We choose to be Ready rather than Reactive
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Intro and Engage
Intro and Engage
Salvations
In a Series called Ignite - Fan the flame the gift that God has given you.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
I don’t know about you don’t know of anyone who planned to become bankrupt | Anyone who planned to become jobless | Anyone who went into a marriage to have an affiar -
I don’t know anyone who planned to do stupid things that would wreck their life. We don’t plan to make stupid decisions.
The problem is, we don’t plan NOT TO do something stupid and it often starts with a very small decision.
If you have just joined us;
Last week - we looked at Choices
The difference between those that feel fulfilled in Christ and those that don’t - Choices. It’s the choices you make, and why you make them.
What do we know?
Our life are the sum total of the choices that we make
**Show Choices Slide**
Last week we looked at 3 choices;
We choose obedience of Apathy
We choose to show up, and not shy away
We choose Purpose over popularity
Today, I want to look at one story, and I want us to make one choice .
Like I said before = I don’t know anyone that plans to fall to temptation.
The problem is we don’t plan NOT to.
Title; How to stop doing the thing you don’t want to do!
My Hope: We will be ready, so that when we have a temptation | Spiritaul attack | a momnet of lacking integrity | We are ready.
**Pray**
Let’s go all the way to Genesis | There was a man called Abram and his nephew Lot | Abram and Lot had an empire at this stage | Budding entreprenaurs had saved up their Livestock, Money, they had bling | fight | Abram said: You choose the land | dusty vs green | Went seperate ways
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot was tempted to stop at what the world could provide him, rather than what God could provide him.
Lot then set up a tent on the door step of Sodom - Wicked people | Move to Sodom | get power | Eventually God would destroy Sodom, and Lot would flee with the clothes on his back and eventually live in a cave where as abraham would prosper.
What do we know?
our life, sum total of choices we make - so what happened to Lot?
Lot chose, just a little temptation, over what God had for him | little step - Prosperity | Comfort | Power
I don’t think Lot planned to be tempted or to fall to temptation |
Now I want to know, how many, given into temptation and regretted it | Why? Because you where not ready and not prepared;
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
What do we do? | Told to be watchful | Told to watch and pray.
We Choose to be READY over being REACTIVE. Why?
The devil is coming for you
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
he is studying you | Knows where you are weak | knows where you are disobedient | knows where you are tempted - But, we have the light | We have the armour
2. Not as strong as you think
Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
You might be sitting there “I can handle it” “This message is not for me” “I’m not an alcoholic” etc. IT IS FOR YOU | But we know that the flesh is weak, the spirit is willing | Not as strong as you think | only one that is strong enough | Jesus, His Spirit lives inside you | Constant submission | So if we think we are strong enough | Reliance shifts, Pride creeps in.
End up in a place we don’t want to be, and so we fall into sin.
So what do we do?
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Boundaries are healthy | It’s not being a ‘stick in the mud’ - it’s choosing the things of God, over the things of this world, so we don’t fall into sin | what do we do?
get the tape
We are goin to move the line
If this is the line of sin, what do we do? Go right up to it | We are going to move the line | Remove yourself from the temptation of Sin | if you KNOW you have an alcohol problem, don’t say “it’s ok to have a couple” you know, where it will lead | If you struggle with lust, don’t put yourself in a room with the opposite sex | if you have that 1 friend - remove them | We are going to…move the line.
Why risk a temptation in the future, if you can eleminate it now.
2nd thing we are going to do, is Magnify the cost
But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
If you have sinned | You will be found out | The TRUTH will come out | When it does, it will hurt people - Sin has a cost, it has a cost to you | it has a cost to those around you - 2nd thing we are going to do | Magnify that Cost | Before we sin, we look at it and say, what is the WORST thing that can happen here | Everything starts with small temptation.
At times, I am tempted, not often, but sometimes, I am weak, but I am not as strong as I think - I may have lust in my heart, once, or twise, and I look at Emma | Love of my life | My Rock | My stability | My faith Warrior | I think of the times we laugh, fight, make up, walk aroudn the block with our Dog Nala | Our two gorgous kids, we raised together, the things we have achieved together, the help we have given each other | I think about acting on that tiny bit of lust | Extreme Pain | Extreme Hurt | Lose her trust | What man could my kids look up to | The person my Church looks up to | Credibiltiy gone, spiritual authority gone, trust gone | My relationship with God?
5 minutes of sin, could destroy my entire life - What do we do? We magnify the cost by looking forward to the worst case scenario. Not just BIG sins, also small sins, gossip, etc.
3rd thing - We build our life on God’s Promises…always.
Boy named Joseph - now Emma says I am like joseph.
So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.”
Joseph sitting there | Ooohh I could sleep with a cougar | Now, could have given in because he was not happy with God | He did nothing wrong, brothers beat him, put him in pit, sold to slavery -
Why?
“We use our dissapointments to justify our disobedience”
don’t we feel like this? “God didn’t do what I wanted him to do, so I am going to do what he doesn’t want me to do”
We see it all the time “That person didn’t forgive, so why should I” “I can not believe we have had them over for dinner 4 times, but not us” etc.
“My spouse was not meeting my needs” “God put me in this spot so stuff it”
what aobut Joseph? Why didn’t he Sin - He had already chosen - Day after day, She would hit on him | Day after day, the enemy tried to tempt him.
But Joseph was sooo strong - No, he wasn’t, he was ready so he wasn’t reactive
He build his life on God’s Promises;
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
God is Faithful | Lust, God PROMISES an escape | financial, God PROMISES an escape | the Good news is that God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL |
Inspo and close
Inspo and close
Who are you? Abraham, or Lot ? D oyou trust God has good plans for you ?
The devil will attack - and we are not as stong as we think - so we’ll be ready.
Choose to move the line | Choose to magnify the cost | Choose to build our life on God’s promises.
I want you to be really vulnurible - and honest | Where does your Spiritual enemy attack you? Pride? do you justify sin and comfort? Rebellious spirit? compromising wiht money? Lie to make yourself look better? Gossip about others to make them look worse? Judgemental? Overly critical? Carrying unforgiveness? Lustful? taking God for granted? Compromising on God’s promises.
It’s time to be honest, in your heart, and ask God for help - Because we are not as stong as we think we are.
Let’s not battle a temptation in the future, that we have the power to elimate today.
Let’s choose, to be ready. Be ready ,so when temptation comes, it doesn’t put out your passion, your en Theos, so that you can, fulfill your calling, so you can fulfill, your purpose
our God is good - with good plans _ but we have a real enemy -
move the line - magnify the cost - build your life on gods promises
well be ready.
**prayer**
**Alter Call**
**Song**