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Date Posted: 08:21:13 02/10/17 Fri
Author: c
Subject: Teachings 7

Teachings 7


intouch.org radio 5/4/15

15:58

So the mind is a powerful part of your body and the truth is your life is an expression of what you think. If you don’t like what you’re thinking, you can change your thinking. You say: “well, now I don’t know if I can change my thinking.” Yes, you can. For example: if you are angry, you can lay it down. If you feel that you’re a nobody – full of unworthiness - you can lay it down. If you are jealous of somebody, you can lay it down. We could just go through a whole list of pride and criticism, rejection, fear and greed – all these things that people feel, they can lay it down. If they choose to. Remember this one thing – are you listening? Say Amen. You have the Holy Spirit living in you as a believer.

When you trusted Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live in your life. And remember what Jesus called Him: He said:” I’m going to send the Helper and when He comes, He’ll be with you, in you, and upon you.” You and I who are believers, trusted Christ as our Savior, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. And one of His responsibilities is, as a Helper, is to enable us, that is, in our thinking – and to help us to remember Scripture and so forth. But He’s there to be a Helper and to help us to think right about God, about Jesus, about our life, about others, about ourselves…..Well, somebody say to me: “well I can’t help myself.” Yes you can. Yes you can help yourself. Now I’ve lived long enough to know at times when I thought I couldn’t help myself, finally God got through to me and said: “yes you can.”

You are responsible about what you think and how you think because as a believer, you have the Spirit of God living within you to enable you to think right. But it’s important we understand what God says and how He says it. So, I want you to think about this: We sow a thought, and reap and action – we’re going to respond. We sow and action, reap a habit – because we keep sowing the same action. We sow a habit and reap a character – because habits in our life determine our character. We sow a character, we become something – we reap a destiny – this is who we are and this is our future.


------------------------=


intouch.org TV Broadcast 1/11/15

intouch.org radio 5/5/15


One of the ways to evaluate thoughts is by asking ourselves impacting questions.

- Where does this thought come from?

- Where will these thoughts lead me?

- Will these thoughts get me where I want to go?

- Are these thoughts scripturally acceptable?

- Will these thoughts build me up or tear me down?

- Could I share these thoughts with someone else?

- Where did these thoughts originate?

- Do these thoughts make me feel guilty?

- Do these thoughts show me as a follower of Jesus?

We must choose to obey the commands of Christ.

This is the only way to make sure we are thinking as God desires.


- Keep seeking the things above (Col. 3:1). The verb tense in this verse signifies continual action. God’s Word must be a habitual part of our diet. What God thinks should be a large part of what we think.

- Set your mind on things above (Col 3:2). This too should be a habitual practice. We must focus on those things that are pleasing to the Father.

- Remember that you have died to your old life (Col 3:3). Lusts and evil desires should no longer control us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to resist temptations.

- Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sin (Col 3:5). Count this as true in your mind and let your actions follow—put sin to death.

- Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you (Col 3:16). Our minds should be so filled with Scripture that verses quickly come to mind in every situation. They overflow in our hearts guarding our way and giving us wisdom and strength



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intouch.org radio 12/23/14

13:07 minutes in


3 requirements for real worship and praise


1. A saint must know the Heavenly Father. The more a saint knows the Heavenly Father, the more a saint will love the Heavenly Father.

2. A saint must be submissive to the Heavenly Father.

3. A saint must have a pure heart.


A pure heart doesn’t mean a saint will be sinless. However, a saint confesses sin and quickly repents.


-------------------------------------=



Charles Stanley

Do you ever feel as if your life has gone a bit off course? Maybe you were making your way just fine, but all of a sudden, you weren’t sure which way to turn. Now and again, all of us face circumstances when our spiritual sense of direction seems unclear. Fortunately, though, Hebrews 12:1-3 lays out a clear plan for getting back on track after we’ve made some missteps.

First, we’re to “lay aside every encumbrance.” Here, encumbrance literally means “weight.” In other words, we should remove anything from our life that is weighing us down. Stress, guilt, fear, shame, and regret are just a few of the burdens that can break our backs as we strive to move forward in the Lord. We will simply never go far when we’re dragging around so much baggage.

Second, we are to lay aside “the sin which so easily entangles us.” Have you ever felt completely powerless because of your sin? When left unattended, it grows like a wild vine. Sin may start small but can completely overtake you unless it’s rooted out early.

Third, we are to “run with endurance the race that is set before us.” That means we should stay focused, and if we fall, get back up and carry on. With the determination of an Olympic athlete, we press on with our eyes on the goal, despite the obstacles and distractions.

Even when we feel lost, we can be sure God has a specific plan for our life. He knows where we’ve been, He knows where we are, and He knows where we’re going. The course has been laid before us, and Jesus stands waiting at the finish line.



(explored on intouch.org radio 3/25/15)


-----------------------


intouch.org radio 12/12/14


The 7 steps of sin’s eroding process (these can happen in a subtle, silent and gradual way that can operate and do damage quietly for a long time until the damage is significant).


1. The entrance of an sinful thought.

2. The entertainment of the sinful thought.

3. The examination of the sinful thought (scheming).

4. The enjoyment of the sinful thought (treasuring the sinful thought).

5. The experience of the sinful act (acting on sinful thoughts makes the situation extremely destructive).

6. The excusing of the sinful act

7. The envelopment of the sinful situation.


satan blinds people about the future outcome of sin. We don’t get a clear picture of the consequences of sin.


When a person refuses to believe what God says, the erosive process begins.



How to correct the situation:


1. Be honest about the situation

2. Confess to the Heavenly Father and Jesus.

3. Assume responsibility for your sin

4. Repent

5. Ask for forgiveness

6. Accept forgiveness based on what Jesus did on the cross

7. Commit your life from now on that God would stop the erosive process

8. Reject sin in your life

9. Put your hand in the hand of God

10. Commit yourself to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit.


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intouch.org radio 7/8/15


5:00

Temptation is an enticement to our natural God-given desires - an enticement to go beyond our God-given desires outside the boundaries that God has set for us. That is God has given to us all kinds of desires that are legitimate.

So when you and I are tempted to disobey God what we're tempted to do is to go beyond the protection - to go beyond a God-set boundary which He knows is for our good and for our security.

So when you think in terms of what temptation is about and how it works - that's how it works: it begins with a thought. And that thought develops into imagination. That imagination develops into a desire. And that desire develops into a decision - I have to make a decision to obey or disobey.

Now what is satan's goal in all temptation? In all of his temptation - and all temptation is ultimately from him.......he'll point to something over here that you either - that you can't have or something that you've thought about - and what does he do? he magnifies the importance of the one thing you can't have. Why? Because he knows that's the way he's going to get you.

And what is his goal? his goal is always very simple: alienation from God. That is always satan's goal in temptation: to alienate us from God. To do what? To frustrate our fellowship with Him. To get us to thinking about other things - and satisfying, gratifying, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh. That natural, normal desires within us - human desires - the humanness within us that desires those things that are not of God.

Now he says: "it is common to all people." It doesn't make a difference who you are: no persons have ever lived without temptation.


8:32

No one should ever say: "well, I am absolutely, totally beyond that temptation." Because I don't think we can afford to say that because the truth is we don't know. If we got in the wrong situation - with the wrong pressure - because people say this all the time: "I never believed that I would ever participate in this." "I never believed that I would get enslaved by this habit. It was the furthest thing from my mind." And yet often times, people go to the hospitals - doctors put them on drugs - supposingly temporarily. They get off. They get home and the next thing you know they're on them again. Next thing you know, they are enslaved by them. Or whether it's alcohol that they started out with one drink at so-called "happy hour" or it may be something else.

But satan is a very deceptive one - "just one." And often times, if he can get a person to cross the line - just step across the line one time. Listen, when you step across a particular line one time, you know what satan knows? he knows after the first time, the second one is going to be easier. If he can get you across the line 3 or 4 or 5 times, he knows that you are going down. That's why we have to remain alert.


13:41

Now here's what satan says - when a person is tempted, satan will say: "well, aren't you ashamed? Look what you are thinking - look what you're thinking about. The very idea that you would even think about such a thing says you might as well go ahead and do it." "If you think that, you might as well sin." Listen, you talk about a devil's lie - that is the devil's lie that because you think about something - listen - even because you may be struggling in your temptation to either lie or to do something that you should not do - even in the struggle of that - the fact that you don't do it means that you're victorious in that, that you have struggled through and that you have won over that temptation.


14:42

Some people have the misunderstanding that if you're a spiritually-minded person then you will not be harassed by temptation. Well the truth is the very opposite is true. Listen, the more godly you walk - what happens? the more sensitive you become to sin. The more obedient you are, the more sensitive you become to temptation. And the more God uses you in your life, the more satan is going to do everything in his power to destroy you. Do you think satan is going to allow you to begin to live the christian life and walk obediently before God and because you are becoming transformed into the likeness of Christ therefore just get off your back and let you go? Absolutely not. And so sometimes, when you think about it, the more God uses you, the more satan attacks you.


16:18

So if your idea is: to get satan off your back - become more spiritual, I'm here to tell you, you're going to have a tremendous disappointment. Because the more godly you are, the more satan is going to harass you and do everything is his power to destroy you in every way he possibly can.


16:45

And I can remember one of my most dearest friends - who's one of the most godliest men and finest preachers I've ever known - I remember him saying he went through a time about a year in his life - it was a health problem, but he said: "you know" - "you can't imagine what I thought." He said: "I thought the most evil, the most corrupt, the most horrendous things you could ever imagine." He said: "I could not even imagine that I would think such things."


19:21

You don't mess around with the devil. Don't ever get into any conversation with the devil. he is not one you want to communicate with.....You cannot afford to play around. You cannot afford to communicate with him. We communicate with God and resist the devil.


-----------------=


intouch.org radio 7/9/15


7:02

When you and I are dealing with temptation - now here's what satan does - watch this now - satan always tries to narrow our focus down to something very very minute. What he wants to do is narrow our focus down to the object of temptation. Now if he can get our focus down to the object of temptation, then what we do is we lose our perspective - we lose our focus on the big picture.

What God wants us to keep in mind in every circumstance - in every temptation is: what's the big picture? satan wants it narrowed down to this object that we want, that we desire. And so what does he do? he begins to fill our minds with how wonderful it would be, how great it would be, how satisfying it would be, how fulfilling it would be. he wants us to lose the big picture.

So one of the ways we build our defense against temptation is to keep the big picture in mind. That is: what's really involved here? What's at stake here in your life at that particular thing?


8:02

And I think there are several questions we ask when we think in terms of the big picture, and that's this. First of all, the narrow picture - this is what I want, this is what I feel, this is what I like, this is how I'm going to get it. The big pictures says: "if I yield to this temptation, what are the consequences?" "What are the consequences to me?" "What are the consequences to those about me?" "What are the consequences presently?" "What are the consequences in the future?"


Keeping the big picture causes me to ask some questions. And one of those questions is: what are the consequences? The second question I have to ask is: am I prepared to pay the price that I may have to pay if I yield to this temptation? First of all: what's the consequences? Secondly: am I prepared to pay the price? If I yield to this and I sin against God, am I prepared to pay the price for this?

And the third question is this: is there a better way for me to get this need met or this desire in my life - is there a better way than being disobedient to God and yielding to temptation? I think those 3 questions help me keep the big picture.


9:17

A second thing that I think is so very important here in building our defense is this: and that is to be able to identify the areas of our weakness. Now everybody has one or more. You say: "well now, I don't know of any area that I'm weak in." Then you better go back and read 1st Corinthians Ch. 10 and read that verse that says: "beware lest you think you stand, you find yourself falling."


10:25

The way to deal with that is to visualize your victory over it. To visualize the right response......That's what faith is: faith is my ability to visualize something before it ever happens. Here's what I believe God wants me to ask Him for, so I visualize that thing taking place.


11:26

So if I want to deal with something in my life, I don't keep worrying about it and thinking about my failures. Rather, I think in terms of victory. I think in terms of overcoming it. I think in terms of doing what God would have me to do. And so, what we do, we begin to program our thinking in a positive, godly faith fashion. I'm not talking about "mind over matter", I'm talking about how God made this human body: with a nervous system and an imagination...If I can visualize myself responding correctly, and you practice that, you know what will happen? You will begin to act in the way that you think. Because the Bible says: "as a person thinks in his heart so is he." (Proverbs 23:7)


12:42

Another thing...is to make ourselves accountable to a friend. Not just anybody, but to a confidential, trustworthy, godly friend who is on your side in your christian experience. If you know that you have to give an account to that person every single day, God is going to use that person as an encourager. Now you don't want somebody who is just going to absolutely destroy you verbally: "I tell you, you have failed again! I knew you weren't going to do it. I knew you weren't going to last." Not talking about that kind of friend. I'm talking about somebody who will enable you. Who will encourage you.


13:28

Identify the danger zones in life.


13:55

Have a set time for prayer and meditation.


14:25

(*summarized portion* - In the morning, before you get out of bed, put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10 - 18). speak the process of putting on the armor as the Scripture details and also visualize each piece of armor being put on by faith* - explored in detail in intouch.org radio 11/28/15 "Dressed for the battle" - part 2).


15:37

H.A.L.T.

H - Don't allow yourself to get too hungry

A - Don't allow yourself to get too angry

L - Don't allow yourself to get too lonely

T - Don't allow yourself to get too tired


16:41

You need to have an understanding of and a personal experience with the Holy Spirit. My friend, until you understand the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, until you understand that He is there to enable you, to empower you, to lift you up, and to build you up, and to strengthen you, you will go in your own strength and you will go down over and over and over again when you are tempted.


17:15

And somebody says: "well, alright, so I do that, then what happens when I fail?" Here's what happens when you fail: you ask God to forgive you immediately, you repent of that. You turn away from that and you keep walking. Do not - listen - do not turn around have yourself a pity party. That's what satan wants. If he can get you to having a pity party, he can tell you how bad you've been. he can wipe out your self-esteem. he can wipe out your sense of worthiness. he can wipe out your relationship to God in a split moment - "look at you now."

What you do is: you confess it. You repent of it. You walk away. You don't look back. You thank God for His forgiveness and you thank Him for the power of the Holy Spirit to bring that thing to your mind and you thank Him for the victory that He's going to give you the next time you are tempted.


18:30

You can win over the struggle of temptation if you and I choose to obey God and obey Him by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit......God is on your side as one of His children.



-------------------=


Charles Stanley: the importance of the Heavenly Father’s Word when facing temptation.

First of all, God’s Word exposes the sinfulness of what you are being tempted to do. One of satan’s subtle snares is to convince you that sin is really not so bad after all. God’s Word allows you to see things for what they really are.

A second reason the Word of God is so effective against temptation is that you gain God’s viewpoint through it. Since many temptations carry a strong emotional punch, you tend to get caught up in your feelings. Once you identify with the feelings temptation evokes, it becomes increasingly difficult to respond correctly. The truth of Scripture allows you to separate yourself just far enough mentally to deal with it successfully.

Another reason for turning to God’s Word in times of temptation is what one pastor calls the principle of displacement. This principle is based on the premise that it is impossible not to think about a seductive topic unless you turn your attention elsewhere. When you turn your thoughts to the Word of God during temptation, you do just that (Phil. 4:8).

If you don’t shift your attention away from the temptation, you may begin some form of mental dialogue: "I really shouldn’t. But I haven’t done this in a long time. I am really going to hate myself later. Why not? I’ve already blown it. I’ll do it just this once, and tomorrow I’ll start over." When you allow these little discussions to begin, you’re sunk. The longer you talk, the more time the temptation has to settle into your emotions and will.

The fourth reason the Word of God is so effective against temptation is that you are expressing faith when you turn your attention to His Word. You are saying, “I believe God is able to get me through this; I believe He is mightier than the power of sin, my flesh, and satan himself.” Nothing moves God like the active faith of His people.

To effectively combat the onslaughts of the enemy, you need an arsenal of verses on the tip of your tongue. Verses so familiar that they come to mind without any conscious effort on your part. If you have to dig them up from the caverns of your memory, they will do you no good. There isn’t time for that in the midst of temptation.

Begin memorizing Scriptures that address the area that troubles you the most. Quote them audibly when you are tempted. When you speak the truth out loud, it’s as if you have taken a stand with God against the enemy. When I do this, I often feel a sense of courage and conviction sweeping over me. Remember, if the perfect, sinless, sovereign Son of God relied on Scripture to pull Him through, what hope do you have without it?

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