Starve the Enemies | Philip Anthony Mitchell | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Starve the Enemies

Philip Anthony Mitchell

2819 Church • Feb 15, 2021 • 65 min

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Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this message, Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell addresses three destructive enemies of love: fear, pride, and selfishness. Because authentic love is inherently others-centered, allowing these subtle enemies to operate in our lives chokes out true emotional security, relational intimacy, and spiritual growth. Believers are called to actively starve these enemies through vulnerability, humility, and self-pruning so that Christ's agape love can heal and flourish in every relationship.

Themes

Agape LoveOvercoming Fear and VulnerabilityDefeating Pride and InsecuritySelflessness in RelationshipsBiblical MarriageSpiritual Healing

Pastor's Points

1.

Fear: An enemy of love that prevents vulnerability, breeds control, and blocks both giving and receiving love.

2.

Pride: An enemy of love driven either by superiority (arrogance) or insecurity (defensiveness) that destroys emotional safety and accountability.

3.

Selfishness: An enemy of love that corrupts communication, time management, and conflict resolution by prioritizing 'me' over others.

4.

Agape Love: God's self-pruning, providing, and protecting love that acts independent of shifting emotions or circumstances.

Key Points

1.
True love is inherently others-centered, making it impossible to give or receive love properly when driven by fear, pride, or selfishness.
2.
Fear prevents us from being vulnerable, driving people to either build protective walls or resort to controlling behavior.
3.
Perfect love drives out fear because authentic love establishes security, allowing believers to safely disarm their hearts (1 John 4:18).
4.
Pride—whether expressed as a hypercritical spirit of superiority or a defensive posture of insecurity—keeps relationships at a distance and avoids accountability.
5.
Selfishness ruins essential relational dynamics, including effective communication, conflict resolution, and quality time.
6.
Human expressions of love like phileo (friendship) and eros (romance) are situational, whereas agape love is a committed daily decision to serve others unconditionally.
7.
Agape love is self-pruning, cutting away personal agenda and selfish will for the greater good of others, just as Christ surrendered His will on the cross.

Sermon Moments

“Too afraid to be vulnerable, so I punish you for my fear... but I'm too afraid to let you go, so I lock you up in a prison.”

“Where there is perfect love, there is no fear. How long will he be punished for somebody else? How long will she be punished for somebody else?”

“When pride is being driven by superiority, it's all about me. But when pride is being driven by insecurity, believe it or not, it's still all about me.”

“Real love is not me-centered. Real love is others-centered.”

“Agape love is a type of love where I make a daily decision to love you independent of anything you have done.”

“If we don't starve the enemies of love in our hearts, they will starve the experience of true love in our lives.”

“Maybe the greatest legacy I'll leave for my children... is I lived well and I loved well.”

This Week

Take time in prayer to disarm your heart, laying past relationship wounds and fears at God's altar for emotional healing.

Practice vulnerability this week by sharing your genuine thoughts or struggles with your spouse or a trusted brother or sister in Christ.

Identify areas where pride might be lurking, asking God to remove hypercritical attitudes toward others.

Invite godly accountability into your life regarding a personal blind spot or character issue you normally keep hidden.

Engage in self-pruning by intentionally putting aside a personal preference or schedule item to bless family members or friends.

Improve your communication by actively listening to your spouse or loved one without becoming defensive.

Choose to forgive past offenses by letting go of records of wrong and extending the same grace God showed you.

Remember This

If we do not starve the enemies of love—fear, pride, and selfishness—in our hearts, they will starve the experience of true love in our lives.

A Challenge for You

I want to pray that you would join me on the journey of going on a fast—not from food, but from pride, selfishness, and fear. Starve the hell out of those enemies so that you can begin to experience real love from above and from all around you.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.