2 Corinthians 5: 5-7: 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight)
Physical Effects of Addictions | Be Made Whole
Hosea 4:6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
ADDICTIONS CAN BE BROKEN THROUGH PROPER HELP:
Knowledge, (going to share today), and by Determination and Spiritual Transformation
I WANT TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF ADDICTIONS
In the general public, people have addictions and know it:
• But Christians may try to cover these things
• “I am a Christian I shouldn’t have this problem.”
• We have to know we have a problem
• Before we can seek to do something about it
IF WE CAME INTO CHRISTIANITY LATER IN LIFE, WE HAVE A PAST
• Some issues never get sorted because of shame, fear, or pride
• They remain secrets, and our Christian walk is affected in a negative way
• These secrets can cause a Christian to live a double life
• There’s only one remedy to a double life, and that’s the heart of REPENTANT SURRENDER.
o Or the bondage may grow and consume us
o Or we lose hope
THE LORD WILL PERFECT US. WE CAN NOT PERFECT OURSELVES.
Psalms 138:8: “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.”
Denial: First thing to deal with. A person may not realize how bad the addiction is.
The Lord already knows our hearts:
Jeremiah 17:10: I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
DENIAL GETS IN THE WAY
When you break the word Denial Down in individual terms, you get:
Don’t Even Know I am Lying.
• In denial, people may say: “I can help myself.”
• I don’t need to go into any treatment
• Some people lose years of their lives struggling to ADMIT THE PROBLEM
DENIAL IS THE DISTORTION OF THE TRUTH THAT ALLOWS FOR THE PROTECTION AND CONTINUATION OF THE DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR.
• Denial is dishonesty
THE LORD DESIGNED THE BRAIN TO FUNCTION PRECISELY THE WAY HE DESIGNED
1 Corinthians 6:19 – What? Know ye not that your Body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
- When we take care of our Brain, we function correctly (like any other part of our Body)
Dopamine is responsible for the term dope
• and is the chemical messenger (neurotransmitter) that affects addiction Dopamine is the feel-good chemical messenger that triggers the pleasure in the Brain
THE NATURAL LEVELS OF DOPAMINE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE ARE AFFECTED WHEN WE HAVE ADDICTIONS.
• This happens : Because of all the dopamine surges that have been dumped into the Brain
• By the various addictions that we mentioned
JESUS CHRIST CAN FREE OF ANY ADDICTION
Acts 10:38: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Isa 53:3-5: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Luke 1:37 – For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Mark 9:23 – Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.
Matthew 17:20 – And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Give your heart to Jesus today by saying this prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Please forgive me. Come into my life. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Please, help me to live for you the rest of this life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Amen.
Meeked Stallion
Matthew 5:5: BLESSED ARE THE MEEK FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH
WHAT IS MEEKNESS
- It sounds like weakness.
- But meekness is Power under control
MEEKNESS: MEANS NOT EASILY PROVOKED. SUFFERS INJURIES AND HURTS WITHOUT A DESIRE FOR REVENGE.
EXAMPLE OF MEEKNESS: BACK IN THE DAY, A WILD STALLION BROUGHT DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAINS, HAD TO BE BROKEN
THE HORSE HAD TO BE BROKEN OR “MEEKED” TO READY FOR A RIDER.
- SOME WERE USED FOR PULLING WAGONS
- SOME WERE USED IN RACES
BUT THE BEST HORSES WERE RETAINED FOR WARFARE
THESE HORSES COULD
- RESPOND TO THE SLIGHTEST NUDGE OF THE RIDER
- GALLOP AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND STOP AT THE SLIGHTEST WORD
- WERE NOT FRIGHTENED BY ARROWS, SPEARS, OR TORCHES
THESE MEEKED HORSES WERE POWER UNDER CONTROL
TO BE MEEKED WAS TO BE TAKEN FROM A STATE OF WILD REBELLION
• AND BROUGHT TO LOYALTY AND DEPENDENT UPON, ONE’S MASTER
JESUS HAS HAD TO GET A HOLD OF SOME OF US WILD STALLIONS
• HE Took us from wild rebellion
• And wants us to be completely loyal
• And dependent on Him
• Change us our attitudes
• So we can be used by Him
MEEKNESS IS ALSO CONNECTED TO RESTORATION
When something is restored: “restore” as to bring back to or put back something to a former or original state
MEEKNESS IS CONSIDERING OTHER ABOVE OURSELVES
- So many sitting on pews across the world
- Right in the Body of Christ
- Need restoring
- WE NEED MORE MEEKNESS IN THE PEWS
- OF CHURCH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
Galatians 6:1: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
JESUS restored us to God through His Meekness
- should gently restore someone who is in sin
- considering thyself
- anyone one of us can fall into sin
- says ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness;
MEEKNESS LETS GOD HANDLE THINGS/ TAKES ITS HANDS OFF OF THE SITUATION
Psalm 46:10. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
• Jesus can fix it, while we make things worse
Psalms 147:6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
MEEKNESS CAUSES US TO BE TEACHABLE AND OPEN TO CORRECTION
Ps 25: 9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
JESUS OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE OF MEEKNESS
Is 53:7: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep, before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth
Give your heart to Jesus today by saying this prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Please forgive me. Come into my life. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Please, help me to live for you the rest of this life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Amen.
Mourning Sin
Matthew 5:4: Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted
Just as “poverty of spirit” has nothing to do with our finances,
• “mourning” has nothing to do with the natural life
• but, rather…like poverty of spirit…refers to our spiritual condition.
One definition of Mourning or to mourn
• To Mourn: is to feel regret or sadness about
o Like we would after the death of someone we love
o Unless they are a Christian
o We will miss them
• But we like to say that have received “THEIR CORONATION DAY” (THEIR CROWNING DAY) WITH JESUS CHRIST
JESUS IS ALSO TALKING ABOUT A MOURNING OF THE SPIRIT
• TO Mourn over sin
Luke 18:9-14: Jesus addresses the Religious Hypocrite and Ones that had no religion. Vs 9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
IN VERSE 11 OF LUKE CHAPTER 18 THE PHARISEE WAS COMPARING HIMSELF TO PEOPLE AND NOT GOD
• He was self-righteous
o said in vs 11 God I thank you that I am not like other man are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican
• A hypocrite will always find someone that they feel they are better than
• A Christian is not better than anyone else
• We are not the judges of the World Jesus is
Romans 3:10: As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one:
Romans 3:23-24: All have sinned and come short of the glory of God 24 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 4:24-25 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
THE PUBLICAN KNEW HIS SINFUL STATE
• He saw himself in the Light of Jesus
• A sinner, he mourned his sin
Vs 13: And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Psalm 51:17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
James 4:8-9 Tells Christians to mourn, grieve and howl over their sins
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9 Be afflicted, (grieved) and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
• Sin is deceitful
• A person that is deceived doesn’t know they are deceived
• Sin change our thinking we will not even realize we are deceived when we sin!
Heb 3: 12-14: 12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;
Give your heart to Jesus today by saying this prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Please forgive me. Come into my life. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Now, help me to live for you the rest of this life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Amen.