Part 27: Living the Extraordinarily Blessed Life!

Transcription

1 Part 27: Living the Extraordinarily Blessed Life! Texts: Psalm 1:1-4 (NKJV) - Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; [2] But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. [3] He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. [4] The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Psalm 92:13-15 (NKJV) - Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. [14] They shall bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, [15] To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. I believe this new series will be the best I've ever taught for helping us live the extraordinary life God's children were meant to enjoy. Part 2 Set Free From Me! New Texts: Romans 7:15-20 (NKJV) - For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. [16] If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. [17] But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. [18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. [19] For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. [20] Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

2 John 8:31-32 (NKJV) - Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. A. A very real phenomenon causes us to make decisions that work against what we are trying to achieve and can easily torpedo our success and happiness. 1. Romans 7:32 (NKJV) - O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? a. In this verse, Paul refers to the ancient Roman custom of strapping a dead body, arms to arms and legs to legs, on the back of a condemned man until the decaying body causes the prisoner to die. b. That actually happens more often than we realize. How easily we blame all sorts of things for holding us back the devil, the world, parents, an abusive spouse, the economy, government, racism, sexism, and so many others. c. While those problems may complicate and make life more difficult, we should not blame any of them for holding us back. d. The proof that we are responsible for our own success lies in the fact that others who face similar circumstances are successfully overcoming the same obstacles. 3. Those who strive to do good will still struggle with imperfections. Of course, some simply never try to do what's right and only hope that others will believe they're a good person. 4. Joke: Making Comparisons Two very rich, wicked brothers used their money to hide their evil ways from the public. Both attended the same church, always trying to act like perfect Christians. When their pastor retired, a new one was hired. However, the new pastor not only saw right through the two brothers' deception, he also spoke the truth without compromise. As the church membership continued to grow, a fund-raising campaign began for a new building.

3 Suddenly, one of the brothers died. The day before the funeral, the grieving brother approached the new pastor with a check large enough to complete the building construction. "I have only one condition," he said. "At the funeral, you must say my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word and deposited the check. At the funeral the next day, the pastor did not hold back. "This was an evil man," he said, who cheated on his wife, abused his family and hurt everyone he worked with." After many of the same type remarks, he finally concluded, but compared to his brother, he was a saint!" The brother fainted! 5. To illustrate my point that things on the inside can actually hold us back, let me tell you about a relative of Geri's who made some poor choices in her younger days. a. Knowing she had made so many mistakes and that her life was not compatible with the way she was raised, she didn't feel worthy of being happy. b. Unfortunately, she chose to marry a man who made her life miserable with physical and emotional abuse. Finally, she divorced him. But that didn't help. Having been raised a Catholic, she felt even worse about the divorce. c. In her second marriage, she suffered more abuse and condemnation. So, she divorced the second husband, only to marry a third abusive man. d. Seven times she married abusive men. In her wedding photos, you could have cut the head from the first husband and replaced it with any of the seven; they were all the same. e. They all drank heavily, abused her physically and emotionally and made her life miserable. Each of them reinforced her poor selfimage with the belief that she needed to suffer. But she never understood what was happening. It was all blamed on bad luck. f. Had she blamed each of the seven for their bad treatment, she would have been correct. But she never realized that something

4 within had broken that caused her to choose such men. Do you see what I mean? If she had fixed what caused her to self-destruct, she could have made much better decisions for a mate. 6. A brilliant young lady once attended our church. Shortly after what I'm about to say, she moved to another state. a. When she graduated from high school, a group of doctors offered her a full scholarship for a medical degree at a university and a second scholarship for the subject of her choice. b. After appealing to me for advice, she turned it down because she couldn't see herself at that level. As a result, she moved to another state and became a nurse. c. I thank God for our nurses, but not one would have rejected the offer presented to this girl. Imagine,...she couldn't receive this blessing because she didn't think she deserved such a future. B. Eight weapons of self-destruction are used by the devil and the world to con us into sabotaging our own lives so that we'll never enjoy success or happiness. 1. Shame: a. Shame is different from guilt or remorse, which are feelings of regret about something we've done wrong. Since we've all done things we regret, it's normal to experience these feelings from time to time. Seeing or feeling no one's pain but your own is a form of sociopathic behavior. b. However, shame is not what you have done, but who you are. Have you ever felt so icky or embarrassed about a mistake you've made, you felt as if you were naked or only partially clothed? c. The word 'shame' is believed to have originated from a root word that means: to cover. The word 'embarrass' is closely related to the meaning of 'shame.' Without being risqué, the word 'embarrass' refers to the feeling that a certain part of your anatomy has been exposed or uncovered. That's how shame makes you feel.

5 d. Psychologists believe that shame is the root cause of all family dysfunction and abnormal behavior. 2. Self-destructive thoughts: a. Our own thoughts can work against us and become very selfdestructive. b. Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) - For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. c. Thoughts work like this: a situation (which can be a good or bad circumstance, a need, or desire), will determine your thoughts. d. Thoughts then determine your emotions, which determine your attitudes. e. Attitudes become the default setting for your emotions. f. Attitudes also decide your self-talk and speech and influence your behavior or actions. g. Behavior becomes a habit; and habits determine your lifestyle. h. Lifestyle molds a character, and character will determine your destiny. i. When I think about self-destructive thoughts, I'm reminded of Haman in the book of Esther. As the close confidant of King Ahasuerus, that friendship alone provided Haman with a sizable fortune and bright future. But what did he do? He destroyed his own life by failing to control his thoughts. When Mordecai refused to bow to him like all the others citizens, Haman became so infuriated, he planned a conspiracy to eradicate the entire Jewish race. 3. Compulsions: a. A compulsion is an inner drive, a strong desire, or lust. It's something you feel you must do even if it's wrong or hurts someone you love. It's like Eve seeing the fruit God had forbidden them to eat, but she chose to disobey because she was hungry. b. A moment of weakness can lead to a lifetime of regrets.

6 4. Fear: a. In our day, all types of fear abound. People fear the future, poor health, rejection, a lack of funds, failing a grade in school, the loss of a relationship or employment or even a fear of Hillary or Trump becoming president. b. 1 John 4:18 (KJV) - Fear has torment. c. Those who live in fear are tormented; they have no peace. 5. Despair: a. Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV) - Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. b. Despair is the result of losing all hope. It's the feeling that everything has gone so wrong, it will never be right again. c. Feeling hopeless makes you want to give up. If you're in a job that seems hopeless, you'll want to quit. If your marriage seems hopeless, you'll want a divorce. 6. Resentment: a. Unforgiveness leads to feelings of bitterness and resentment. b. Those who become stuck in the past will forfeit their future. c. If you're looking backward over your shoulder while driving your car, you're a prime candidate for a wreck. That's how lives are also wrecked: someone did them wrong and they can't forget it. 7. Pride: a. Arrogance is so deceptive and ugly, it causes many to self-destruct. Whether it's a business, ministry, or relationship, pride and arrogance are responsible for many failures. b. Pride is so hated by God, it is included in the seven deadly sins. But why is it so offensive? Has any harm been done by simply being a proud person? The answer is yes! c. Pride is much more than thoughts that are 'puffed up.' It will keep you from seeing the value in others. You'll begin to think less of people who are so loved by Jesus, He was willing to die for them.

7 d. More than all the others, the Bible exposes this sin as one that will prevent people from getting the help they need or the cure for their problem. e. A proud person not only fails to honor other people, they have no regard for their perspectives or insights. It will set you up to mess up! Those who could help are reluctant to do so when they sense the disdain a proud person has for them and the fact that their advice will most likely be disregarded. f. Proverbs 26:12 (NKJV) - Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. g. Proverbs 11:2 (NLT) - Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. h. Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV) - Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. i. Proverbs 29:23 (NKJV) - A man s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor. 8. Low Self-esteem: a. Jahmene Douglas gave an incredible singing audition at the XFactor in the UK. But as the contest progressed, he didn't perform quite so well on one song. From there, he choked! His young life had been so hellish, Jahmene's self-confidence was completely destroyed. b. His father was such a thug, he beat Jahmene's mother and stuck a knife under his son's fingernail because it was bleeding. c. Sentenced to prison for rape and abduction, the father drove Jahmene's older brother to commit suicide. d. And can you believe, Jahmene is a devout Christian! This proves that believers are not exempt from messed-up thinking! (see e. Those with low self-esteem suffer from the need to please disease. While we all want to connect with others in a meaningful way, low self-esteem makes you afraid that others won't accept you.

8 f. A person with low self-esteem usually makes one of two mistakes: they are so paralyzed by the fear of rejection, they refuse to take a risk that might cause them to be viewed poorly. Or, they will try to impress others by doing something foolish. To prove their worth, they become a poser; and unfortunately, the only ones a poser can impress is another poser.