Off Beat 3: Recovering from Spiritual Arrhythmia

Welome

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Our hope is that you would take FIRST STEPS + NEXT STEPS in your relationship with Jesus.

We want you to GROW in your FAITH and EXPERIENCE JESUS!

Introduction:

Today we start a 3 Week conversation called: Off Beat: Recovering from Spiritual Arrhythmia!

We all admit that there are areas in our lives that are NOT IN SYNC WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD!

Paul reminds the Christians at Galatia in

Galatians 5:25 :“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

If we are going to be the people of God and people of the Spirit....let us CONTINUE to stay in step with the Spirit!

God hasn’t called us to live a life apart from His PRESENCE, or His POWER, or His SPIRIT!

The Good news is that YOU DON’T HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WALK OUT THIS LIKE WITHOUT JESUS!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WALK OUT THIS LIFE OFF BEAT!!

We are unpacking 3 symptoms of Spiritual Arrhythmia

Last 2 Weeks:

Spiritual Apathy

- When life with Christ falls into drudgery…you may have slipped OFF BEAT

- You may be experiencing SPIRITUAL APATHY

- We have all experienced some form of this- We loose the JOY OF HIS SALVATION

- Life becomes just MEH

We have to GET BACK IN TO THE RING! [TAKE BACK YOUR SCHEDULE, SABBATH, TIME, ....]

Our response to SPIRITUAL APATHY = Repent and Love[Revelation 2:4-5 - Remember what God has done for you! Turn from APATHY and GET BACK to loving, worshipping, Jesus!]

Un-Crucified Living

“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24, ESV)

When we get spiritually OFF BEAT, we can find ourselves walking, living, posting, talking, thinking....in ways we ONCE DID before we came to Christ

- We are naturally geared to go back to the comforts of the FLESH and its DESIRES

- But God has called us away from those…why?

- Because they lead to death, hopelessness, pain.

[Note: God isn’t calling you away from anything that isn’t harmful or hurtful to you. Sometimes we think God is just trying to suck the fun out of our lives....NO, He’s saving us from ourselves!]

Just because your desires may be accepted and promoted by a particular culture doesn’t mean they are best for your life....and it doesn’t justify them in the sight of God.

You have to pick the standard you will govern your life by....that will often inform the identity you’re willing to place on yourself.

Today:

The last symptom is actually a by-product of the first two - DOUBT / MISTRUST / DISTRUST

Apathy [if not treated] leads us into a un-crucified life....and if we allow ourselves to live like we’ve never experienced GRACE…like we’ve never experienced GOD’S GOODNESS....it leads us into DOUBT.

Reminder of the passage we discussed last week:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, ESV)

Living by faith means that we are living with the assurance, confidence, and belief in Christ, His power, His word, and the Gospel!

This is why Spiritual Arrhythmia can be so dangerous…because it could lead us into spiritual desertion.

I love the translation of the word FAITH as assurance and confidence

These words remind me of 9/11

Karlee had flown back on 9/10 from WI to MS

The next day our country was rocked

Flights abandoned their routes and landed in nearby cities as everyone watched the lives of 1000s of Americans destroyed when terrorist highjacked and crashed 4 passenger planes

This changed [forever] how we fly as Americans

TSA

No one can wait with you at the gate

Air Marshalls

Unfortunately it changed the way we looked/treated people of middle-eastern descent.

We looked at every middle-eastern person as a threat

We looked at those who were not white or black, as potential terrorist

We mistreated those who were Muslim

This shook my confidence in flying

I immediately made up my mind to never fly again!

I eventually flew again, but it wasn’t because my confidence and assurance was rightly placed in the aircraft, or the protection of the air marshall, or the confidence in the TSA screenings.

I had to decide that I would live by faith in the Son of God

I had to remind myself of what I believe about my life and this life

I reminded myself that I didn’t want to live in fear of something I couldn’t control

I reminded myself that God is with me, for me, hasn’t given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control [2Timothy 1:7]

Fear is real…but fear doesn’t have to rule us

When doubt comes into the picture, it is often driven by fear

We play the “What if” game with our lives

We treat fear with TRUTH, CONFIDENCE, BELIEF....faith…we call this SURRENDER

This is why it’s important to read the bible, talk to God, and surround yourself with those who follow Jesus

When the bible calls us to walk by faith and not by sight…it’s calling us to TRUST JESUS MORE.

Not MORE than yesterday....but MORE than fear is telling you about your situation!

Fear is used to make us question [doubt] our confidence in Christ

When our trust in Christ is shaken, we begin to live out of doubt

We are placed into decision paralysis

We second guess everything we do

We place our trust in making the right decision rather than on God’s provision and guidance

Doubt questions your faith and assurance in Christ....so why not question DOUBT?

Have you ever turned the tables on doubt?

Have you ever spoke to fear and asked it questions?

Why am I afraid when the bible tells me I’m more than a conquer?

Why am I doubtful when I know that GOD will come through like He has before?

Why am I indecisive when I know I have the mind of Christ?

Why am I feeling alone when the bible tells me that I have the Spirit of Christ within me?

IF the enemy is going to use doubt and fear to shake our confidence in Christ....why not QUESTION DOUBT AND FEAR!!!

Don’t be a bystander....

Don’t sit on the sidelines....

Don’t sit back and allow doubt and mistrust to go unQUESTIONED!

Closing:

Why wouldn’t we trust Him?

When we read the scriptures:

We see a God who loves us despite our sin and doubt

We see a God who runs towards us not away from us

We see a God who is faithful and makes unbreakable promises to us

We see a God who has power

Don’t allow FEAR to be the loudest voice in your life

Don’t allow the UNCERTAINTY of life leave you paralyzed and stuck in neutral

The prescription for fear isn’t just faith....but a wholehearted surrender to God....to trust Him in all things....to trust Him with your sin, your kids, your job, your health, your future, etc.

Questions:

In what area of my life is my confidence in Christ shaken?

How will I practice surrendering my life to Jesus this week?

What is God saying and what will I do about that?