Exchange Self-Destructive Tendencies With Spiritually Fruitful Traits (Gal. 5:16-23)
Too many people allow themselves to fall into self-destructive practices out of ignorance, neglect or spiritual indiscipline.
Some people need to know when to admit mistakes. Take for example what not to put in a résumé:
These are blunders from real résumés
"My intensity and focus are at inordinately high levels, and my ability to complete projects on time is unspeakable."
"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
"Personal: Married, 1992 Chevrolet."
"I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse."
Illustration: Get the right perspective. When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He’s so big we can never kill him." David looked at the same giant and though, "He’s so big I can’t miss."
God Can Make It Happen (Victor).
Paul wrote, "Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh sets itself against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh for these are in opposition to one another so you cannot do the things you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are these which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper) selfishness, divsions (dissensions) factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and the like. I warn you... that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:16-23)
Do you observe that you tend to get better or worse(bitter, angry and anxious) when difficulties come in to your life?
Is your life more characterized by triumphs or turmoil and tension?
Illustration:Illustration:A monk joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first 10 years his superior called him in and asked, "Do you have anything to say?" The monk replied, "Food bad." After another 10 years the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, "Bed hard." Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, "I quit." "It doesn’t surprise me a bit. You’ve done nothing but complain ever since you got here."
Source Unknown.
Many great congregations have suffered from people with divisive attitudes. The Lord has placed each of us in His body to be lovingly united in spirit, intent on one purpose, striving together for the faith of the gospel. Minor disagreements often escalate into huge differences that could easily have been overlooked for the greater good of Christ’s kingdom and righteousness.
Irritations have a way of bringing a sense of frustration that leads to the self-destructive tendencies that Paul describes in the Gal. 5:19-21. Grievous words stir up muddy waters that tend to cloud one’s decision-making ability.
Application: Criticisms wound hearts and lead many to become bitter, discouraged or vengeful. Unresolved tension can bring depression, a loss of energy and a depleting of one’s strength. Unless, we pro-actively choose to be led by the Spirit’s constructive traits the self-destructive tendencies of our selfish human nature will wreck havoc on each of our lives.
Quote: Real Christianity will make salty differences in our family, in our waking up, in our work, in our relationships, in the way we spend our money, and in the way we spend our leisure time. Real Christianity is not casual. It is dynamic. It goes beyond mere intellectual assent to correct doctrine. Real Christians who want to know real Christianity, who are not content with games and masks and only images of the truth, must rise from our comfortable pews and leave our ‘one stop Christian service centers’ and go out into the world and make a salty difference!" (Guy Rice Doud, Joy in the Journey)
The following are some guidelines to help us exchange negative self-destructive traits for positive Spirit filled attitudes, actions and tendencies:
1. CEASE AND REPLACE - Make a list of some of the common self-destructive habits that may characterize your life and prayerfully replace them with what is Spiritually positive:
A. Cease criticizing and start affirming others by accenting their positives. Dick Enberg, the famous NBC sports announcer recently spoke at an ivy league college graduation and said, The two most important words in the English language are "Thank You." We live in a world that is desperate to be acknowledged, respected and appreciated.
Quote: Donald R. Hubbard - "The enemy can utilize the mouth of even Christians to criticize and bring discouragement into the hearts of many. We behold the splinter in another’s eye before we remove the log from our own eyes."
B. Cease disrespecting people and respect others as individuals created by God with great worth, dignity and potential. Too many people abuse people or take them for granted instead of considering others as more important than ourselves. (Phil. 2:3,4)
Respect means to give deferential esteem by treating people with consideration, politeness and concern.
C. Cease gossiping-slandering-criticizing people and begin to overlook faults. Let us realize that gossippers are like those who set on fire dangerous blazes that tend to come back and ruin many lives. Paul wrote, "Do everything without complaining or murmuring or disputing that you may be blameless and harmless, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world." (Phil. 2:14,15) Exchange agents stand out in the crowd because of the upbeat, edifying and positive speech. May the Lord help us to become dispensers of positive speech while overlooking and overcoming the critics who would attempt to steal our victory in the Lord.
D. Cease being bitter and get better by forgiving, accepting and loving one another as Christ has forgiven us. (Eph. 4:28-32)People who are bitter allow hurts to get to them personally. Let us be bigger than the problems while remembering, "Greater is He who is in you than He who is in the world." (I John 4:4) Let us be bigger than our problems, opponents or challenges through Christ.
Quote: Be better not bitter as a result of every trial.
E. Cease from feverish self-effort and rest in Him, His promises and His Spirit’s power. Know that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. (2 Tim 1:7)Learn to allow the Spirit of God empower, enable and express His will through you. It is God who is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13,14) Learn to live more by the Spirit’s contending abilities than feeling you have to contend for yourself.
F. Cease all hostility, ingratitude, and indifference and show care for everyone as this is the way that all men will know that you are His disciples when you have love for one another. (John 13:34,35) Be grateful for the good things you have. The good things you have are for many just a dream. Take time every day to thank God in your devotions for all the blessings He provides physically, relationally and spiritually. Bless the Lord and forget none of His benefits. (Psa 103:1-3)
G. Cease being so inflexible and adapt to every situation making the most of every opportunity for the days are evil. Realize that interruptions can be open doors of opportunity to accomplish God’s greater good. James wrote, "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials knowing that the trial of your faith works patience. Let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-5) Let the Lord teach you greater adaptibility as one of the greatest abilities in life.
Quote: "All war requires constant improvisation." (Wesley Clark - 4 Star General)
H. Cease being greedy, selfish and materialistic and be more generous with your time, talent and resources. Give and it will be given to you. Good measure, shaken together and running over, it will be measured to you. For in the measure you give, you will also get. (Luke 6:36)
Quote: A geneours man will be made prosperous and he who waters will himself be watered. (Solomon)
I. Cease being power, position and prestige hungry and ask God to help you be meek while yielding all your rights to God. The mind set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. (Rom. 8:6)God told Jeremiah, "Do you seek great things for yourself. Seek them not for behold I will bring evil upon all flesh."
Application: Avoid any tendency to think you deserve promotions when it is God who puts up one and sets down another. Give it all to the Lord and He will sustain you and exalt you at the proper time.
J. Cease obsessive-compulsive attitude and replace them with serving the Lord knowing that your times and results are in His control. James wrote, "What is the source or anger and quarrels and conflicts are they not your own desires. You do not have so you fight and quarrel. (James 4:1-4)We live in an age when people want solutions instantly.
Illustration: Two weeks ago a woman ran her car over the manager of a McDonalds because she was angry that she did not get mayonaise on her cheeseburger. She was charged and sentenced to ten years in prison for attempted murder.
K. Cease being so proud, smug and self-righteous and replace those attitudes with humility, teachableness and accountability. Ask the Lord to help you remember that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in the proper time. (I Pet 5:5,6) This may begin by submitting to those who God has placed in authority over you.
Spurgeon: The worse sin in the sin of self-righteousness.
L. Cease a prayerless, devotional-less and hurried lifestyle with praying at all times in the Spirit. Paul was able to maintain an attitude of prayer, praise and prayerful dependency on the Lord to direct every thought, attitude and action as well as his re-actions. No wonder Paul was able to say, "I am sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. Poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things." (2 Cor. 4:4-8)
Jesus said, "Keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you." (Matt 7:7)
Persistence is a necessity to accomplish God’s will in all of our relationships, activities and personal spiritual development.
M. Cease being complacent, apathetic or indifferent to the commands of God and replace these attitudes with great commitment, zeal and yieldedness to the commandments of scripture. "The law of perfect reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple.
Too many people fall in to the rut of complacency to their own destruction. Solomon wrote, "The complacency of the fools will kill them, but whoever listens to my words will dwell in safety and have no fear of evil." (Prov. 1:32,33)
Quote: Jay Sidlow Baxter said, "There is no winning without working and warring."
N. Cease perfectionistic tendencies and choose wisdom to know that it is better to obey than sacrifice. Do not think that things have to perfect in your mind’s eye before God is pleased.
Quote: David wrote, "Cease striving, relax and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the nations and I will be exalted on the earth." (Psa 46:10)
O. Cease any Pharasaical thinking, attitudes or actions and replace them with Christ-likeness. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "You are those who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your heart for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God." (Luke 15:16)
Application: We have to choose Spirit filled attitudes and actions as a replacement for self-destructive patterns. If we do nothing, then we will suffer by default.
Illustration: The children of Israel were living in danger as the Assyrians were about to attack them. Instead of preparing themselves for battle and going to the Lord for help and deliverance, they turned to Egypt. God used Isaiah to warn them to return to God to find safety, security and blessing but they did nothing.
Isaiah wrote, "In returning and rest you will be saved, in quietness and in confidence will be your strength and yet you would not." (Isa 30:15)
Do not be like the horse or the mule who stubbornly resists correction. We have to choose to overcome evil with good or else we will be overcome by the evil of our own self-destructive sinful tendencies. Choose what to exchange what is deceitful with what is good.
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, kill and destroy. But I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)
Illustration: What not to put in a resume:
"Created a new market for pigs by processing, advertising and selling a gourmet pig mail order service on the side."
"Exposure to German for two years, but many words are not appropriate for business."
"Proven ability to track down and correct erors."
"Personal interests: Donating blood. 15 gallons so far."
"I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely nothing and absolutely no one."
"References: None, I’ve left a path of destruction behind me."
Conclusion:
Illustration: Bill Hybel, pastor of the great Willow Creek Church in the northern suburbs
of Chicago, was on a plane one day. The man seated beside him struck up a
conversation. Upon finding out that
Bill was a clergyman, the man said, “Well, I believe in God but I don’t
affiliate with any church. Don’t really think I need it. Sure, I make some
mistakes but I live respectably and give to charities. I wouldn’t hurt a
soul on purpose. I believe that God will accept me on that basis.”
Bill took out a legal pad and said, “Let’s make a grading scale for all
people, from one to ten, with ten being just about perfect. Who are the best
people in the world?” The man thought for a moment and said, “Mother Teresa
and Billy Graham.” “Okay,” said Bill. “But we must allow them to place
themselves on our chart. Each of them has said, ‘I am a sinner and have no
chance of salvation unless it is a gift to me from Christ.’ So, by their own
admission, they deserve to be down near the bottom of the chart. Now, my
next question is, ‘Where should we put you on the chart? You don’t want to
be above Mother Teresa, do you?”
The man replied, “If Mother Teresa is not good enough to get into heaven, I
guess I’m in worse shape than I thought.”
Then Bill Hybel drew a cross right across the middle of the chart.
Underneath that cross he wrote these words from I John 2:2: “But if anyone
does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,
and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Underneath that verse he drew a line and said to the man beside him, “Just
sign here if you would like to be covered by the sacrifice of Christ on the
cross. Then you can be as sure of going to heaven as Mother Teresa.” The man
signed on the dotted line.
The first revolution of Jesus is to banish pride and spiritual self-sufficiency. None of us has any hope until we dump our trash at the foot of the cross.
That choice seems like a no-brainer to anyone who would listen to Jesus, the maker and judge of us all!
