Control Factors of Your Life
As I was seeking the will of God for this morning, there were some questions that began to come to my mind. Thinking on the questions began to have an impact upon me in such a manner that I knew that God was trying to say something to my heart. In that same fashion, I felt that this was what the Lord also wanted to say to his church in today.
All of us have things in our lives that tend to serve as controlling factors, leading us, guiding us, directing our footsteps, forming our habits, and even transforming us from what we are today into the person we will become tomorrow. Though there are many, and all of these controlling factors are important to know, its often hard to recognize them, and if we don’t know those factors, or don’t understand where they are leading us, we may not be very happy with where we are when we finally arrive, whether it’s today, or 5, 10, 20 years, or the day we go into eternity. I think it’s safe to say that even right now, there is something in each of us that is controlling us right now.
These are the questions that I heard, and I think these are questions that every one of us must answer if we really want to know the truth of who we are becoming and where we are going in life.
What are the things in your life that control what you do?
What things in your life influence and guide your thinking processes?
Of course, the majority of those thinking processes also determine other controlling factors in your life. So according to the way you think, where will you go in life? What will you come to love, like, dislike or hate in your life?
And one of the most important questions that we have to know the answer to is, “What controlling factors in your life will form your opinions and what you believe?”
Wrong thinking can be dangerous and even deadly, while right thinking can be a blessing and help you be the best person you could be, not only in this life, but in the life to come.
Everything in life is controlled by something. Since school is starting this week for most of our kids, I thought it might be good to get them into the right frame of mind for sitting in the classroom and learning something new. For those of you that have been out of school for a long time, this should only be a refresher for what you already know, so relax and listen for a minute.
There are laws of science that man has relied on to help him in all of his research and discovery throughout history. Perhaps you remember a few of these laws from your days in the classroom. A lot of people would rather forget those scientific laws and leave their application to those who dedicate their lives to research and development. All most us want to do is reap the benefits of the work of our engineers and scientists without having to know all the technical things behind it. But we must not forget that whether we know these laws or not, they have a direct impact upon your life every day that you live.
What about the Law of Gravity? Sir Isaac Newton was a very intelligent man who first stated this law which says, “Any two bodies in the universe attract each other with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them”
Now I’m not nearly as smart as Mr. Newton so here’s my definition in a nutshell, “What goes up, must come down, and it takes a lot more effort to rise than to fall; and if two objects are big enough and get close enough, they’ll sooner or later run into one another.” I know that’s over-simplified, so if you’re one of those technical people, please don’t come and tell me more and get me confused.
If it were not for that law, none of us would be here right now. With the earth spinning on its axis at around 24,000 mph, it is safe to say that without gravity, we would all be thrown into the air and off into the vastness of space. Of course, that would only happen if some of the other scientific laws were in operation.
That same intelligent fellow, Sir Isaac Newton, is credited with discovering three other laws of Physics, called the Three Laws of Motion.
First law: When viewed in an inertial reference frame, an object either remains at rest or continues to move at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.
Simply stated, and you hear it all the time, “If nothing else acts upon it, a body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in motion.” How many of you experienced that second law of physics when you tried to get out of bed this morning? The bed didn’t move, your body didn’t want to, but some force outside of yourself forced you to move, otherwise you’d still be sleeping.
Second law: The vector sum of the forces on an object is equal to the mass of that object multiplied by the acceleration vector of the object.
Learn this now – there will be a test later! The way to remember this law is this: If I take a baseball and throw it straight up, it won’t go nearly as far as if I throw it off a cliff, straight down. Also, if I take a heavy steel ball and do the same thing, it will change how far and how fast the object falls or rises. The ball moves in the direction it is thrown depending upon the force that pushes it as well as the force that pulls against it and the mass, or weight of the ball.
If you take a rifle and fire a bullet, how far and how fast that bullet goes will depend upon how much power the powder had when it exploded and the weight of the projectile along with the trajectory it must travel. You can shoot a howitzer cannon shell, it will go much farther and faster than a BB Gun and the noise it makes in the process will certainly gain your attention quicker.
Third law: When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body.
Now this one is easy to remember and understand. If you walk down the aisle and there’s someone standing in your way, and you bump into one another, what’s going to happen? Well, if the two of you are the same size, you’ll bounce off one another and both ball back or move back about the same distance. But if one of us is an adult, and the other is a small child, the reactions of the collision are going to be quite different. The larger person won’t experience much of a problem but the child may be injured greatly from the impact.
You can also see this is operation on the highways. What difference will it make it you are driving a car and hit a bicycle, or if you hit an 18 wheeler? The forces of the impact are equal, and when one hits the other, those forces push the objects apart in the opposite direction of the impact, but what really counts in these instances are the effects of the impact upon the objects as they are repelled from one another.
One last law that I want to tell you about was discovered after much experimentation around 1825-26 by a scientist named George Ohm. Now, unless you’re involved in electrical or electronics circuitry, you may have never heard of Ohm’s Law. “Ohm's law states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the potential difference across the two points.” This constant potential difference is called resistance.
Now you don’t have to know this law, but there’s not a day goes by in our society today where we don’t take advantage of this law, and our lives are greatly impacted by what this law allows us to do. Light bulbs, electrical appliances, computers, cell phones, air conditioning, in short, everything that uses electrical energy in any way only operates because of Ohm’s Law.
I know you’re really impressed greatly to remember these laws, but don’t worry, if you do forget them, they’ll still be controlling factors in your life as long as you live. You can’t get away from them.
Besides all of these natural laws, there are other things in your life that control you, drive you, and have a great impact upon you.
Right now you may be driven by a problem in your life that you are trying to find an answer for. Perhaps it’s a financial problem, a physical problem or maybe even a spiritual problem. Also, there might be some kind of pressure being applied to your life that is causing you to be controlled such as pressure on the job to do more, or pressure from the family to be a better person for their sakes, or maybe pressure from some other source. All of these things can have a way of controlling your life as well.
And then there are controlling factors called fear, anxiety, worry, painful memories, guilt, remorse, regret and even an unconscious belief about something that is or is not true.
The fact is that there are controlling factors in our lives that we are often unaware of and our lives are shaped by those factors. How we think and what we believe, and the kind of life we live is constantly being changed by whatever controlling factors we face and often our wrong thinking is our worst enemy.
Wrong thinking and belief in the wrong things can sabotage our lives, causing us to fail time and again, and sometimes that wrong thinking can leave us believing that there is no real purpose in our existence. Everything just seems so confused and we have no clear direction, but wander through life aimlessly, just reacting to whatever, or whoever tries to exert control over us. Wrong thinking always results in a mind that lives in a state of confusion and doesn’t know what to believe in anymore. We become susceptible to anyone who tries to sway us from our convictions and lead us into accepting their point of view. We call this being double-minded.
James 1:8, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." A double minded person is a confused, wishy-washy individual who is easily persuaded and controlled by anything and anyone who comes across their path.
The Apostle Paul understood the confusion that comes from being tossed about in life like a ship in a storm. The controlling factors in the lives of many people have driven them so long and so far that they no longer have a foundation of values to live by. It’s Satan’s job to kill steal and destroy and some of his greatest weapons are doubt, fear and confusion. He then reinforces those weapons with people who are caught up in the same things but will try to convince you that they have it all together.
What was Paul’s instruction to God’s people that would keep them from becoming victims of Satan’s tricks and lose their way?
Romans 12:1-2, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is again! It’s all about your mind and the way you think, and the factors in your life that guide and control your thinking! It’s imperative that we take control of those factors and don’t allow ourselves to be transformed by wrong thinking through the influence of worldly controlling factors.
Paul says that we are renew our minds, not just once at salvation, or not just on Sunday or Wednesday when we come to church; but we are to be renewing our minds constantly, all day, every day, guarding our minds and the way we think. Our minds should always be focused on just One Thing!
One thing is more important than all of the other laws and controlling factors. If we focus on this One Thing, our mind will be sharp, our thinking as near perfect as a human mind can be, our reasoning will be founded on a firm foundation and perfect values and this ability to think right will be our controlling factor to bring us to a life that is filled with joy, peace, satisfaction and wisdom.
What is that One Thing that we must ever think about? The One Thing is the Perfect Will of God for your life! If we seek God’s will above all else, then that process of seeking will keep us on the right track and the outside controlling factors won’t have as much influence on our decisions.
God’s Perfect Will for your life is found in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
The question then arises, “How can I know the Perfect Will of God? I want that One Thing, but how to know what God wants is not easy sometimes.”
The answer to knowing the Perfect Will of God is found in the next few verses in Jeremiah chapter 29.
Jeremiah 29:12-13, "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."
Some of the controlling factors in our lives are found in trying to meet the approval and acceptance of other people. The need for social interaction and the need to be welcomed into the lives of other people are strong needs in the human heart. But sometimes we allow that need to drive us to the point of doing things, saying things, going places and believing things that are absolutely contrary to the Will of God. We forget about the One Thing and go chasing after everything else
.
If we would consider first the Will of God, seeking him with all our hearts, to know whether this is the people God want’s me with, or desiring to know where God wants me to go whether than where my friends want to go, then we would find ourselves more in control of our own lives. Never trust your life to someone else who doesn’t stand to lose anything by leading you astray from the truth. Some people who call themselves friends are not friends at all. They are little more than tools of the devil to lead you astray and shipwreck your life.
All of you kids who are about to go back school remember that! Just because someone tells you they are your friend, doesn’t make it true! If that “friend” leads you away from God, attempts to destroy your faith in God’s Word, and causes you to focus on what they want you to do, whether than what God wants you to do, they are not a friend. They are your worst enemy!
Remember this too! You cannot be a friend of the evils of this world, and a friend to those who enjoy partaking of the sin of this world, and still be a friend of God! There has to be a separation from the world! You can’t involve yourself with their desire to enjoy sensual pleasures or worldly parties or social gatherings where sin is glorified. If you do, then I warn you right now – You are going to come under their control and your life will follow the path that devil has planned for you and not what God has planned. And Satan’s plan always seems easier to follow but will always lead to your destruction. Don’t give place to the devil!
It’s easy to know the difference between that which is of God and that which is of the devil! That which is of God will always lead you to become a better person. That which is of the world will always lead you away from God and into a deeper pit of sin and despair.
Paul tells in in 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, what the controlling factors of this world will try to do.
1 Corinthians 6:9, "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,"
1 Corinthians 6:10, "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God."
First of all, this is not Paul judging any man, and neither am I, nor will you be if you refuse to become controlled by these things that other people try to push on you. Those caught in these things are condemning themselves through their own lusts.
James 1:14-15, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
No man can blame God for creating him in a manner that is inconsistent with God’s holiness. The LGBT community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transvestite) would try to convince you that they were created, or born, in that condition. That’s pure hogwash! Yes, they were born in sin, just as every other person on earth, but they chose to get involved in that sin through the desires of their own heart. Their own lust drew them into that scene. They were enticed or tempted by what they found and saw and experienced. Through their own desire to be involved in the LGBT community, they are now caught in that sin and can’t break free of their own power. And God’s Word plainly says that sin brings death; not just physical death, but spiritual death and eternal punishment for their act of rebellion against the Perfect Will of God!
But it is not just the LGBT community that Paul is talking about here! He also lists those who are sexually straight, but involved in sex outside of marriage. Fornication and adultery are the result of that same process of yielding to the lusts and desires of the flesh and casting aside the Perfect Will of God! This world thinks it’s socially acceptable to live together to see if people are compatible. God’s Word says that it’s sin and brings forth death. God’s Will is that all people enjoy their bodies and enjoy their relationships but it’s all confined within the borders of a lifetime commitment, not a trial run. That lifetime commitment is made with one another and before Almighty God, and the one who violates God’s Will in this matter will face death for that sin if it isn’t repented of and washed in the blood of Jesus.
Along with this is the breaking of God’s Laws in the 10 Commandments. Those in this world who would rather forget about God, deny his existence and live their lives without guilt, are constantly trying to have these commandments removed. Why, so that they can break those laws and not have to face up to the fact that there will be a reckoning day for their sin.
Mankind wants to have what his neighbor has. Wars have been fought, countries ripped apart, and murders have been committed because of coveteousness. Thieves steal what they want because it’s easier than earning it. Their motto is, “What’s mine in mine, and I refuse to share it. And what’s your’s is mine, and I’m going to take it.”
Drunkards are included in this list by Paul, and this includes all those who surrender their senses to any kind of drugs or alcohol or anything else that steals their inhibitions, destroys their powers of reasoning and allows a substance in their bodies to transform them into someone that they don’t want to be under normal circumstances. Giving control of your body over to anything other than the Will of God is sin and will bring forth death.
Paul also lists revilers here. Just so you will know, there are other lists of sins that will never enter Heaven’s gates, and those who do those things will never enter Heaven either. Revilers are always stirring up trouble, desiring to see arguments and fights going on, hating everything good, and perfectly willing to let their hatred be manifested in brawling and scrapping. They rail against what’s right and good and proclaim that all who try to live right are the cause of the worlds’ problems. They cannot be appeased, no matter what you do.
Extortioners are always trying to find a way to take what you have, conniving ways to confiscate what is not theirs, but they do it in such a way that they don’t seem to be thieves. It’s nothing more than white collar stealing. There are people who lie awake at night, listening to the voice of their father, the Devil, as he spews out garbage into their hearts and minds on how to get more and more from other people without putting out much effort. I won’t go into this much more except to say that extortionists abound in the government and financial industries.
The important thing to remember here is that those who are a part of these sins will never be in Heaven in their present spiritual condition. They can change, and they must change, and the only way that will happen in through true repentance for sin and acceptance of Jesus’ blood for the cleansing of that sin. There is no sin that a man can commit that God will not forgive except for the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost!
Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost happens, but not too often. Even so, I can tell you today of someone who once was filled with the Holy Ghost, spoke in other tongues as the Spirit gave them the words to say. They were born again, saved, not once, but had failed and come back to God more than once. God was longsuffering, loving and constantly reaching out to them. But the day came when they finally decided to love this world more than the Will of God, and today they are lost and without hope. They have reached a point in their life where God has even spoken to their godly family to stop praying for them because they’ve made their choice and their eternal destiny is sealed.
Notice what Paul says next! 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."
Do you see the Love of God even for the LGBT, the extortionist, the reviler, the thief and the covetous? God loves the sinner, but cannot love the sin! Those who are caught in those lifestyles and trapped in those chains of sin still have hope if they will repent!
God chose, in his great Love, to make a way for all men to find their way to salvation and eternal life by sending his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross.
John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
You see, with God, all sin is the same! Though we might judge one sin above another, and some may have more long term, terrible effects upon those who do them, in the eyes of the Lord, it’s all the same. Every sin, no matter how small we see it, or how great it is to us, still carries the same penalty – ETERNAL DEATH! In the eyes of the Lord, sin is rebellion against the Perfect Will of God, Period!
Rebellion causes us to do all the other things, but it’s that single act of rebellion that brings death.
Rebellion is in the heart of every child, of every teenager, and of every adult in this world. There is not one righteous enough to say that there is no sin in them. If we say we are without sin, the Bible says that we are lying to ourselves.
Rebellion causes us to want to stay home when we could be, and should be in church.
Rebellion causes us to believe in the lies of the Devil rather than the truth of God’s Word.
Rebellion pushed the sinner to sin, because his own heart rebels against that which is holy and causes him to want to fulfill his own desire instead.
Rebellion causes teenagers to lock themselves away in a world of virtual reality and live vicariously through their “heroes” in computer games and not obey their parents and do what they should be doing.
Rebellion caused Adam to fall in the Garden of Eden and rebellion will be causes the last man standing to be condemned in these last days.
Rebellion is the root cause of all sin in the heart of man, and everything else grows from that root including the love of money, the love of the pleasures of sin, and whatever else you want to name.
Refusal to believe, trust and obey the Perfect Will of God – that’s what sin is!
We were all rebellious until Jesus came down and found us in that sinful state and made a way for us to be forgiven of that rebellion. And even though rebellion is still there, Jesus’ blood still forgives that sin today, as long as we repent of it, turn to God and seek His Perfect Will with all our heart!
The Bible tells us that we cannot serve two masters. You can’t serve God and live like the world at the same time. If you don’t serve the Lord and do his Perfect Will, then you have chosen to serve yourself and the devil by default. There are only two masters, either Jesus or Satan. Which are you choosing to serve today? Jesus give life, peace and eternal life in Heaven. Satan gives death, sorrow and eternal death in Hell. Make sure you know which you are serving!
Who is controlling you this morning? Are you allowing God’s Perfect Will to be your guide, or are you allowing anything or anyone else to take his place? God’s way is the way to Life, and it’s the only way! Don’t be controlled by anything else!
Jesus is here right now with outstretched hands, asking you to come to him in repentance for the rebellion in your life. He wants His perfect Will to be your guiding power! He will only stand and call to you in your heart, he will not beg. The choice is yours! Will you come? I know that the Word has spoken to hearts here this morning! I know that God’s Word will not return empty but will speak to hearts. Will you hear God’s Word? Will you come to him and let him take away all of those controlling factors in your life that are destroying your ability to think and act rightly? God is calling. You must answer!
