience where control is given, stewardship where influence is given, and trust where neither one is given.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [58:33] - Mission: Helping People Say Yes
• [59:44] - Growing in Truth
• [60:55] - Consuming the Word of God
• [61:21] - Mentorship and the Dead Sea
• [63:04] - A Topical Bible Study Approach
• [64:58] - The Three Spheres Explained
• [66:36] - Limited Bandwidth and Wise Investment
• [68:17] - Things That Can Be Controlled
• [70:40] - Attitudes, Trials, and Thanksgiving
• [73:12] - Guarding Words and Doing the Word
• [76:19] - Things That Can Be Influenced
• [81:49] - Salt and Light in the Community
• [86:32] - Freedom Without Stumbling Blocks
• [88:43] - Things That Cannot Be Controlled
• [96:04] - Obey, Steward, and Trust

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 10:5
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” [01:08:53]

James 1:2
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” [01:10:50]

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” [01:11:30]

Proverbs 13:3
“Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” [01:13:15]

Colossians 4:6
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” [01:14:08]

James 1:22
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” [01:14:53]

Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” [01:18:22]

Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” [01:21:49]

1 Timothy 4:12
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” [01:23:08]

1 Corinthians 8:9
“But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” [01:26:32]

Matthew 6:34
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” [01:30:34]

Proverbs 16:9
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” [01:30:50]

Isaiah 43:18-19
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” [01:31:19]

1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” [01:34:43]

Observation questions

1. What were some of the specific things named as belonging in the sphere of control, and which Scriptures were connected to them? [01:08:17]
2. In the verses about trials and thanksgiving, what words show that circumstances may stay hard while a believer’s attitude can still change? [01:10:40]
3. What examples were given of people or groups that can be influenced but not controlled? [01:16:19]
4. What kinds of things were listed in the sphere that cannot be controlled, and what repeated instruction was given for that sphere? [01:28:46]

Interpretation questions

1. If believers are told to take every thought captive to obey Christ, what does that suggest about the responsibility they have for their inner life, even when unwanted thoughts show up? [01:10:09]
2. James says to count trials as joy, and Thessalonians says to give thanks in all circumstances. How do those commands reshape the way suffering, inconvenience, and interruption are viewed? [01:11:49]
3. Ephesians 6:4 calls parents to train their children in the Lord without provoking them. What does that reveal about the difference between godly influence and fleshly control? [01:19:16]
4. First Corinthians 3:6 says one person plants, another waters, but God gives the growth. How should that affect the way believers think about ministry effort, parenting, witness, and outcomes? [01:34:23]

Application questions

1. Which part of life is most tempting right now to treat like it is controllable when it really is not: another person’s choices, the future, approval, or the outcome of effort? What would trust in the Lord look like there this week? [01:36:43]
2. What thought pattern has been running loose lately—fear, replaying a conversation, anger, fantasy, worst-case scenarios? What would it look like to actually take that thought captive and redirect it toward Christ? [01:08:53]
3. When frustration hits, what usually comes out first: gratitude, complaint, silence, sarcasm, or blame? How could thanksgiving begin to change the tone of that moment in a real and honest way? [01:11:30]
4. Where does speech most need to become more guarded and more gracious right now—in the home, at work, online, in traffic, or around friends? What would “grace-filled” words sound like in that setting? [01:14:08]
5. Is there an area where the word of God is being heard but not yet obeyed? What is one concrete step of obedience that has been delayed? [01:14:53]
6. Who has God placed nearby to influence rather than control—children, spouse, coworkers, neighbors, or someone younger in the faith? What kind of example is being set for that person right now? [01:23:08]
7. Christian freedom is real, but love sometimes lays down its rights. Is there a habit, preference, joke, entertainment choice, or social setting that may be harmless for one person but harmful for someone weaker nearby? What might love choose to do? [01:26:32]