TRANSFORMATION - EMOTIONAL

SPIRITUAL

LAST WEEK WE SPOKE ABOUT RENEWING OUR MINDS

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONFORM AND TRANSFORM

CONFORM - TO BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE

TRANSFORM - TO BE CHANGED NOT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE

SPIRITUALITY REFERS TO OUR FAITH

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

“I WAS A CHRISTIAN FOR TWENTY-TWO YEARS. INSTEAD OF BEING A TWENTY-TWO YEAR OLD CHRISTIAN, I WAS A ONE YEAR OLD CHRISTIAN 22 TIMES” “ I JUST KEPT DOING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.”

EMOTIONAL

Mental health refers to your ability to process information.

Emotional health, on the other hand, refers to your ability to express feelings which are based upon the information you have processed.

Emotional Problems: Depression, Anxiety, and Anger. Everyone feels sad, worried, or upset from time to time.

WHEN THIS STARTS TO DISRUPT YOUR LIFE THEN IT IS TIME TO GET SOME TREATMENT.

"There are a number of ways chronic stress can kill you," says Aldwin. That includes increased levels of cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, and increase blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease.

PETE SCAZZERO SAYS IN HIS BOOK WHICH REALLY MADE ME THINK:

“I WAS A CHRISTIAN FOR TWENTY-TWO YEARS. INSTEAD OF BEING A TWENTY-TWO YEAR OLD CHRISTIAN, I WAS A ONE YEAR OLD CHRISTIAN 22 TIMES” “ I JUST KEPT DOING THE SAME THINGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.”

TOP 8 SYMPTOMS - ~P SCAZERRO~

1. Using God to Run from God

WE DO CHRISTIAN WORK TO RUN AWAY FROM FACING OUR OWN INSECURITIES

WE SEEK GOD TO DO OUR WILL INSTEAD OF US SURRENDERING TO HIS WILL

DO THINGS IN GODS NAME HE NEVER ASKED UD TO DO

HIDE BEHIND GOD TALK

DEFENSIVE ABOUT MY FALIURES

APPLY BIBLICAL TRUTHS SELECTIVELY TO AVOID ANYTHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE MAKING SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MY LIFE

2. Ignoring Anger, Sadness, and Fear

SADLY AS CHRISTIANS WE ARE ENCOURAGED TO NOT FEEL OUR FEELINGS AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN BE ANGRY OR SAD OR DEPRESSED AND HURT

WE ARE TAUGHT TO SUCK IT UP AND LOOK TO GOD FOR STRENGTH

WE ARE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION TO FEEL THIS WAY IF YOUR A CHRISTIAN

Matthew 11:28 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

matthew 28:11

EPHESIANS 4:31

Ephesians 4:31–32 ESV

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Romans 12:17–19 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

ROMANS 12:17-1

3.  Denying the Impact of the Past on the Present

SCRIPTURE SLIDES

John 3:3 ESV

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

THE TRUTH IS :

OUR PAST AFFECTS OUR PRESENT

WE ARE TAUGHT THAT WHEN WE GIVE OUR LIVES TO CHRIST THE OLD IS GONE AND THE NEW HAS COME

BUT NOT DEALING WITH PAST HURTS AND ISSUES IT COMES TO BITE US WHEN WE ARE TRIGGERED BY SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS NOW AND WE OVER REACT OR AVOID FOR THAT MATTER

The work of growing in Christ actually demands we go back in order to break free from unhealthy and destructive patterns that prevent us from loving ourselves and others as God designed.

4. Doing -for- God Instead of Being -with- God

THERE IS THIS SENSE THAT WE HAVE TO DO DO DO

WE ARE GIVEN INTO THINKING THAT THE MORE I DO THE BETTER I WILL MEASURE UP

GODS LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL

HE PREFERS OUR RELATIONSHIP THAN OUR SACRIFICE

SLIDE

Psalm 40:6 ESV

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.

5. Spiritualizing Away Conflict

Perhaps one of the most destructive myths alive in the Christian community today is the belief that smoothing over disagreements or “sweeping them under the rug” is part of what it means to follow Jesus.

He refused to spiritualize conflict avoidance.

example

SAY ONE THING TO A PERSON BUT ANOTHER THING BEHIND THEIR BACK

MAKE A PROMISE WE HAV ENO INTENTION OF KEEPING

BLAME

ATTACK

BECOME SARCASTIC

SENDING E-MAILS OR FACEBOOK POSTS WITH NOT SO SUBTLE CRITICISM

GIVE PEOPLE THE SILENT TREATMENT

DON’T TELL THE TRUTH BECAUSE YOU DONT WANT TO HURT SOMEONES FEELINGS EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DOING IS GOING TO HURT THEM

AVOID, WITHDRAW AND CUT OFF

LOOK FOR PEOPLE TO AGREE WITH US

Jesus shows us that healthy Christians do not avoid conflict. His life was filled with it! He was in regular conflict with the religious leaders, the crowds, the disciples—even his own family. Out of a desire to bring true peace, Jesus disrupted the false peace all around him.

He refused to spiritualize conflict avoidance.

6. Covering Over Brokenness, Weakness, and Failure

We feel guilty for not measuring up, for not making the grade. We forget that not one of us is perfect and that we are all sinners.

The Bible does not spin the flaws and weaknesses of its heroes.

Moses was a murderer.

Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.

Peter rebuked God!

Noah got drunk.

Jonah was a racist.

Jacob was a liar.

John Mark deserted Paul.

Elijah burned out.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Thomas doubted.

Moses had a temper.

Timothy had ulcers.

And all these people send the same message: that every human being on earth, regardless of their gifts and strengths, is weak, vulnerable, and dependent on God and others. ~SCAZERRO~

HOLDING ON TO HURTS IS LIKE CARRYING HOT COALS IN YOUR HEART - YOUR THE ONE WHO IS GOING TO GET BURNED. - WHEN YOU SWALLOW YOUR HURT YOUR STOMACH KEEPS SCORE. - ~RICK WARREN~

WE ARE ALL DEEPLY FLAWED AND BROKEN - NO EXCEPTIONS!

Psalm 32:3 ESV

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

WE ARE ALL DEEPLY FLAWED AND BROKEN - NO EXCEPTIONS!

7. Living Without Limits

I was taught that good Christians constantly give and tend to the needs of others. I wasn’t supposed to say no to requests for help because that would be selfish. The core spiritual issue here relates to our limits and our humanity. We are not God. We cannot serve everyone in need.

Why don’t we take appropriate care of ourselves? Why are so many Christians, frantic, exhausted, overloaded, and hurried? Few Christians make the connection between love of self and love of others. As Parker Palmer said in his book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, “Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.”

8. Judging Other People’s Spiritual Journey

This has always been one of the greatest dangers in Christianity. Sadly, we often turn our differences into moral superiority or virtues. By failing to let others be themselves before God and move at their own pace, we inevitably project onto them our own discomfort with their choice to live life differently than we do. Like Jesus said, unless I first take the log out of my own eye, knowing that I have huge blind spots, I am dangerous. I must see the extensive damage sin has done to every part of who I am—emotion, intellect, body, will, and spirit—before I can attempt to remove the speck from the eye of another

Matthew 7:1–5 ESV

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

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EMOTIONAL HEALTH AND SPIRITUAL MATURITY ARE INSEPARABLE. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BE SPIRITUALLY MATURE WHILE REMAINING EMOTIONALLY IMMATURE !!

God, as I look over this list, the only thing I can say is, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Thank you that I stand before you in the righteousness of Jesus, in his perfect record and performance, not my own. I ask that you would not simply heal the symptoms of what is not right in my life, but that you would surgically remove all that is in me that does not belong to you. As I think about what I have read, Lord, pour light over the things that are hidden. May I see clearly as you hold me tenderly.

In Jesus’ name, Amen

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