Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Kenneth Cox
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR00070C
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00:14 In most recovery programs, step programs anyway,
00:17 is the first five steps. 00:18 The first five steps will 00:21 help you see who God is. 00:22 Step one in most recovery programs say I am powerless. 00:26 I can't even do this anymore. 00:28 I can't change anything and I'm hopelessly strung out. 00:32 I'm hopelessly defective and so you come into a recovery 00:36 program in that way. 00:37 The Bible says that you come to God in that way. 00:40 It is the same thing. 00:41 The next step says that I have finally come to believe 00:44 that there is a God that can restore me to sanity. 00:47 When I first heard that, I wept like a baby. 00:50 I have never been sane, my family's not sane, 00:52 where are all addicts. 00:53 People my family die of liver disease and cancers 00:57 because of their addictions. 00:58 So I am not saying lightweight addicts, we are a mess. 01:00 So what I found out there is a God they can restore 01:03 me to sanity I was thrilled. 01:04 In step 3, 4, and 5 they talk about looking at your stuff, 01:08 and looking at your character defects, looking at just who 01:13 you actually are and being able to share that 01:15 with God and someone else. 01:16 Most of the time we get to that point and as addicts we 01:19 are going poof, man, that was a lot of work. 01:22 We think we are done. 01:24 I want to say we are not done, that is just the first 01:28 part of it. 01:29 Step 6 is a turning point in your recovery program. 01:33 Step 6 says I'm entirely ready to have God 01:37 remove all these defects from me. 01:41 So I see who God is, I see that I am powerless, I see my 01:44 stuff and now I am entirely ready to have God remove that. 01:48 That is where we have been in this program. 01:50 How do we do that? 01:51 What is really cool is that God gives us this gift. 01:54 The gift is the most incredible gift that I am given 01:58 the character of God, the righteousness of God, 02:02 through the Holy Spirit Christ abides in me. 02:06 When I feel like lying, and I do a lot. 02:10 You know to me, my nature comes up a lot. 02:14 You know Ken, you were saying the old man, 02:17 the old man jumps up a lot. 02:19 Each time I am starting to recognize it. 02:22 I think the Holy Spirit has a little bell that goes off. 02:25 Okay, that's him, but I'm starting to recognize it. 02:28 During that time I can say to God, you know what God? 02:33 I know that You are not a liar so right now can I please 02:37 have You take over right now and show me what it feels like 02:41 to respond to the situation more honestly. 02:44 Let me feel what it feels like to not be a liar. 02:47 I don't know what that means, and you know what God says? 02:49 Absolutely! Thank you for asking Me. 02:52 You are new, let this old guy die. 02:55 Let Me raise the baby up, because the baby is not a liar. 03:00 Do you know what I mean? 03:01 God didn't give us an old nature, He gave us a new nature. 03:03 The same with sexual sins. 03:05 If I'm going to struggle with porn addictions or sex 03:08 addictions, temptations in those kind of ways. 03:11 Those are incredibly intense addictions. 03:14 We will never, in our own strength, be able to fight them. 03:17 I can say wait, wait, wait. 03:19 I am new in Christ, I am dead to that. 03:23 I can step over here and say God show me what it feels like 03:26 to respond in a healthier way to the people around me. 03:29 To my own junk. 03:31 Show me how to respond in a different way. 03:34 Show me how not to get carried away sexually. 03:36 Not to get trapped in that sexual addiction, or drug 03:39 addiction, or workaholic, or rage, or any of that. 03:42 You know what God says? 03:44 Absolutely! And I love that. 03:47 All of heaven, I think the only time that they get 03:50 excited is when we finally ask. 03:52 They all say the same thing, absolutely, what ever you need 03:55 right now we will do for you. 03:58 There is going to be a time in your life that you will 04:00 ask enough to have God show us what 04:03 it feels like to be honest. 04:04 What it feels like to have integrity. 04:06 What it feels like not to get tripped up. 04:08 And pretty soon I'm in a situation, where I always tend 04:11 to lie in, and I can hear myself tell the truth. 04:15 I want to stop and say, Did anyone hear that? 04:18 Are you kidding me? 04:20 And I'm excited because I just did it. 04:23 Well, I didn't do anything, I was just nurtured by God. 04:26 I was just taught by God. 04:28 What is really cool about that whole thing is that it 04:31 feels good to not be in bondage to all that junk. 04:34 It feels good to have this old guy dead. 04:37 I don't want to be a liar. 04:39 I don't want to be a manipulator. 04:41 I don't want to be strung out on heroine. 04:42 I do not want to not be trustworthy. 04:44 God just says I'm going to teach you all those things. 04:47 I think, Amen! 04:48 We are new, you do not have to have the same desires 04:53 anymore, let the old guy die. 04:56 Over time you will change and other people are going 04:59 to see your changes and they are going to go wow. 05:02 You will not see it at first, but there is going to be 05:05 change, and growth, and development. 05:06 It is amazing, bye, this is it until we see you next time. 05:10 Always remember that God is crazy about you, me too. |
Revised 2014-12-17