The School of the Holy Spirit – 42 of 52 – Part 30 The Secret of Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service and Inner Healing in the Secret Place – 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina + How to help people who are addicted to Drug, Alcohol, Gambling and Sex + How to Counsel people involved in Adultery 8 of 12
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The School of the Holy Spirit – 42 of 52 – Part 30 The Secret of Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service and Inner Healing in the Secret Place – 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina + How to help people who are addicted to Drug, Alcohol, Gambling and Sex + How to Counsel people involved in Adultery 8 of 12
Otakada.org Content Count: 2,220,110
Date: Sunday, June 21st, 2020
Blog Link – https://www.otakada.org/the-secret-of-belief-obey-service-inner-healing
Podcast: anchor.fm/otakada.org
Here is the link to Radio Public Podcast link : https://radiopublic.com/otakadaorg-podcast-WP9pPQ
Quotes: Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service, Inner Healing, Salvation, Sanctification and Transformation
“Nexus between Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service Inner Healing, Salvation, Sanctification and Transformation – If we want to be born again and follow Jesus in total obedience, we must believe in Him from our hearts, repent of our sins, confess Him before people, follow Him daily in total obedience and dying to self-life daily, then we become His true followers – Christians indeed. If our confession at the point of salvation was from our heads and not our hearts, we will struggle with believing Jesus, Trusting Jesus, Obeying Jesus, Selflessly Serving Jesus and others. The strongholds of wrong beliefs we brought into the kingdom will be re-enforced because inner healing cannot happen as we refuse to put ourselves through the painful sanctification and transformation process that Jesus requires for His true followers. This is one of the main reason some people in Church are still under the influence and control of the kingdom of darkness, carrying out satan’s ministry of killing, stealing and destroying. Salvation is a free gift to all, nothing can withdraw it outside of ourselves without our agreement but we can reject it by rejecting any of the requirement of Jesus for His true followers. The question we should be asking is if our salvation experience was genuine or a fake article. If it is real, we will guide it with godly fear and trembling. This is what separates a believer from an unbeliever. Let’s go back and assess the foundation of our salvation experience and take a committed stand truly for Jesus today if something is amiss – John 3:14-19; Luke 9:23-24; Romans 10:8-13; John 13:35; John 8:31-32; John 10:28-30; Philippians 2:12; 2 Peter 2:20-22
–– Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe – Otakada.org
“The church is not a theological classroom. It is a conversion, confession, repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness and sanctification center, where flawed people place their faith in Christ, gather to know and love him better, and learn to love others as he designed.”
― Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change
“Being born anew in Christ changes our direction from hell to heaven, cleanses the guilt of our sin, restores us to fellowship with the Father and with each other and gives us renewed spirit. But being born anew does not end the reformation of our character into Christlikeness: it only begins the process. Satan realizes this, and still has plenty of opportunities when a man or woman accepts Christ. He may have lost this individual for eternity, but he can still prevent his or her coming into the fullness of Christ’s nature in this life. He can use a man’s unchecked rampant passions to disgrace the cause of Christ, which spoils the fruit of his salvation, for himself and all around him. The next part of satan’s plan, then, was to involve mankind in fleshly, incomplete doctrines of salvation, so that we would think all had been accomplished when, in fact, it had only begun.” John Sandford
“If you’re serious about sanctification, you can expect to experience heart-wrenching moments that try your faith, your endurance, and your patience.”
― Sheri L. Dew, If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn’t Be Hard: And Other Reassuring Truths
“During part of the second Great Awakening in America (From shortly after war of 1812 until the beginning of World War I), the Church was faced for the first time in modern history with a mobile populace. People were picking up and moving West. Evangelical Protestants devised a way of reaching a people on the go. They reduced the Gospel to its simplest elements: frighten sinners with the just wrath of a holy God and drive them into the arms of a loving Jesus through whom they could find forgiveness and redemption. It worked. More than half the nation was converted. But that reduced Gospel did not contain the full truth of life in Christ. Since many have fallen from the faith and sin runs rampant, we need ‘sawdust and tears” revival preaching more than ever today. But that kind of preaching said nothing of the riches of sanctification and transformation after being born anew, which had been known and taught within the Church from its inception. And generations for two centuries heard nothing but that reduction. Men and women heard the call of God, picked up their Bibles and went out to evangelize, but they knew little of the process of sanctification. Their followers knew even less.” John Sandford
“One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime. Nor is surrender to the will of God (per se) adequate to fullness of power in Christ. Maturity is the accomplishment of years, and I can only surrender to the will of God as I know what that will is.”
― Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot
“The false doctrine of instant, painless sanctification came to be preached throughout much of the Church. If conversion made you a totally changed creature, there was no need to face sin and die to self-daily on the cross. That teaching made an idol of the conversion experience, and satan saw his opportunity. If he could build that heresy into a stronghold of deception, he could prevent sanctification and transformation, and disillusion countless numbers of Christians and non-Christians alike. Converts would think at first they could express Christ’s nature wherever they went since they were “like Him in every way.” When the first blush of anointing wore off and the nitty-gritty of trying to live like Jesus immersed them in failure, they would either strive so hard as to become judgmental Pharisees, or give up altogether and become backsliders, concluding that since no one could live up to it, why try? Furthermore, their obvious failures would shame the name of Jesus and dissuade many form embracing the faith.” John Sandford
“Tolerating a wrong attitude toward another person causes you to follow the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are.”
― Oswald Chambers
“You have the fruit of the spirit in you, because when Christ comes in you everything he is and has comes with him as a seed as a seed as a seed as a seed. If we can ever understand this we can finally get over being confused about what the Bible says we have compared to our experience. Everything the Bible says we have we have it. As believers in Christ it is in us, but it comes as a SEED! The Bible actually calls Christ THE Seed. Capital “S”. So, I like to put it like this: When Christ first comes into your life the seed of everything God is comes into your spirit. The Bible says that the image of Christ is captured in us and that we are destined, you have a destiny, a destiny to be molded into his image of Jesus Christ. Your destiny and my destiny is to get out into the world and act like Jesus.”
― Joyce Meyer
Key Verses:
Matthew 6:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 6 But when you pray, go into your [ most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
Matthew 7:24-27 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 24 So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [ obeying them] will be like a [a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.
25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.
26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.
27 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.
Revelation 3:18 Amplified Bible (AMP)
18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [ representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.
Luke 21:34-35 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
34 But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the [a]giddiness and headache and [b]nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [ the [c]business of] this life, and [ lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;
35 For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth.
Matthew 25:14-30 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
14 For it is like a man who was about to take a long journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his property.
15 To one he gave five talents [probably about $5,000 ], to another two, to another one—to each in proportion to his own [a]personal ability. Then he departed and left the country.
16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he gained five talents more.
17 And likewise he who had received the two talents—he also gained two talents more.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, Master, you entrusted to me five talents; see, here I have gained five talents more.
21 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, [b]admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the [c]blessedness) which your master enjoys.
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you entrusted two talents to me; here I have gained two talents more.
23 His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, [d]admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the [e]blessedness) which your master enjoys.
24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed [the grain ].
25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.
26 But his master answered him, You wicked and lazy and idle servant! Did you indeed know that I reap where I have not sowed and gather [grain ] where I have not winnowed?
27 Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent away from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will be [f]furnished richly so that he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away.
30 And throw the good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.
Hebrews 12:15 – See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled
Luke 9:23-24 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [[a]disown himself, [b]forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, [c]refuse and give up himself ] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [[d]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also ]. 24 For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he will preserve and save it [[e]from the penalty of eternal death ].
Introduction.
Dear friends I welcome you to the series on the school of the Holy Spirit. Today, we bring you –
The School of the Holy Spirit – 42 of 52 – Part 30 The Secret of Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service and Inner Healing in the Secret Place – 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina + How to help people who are addicted to Drug, Alcohol, Gambling and Sex + How to Counsel people involved in Adultery 8 of 12
At Otakada.org, we bring YOU over 2 million contents for All Round Success for your Spirit, Soul and your Body all in one place! Check this out in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Timothy 1:7 and Hebrews 4:12
Read – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Amplified Bible (AMP) 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [ that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose ]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found ] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Together with you, we are building MASSIVE SPIRITUAL TEMPLES in people’s heart for the Spirit of God to dwell in and operate through with ease in these times and seasons, so stay with us and build with us! – Check this out in 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 17; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 John 4:4
If you missed the last two series of Sunday and Wednesday as follows hereunder:
The School of the Holy Spirit – 40 of 52 – Part 28 The Secret of inner healing in the secret place – 3 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for James, Josephine and Busola + 5 Goals of Biblical Counseling – 6 of 12
Follow this Link – https://www.otakada.org/the-secret-of-inner-healing-in-the-secret-place
Weekly Motivational and Inspirational Stories for The Marketplace – The School of the Holy Spirit – 41 of 52 – Part 29 – How to Counsel Victims and Oppressors in Domestic, Child or Sexual Abuse and Abortion 7 of 12 + Unraveling the mystery imbedded in Matthew 25 – Is it possible for one to lose one’s salvation? Is it everyone that call themselves Christians are really are? Can one’s name be removed from the book of life? When is Corona (COVID – 19) virus ending?
Follow this Link
Now, let’s explore The Secret of Heartfelt Belief, Obedience, Selfless Service and Inner Healing in the Secret Place – 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina
During the cause of last week and this week, my wife and I, took time to explore a particular section of the Matthew 25 in verses 24 and 25 and it reads 24 He who had received one talent also came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a harsh and hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you had not winnowed [the grain ].
25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is your own.
Hereunder are the insights we come up with this servant who buried his talent which dovetails into the above title today:
- This servant was not truly a servant of Jesus from the heart. He did not love Jesus at all. Just sense the spirit and motivation behind His comment above – very insulting to the master, driven by pride and prejudice. He was a servant by mental consent (head agreement). Some of us in Church today are like this servant. Jesus to us is a hard task master trying to reap from our lives where we believe He has not sown because we worked for all that we are and why should Jesus come take it on a platter of gold? We are unbelievers, pretending to be part of the sheep. Looking for all the benefit of a sheep but not the commitment of a sheep. We are wolves in sheep clothing. Read and meditate on this..
Matthew 7:15-16 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves.16 You will [a]fully recognize them by their fruits. Do people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?
2. This servant said he was afraid. Afraid of what? He was afraid because he does not believe His master will play fair. He did not trust His master to deliver on His part of the bargain. It also shows he had no love for the master because perfect love cast out fear.. read and meditate on this
1 John 4:18 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love [a]turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear [b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so ] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection ].
3. This servant was so afraid that he buried or hid the talent in the ground where no one can see it. What was the motivation for this? There are two things here. Firstly, this servant was afraid to fail..the servant had no faith in God and what God has given to trade with to bring Him profit. When we don’t have faith in God , we under develop our abilities. Only when we risk the gift in the harvest field can we see how God can use our feeble faith for His benefit. Secondly, this servant probably put his talent to us for his own benefit on earthbound endeavors. Endeavors that benefit the kingdom of the world. You see people who God has endowed with leadership, music, administration, marketing and other talents and they will never apply those talents into anything that will benefit the kingdom of God so it did not bring profit to God. They say, “I give money to God, that is my way of serving God.” but have you asked God if He needs your time and talent more than your money? Ask Him, He will be delighted to tell you loud and clear. If we do not use the talents for the kingdom, there is a high risk, we lose everything. Read and meditate on this
Matthew 6:19-21 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)19 Do not [a]gather and heap up and store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and worm consume and destroy, and where thieves break through and steal.
20 But [b]gather and heap up and store for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust nor worm consume and destroy, and where thieves do not break through and steal;21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Also read and meditate on this Luke 12:16-21 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
16 Then He told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully.
17 And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest.
18 And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all [a]my grain or produce and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily.
20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night [b] they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be?
21 So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares].
Now let’s look at the 2 True Life Stories of the consequences of healed or unhealed inner wounds for Oludotun and Amina
True story 1 – Amina’s inner vow concerning her brother prevented her from having male children until delivered.
Matthew 16:19 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth [a]must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth [b]must be what is already loosed in heaven.
Inner vows are determinations we make as children, or very young age. Determinations that become “computer programs” within our character. They energize our brains to reproduce repeatedly whatever the vows calls for. These vows are called “inner” because we make them as children and then forget them. They actually have more power by virtue of their hiddenness. ( Vows made later in life are not very effective, as anyone can attest who made New Year’s resolutions only to see them soon wither and die.)
Amina want to give her husband a son and could not. Amina could get pregnant easily and had carried girls to full-term. But each time she got pregnant with a boy, she miscarried. Amina’s gynecologist said there was nothing wrong with her. She ought to be able to carry a boy full-term; the problem had to be psychological.
The first question to Amina was this: “ What was life like with your father? Was he kind to you? Did he give you affection?” it turned out her father had been unusually kind and affectionate.
Amina’s brother, on the other hand, had bullied and picked on her continually. He told lies about her to their parents and her friends and teased her viciously.
Then Amina recalled walking beside a stream sometime between the ages ten and twelve, picking up rocks, hurling them into the stream and exclaiming, “I’ll never carry a boy child! I’ll never have a boy baby!”
That was an inner vow. It worked like a program in her inner computer – never mind that her outer self now wanted to bear a son. About the third or fourth month, that inner vow would kick into action, and her body would abort the boy child.
Amina repented of her judgment against her brother, and she was led to forgive, and a pronouncement in Jesus’s name that she was forgiven for her own resentment. Then authority in Jesus name was taken to break the inner vow. A word was spoken directly in prayer to Amina’s body and loosed it from that wrong order to abort male children, based on Matthew 16:19. Subsequently Amina carried easily and gave birth to a baby boy.
True story 2– Oludotun’s inner vow made concerning His mother prevented to share his heart freely with his spouse.
Oludotun concerning her mother who tried to control him. Boys soon learn something many married men live with: Women have large memories. You cannot remember what you said five minutes ago, but your wife can remember what you said two hours ago, five months ago and ten years before that! Fighting with women seems unfair, because you always fight on their ground. They can remember what everyone has said, and you cannot even remember what you said.
Oludotun soon grew fast and stronger than his mother. So how does a small domineering woman control her son? With her tongue. She learns how to put him under guilt and make him jump. Such boys soon realize, ‘Every word you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.” So Oludotun decides it is necessary to hide from mama: “Don’t ever tell the woman nothing about nothing!”
At dating age, Oludotun finds a girl he talks with about anything. “This must be my spouse!” So they married. For a while, everything is great. They still talk and share their hearts openly. He proclaims his wife as his best friend, which she is.
Then she becomes a mother. Immediately his inner vow kicks into action and he stops sharing.
Oludotun’s case was traced to the root in his judgment against his mother and probably his sister. Once forgiveness is accomplished, the power of the inner vow is broken, Oludotun is set free, to remain free to share freely with the wife.
Now, let’s explore How to help people who are addicted to Drug, Alcohol, Gambling and Sex + How to Counsel people involved in Adultery 8 of 12
ADDICTIONS
(Drug, Alcohol, Gambling, Sexual)
DEFINITION: People with addictions have lost control over what they think, what they do, or what they ingest into their bodies. The term “addiction” can be applied to harmful substances such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. It can also be applied to harmful behaviors such as compulsive gambling, sex, or mutilating your own body. People can also develop addictions to things that in themselves are not harmful–such as food, hobbies, sports, etc.–but that are addictions when used in uncontrolled excesses.
FACTS ABOUT ADDICTION:
So you think you aren’t addicted? If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you need help:
-Are you using drugs other than those required and prescribed for medical reasons?
-Can you get through the week without using alcohol or drugs?
-Has your drug/alcohol abuse interfered with relationships with your parents, children, spouse,
relatives, or friends?
-Has your drug/alcohol use caused you to miss days at work or school?
-Have you been dismissed from school, a job, school, or other positions due to drug/alcohol use?
-Have you had a fight when under the influence of alcohol or a drug?
-Have you done anything illegal in order to obtain alcohol or drugs?
-Have you been arrested for possession of illegal drugs?
-Have you been arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol?
-Have you had medical problems (like memory loss, hepatitis, convulsions, blackouts, flashbacks
etc.) as a result of using drugs or alcohol?
-Do you feel sick when you try to stop using drugs or alcohol?
You are a slave to whatever controls you. “A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Peter 2:19).
You cannot please God if you are controlled by addictions. “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:8-9).
Anything that harms your body spiritually, mentally, or physically is sin. The Bible declares: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) . Your body is a temple and you should treat it as a sanctuary.
Addictions cause you to lose control. When you are under the influence of an addiction, you lose control of your will, your body, and your mental processes. If you are not in control and God is not in control, guess who is? Your enemy, Satan.
Drugs are related to sorcery. Revelation 18:23 speaks of the “sorceries” of evil men. The Greek word for sorceries is “pharmakeia”, meaning “enchantment with drugs”. Revelation 9:21 indicates that those that do not repent of their “sorceries” (enchantment with drugs) cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
Legitimate drugs, when not abused, are not sinful. Every good gift comes from God, and legitimate medications are gifts that help restore health and alleviate pain.
There are many kinds of addictions. A person can be addicted to food, drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, or pornography. One may also be addicted to an activity that in itself is not wrong, but because of overindulgence in it becomes wrong.
God wants you free from all addictions. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
DEALING WITH ADDICTION:
Admit that your addiction is sin. As long as you refuse to admit your addiction, you will be unable to deal with it. “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Cut the root, kill the fruit. Addiction is a surface manifestation of a deeper need or problem in your life. Think about why you take drugs, drink, smoke, gamble, etc.? Do you feel better about yourself when you do it? Do you do it to try to escape heartache and difficulties in your life? Whether it be heartache, difficulties, or negative emotions, etc., cut the root that is supporting your habit and you will kill the fruit–the addiction itself.
Ask God for deliverance. Pray not only about your addiction, but the root causes behind it–your hurt, pain, rejection issues, etc. Rebuke any generational spirits that would foster addictions. Bind the spirit of addiction from operating in your life: “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Renew your mind by the Word, prayer, and meditation.
Seek biblical rehabilitation. If you need assistance in dealing with your addiction, find a biblical rehabilitation center or program. The Salvation Army, Teen Challenge, Dream Centers, and Celebrate Recovery are excellent biblically-based programs.
Resist the devil. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you…” (James 4:7-8a). You resist the devil and his temptations by prayer and the Word of God which enables you to draw near to God. You are not resisting the devil when you have cigarettes or drugs in your pocket just “in case it doesn’t work” and you need them. Use your access to God to secure help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).
Change your lifestyle. Do not hang out with people who use drugs or alcohol. Do not frequent parties or places where drugs or alcohol are used or gambling is done. Do not watch television programs that promote drugs, alcohol, gambling, etc. through either the screenplay or advertising. Do not return again to the bondage of addiction (Galatians 5:1).
Form a support network. Form a personal support network of people who have successfully recovered from addictions and can help you do the same. Celebrate Recovery and Teen Challenge provide excellent Christian support networks for addictions.
Know that you will be tempted. Temptation is common when overcoming an addiction, but you can overcome it in the power of the Lord. When you are tempted by the enemy to engage in your habit again remember that… “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). There is always a way out. Take it!
Remember that you never fail until you quit trying. If you return to your addiction, do not give up in defeat. Ask God to forgive you and strengthen you to take control over the addiction, then begin again. Rather than condemning yourself, think about ways you can respond better next time you are tempted.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT ADDICTION:
I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.(John 8:34-35)
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. (Romans 7:18) For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep doing… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:19 and 24-25) Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. (Romans 8:8-9) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:13-14) Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Romans 13:14)
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me-but I will not be mastered by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
For we are the temple of the living God. (2 Corinthians 6:16)Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage … For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:1,13)
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of a sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16-17)
And be not drunk with wine (or high on other drugs), wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
(Colossians 3:1-5)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. (2 Peter 2:19)
DEFINITION: An alcoholic is one who is unable to control drinking alcoholic substances, a person who is controlled by the desire, abuse, and misuse of alcohol. Their drinking is compulsive and out of control. Habitual use results in uncontrolled addiction.
FACTS ABOUT ALCHOLISM:
Alcohol can be addictive. Alcohol in the form of dinner wine is accepted in some cultures and is also used for medicinal purposes, but when used improperly it can become an addiction. When used in cooking, the alcoholic content is destroyed.
Wine in the Bible. The word “wine” in the Bible can mean either unfermented or fermented fruit of the vine. Priests were forbidden to drink wine (Leviticus 10:9) and kings were counseled not to drink it (Proverbs 31:4)–and we are called kings and priests unto God (Revelation 1:6). Jesus refused wine for medicinal purposes while on the cross (Mark 15:23), but drank of the cup at the Last Supper. The water that Jesus turned to wine could have been fermented or unfermented–we are not told. Personal conviction should be exercised in this area when wine is not an addictive issue.
You are not doomed for life. There is a slogan that says “once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic” This statement is not true about a born-again believer who is a new creature in Christ. It does not mean that you cannot be delivered from alcoholism, but it does mean this is an area of temptation where you must continually be on guard. If you are or have been an alcoholic, you cannot drink ever again. Not even one drink!
Alcoholism can be passed down through families. Children of alcoholics tend to become alcoholics themselves–perhaps through learned behavior and/or generational spirits. This does not mean you can blame your alcoholism on your parents, however. You must take responsibility for your own addiction and deal with it so that you will not pass on this tendency to your own children.
Alcoholism is not a disease, it is a choice. If alcoholism is a disease it is the only one contracted by an act of the will; the only disease that is habit-forming; the only disease that promotes crime and brutality; and the only disease that is sold in a bottle in a store, and in some places, taxed by the government.
You are not alone. The temptation you are battling in regards to alcohol is common, but God has made a way of escape from it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
DEALING WITH ALCOHOLISM:
Recognize that alcohol abuse is a work of the flesh. It is listed among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). It is not a sickness. The Holy Spirit can and will produce the self-control needed to overcome this and other addictions as you allow the Fruit of the Spirit to be manifested in your life (Galatians 5:22-23).
Analyze why you need alcohol. Why do you need it? Are you trying to mask emotional pain? Do you rely on it to enable social interaction with others? If you determine why you drink, then you can deal with the root cause of your problem instead of turning to alcohol.
Admit that you need help. Proverbs 28:13 declares: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” 1 John 1:8-9 gives both a warning and a promise: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Ask God for deliverance. Pray not only about your alcoholism, but the root cause behind it–the loneliness, hurt, pain, inferiority, etc., that drives you to drink. Rebuke any generational spirits that would foster a desire for alcohol. Bind the spirit of alcoholism from operating in your life (Matthew 18:18).
Change your life-style. Do not attend events where drinking occurs and do not hang out with friends who drink. Do not watch television programs that promote drinking through either the screenplay or advertising. Do not return again to the bondage of alcoholism (Galatians 5:1).
Form a support network. Form a personal support network of people who have successfully recovered from alcoholism. Celebrate Recovery, Salvation Army, and Teen Challenge provide excellent Christian support network for addictions.
Remember that you never fail until you quit trying. If you start drinking again, don’t give up in defeat. Ask God to forgive you and strengthen you to take control over your addiction through the power of the Holy Spirit. Then simply begin again. Rather than condemning yourself, think about ways you can escape the next time you are tempted. Understand that as a recovered alcoholic, you cannot take even one drink.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT ALCOHOLISM:
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1)
He who loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich. (Proverbs 21:17)
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging. “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?” (Proverbs 23:29-35
Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine. (Isaiah 5:11)
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks. (Isaiah 5:22)
Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies. You will be filled with shame instead of glory. (Habakkuk 2:15-16)
Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. (Luke 21:34)
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage … For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. (Galatians 5:1,13)
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of a sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:16-17)
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
DEFINITION: Adultery is sexual intercourse with someone other than your lawful spouse. It is sin and a flagrant violation of the covenant of marriage.
FACTS ABOUT ADULTERY:
Adultery has many negative consequences. Broken homes, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and negative emotions like guilt, fear, shame, and anxiety.
Adultery is sin. According to the Bible, adultery is sin and stems from your own selfish desires. It is not a “weakness”. It is not an “affair”. It is sin, because God says it is sin. The very thought of it by lusting is sin (Matthew 5:27-28).
God’s plan is one man and one woman for life. “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate”
(Matthew 19:4-6).
DEALING WITH ADULTERY:
Reject lustful thoughts. Lusting after someone is considered the same as adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). Adultery begins in the mind.
Avoid temptation. Avoid compromising situations that put you in a place of temptation, alone with a handsome man or a beautiful woman. If you are never alone with someone of the opposite sex who is not your spouse, adultery will probably not become an issue.
Confess adultery as sin. “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Break ungodly relationships. Break the relationship with your adulterous partner. Make a total break: No more communication in any form. “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians6:17-18).
Seek forgiveness from those you have wronged. This would include your spouse and your adulterous partner.
Ask God to restore your marriage. If both parties are willing–with the help of God–your marriage can be restored. If you are the offender, you must realize that your spouse may opt not to take you back. You must be prepared to face this possibility and graciously accept it if it happens.
WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS ABOUT ADULTERY:
Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her. (Leviticus 18:20)
You shall not commit adultery. (Deuteronomy 5:18)
The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, “No eye will see me,” and he keeps his face concealed. (Job 24:15)
The lips of an adulteress drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave. (Proverbs 5:3 and 5)
Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you give your best strength to others and your years to one who is cruel, lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house. (Proverbs 5:8-10)
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man’s wife? For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths. The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. (Proverbs 5:20-22)
Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished…A man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. (Proverbs 6:27-29 and 32)
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call understanding your kinsman; they will keep you from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words. (Proverbs 7:4-5)
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the Lord’s wrath will fall into it. (Proverbs 22:14)
This is the way of an adulteress: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” (Proverbs 30:20)
I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes. (Jeremiah 5:7)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Mathew 5:27-28)
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
(1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Hebrews 13:4)
With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed an accursed brood! (2 Peter 2:14)
Prayer
Father, we thank you once again for the lessons you have brought our way as we meet hurting people everyday on our journey here on earth. Give us a heart of sympathy Lord God. Help us to be alive ourselves to the fact that there is nothing you cannot do as we make ourselves channels of your blessings to others who are hurting at this time. Give us a tenacious heart that is driven by love for you first and foremost. Thank you Lord for giving us the grace to represent you correctly as we raise the dead, spiritually speaking to a new life in you in Jesus name, amen
We declare total victory from every addiction to drug, alcohol, sex and deliverance and forgiveness from adulterous practice in Jesus name. We receive forgiveness, repentance and healing from the consequences of inner vows in the name of Jesus Christ. We commit from this day to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in the name of Jesus as we belief in you Lord cord afresh from our hearts in obedience to your instruction as we die daily to self in Jesus name. We thank You for total healing, spirit, soul and body in Jesus name, amen.
Now, experience all round-success this week and beyond as You are led by your closest friend – The Holy Spirit!
Remember, we are one in Christ Jesus – Only in unity we can have lasting and far reaching impact – Engage!
Ephesians 4:4-6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) 4 [ There is ] one body and one Spirit—just as there is also one hope [that belongs] to the calling you received—5 [ There is ] one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 One God and Father of [ us ] all, Who is above all [ Sovereign over all ], pervading all and [ living ] in [us] all.
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Shalom!
Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe
e-discipleship at Otakada.org
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Originally posted on June 20, 2020 @ 8:18 pm
