Transformation Or Sin Management???

Transformation or Sin Management???

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT NOW YOU WISH YOU COULD STOP DOING? HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY WHO IS DOING SOMETHING THEY OUGHT TO STOP DOING? HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE TOLD THEM TO STOP DOING IT? HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN DOING SOMETHING FOR A LONG TIME YOU WISH YOU COULD STOP DOING? THERE IS A SIN AREA IN OUR LIFE; OR SIN AREAS THAT WE CANNOT GET VICTORY OVER. IT CONTINUES TO DOG US WEEK AFTER WEEK, MONTH AFTER MONTH, YEAR AFTER YEAR. YOUR LIFE IS LIKE A BROKEN RECORD. YOU JUST KEEP STRUGGLING WITH THE SAME ISSUE OR ISSUES.

IT MAY BE LUST; ANGER; WORRY; DRUGS OR ALCOHOL; PORNOGRAPHY; GOSSIP; PERFECTIONISM; FEAR; MATERIALISM; OVEREATING; GAMBLING; LYING AND CHEATING, BEING OVERLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK OF YOU. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. AND GOD KNOWS HOW HARD YOU HAVE TRIED. YOU HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING YOU KNOW TO DO; PRAYED MORE; READ THE BIBLE MORE; JOINED A SMALL GROUP; FAST; YOU MAY GET A REPRIEVE EVERY NOW AND THEN, BUT IT JUST KEEPS COMING BACK. AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS YOU ARE IN BONDAGE. YOU CANNOT GET VICTORY AND BECAUSE YOU CAN’T YOU HAVE TO HIDE AND PRETEND BECAUSE GOD FORBID YOU TELL OTHERS YOU DON’T HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER; SO, THERE IS SHAME AND GUILT ADDED TO IT. CAN I GET A WITNESS!!!

SO, YOU KNOW WHAT WE END UP DOING: WE PRACTICE SIN MANAGEMENT. YOU KNOW WHAT SIN MANAGEMENT IS RIGHT? MANAGING SIN. TRYING TO KEEP THE MONSTER AT BAY. KEEP IT BELOW THE SURFACE. DON’T LET ANYONE KNOW ABOUT IT AND DON’T LET IT JUMP UP AND BITE YOU AND CAUSE EMBARRASSMENT, DAMAGE OR DANGER. MOST OF THE TIME SUFFER IN SILENCE BECAUSE GOD FORBID, WE TELL SOMEONE. THEY WILL THINK WE DON’T HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER: NEWS FLASH: THEY ALREADY KNOW!!! WE ALL KNOW IT DOESN’T WORK BUT WE DON’T TELL EACH OTHER IT IS NOT WORKING BECAUSE WE DON’T WANT ANYBODY TO KNOW IT’S NOT WORKING FOR US!!! SO, I’M LOCKED UP; YOUR LOCKED UP; WE’RE LOCKED UP AND WE WONDER WHERE THE POWER IS; WHY THE CHURCH ISN’T HAVING A GREATER IMPACT ON THE WORLD. SO, WE’LL PICK UP THERE NEXT WEEK. CONTINUE PRACTICING SIN MANAGEMENT UNTIL NEXT SUNDAY AND WE WILL TRY TO FIND A WAY OUT.

HERE’S THE GREAT NEWS! SO HERE IS THE LESSON I HAVE LEARNED IN THE LAST 3 YEARS THAT HAS SET ME FREE; MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON I HAVE LEARNED SINCE FOLLOWING JESUS: TO GET VICTORY OVER THAT SIN AREA IN OUR LIVES; TO BREAK FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE ISSUES WE HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH WE MUST GET TO THE FALSE BELIEF OR THE LIE THAT IS DRIVING OUR BEHAVIOR. THE KEY TO MOVING FROM SIN-MANAGEMENT TO VICTORY OVER SIN; THE ANSWER TO MOVING FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM IS DISCOVERING THE FALSE BELIEF, THE LIE, WHICH IS DRIVING OUR BEHAVIOR AND THEN REPLACING IT WITH THE TRUTH.

WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU DEALT WITH SIN IN YOUR LIFE; BONDAGE; ADDICTION THAT ISSUE THAT HAS DOGGED YOU FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN REMEMBER AND THOUGHT TO YOURSELF, “OKAY WHAT IS BEHIND MY BEHAVIOR, WHAT FALSE BELIEF AM I HOLDING TO THAT IS CAUSING ME TO ACT THAT WAY?

THAT’S NOT THE WAY WE NORMALLY ROLL RIGHT. BECAUSE THE ONE BEHIND THE LIE IS SATAN. JESUS CALLED HIM THE FATHER OF LIES. HOW DOES HE WORK: HE ENTICES US TO BELIEVE LIES. IT GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE GARDEN. THE REASON EVE TOOK A BITE OF THE APPLE IS BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED A LIE; THAT SHE COULD KNOW AS MUCH AS GOD. IT IS THE SAME THING WITH YOU AND me. AND HE IS SO CUNNING AND DECEPTIVE THAT A PART OF HIS WILY ARSENAL IS TO KEEP US FROM IDENTIFYING THE FALSE BELIEF.

AS I HAVE EXAMINED MY LIFE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, I REALIZE I HAVE BASED MOST OF MY LIFE ON LIES AND IT BEGAN AT AN EARLY AGE.

• DON’T LET ANYBODY KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR LIFE. KEEEP IT A SECRET. THEY WON’T LIKE YOU OR ACCEPT YOU IS THEY KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE.

• PRETEND LIKE EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL WHEN IT IS NOT. DON’T LET ANYBODY KNOW YOU HAVE PROBLEMS.

• FIND YOUR SIGNIFICANCE IN HANGING OUT WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH THEY DRINK OR HOW MANY DRUGS THEY DID.

THESE LIES HAVE CAUSED ME TO HIDE; LIE; PRETEND AND DO ALL KINDS OF SINFUL THINGS TO TRY TO FIND ACCEPTANCE, SIGNIFICANCE AND VALUE FROM OTHERS OR FOR WHAT I DID.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST LIES I HAVE BOUGHT INTO IS THAT IT WHAT I DO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHO I AM. SO, I FOCUSED ON SHOWING EVERYONE WHAT A GREAT LEADER I WAS AND NEGLECTED MY CHARACTER. WHEN OUTPUT EXCEEEDS INPUT THEN UPKEEP BECOMES YOUR DOWNFALL. SO, I CRASHED AND BURNED.