Relate Community Church
Relate Community Church
Fruitful Summer | Week 5 | Self Control
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
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This is a story about control. Amanda, I know you know this song Control of what I say, control of what I do. How many of y'all remember this one? Danielle, I know, okay, come on, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.
Speaker 1:Are you ready? Because I am, because it's all about control and I've got lots of it. That's all I'm giving you. I might give you a few more of those snakes later in the message.
Speaker 1:How many y'all remember Janet Jackson control? Let me tell you first, pastor Sean and Angela are out of town. That's why I did that Control by Janet Jackson y'all. That came out in 1986. Where's my old people in the house? All the young people are like no, I don't know that song.
Speaker 1:And you know what, when that song came out, I was around 10 or 11 years old and I had a dance routine. How many, come on? Y'all you know that's what we did in the day Every time somebody came to your house to spend the night. You're like I'm going to teach you this routine and we're going to do it for my mom and dad. Okay, control. But you know what? It wasn't until years later when I went back and I listened to the words and the lyrics of that song and I was like this is what I've been speaking over my life at a young age to have control over everything and everybody and all the time. Can I get an amen, the things that we speak over ourselves. So welcome to fruitful summer, everybody. We are talking about the fruits of the spirit. My name is Pastor Susie and I've been around the block here for about seven years. I'm about that shy of being on the launch team. Every time that's mentioned, I'm like I am too. I'm an OG.
Speaker 1:But seven years around here and I just love it every time I get the opportunity to bring the word of God. So just kind of a couple disclaimers that I always give people is because there's a lot of new faces in here at Relate. I talk really fast sometimes and sometimes it feels aggressive If I go like that. Get ready, I'm getting aggressive. Okay, that's your forewarning. But it's all because I'm very passionate about the word of God and his truth. Amen, and I hope in my prayer. Hope in my prayer every time that I get the opportunity to teach is I say God, let this fall fresh on somebody's heart in a way that they can understand it. So it's all about control today. And how many control freaks do I have in the house? Go ahead and raise your hand, cause I'm going to ask y'all to be raising your hands a lot. No, y'all are like this raise it up, look around, these are your people. We are real quick to tell people hey, I'm a control freak, and the reason why we do that is because later okay, so now you're getting called out I'm just saying she's literally like going like this. The reason why we let people know real quick that we're a control freak is so that later it comes back on us. You know we can say I told you why are you surprised? But you know what? It's not all about control today, because how many of us in this room, even the ones that just raised your hand, can say you know what I'm? A self-control freak? Nuh-uh, no self-control freaks here.
Speaker 1:Well, we want to welcome everybody who is watching online. Y'all give them a hand. They chose to be present wherever they are. They are watching Relate today. Y'all give it up for our pastors. They are getting some rest and relaxation this weekend. They are trusting us and I just led with Janet Jackson.
Speaker 1:I don't know if they're going to do it anymore, but we love this series because every week we are talking about a fruit of the Spirit that the Spirit wants to produce in our lives. So we're going to read our scripture verse for this series and it comes out of Galatians 5, 22 and 23. And it says but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives. Think about each one Love, joy, peace, patience. Y'all need to come back for that message. We already preached that one Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and what this is a fruit of the Spirit. And you know, quite honestly, when I heard oh, I get. Oh, actually, I chose, I chose this one. I said give me the hardest one. I want the hardest one because I know I have a tendency to sometimes almost be overly aggressive and step on toes a little bit, but I do it in a kind and gentle and joyful and patient and faithful and loving way.
Speaker 1:Amen, it says there is no law against these things. So we're going to pray right now and then I'm going to jump right in and I want you to fasten your seatbelts. I want you to pull out your notes and, if you'll notice, you did not get cliff notes as you walked in the door today. I don't give cliff notes for my sermons. I want you to pull out what the Lord is trying to tell you and put it to paper and go back and study it later. Can I get an amen? Let's pray, god. We just thank you for this opportunity to be in your house today. God, I hope that you take this word and you let it resonate on hearts and people walk out of here never the same again. We believe in the fruits of the spirit, that you want to do only good things in our lives. So we give you the service. Let this word be your word and this way be your way, in Jesus name, amen. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Self-control. I'm going to give you the definition, because sometimes people get control mixed up with self-control. The actual definition says this Self-control is defined as the ability to command one's behavior, to restrain or inhibit one's impulses. It involves managing get this one's emotions, desires, actions. And if you don't write anything else down right now from this definition, I want you to write this, particularly in situations where short-term gratification conflicts with what Just that moment. You know there's people in this room right now because one lapse, one tiny lapse of judgment, cost them many years of their life. Maybe it was behind bars, maybe it was through a troubled divorce, maybe it was behind bars, maybe it was through a troubled divorce, we don't know what it is. But that one moment is that part that we need to have the self-control over.
Speaker 1:So you know, growing up my mom had a magnet on the refrigerator. How many of y'all collect magnets on your refrigerator? That's the self-control issue. Amy Get control. She had a magnet on the refrigerator that the top of it said self-control. Underneath it it had a cartoon character of a woman opening up the refrigerator and then at the bottom. It said are you ready for this? A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. Every day when I went to the refrigerator I felt guilt. I'm like my mom is trying to say something. But you know what, maybe you're sitting here today and you say you know what? Pastor Susie, I have been to a lot of these messages and I needed help with kindness right, Lord knows. I needed help with patience right, I need help with joy. But self-control. I'm pretty strong-willed, I got it all together and I thought I'm going to show you some little ways that we have the lack of self-control in a fun way, in a life-giving way.
Speaker 1:Can we show the first picture? How many over-packers do I have in this house, hands shot up all over the building over packing. You can go to the desert and still think you got a pack of raincoats. I just got off a cruise with 40 women. Where's my sisters at sea? Y'all. We're doing it again next year. We already got 50 ladies. Be a part of that 50. I had all these women and I challenged them. Before we got off the boat I said hey, when you go home, I want you to count how many items in your suitcase that you did not even use. Do you know? That number got up to 17 in the chat I counted 17 items Overpackers.
Speaker 1:There's your self-control. Okay, how about this one? Oh, isn't this the cutest little kitten? Who in here, keeps bringing animals home? Y'all got to get it under control. No, self-control, jason Sherman, you got the cutest kitten, the cutest puppy. I think I saw on Facebook three times this week. Somebody got a new chicken. Something about relating y'all's chickens. Everybody got chickens in this house. Self-control, it can be little, it can be a lot.
Speaker 1:How about this next one? Oh, the sneaker collection. You got to have the newest. You got to have the best. You got to have the latest. But you know what that can be anything it could be your Pokemon collection, it could be your bakeware. I got to have the best bakeware Golf clubs. Thank you, jason Van Dyke. All right, how about this next one? Maybe I haven't hit you yet.
Speaker 1:Okay, how many of y'all have opened a bag of chips? You swear it was just like 60 seconds ago. You put your hand back in there. You done ate that whole bag, what? But do you know what? That's self-control? Because clearly on the bag it says it's got 15 servings and each serving is only six chips. Where's my Dorito people? Where's my Funyun people? I knew I was gonna get y'all. Maybe it's that bag of chips, maybe it's oh, a minute on the lips, lifetime on the hips.
Speaker 1:How about this, ladies? See, I don't even have to say anything. And y'all got it. Foley's Red Apple Sale, but it was on sale. It's not even your size, it don't matter, I'll give it to somebody for Christmas. It's't matter, I'll give it to somebody for Christmas. It's a sale. And maybe you're sitting there and you're still like these are ridiculous. I don't, I don't do that. I don't eat a whole bag of chips. I do the serving size liar, but maybe it's this.
Speaker 1:Anybody in this room over the age of six has an issue with this. Right here, scrolling on the phone. Y'all are already scrolling. Y'all been looking at your phones already. Somebody can't get off Instagram, but you know what this phone you know.
Speaker 1:My small group this last week went and did a self-defense class and you know what the instructor told us. He said the number one targets are those walking in a parking lot looking at their phone. Ain't got no idea what's going around. It's a self-control issue. Some of you can't even go down to the gas station to get gas because you realize you forgot your phone. So you're on E, the light is on. You take the time to go all the way back home to get gas because you realize you forgot your phone. So you're on E, the light is on. You take the time to go all the way back home to get your phone just to go get the gas station right. And some of you already need to disinfect your phone because you've been in the bathroom scrolling this morning.
Speaker 1:No self-control, but these are all little fun things. Right, these are little fun, sensitive little things of self-control, but they're all. They're kind of eye fun things, right. These are little fun, sensitive little things of self-control, but they're all. They're kind of eye-opening, right, they're a little eye-opening, but you know what here's the thing is, self-control can get out of hand really quickly. That one little moment of self-gratification can turn into a whole future of hurt. It could damage people's lives, not only yourself, but those around you. Can I get an amen? Lives not only yourself, but those around you. Can I get an amen? Sometimes it's a little bit more serious. Sometimes maybe it's alcoholism, maybe it's drug addiction, maybe it's anger issues, maybe you've got a really bad temper. Maybe all those sneakers that you're buying and all those chips that you're buying and all that stuff you're buying to go on vacation and overpack actually puts you into credit card debt.
Speaker 1:Let's look at the beginning. Let's look at the self-control. It's been said that there are men who will command armies but cannot command themselves. This is an area we all need to grow in. This is a fruit we all need in our lives. And remember the very first scripture I gave you says the Holy Spirit what produces, you cannot produce it on its own.
Speaker 1:And you know I want to talk to everybody in the room for just a second. I'm going to be real, especially to these young people, young adults, people of all ages. We are in a society where we are completely desensitized to everything around us. We don't even realize that it's a problem anymore, because these images just scroll past us on the TV. They scroll past us on our phone, even the commercials. Have y'all seen the commercials these days? Lord, help us. We are living in a flesh-led world.
Speaker 1:So here's what I'm going to do today I'm going to ask you to have a receptive heart, to really think about those areas in your life that we want the Holy Spirit to produce self-control in. I'm going to give you a lot of scripture, so get your pens ready, and what I'm going to give you first, right now, is four points. We're going to talk about four points today and I'm going to give you I'm going to give them to you real quick One, two, three, four, and then we'll break them apart. So get your pens ready. I'm going to give you four points on how we're going to cultivate this fruit in our life, because we know we're not the ones who produces it. Right, who produces it? The Holy Spirit. But one thing we can do is to help cultivate the opportunity to grow. This and I wanted to give y'all the definition for cultivate says to make fit for growing, okay, to refine, to improve, to tend to. So this is something that we can do right here on our part to allow the Holy Spirit to grow self-control in our lives is we need to be better at cultivating it.
Speaker 1:So, number one write this down. Point number one acknowledge the struggle. Point number two will be assume. Point number three avoid. And point number four will be accept. But number one is acknowledge the struggle.
Speaker 1:Proverbs 25, 28 says this like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. We go back to the word for the truth of everything. Can I get an amen for that? And right here, the word is telling you that like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. If it's mentioned in the Bible, it's important. Do you agree today? And see back in biblical times, the walls were so tall, they were so grand, they were so great, they were thick, they were heavy, and the reason for that is because they had to keep the enemy out. That was the only defense they had to keep the enemy out. These walls were so big that chariots could run across top of them, that people would actually build their homes into the walls. This is how strong these walls are, and if the scripture is telling us that if you've got an area of your life that you lack self-control, you have a foothold for the enemy to run right in, if your walls have holes, that's exactly where the enemy is going to hit you.
Speaker 1:So what I want to talk about is how we're going to cultivate this today. You know, since we're talking about fruit, I'm not going to destroy a watermelon today. I thought about that. I was like that hammer on the watermelon was monumental. So I picked an apple.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to kind of walk you through what you got to do to plant an apple tree. And you know, I did some research and I looked up and I said, okay, let me. What are the steps for planting an apple tree? And do you know? The very first step is that you have to pick a wide open space to plant it. Okay, you got to put it out there in a wide open space so as it grows and it stretches, it has room to do so. And not only that, it says after you pick that place, you have to make sure that it's in a place where the sun can shine down on it. And I thought what better than to acknowledge those areas in our life where we have no self-control, but to do what we got to put it out there, amen. Not only do we have to put it out there, but we got to ask the Lord, the sun, to shine down on those areas in our life where we need to see improvement. Can I get an amen? Acknowledge the struggle. Maybe you're still sitting here today and you're like nope, nope, nope, check your walls, check your walls. You've got holes somewhere where the enemy's going to come in. He's going to come in when you least expect it. He's going to come in.
Speaker 1:Second Corinthians 10, four says this the weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Anything that you're struggling with right now. Do you know you have the same power? That old hymn says the wonder working power. Y'all remember that. Says the wonder working power. Y'all remember that you have the wonder working power of Jesus Christ and you have the ability to demolish these strongholds over your life. But you got to get it out there, you got to be honest with yourself. You got to acknowledge that there is an area that has holes. Romans 8.8 says those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. And let me tell you why. It's important to listen to this scripture and I want you to take note of this. Take a picture of the screen, write it down, put pen to paper so that you can take it and you can receive it in your soul. 2 Corinthians 10.4 says the fight we have is not with the weapons of the world. Galatians 5.17.
Speaker 1:Listen to this one, y'all this scripture. When I read it, I read it probably a hundred times. But this week the Lord said I need you to look at this with fresh eyes. I need you to understand this with a fresh approach. And it says for the flesh desires what is contrary to the what To the spirit? Well, what does the spirit desire? Patience, love, joy, goodness, kindness. And it says here for the flesh desires what's contrary to the spirit. So then, that's the opposite of all these things. Do you see that what the world is wanting from you? And it says the spirit, what's contrary to the flesh? All the evil desires. The spirit doesn't want that for you in your life. It says they are in conflict with each other so that you are not to do whatever you want. And if we go back to Romans 8.8, it says those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot, please God, think about this. If you are not in the Spirit and you are not allowing the Holy Spirit to produce these fruits into your life, where are you? You're in the flesh. They cancel each other out.
Speaker 1:Number one you've got to acknowledge that you've got struggles. You've got holes in your wall, whatever it is, how small it is, how big it is. Maybe you've got a temper problem, you've got an anger problem. Maybe you've got a nicotine problem. You've got a vaping problem. You've got an anger problem. Maybe you've got a nicotine problem, you've got a vaping problem. You've got all these things right. The Holy Spirit wants to do a work in your life.
Speaker 1:Number two you've got to assume command of your emotions. Y'all know what feelings do. What do they do? They lie, and the enemy loves to get you all up in your feelings. You cannot let them dictate your actions. When you're in those moments of getting emotional, it's best to just go back to the word of God. Can I get an amen for that? We got to speak life over. Like said I was singing control, control over everything. What was I speaking over myself? But I wasn't going back to the word until much later, saying I am a victor. I am the head and not the tail right, his powers made perfect in my weakness. When you get into that emotional abuse of just way that you're torturing yourself, it is torture to yourself. You've got to go back to the word of God. You've got to assume command of your feelings. You've got to stay in the word. You know, I know that everybody's got good intentions. But let me tell you something about good intentions.
Speaker 1:The enemy doesn't always want to come in those walls right of your city with chaos. When we think the loss of self-control, you naturally think chaos, right, some big disaster, some horrific addiction. But it's not always like that. It's not always going to be approached with chaos, because sometimes the enemy will numb you with comfort. But I'm comfortable. I can't leave this relationship because I'm comfortable. This is all I know. I don't want to step out of my comfort zone. I don't want to step out of my comfort zone. I don't want to be stretched. I know if I get stretched it's going to force me to grow and there's going to be some things that are going to fall off in my life. But praise God, they will fall off of your life, amen.
Speaker 1:I told the story in the first. I'm going to go ahead and tell again. I'm telling off on my friend today. Okay, she's not here, but something very serious happened in my friend's life and I didn't even plan to put this in my message, but the Lord just sometimes has you say things and it's going to fall on the person that needs to hear it. So can I step on somebody's toes? Y'all okay with that. Hear it. So can I step on somebody's toes? Y'all okay with that. I told you this is my aggressive stance. Okay, you know, my friend was on Facebook and she got all up in her emotions.
Speaker 1:Y'all know those little suggested friends that you see and sometimes you look at them and you're like how did they find me? Why? Why are you suggesting that person? Right? But she saw an old suggested flame from high school. That moment of gratification, let me just see what he's up to. How did his life turn out? Sent a message. That message started a conversation. That conversation led to a lunch. That lunch led to an affair. The moment of gratification. You got to get out of your feelings, man.
Speaker 1:If that song starts playing on the radio and it starts taking you back to a place the word says run from it, turn away from it, do not go that direction, amen. You all know that song comes on the radio and you're like uh-uh, don't even turn on that. Jodeci Fear. Did you know fear can be a self-control issue? Did you know worry can be a self? Where's my worry warts all the time. We just worry, worry, worry. But you know what the word says. We go back to, to the word right? What does the Lord say? How many times does he have to tell us over and over and over and over and over and over and over in his word Do not fear, fear not, do not worry. Cast your anxiety, cast your cares, lay it at my feet.
Speaker 1:But some of us let fear and worry, which seems so small in the grand scale of how bad it can really get, make us lose self-control. Galatians 5, 22 and 23 says I will grow in self-control as I allow the spirit to subdue, as I allow the spirit to subdue my desires. You know what subdue means, to overcome to quiet, to bring under control, to subdue. Second, timothy 1.7 says for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of what Power, of what Love and of what he's given us the ability to turn away from our feelings.
Speaker 1:How many of y'all ever send a text message that you really wish you hadn't have sent? You know, you are all emotional, you are up in your oh, I'm going to add this and then I'm going put. And then, okay, let me reread it. And you're scrolling yep, I got it, they're gonna get this point, they're gonna get this point. And then you sent it and you're like, oh, I shouldn't have sent that. But then have you ever done that? You took 30 minutes to be all up in your feelings. You had no self-control over everything you were saying in there. And then the Holy Spirit said hold up, you're going to erase all of that, sister, raise your hand. And then all that time and emotion and flesh that you put into that text message, you just reply with okay, guess what? That's the Holy Spirit operating self-control in your life. Give yourself a hand, because if you can check yourself like that, you're cultivating good ground. Amen, you're cultivating good ground.
Speaker 1:Number three avoid tempting situations. I told you he says run from it. Man. Proverbs 4, 14 and 15 says avoid it, do not travel on it, Turn from it, go your own way, turn around, do not put yourself. And if you already know you've got a problem, you got to turn from it. You got to run away from it. Do you know how many gambling addicts drive down I-10 through Louisiana every single day and they pass billboard after billboard after billboard that says do you have a gambling problem? Do you have a problem? Call this Anonymous. But you know what they do. They read those billboards and they keep on passing by because they need that moment of gratification, not even understanding that they are messing up those long-term goals. Amen. The tempting situations.
Speaker 1:You know, as a youth pastor for many years, my number one thing that I wanted to make sure that this next generation knows y'all give it up to the young people. They always sit together every service. I love this, but I would tell them, and I'm going to tell anybody in every age, the most important thing that you need to ask yourself in any situation is number one does it glorify God or does it glorify the world? That will let you know real quick if you need to be in that place, if you need to be with that person or if you need to be doing that thing. Will it hurt them or will it harm them? It hurt them or will it harm them? Does it glorify God or does it glorify the world? You know, I told off on myself a little bit in the first service. Poncho, I'm going to go ahead and do it again. I've already started with Janet Jackson. I might as well. But you know what? Let me tell you something about Pastor Susie Back in the day.
Speaker 1:I'm going to say it, I'm just going to say it Y'all. I had a mouth on me. Everybody's like you still got a mouth on you. What are you talking about? No, I had a mouth Like I was spitfire all the time. I was always trying to start something. Oh, I'm going to defend my friend. You got something to say about Sherry. Then you're going to talk to me and you're going to catch these hands. This was Susie, this was Susie. I did. I had to defend everybody. I had a mouth and y'all. I'm going to be honest with you. I had a mouth and y'all I'm going to be honest with you.
Speaker 1:I had a self-control issue, and it wasn't until I found myself in the back of the police car at 18 because I was fighting. At 3 am at the Hot Biscuit, somebody got these hands. But here's the thing I was in the wrong place with the wrong people doing the wrong things. I had no self-control. But you know what? I love that because and I don't mind sharing that at all because the Lord said you know what that's Susie?
Speaker 1:When I get a hold of her, when I flip the script on her life and she starts defending my people and she starts defending my word and she starts teaching my truth, lives can be changed. Avoid your tempting situations. You know. Here's the thing is. You know, once you acknowledge and you put out there that you got to struggle, amen, you want the sun to shine down on these issues, right, you assume command back of your emotions and you know hey, I got to put in some work, I got to put in some time. And then you start to stay away from those places that you know can do bad things to you.
Speaker 1:And the word says it's at this time that you start to experience a sifting in your life. How many of y'all know what it means to sift something. Maybe you're a baker and you sift the flour. Did you know? Sometimes flour can get those little rocks in it. Even you got to sift out all the impurities. And this is where God needs to sift you before he can shift you, because he's got to shake off all these things in our life that are not of the spirit. If it is not goodness and it is not kindness, and it is not peace and joy and self-control, he's got to shake it away. Amen, he needs to sift you before he shifts you.
Speaker 1:And you know the thing about planting an apple tree. You know it takes a lot of work. You can't be afraid of the work. Has anybody ever gone to Home Depot with good intentions to plant flowers? You get so lost up in the colors and the smells and the prettiness of the flowers that you forget you got some work to do. When you get home and you know what you do you come home and you leave them on the porch and you say, okay, I bought them, I'm going to plant them tomorrow. Then tomorrow comes and you know what you say it's too hot, I'm going to have to wait till the early evening. The early evening comes over and says nope, the Whitlow's invited me to dinner. I'm going to wait till tomorrow and then by day four or five, you walk out your door. You totally forgot. You bought plants and they're dead. You walk out your door. You totally forgot. You bought plants and they're dead. Get prepared to do some work. You got to cultivate. You got to cultivate the ground so the Holy Spirit can produce. Amen, amen.
Speaker 1:You know I read that it takes 50 leaves get this 50 leaves to produce one really good, the strength of the leaves. One good, solid apple, 50 leaves on an apple tree. And you know I was. I was reading that and I was like, oh my goodness, I never even knew that leaves had anything to do with it. But to be to have the strength of 50, I want you to look around this room right now. Everybody, look around. Look around because this is where it shows you your circle matters. You need to have people of the word, you need to have people of God, the strength of all those around you to help you cultivate good ground so the Holy Spirit can do a work in your life, amen.
Speaker 1:Matthew 6, 13 says this lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. You know this is a request in the Lord's prayer. It's a plea for divine protection from being drawn to situations that we know we know will lead us into wrong. I want you to avoid tempting situation, whether it's groups, people, places, things. Don't get caught up in your emotions. And you know I was really thinking. Okay, lord, I want you to give me a really great person in the Bible. Who can we learn from? Who can we learn from that really struggled with some self-control issues, really really struggled. And then I thought about King David. Y'all remember that little shepherd boy, david. He's so cute, he just taking lunch to his brothers, just innocent. Then he slays that big old giant and then he becomes king. And it kind of reminded me of this apple right here. See, I chose a very specific apple to bring up here today. I don't know if you can see. Do you see all the bruising on that apple? Do you see all the scars on, all the soft spots on that apple? Let's talk about David for just a second Second, samuel, we see David.
Speaker 1:He's out on his balcony doing king things and he looks across at another balcony. And who does he see? Bath Sheba. If you roll up on anybody that their name starts with Bath. Go the other way. It's all ready. It's all ready. But he sees Bathsheba and he says, oh, I like what I see. And the desire sets in and the lust begins. And not only does he lust after her, he calls for his men and he says go and bring her to me. And then what happens then is it becomes an affair. And after the affair comes the birth of a child, and then after that comes murder. Short-term gratification, long-term goals.
Speaker 1:I want to read the scripture for you. James 1, 13, 15 says when tempted, no one should say God is tempting me. You know, god doesn't tempt you. Oh, the enemy will. The enemy wants to tempt you so he can prove that you are not who God says you are. But what the Lord will do is he will test you because he wants to do the opposite. Remember, the flesh is contrary to the spirit. He wants to prove that you are exactly who he says you are.
Speaker 1:But see, in this scripture here it says that he cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each one is tempted. Listen to this and I want you to think of the story of David as I read it. But each one is tempted, when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. And then, after desire has been conceived, it gives birth to sin. And then sin, when it's full grown, gives birth to death.
Speaker 1:First Corinthians 10, 13 says no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. No matter what you're going through, whatever your struggles are, whatever the holes are in your wall, the things that you can't get control of your emotions, the places that you can't stay away from, the people that you can't stay away from, the people that you can't stay away from, there is nobody in this room that has not gone through the same things. You are not alone. Can I get an amen? This is why your leaves matter. This is why your small group matters.
Speaker 1:Number four this is the final point Accept Christ's power. True transformation comes from surrendering to the Holy Spirit. It's not anything you can do, not by power, not by might. We're just saying that it is nothing you can do. The Holy Spirit produces this, but you can cultivate it. Accept Christ's power.
Speaker 1:You know, I think about Jesus. He was in the wilderness for 40 days. Even perfect Jesus. The enemy had to come after. He said okay, you know what? I know he's been out there for 40 days.
Speaker 1:Some of you maybe have been in your wilderness. You've been fighting through these addictions. You've been fighting through this self-control. Maybe you're not even the one that had the lack of self-control, but you're the one catching the back end of it. Amen, you've been there. Somebody else altered your future, somebody else took time away from you.
Speaker 1:But see, even out in the wilderness, he's tempted by Satan. And Satan says take this stone and turn it into bread. I know you're hungry. I know you've been out here for a long time fighting, and you know what Jesus says. I will take spiritual nourishment over physical desires. Is it flesh or is it the spirit? He says okay, I want you to jump from this pinnacle, jesus. Jump down and prove that you can't die, that you're the son of the Savior of the world. And you know what Jesus says. I will trust God's protection without demands. Have you ever told the Lord? Lord, I will stop doing this. If you do this for me, you do this for me, lord, if you take this problem away from me, I will go to church every Sunday and I'm not going to lie. Y'all, I even did that I used to. Here's another telling off on myself, y'all.
Speaker 1:I used to be like a pack a day smoker. A pack a day smoker, a smoker with a mouth and hands right. Can you picture this? That's old Susie, pre-jc. But you know what I came. I even told one time. I said the Lord, if you'll take this away from me, you know I'll start serving you more. I will do more.
Speaker 1:It wasn't until I acknowledged that I had an issue, a self-control issue. Maybe it was just nicotine. I told you, sometimes it's the small things, but the minute that I finally gave it to God in church one day, I said you know what? I can't do this. How am I supposed to be pouring into students if I'm doing something like this? I came out to my car right after service and in that moment I took that pack of smoke stogies we're old in here, we call them all kinds of things and I crumbled them up and I put them in the ashtray of my car and I said I'm done. But you know what? I had to expose it, I had to put it out there. I had to allow. I had to allow myself to admit that and have the Lord shine down on that. Amen.
Speaker 1:Some of us, we got some issues that we're dealing with today. And then, finally, satan says okay, I'm going to offer you all the kingdoms of the world. This is Satan telling Jesus. But this is what Jesus says my worship is to God alone, not worldly desires. And then he ends and he says I'm going to stay course the divine mission. Everybody say that stay course the divine mission.
Speaker 1:Because, see, here's the thing, the reason why I chose this apple with all these bruises, with all these scars on it because it needs to be a reminder to you that, no matter what you've gone through, no matter how beat up you are, no matter how much scarring there is on your life or you think that the Lord can't do anything with you anymore because you're beat up, you're bruised, you're no good. Nobody wants an apple that looks like this. Can I tell you something that I read? Google will tell you everything Grace Google says. Did you know that bruised apples make the best apple pie? Did you know that bruised apples are the best for pressing apple juice and bruised apples are the best making for applesauce?
Speaker 1:So, no matter what you think your life looks like right now, did you know the Lord can still use you? He can make good things out of you. You can do great things as you support other people around you. You can be a good leaf. You can strengthen that person next to you today. And the biggest, the best part of this bruised apple do you know what's inside of it? A seed. No matter how bruised what you've been through, the Lord still has something inside of you that he wants to plant and he wants to grow, and he wants to see the fruits grow out of your life. He wants you to be loving, he wants you to have peace, he wants you to have goodness, he wants you to have self-control.
Speaker 1:I'm going to invite you all to stand up right now. We're going to worship and, just like I told you, there's some things that we've got to sift out of our lives. Right, we need to shake free. We got to shake it loose. I had to let go of that temper. I had to let go of that mouth. There's a lot of other things in my life that you'll maybe hear about one day. I've had addictions in my life. I've been in abusive relationships in my life, but you know what? I allow the Lord to shine down on that and to use it for his glory and to speak testimony and to other people who are enduring the same. Because what does that scripture say? There is nothing that you have been through that somebody else has not been through.
Speaker 1:We're going to worship this song and I'm going to ask you to break some stuff off today. We're going to call our prayer partners up here. Can we have some prayer partners? And I don't care how small it is, I don't care if it's such a big thing, I don't care if you're finding yourself broken and bruised and scarred. This is the moment, right here, we're going to break it free and we're going to walk out new today. Can I get an amen for that? I want you to lift up your voices. If you want to come worship in the front, you are welcome to do that, because the Lord wants to break this off of you today. He wants to produce good fruit in your life and we're going to celebrate him as we worship. Right now I feel it in this room.
Speaker 2:Holy Spirit, move Cause. When you have your way, something has to break. Tear down every lie, set the wrong things right, because when you have your way, something has to break. Something has to break. Yes, god, I feel it in this room. Holy Spirit, move Cause. When you have your way, something has to break. Te tear down every lie. Set the wrong thing right, because when you have your way, something has to break something has to break, something has to break.
Speaker 3:Something has to break right now in your name. Something has to break, something has to break. Something has to break right now in your name.
Speaker 2:Something has to break. Something has to break right now. Something has to break, something has to break.
Speaker 3:I believe you lead me through it. I believe you lead me through it. I believe you get me to it. I believe that you will do it right now. Something has to break. I believe you lead me through it. I believe you get me to it. I believe that you will do it right now. Something has to break. I believe you'll lead me through it. I believe you'll get me to it. I believe that you will do it right now, cause something has to break. I believe you'll do it right now, cause something has to break. I believe you'll lead me through it. I believe you'll get me to it. I believe that you will do it right now. I'm standing in this room. Holy Spirit, move, cause when you have your way, something has to break. Take down every lie. Set the wrong thing right, cause when you have your way, something has to break, something has to break. Something has to break Right now, in your name. Something has to break.
Speaker 1:Oh, something has to it. I believe that you will do it right now. Something has to break. Something has to break Amen. Thank you, jesus, thank you.
Speaker 1:Jesus. Well, you know what the Holy Spirit is in this room today. I believe in my heart that I know he has fallen fresh on you today. He's going to renew you as you walk out these doors with a whole new look on life, because he wants nothing but good things for you. I'm going to pray over us today and then afterwards. I want you to keep your your head bowed and your eyes closed, because we're going to do a salvation prayer. Today, we're going to offer up the opportunity for someone to say yes to Jesus for the very first time.
Speaker 1:A heart change. Change, lord, god, we just thank you for your word today. I thank you, father, for this house of worship that we can just declare your works and your might and your wonder. Lord, I know that you have worked on hearts today, lord God, that you have revealed things in them that are not of you, that you're going to allow them to start to cultivate the ground of their heart so that you can do the work, because you've got a seed inside of them, father, that's ready to be planted and grown. We just give you glory for that.
Speaker 1:Today, god, and I'm going to ask everybody now I want you to repeat after me in this salvation prayer, because we don't want anyone to feel alone, left out, singled out. God, we're going to say it all together. Whether you've said it a hundred times or this is your first, I want you to all repeat after me Lord, god, today I give you my life. Work in me, change me, make me white as snow, forgive me of my sins, heal me of my bruises and scars, plant in me a new heart. Lord, I will live my life for you. From this day forward, I give you honor, I give you glory and we celebrate you in this house in Jesus name. Everybody said amen. Man, all of heaven celebrates all of her late. And I got one more surprise for you today, when you leave out. I got a little apple pie for you on your way out, and guess what? It's all made from bruised apples. Y'all have a good Sunday. We love you.