Welcome back to
Thinking About Home.
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I am Kathy
Matthews, and I want to tell
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you that we are
really having a good
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conversation here.
We want you to join
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us on the decision
making process. That's
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what we have been
discussing, and we've
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been talking
about mental faculties
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are all involved
in the decision making
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process, the will has
to have the conscience,
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the common sense
and the heart's desire
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all in unity to
make a decent decision,
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and I know that
that is something that is
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so important in a
family and so important
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to adults as well
the adults or parents
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teaching it to their
children. I hope that
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you can use this
information that we are
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going to be sharing
with you today and it's,
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we're going to be
also talking about how
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Satan has destroyed
our ability to choose,
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that's really what
we're gonna be talking
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about for the
most today. And our
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guest is Dr. David Sedlacek from
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Weimar Institute. And I want to
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thank you again
for being with us.
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Thank you so much
Kathy. We have this
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ability to choose,
but we don't know how
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to do it well.
Satan has done a work
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on us hasn't he?
Umm-Umm he sure has.
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What can you share
with us on how his work
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has destroyed
that choice and the
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difficulty that we
have, not even understanding
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how we can make a
choice? Well he has done
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his job very, very
well. And there are a
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number of
different areas that he has
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brought about in
human experience to
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pervert our capacity
to make good decisions
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and perhaps the
first one that I want
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to talk about is
how we as parents either
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promote healthy
decision making on the
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part of our children,
or how we damage their
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capacity to make
healthy choices in the future,
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right. And when we
look at our children as
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individuals, as
little people, a part of what
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we want to do if we
look at them as true
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individuals and
people, and not just an
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extension of us,
is that we want to
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promote their
capacity to use their mental
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faculties, all of
them, which result in their
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making healthy
decisions for themselves, right.
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But, some parents either because
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they're really
afraid to allow children to
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make decisions, or
because they feel a
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need to be in control
of their world so much
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themselves don't
promote in their children
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the capacity to
make good decisions.
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They either over
control and make all
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the decisions for
them or they allow the kids
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to make whatever
decisions they want to
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make without any
restraint or guidance,
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right. To teach
them the process,
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right and either way
is damaging to children.
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That's an area
where I have had some
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difficulty with
especially when I was
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teaching some
classes on parenting that
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people tend to want
to allow their children
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to make too many
decisions too soon.
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I have seen
that, I have seen that
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quite a lot. And I
think that is not the
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best way to allow
your child, you got to
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choose more for
them when they're in the
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younger years and
so forth. But, the
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idea isn't it to,
is to allow the child
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to learn to
choose. That's right and
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one of my
favorite writer says that
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we need to allow
them that capacity as
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early as it is
reasonable for them,
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reasonable, and
that's what the wisdom,
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right comes in.
There are some parents
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I know who are the
opposite extreme and
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they want to control
and make every decision
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until the child
leaves home and the child
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is totally
unprepared to make decision
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and really rebels
against parental authority.
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Right and all of
this having to do with
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preparing for
our heavenly home or
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choosing salvation.
That's right, I mean
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all of this
program, all of the ones that
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we've been doing has to do with
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helping us along
both adult and children
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to choose the
right path. Exactly right
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and to be able to
have a choice as the
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Psalms says the
choice that's fixed,
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oh God my choice is
fixed, I'm settled down
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this I'm not
indecisive, I'm not wishy-washy.
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Right, blowing
with the wind. Exactly,
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I can make good firm
decisions and I have a
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rational basis upon
which to do it, which is
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based upon God
speaking to me also
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what makes good sense as well as
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the desires that God
and I have in common.
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Right, you know what's
best or what's right and
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what's best and
what is my heart's desire
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should all be yes or
no, right? That's right.
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They all should be
in agreement, right?
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That's right,
okay. But, sometimes what
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happens is that
Satan makes one of the
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facilities stronger
than the others, and so
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they're not all in
harmony. For example,
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if you take a look
at the area of appetite
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and passion again
briefly, okay. You know
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we may know for
example that to lust
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after someone other
than our wives, right,
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is by way of
conscience wrong. We know
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its morally not
right, and we know its not
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reasonable, oh boy
if I do that I could
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possibly you know
have all kinds of conflict
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in my family and I
might get some kind
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of disease
whatever, yes. So the reasons
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why I shouldn't do it
either. It's not best,
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yes. But
because Satan gets me to
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believe that this is
what I really should do
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and I really what
that then I dawn the voice
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of conscience and
reason and the vote of
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heart's desire,
right. Our passion gets
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stronger I go
ahead and make a decision
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to do something
that I should have never
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ever done,
right. And so Satan is
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still in the
business of trying to exalt
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heart's desire.
Right, so, there is the true
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heart's desire that
God has given us to be
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effect, you know
our affections wrapped
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around what's
right and what's best and
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then there's that
perverted heart's desire
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that just leads into
selfishness. Exactly,
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just total
selfishness, that's right, okay,
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that's right. And
so we wanna as you said
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earlier, have an
equal vote for each of them,
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and they all need to
be in agreement if it's
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going to be in
harmony with God, okay. But,
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there's another thing
that Satan does to try
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and pervert our
capacity to make healthy
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choices too and that
we might call the area
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of addiction or
bondages. When I'm
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addicted to either a
thing like that let say
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alcohol or drugs or
sex, or even work, or
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even some of the
socially acceptable addictions
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like food or
Christian service even for
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some people can be
an addiction, yes, yes.
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When I'm addicted to
those kinds of things,
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what is happening
dynamically that I get
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obsessed with
that thing and I get
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preoccupied with
that thing and my whole
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sense of identity
very often is tied up with
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that thing and many
times that addiction I'm
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engaging in an
addiction to meet a need of my
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heart that's never
been met by anything else.
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Maybe I need to
feel good or need to be
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loved and
ultimately we know that in a
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Christian sense only
God can fill those needs,
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right. But when
we don't know that we
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can go to him for
that very often we get
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perverted into these
areas that become very
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much a bondage
and when a bondage has
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become a real thing in
my life. Basically what
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happens is the
addiction makes the decision
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for me rather than me
making the decision for
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myself. And so we
get into an area very
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often that there
been books written that
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have been called
disabilities of the
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Will. That
basically talk about how
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bondage to
addiction takes us out of the
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capacity to make a
healthy choice at all,
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basically I am making
a choice based upon my
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neediness or upon
basically my compulsion
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to the addiction
now which has taken me
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over, taken my
will over rather than
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based upon any sense of what's
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reasonable or
what's right. Addiction
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would be a habit
gone away or what?
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Well it is, yet my
favorite definition for
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addiction is that it's
a search for God's love
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that's gonna tray,
because I think that's
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the search that
we're all on this life,
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okay is for an
experience of intimacy
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with Jesus and to know that he
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loves us so
much that's. I really
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believe it.
That's a desire of every
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human heart, and
only Jesus can fully
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fill that desire.
No other thing can do
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that and that's
why addictions are so
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damaging because
really the perversions
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of that which only God can
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feel for us, really
feel, exactly right.
00:10:10.49\00:10:11.81
And so that's
another avenue so often
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I worked with
addicts now for many,
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many years and
that's one of the things
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that we see
common to addiction and
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what we try to do
in our treatment is
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if you look at
addiction as a relational
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element, then
the solution to it is
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relational, in other
words, to replace it,
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with love for
Jesus, yes. With love for
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Jesus experiential
it really, something
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better. Yes, to take the old and
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replace it with
something better. And
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Jesus is all about freedom now,
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you see Jesus is
about freedom to choose.
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And Romans 8 is very, very clear
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about that Jesus now through our
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death to our self
gives us freedom and
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we're under
according to James the love
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of liberty, right
which means that when
00:11:01.88\00:11:04.81
we formally when
we were in bondage,
00:11:04.84\00:11:06.62
we though we had freedom but our
00:11:06.65\00:11:08.55
choices we are all
being made for us, right.
00:11:08.58\00:11:10.74
Now we have the
choice in Jesus to either
00:11:10.77\00:11:12.69
choose right or
wrong. We're not in
00:11:12.72\00:11:15.32
bondage to always having to
00:11:15.35\00:11:16.65
choosing wrong. Just wrong.
00:11:16.68\00:11:18.27
To have freedom
from sin, self and Satan.
00:11:18.30\00:11:21.40
Exactly right,
okay, exactly right, and
00:11:21.43\00:11:24.07
so in Jesus we
have that. Another thing
00:11:24.10\00:11:27.85
that Satan has done, he has
00:11:27.88\00:11:29.84
created in many
people what we call a
00:11:29.87\00:11:33.12
victim mindset. Now
this is a very, very
00:11:33.15\00:11:36.31
interesting
phenomena because when I
00:11:36.34\00:11:38.94
have a victim
mindset which is often
00:11:38.97\00:11:42.56
established though
having been victimized,
00:11:42.59\00:11:45.18
having been
really hurt or damaged
00:11:45.21\00:11:47.90
through other
people or through a series
00:11:47.93\00:11:50.61
of circumstances
in my life. Then what
00:11:50.64\00:11:53.39
ends up happen is I develop an
00:11:53.42\00:11:55.23
expectancy that I'm gonna be
00:11:55.26\00:11:57.26
victimize that other people are
00:11:57.29\00:11:59.11
gonna take advantage of me.
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That's just what's
gonna happen to me.
00:12:00.46\00:12:01.56
And life is gonna
be go bad, yes, okay.
00:12:01.59\00:12:03.70
And one of the interesting thing
00:12:03.73\00:12:06.06
about victims
though is that there's
00:12:06.09\00:12:08.19
often a pay off to
being a victim. In other
00:12:08.22\00:12:10.97
words, that
encourages it. Well it does
00:12:11.00\00:12:14.07
encourage it but
the pay off is if I'm a
00:12:14.10\00:12:17.44
victim then life
happens to me. I don't
00:12:17.47\00:12:21.40
choose the course
of my life, choose life
00:12:21.43\00:12:23.20
I see yes. And so
if life just happens
00:12:23.23\00:12:26.11
to me, poor me,
is life awful to me,
00:12:26.14\00:12:29.40
yes and I don't
have to be responsible
00:12:29.43\00:12:32.55
for my decisions,
okay. You see that's
00:12:32.58\00:12:36.03
how it plays into
damaging the will in the
00:12:36.06\00:12:39.37
decision making
process, right. Because
00:12:39.40\00:12:41.57
I don't have to
responsible, I am
00:12:41.60\00:12:43.64
just a victim. Other people make
00:12:43.67\00:12:45.33
you know like decisions for me
00:12:45.36\00:12:47.51
and I just go along with life.
00:12:47.54\00:12:49.59
It becomes almost
an encouraged trap
00:12:49.62\00:12:52.39
or, exactly right
something like that.
00:12:52.42\00:12:55.03
Exactly right
and so a lot of the
00:12:55.06\00:12:57.58
work when we see this phenomena
00:12:57.61\00:12:59.30
going on with
people who come to us
00:12:59.33\00:13:01.04
for counseling,
what we do is we have
00:13:01.07\00:13:03.68
to teach them to make decisions.
00:13:03.71\00:13:06.41
This is so important for people
00:13:06.44\00:13:08.49
who are in that particular trap.
00:13:08.52\00:13:11.25
And the simple
process that we've given
00:13:11.28\00:13:12.83
here on the programs has been
00:13:12.86\00:13:14.83
that way of
teaching do you use that?
00:13:14.86\00:13:17.11
That's a big part
of it, we also have to
00:13:17.14\00:13:19.64
many times teach
victims how to fight.
00:13:19.67\00:13:21.63
In what way? What
do you mean fight?
00:13:21.66\00:13:24.35
Well, victims are
the kind of people
00:13:24.38\00:13:26.71
who tend to lay down and
00:13:26.74\00:13:29.65
let people walk
all over them. Right.
00:13:29.68\00:13:31.45
And they don't how
to confront an issue?
00:13:31.48\00:13:33.75
Exactly to fight
Biblically you know
00:13:33.78\00:13:36.45
the Bible says that God wants to
00:13:36.48\00:13:38.88
teach our
fingers to fight and our
00:13:38.91\00:13:40.53
hands to war,
okay. And so there is a
00:13:40.56\00:13:44.86
capacity to stand
and to fight. See we're
00:13:44.89\00:13:47.34
being trained in
these last days to be
00:13:47.37\00:13:49.35
soldiers,
right. Soldiers have to
00:13:49.38\00:13:51.08
know how to
fight. Because we're in
00:13:51.11\00:13:52.35
the church
militant. And it's the fight
00:13:52.38\00:13:54.14
of faith, right and so Satan
00:13:54.17\00:13:56.69
just runs their capacity.
00:13:56.72\00:13:58.08
So, just make it
clear you're not talking
00:13:58.11\00:13:59.08
about anything physical? No, I'm
00:13:59.09\00:14:02.49
not talking about or nor verbal
00:14:02.52\00:14:03.49
abuse, right, I'm
not talking about that,
00:14:03.50\00:14:04.47
but I'm talking
about how to stand
00:14:04.48\00:14:05.66
in a dignity of Jesus.
Right with a strong mind.
00:14:05.69\00:14:08.80
And a lot of
people just, victimization
00:14:08.83\00:14:11.98
just takes us
out of that capacity,
00:14:12.01\00:14:13.43
so that is what we are trying
00:14:13.46\00:14:16.01
to teach, get
across, that's right.
00:14:16.04\00:14:18.34
Oh yeah, so after
the victim mindset,
00:14:18.37\00:14:21.23
we have through
doubt how Satan has
00:14:21.26\00:14:25.18
destroyed our
choosing through doubt?
00:14:25.21\00:14:28.02
That is one of his
most effective weapons
00:14:28.05\00:14:31.24
is doubt. There
are so many people
00:14:31.27\00:14:34.60
that I've worked with who are so
00:14:34.63\00:14:37.19
indecisive about making any kind
00:14:37.22\00:14:39.58
of decision
whatsoever. They doubt
00:14:39.61\00:14:41.51
themselves, they
question themselves
00:14:41.54\00:14:43.85
all over the place
they doubt salvation,
00:14:43.88\00:14:47.04
they doubt everything.
I have to say something
00:14:47.07\00:14:49.28
here, please. The
Pilgrim's Progress
00:14:49.31\00:14:52.25
that John Bunyan wrote, yes.
00:14:52.28\00:14:54.67
And it was put on
cassette here some
00:14:54.70\00:14:57.23
years ago by a
Adventist Family that
00:14:57.26\00:15:00.63
did a wonderful
production on that
00:15:00.66\00:15:02.59
and in it as I was
listening to it and
00:15:02.62\00:15:05.09
I have listen to
it many, many times,
00:15:05.12\00:15:06.09
me too. It's good
isn't it? And when not
00:15:06.10\00:15:10.92
when the first
time I heard it but
00:15:10.95\00:15:12.40
several times
after I heard it and
00:15:12.43\00:15:14.10
pilgrim or the who
is it Christian and his
00:15:14.13\00:15:18.27
unfaithful, which ever one it is
00:15:18.30\00:15:19.90
that's going to
doubting castle and they
00:15:19.93\00:15:22.87
get trapped in
doubting castle, that's right.
00:15:22.90\00:15:25.63
And giant despair that became so
00:15:25.66\00:15:28.82
real to me after
some experiences in
00:15:28.85\00:15:31.46
my walk with
Christ. And to be caught
00:15:31.49\00:15:35.93
in a castle of
doubt and beaten by
00:15:35.96\00:15:39.29
giant despair
is I can see how it
00:15:39.32\00:15:43.30
destroys your ability to choose
00:15:43.33\00:15:45.43
if you're just
caught under that.
00:15:45.46\00:15:47.48
You're absolutely
right and very often what
00:15:47.51\00:15:50.50
happens is that
indecisiveness you know
00:15:50.53\00:15:53.47
doubt leads us to
despair. It leads us,
00:15:53.50\00:15:57.54
it's almost like
cause and effect,
00:15:57.57\00:15:59.96
it's the next step
and that of course leads
00:15:59.99\00:16:03.16
to hopelessness
and the thoughts of
00:16:03.19\00:16:05.88
suicide and or very
often in the Christian
00:16:05.91\00:16:09.52
world, this is what
I see, people either
00:16:09.55\00:16:11.85
doubting their
salvation or saying oh I must
00:16:11.88\00:16:15.58
have committed the unpardonable
00:16:15.61\00:16:17.04
sin, right, right.
I hear that one very
00:16:17.07\00:16:19.23
often and
that's a very effective
00:16:19.26\00:16:20.46
bondage of the enemy, he's
00:16:20.49\00:16:22.51
got us then if we stay there.
00:16:22.54\00:16:24.79
But, there's a key
of promise. The key of
00:16:24.82\00:16:26.95
promise we always
have that, right we
00:16:26.98\00:16:29.50
always can get out.
And then what? Well,
00:16:29.53\00:16:32.63
another very
effective tool of the enemy
00:16:32.66\00:16:36.36
and I love, you
see I love exposing
00:16:36.39\00:16:38.98
the enemy here
because if we don't know
00:16:39.01\00:16:41.49
the enemy's
tactics and we're bound
00:16:41.52\00:16:44.50
to fall into
them, right. But when we
00:16:44.53\00:16:46.26
know his tactics
then we can defeat
00:16:46.29\00:16:48.18
him can't we?
And so the next one
00:16:48.21\00:16:51.01
is through lies,
through deceit, through
00:16:51.04\00:16:53.75
false beliefs and
very often what ends
00:16:53.78\00:16:57.72
happening is that
we believe messages
00:16:57.75\00:17:01.87
about ourselves
that are not true.
00:17:01.90\00:17:04.39
We for example
may have been told
00:17:04.42\00:17:08.86
you're no good,
you're never going to
00:17:08.89\00:17:11.74
amount to nothing, I'm sorry
00:17:11.77\00:17:13.34
I ever had you,
you know I don't want
00:17:13.37\00:17:15.65
you, I don't want you as my son,
00:17:15.68\00:17:16.72
I'm embarrassed
about you. You know
00:17:16.75\00:17:18.12
when children hear those kind of
00:17:18.15\00:17:20.01
messages or
experience those kinds of
00:17:20.04\00:17:21.81
things from their
family. Basically they
00:17:21.84\00:17:25.12
have no capacity to
say that's not true,
00:17:25.15\00:17:28.06
right. Kids are
like a sponge and
00:17:28.09\00:17:30.05
they're gonna
take in whatever comes
00:17:30.08\00:17:32.13
their way
especially from people like
00:17:32.16\00:17:34.11
mom and dad. And so when that's
00:17:34.14\00:17:37.33
been their
experience, they believe well I
00:17:37.36\00:17:39.69
must be no good at all, right.
00:17:39.72\00:17:41.55
You know I must
be a total loser.
00:17:41.58\00:17:43.74
Even if they don't
know they act like it right,
00:17:43.77\00:17:45.54
they don't always
act like they're thinking
00:17:45.57\00:17:47.95
like that. But,
inside the message is
00:17:47.98\00:17:50.42
like little a tape
recorder playing deep
00:17:50.45\00:17:52.14
inside and it often
colors their expectations
00:17:52.17\00:17:57.15
of life, it
colors whether they will
00:17:57.18\00:18:00.47
really succeed or
not succeed in life.
00:18:00.50\00:18:03.94
And Satan knows
that if he can get
00:18:03.97\00:18:05.83
us to succeed to
be believe lies that
00:18:05.86\00:18:09.73
he has us in a
trap, right. And the
00:18:09.76\00:18:11.90
wonderful thing
that I see is when I look
00:18:11.93\00:18:14.14
at Jesus life.
Jesus heard a message from
00:18:14.17\00:18:19.08
his father that
said, this is my beloved
00:18:19.11\00:18:23.25
son in whom I'm well pleased.
00:18:23.28\00:18:25.54
A message of
affirmation and so during
00:18:25.57\00:18:28.80
dark times which
Jesus had many of them,
00:18:28.83\00:18:32.65
yes. That message
was there, ringing,
00:18:32.68\00:18:35.46
this is my
beloved son. You know I
00:18:35.49\00:18:38.68
delight in you,
you're mine and I'm
00:18:38.71\00:18:41.62
here with you
and for you and I'm
00:18:41.65\00:18:43.82
well pleased in
you that is what Jesus
00:18:43.85\00:18:47.30
held on to and he
held on it by faith
00:18:47.33\00:18:50.52
but you see the
word has to be spoken and
00:18:50.55\00:18:54.21
received of truth
to counteract the lies
00:18:54.24\00:18:59.24
And you have to
grasp a hold of it
00:18:59.27\00:19:02.02
and begin to believe it,
exactly, and new pathways
00:19:02.05\00:19:04.57
are formed in your
terrain. That's exactly
00:19:04.60\00:19:06.61
what happens, yes,
to counteract the lies.
00:19:06.64\00:19:09.10
But again Satan, one
of his major arsenals
00:19:09.13\00:19:12.56
is deception. And so
this is one of the major
00:19:12.59\00:19:16.31
areas that he uses
to cripple our capacity
00:19:16.34\00:19:19.78
to choose is
through lies, yeah. Now,
00:19:19.81\00:19:26.81
another one that
I want to talk about
00:19:26.84\00:19:29.06
briefly is though
the experience of abuse
00:19:29.09\00:19:31.46
in families. We
have been working
00:19:31.49\00:19:36.47
now with families
that have been abused for
00:19:36.50\00:19:39.32
many, many years
and you may believe
00:19:39.35\00:19:43.49
some of the
stories that we hear and
00:19:43.52\00:19:46.40
they've been not
only families that have
00:19:46.43\00:19:50.53
been raised in non-Christian
00:19:50.56\00:19:53.12
environments, but
also families that
00:19:53.15\00:19:55.39
have been raised in
Christian environments,
00:19:55.42\00:19:57.44
and the abuse has been sometimes
00:19:57.47\00:20:01.32
verbal abuse,
sometimes emotional abuse,
00:20:01.35\00:20:04.60
physical abuse,
what we might even call
00:20:04.63\00:20:07.67
spiritual abuse
and sexual abuse.
00:20:07.70\00:20:10.42
All these
different kinds of abuse we
00:20:10.45\00:20:13.98
have to admit are
happening even in our
00:20:14.01\00:20:17.30
midst as well as
out there in the world,
00:20:17.33\00:20:20.13
you know we want
to believe its not
00:20:20.16\00:20:21.58
happening here, but
that's not really what
00:20:21.61\00:20:24.42
the truth of the
matter is, right. And
00:20:24.45\00:20:27.22
very often when
children are raised in
00:20:27.25\00:20:30.74
that kind of
situation, they live in a
00:20:30.77\00:20:35.59
mode of living, which
is basically survival.
00:20:35.62\00:20:38.94
You know I like
to use the analogy
00:20:38.97\00:20:41.46
of a plant in the
springtime, where if
00:20:41.49\00:20:46.85
I'm thriving you
know if I'm getting plenty
00:20:46.88\00:20:49.61
of water as a plant
and if I'm exposed to
00:20:49.64\00:20:52.44
sunshine and fresh
air, then I'm going to
00:20:52.47\00:20:55.50
blossom into this
beautiful, beautiful
00:20:55.53\00:20:57.92
blossom flower.
But when I don't get
00:20:57.95\00:21:03.63
that nurturing and
I'm only surviving,
00:21:03.66\00:21:06.64
I'm like a plant
where may be I've
00:21:06.67\00:21:09.58
budded but I only stay a bud,
00:21:09.61\00:21:12.52
I never reach my full potential.
00:21:12.55\00:21:15.28
Never really
grow, that's right. And
00:21:15.31\00:21:18.22
Satan has people
like that living a
00:21:18.25\00:21:22.59
lifetime of fear
and a lifetime of shame,
00:21:22.62\00:21:25.83
and very often
their experience is almost
00:21:25.86\00:21:29.42
like the experience
of Job in some ways.
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.64
Remember in Job,
he said that which I
00:21:31.67\00:21:33.65
have feared
greatly has come upon me.
00:21:33.68\00:21:36.34
And so basically
their fears very often
00:21:36.37\00:21:40.43
determine their
life and so are they
00:21:40.46\00:21:43.32
even open to
taking a look at other
00:21:43.35\00:21:46.04
possibilities of
life, you know things that
00:21:46.07\00:21:48.31
might be greater
than where they're that.
00:21:48.34\00:21:51.95
Many of them don't even think of
00:21:51.98\00:21:53.79
making choices
other than choices
00:21:53.82\00:21:56.10
which are the choices that have
00:21:56.13\00:21:58.59
been damaging choices which have
00:21:58.62\00:22:00.33
been limiting
choices. It's all they knew.
00:22:00.36\00:22:02.37
That's all they knew. And so
00:22:02.40\00:22:04.48
Satan uses that to
damage even Christian
00:22:04.51\00:22:07.74
people and keep them in either
00:22:07.77\00:22:10.53
relationships
that have been abusive,
00:22:10.56\00:22:12.53
that's the kind
of relationship that
00:22:12.56\00:22:14.30
they'll chose, and
their choices will be
00:22:14.33\00:22:16.87
predictable,
because that's what they
00:22:16.90\00:22:19.91
believe they
deserve. And so that's
00:22:19.94\00:22:22.64
another way that
Satan uses to try
00:22:22.67\00:22:25.41
and destroy our
capacity to really
00:22:25.44\00:22:27.54
make healthy
decisions. Wow, they need this,
00:22:27.57\00:22:32.48
don't they? They
need to understand
00:22:32.51\00:22:33.88
how to make, we
all need to understand
00:22:33.91\00:22:36.38
how to make
better decisions don't
00:22:36.41\00:22:37.97
we and choices,
we do. So, that we
00:22:38.00\00:22:40.30
don't have our
children growing up
00:22:40.33\00:22:42.27
that are incapable of making
00:22:42.30\00:22:43.93
the choice of salvation.
00:22:43.96\00:22:45.67
That's right, that's
right. Where do wanna go now?
00:22:45.70\00:22:48.42
Well, I'd like to
talk about how we can
00:22:48.45\00:22:50.99
learn to choose
again. I'd like to take us,
00:22:51.02\00:22:53.45
yes we need
that. A few steps about
00:22:53.48\00:22:55.52
how to begin making
some healthy decisions.
00:22:55.55\00:22:58.51
And so the first
step would be to embrace
00:22:58.54\00:23:01.45
whatever the
condition that we find and
00:23:01.48\00:23:04.36
we talked about
several of them now,
00:23:04.39\00:23:06.02
but embrace it
is true. You know a
00:23:06.05\00:23:09.33
lot of us don't
want to embrace the
00:23:09.36\00:23:11.29
realty of our woundedness or of
00:23:11.32\00:23:14.03
our brokenness or
of our bondage, and so
00:23:14.06\00:23:17.29
the first thing we
need to do is come out
00:23:17.32\00:23:19.23
the world of
denial, and to acknowledge
00:23:19.26\00:23:22.59
that it's true and
to embrace it, what I
00:23:22.62\00:23:24.57
mean by
embarrassing it is, is to really
00:23:24.60\00:23:27.61
bring that thing
into my heart as being
00:23:27.64\00:23:30.55
true for me to
settle it and accept
00:23:30.58\00:23:33.41
that this is my
condition, you know.
00:23:33.44\00:23:36.21
And once I've
done that then I'm in a
00:23:36.24\00:23:38.77
condition of doing
something about it,
00:23:38.80\00:23:40.69
but as long as I
don't want it to be
00:23:40.72\00:23:42.08
true even though
it's true, I've not
00:23:42.11\00:23:44.01
embraced it,
right. And so the first
00:23:44.04\00:23:45.73
thing is I need to
expect it is true, and
00:23:45.76\00:23:48.75
embrace it as being true for me.
00:23:48.78\00:23:50.32
The second one
is to acknowledge my
00:23:50.35\00:23:54.00
inability to
change by myself. You know
00:23:54.03\00:23:57.45
I'm in a situation
of bondage, I can't get
00:23:57.48\00:24:01.05
out by myself,
I've tried getting out
00:24:01.08\00:24:03.38
by myself, I can't
do it, but I need help,
00:24:03.41\00:24:06.68
right. Okay, okay and then, and
00:24:06.71\00:24:09.21
then tell God that you need and
00:24:09.24\00:24:13.26
want to have him change you.
00:24:13.29\00:24:15.55
This is my need.
Lord I'm helpless
00:24:15.58\00:24:18.71
alone but I'm trusting that you
00:24:18.74\00:24:20.76
have power to
change me. And Lord,
00:24:20.79\00:24:23.70
this is exactly what
I need to have you do.
00:24:23.73\00:24:26.84
I see it and I
need you to help me
00:24:26.87\00:24:29.79
in this particular
area. Absolutely and be
00:24:29.82\00:24:31.00
specific, to be
very specific, to be
00:24:31.03\00:24:34.49
very specific.
Number four is maybe one
00:24:34.52\00:24:36.74
of most
important steps and that is
00:24:36.77\00:24:38.65
to accept that there's power in
00:24:38.68\00:24:41.49
the word of God to
create what it says.
00:24:41.52\00:24:44.52
It's available for
you. Exactly, you see for
00:24:44.55\00:24:48.12
example lets just
take the area of lies,
00:24:48.15\00:24:49.91
if I have believed
lies, then there's a
00:24:49.94\00:24:55.29
corresponding
truth in the word of God
00:24:55.32\00:24:57.86
to counteract that
lie. And I need to find
00:24:57.89\00:25:00.87
the promise or
the truth in the word
00:25:00.90\00:25:02.72
of God to
counteract the light, I need to
00:25:02.75\00:25:04.88
renounce the lie,
right so I'm not gonna
00:25:04.91\00:25:07.38
believe that
anymore and I need to
00:25:07.41\00:25:09.14
then grab hold of
the truth. One of the
00:25:09.17\00:25:12.57
most beautiful
powerful things that we
00:25:12.60\00:25:14.47
know is that when
Jesus speaks things
00:25:14.50\00:25:18.40
happen, yes. His word is living,
00:25:18.43\00:25:20.25
it's creative and
so if I know that then
00:25:20.28\00:25:23.62
the word that I grab
hold of, in his word,
00:25:23.65\00:25:26.64
the promise will
create the whole new
00:25:26.67\00:25:29.69
reality in me,
right. That is profoundly
00:25:29.72\00:25:32.93
powerful the
promises that we have,
00:25:32.96\00:25:34.71
and the power that we have
00:25:34.74\00:25:36.06
as Christians
in the word of God.
00:25:36.09\00:25:37.36
Can you do it if
you don't believe it?
00:25:37.39\00:25:39.15
No, okay, no it cannot, okay.
00:25:39.18\00:25:42.51
It has to be
connected with faith.
00:25:42.54\00:25:44.14
Okay we've got to
wrap some of this,
00:25:44.17\00:25:45.85
that's right. And we've got more
00:25:45.88\00:25:46.92
things to share.
Well the next thing is to
00:25:46.95\00:25:48.83
ask God to take
you into his presence,
00:25:48.86\00:25:50.54
and to give you
whatever experience
00:25:50.57\00:25:54.24
that you need
to have in order to
00:25:54.27\00:25:56.52
counteract a lot
of the lies that you
00:25:56.55\00:25:58.96
may have believed
in the past, right.
00:25:58.99\00:26:00.64
You see this is
connected to the previous
00:26:00.67\00:26:03.80
step of being
grounded in the word
00:26:03.83\00:26:05.89
because you can
have experience, and
00:26:05.92\00:26:10.81
experience alone
without being connected
00:26:10.84\00:26:12.77
with the word can
get you off into a
00:26:12.80\00:26:15.87
whole area that
you don't wanna to go,
00:26:15.90\00:26:17.63
right. But, many
times what we find
00:26:17.66\00:26:19.48
find that Jesus
does is the same way
00:26:19.51\00:26:21.37
he did it two
thousand years ago when
00:26:21.40\00:26:23.19
he was on earth, right. He gave
00:26:23.22\00:26:25.00
people experiences
that built their faith,
00:26:25.03\00:26:27.57
right. He reached
out to them because
00:26:27.60\00:26:29.72
he knew they were
broken and needed it.
00:26:29.75\00:26:31.19
Well we find him
doing exactly the same
00:26:31.22\00:26:33.51
thing today, okay. Giving people
00:26:33.54\00:26:35.66
healing
experiences that are again
00:26:35.69\00:26:37.89
connected with
realities from his word,
00:26:37.92\00:26:40.04
okay. These are
powerful experiences.
00:26:40.07\00:26:41.98
The next one is if
Jesus has given you
00:26:42.01\00:26:46.47
freedom because
he's spoken the truth
00:26:46.50\00:26:48.37
to you himself through his word,
00:26:48.40\00:26:50.79
then you need to
accept the newness
00:26:50.82\00:26:53.32
of life that he
has given you, the new
00:26:53.35\00:26:54.82
experience that he
has given. A lot of
00:26:54.85\00:26:57.34
times we wanna
doubt that something
00:26:57.37\00:26:59.08
that Jesus has
done is real. But,
00:26:59.11\00:27:01.17
once he's done it,
we need to accept it
00:27:01.20\00:27:03.37
as being real.
And so we wanna go
00:27:03.40\00:27:05.73
forward and accept
this newness of life,
00:27:05.76\00:27:08.02
okay, and not
doubt it at all. Then we
00:27:08.05\00:27:10.34
need to learn to
walk in this just like a
00:27:10.37\00:27:12.79
new born babe
walking in a newness of life.
00:27:12.82\00:27:15.45
You know it
doesn't mean you're not
00:27:15.48\00:27:16.84
gonna make
mistakes, it doesn't mean
00:27:16.87\00:27:18.25
God is gonna
test it, you know so
00:27:18.28\00:27:20.46
that we can see
that it's real but
00:27:20.49\00:27:22.44
like a new born
babe in the faith we need
00:27:22.47\00:27:24.02
to learn to walk in
this newness of life.
00:27:24.05\00:27:26.48
And know that God
is patient with us
00:27:26.51\00:27:28.31
and he knows where we are,
00:27:28.34\00:27:29.45
okay and he loves us there.
00:27:29.48\00:27:31.73
Oh my! There is a
lot to share isn't
00:27:31.76\00:27:34.65
there? There
really is. I've really
00:27:34.68\00:27:36.47
enjoyed the
programs that you've done,
00:27:36.50\00:27:38.05
and I want to
invite our viewers that
00:27:38.08\00:27:40.03
if there is some
information that you
00:27:40.06\00:27:41.69
would like on this,
you can write or call
00:27:41.72\00:27:43.69
3ABN and we'll be
praying for you. In fact
00:27:43.72\00:27:46.96
we're gonna do that
now. Father in heaven,
00:27:46.99\00:27:50.77
we're so thankful
that in Jesus there
00:27:50.80\00:27:53.76
is absolute and complete freedom
00:27:53.79\00:27:56.04
and Lord for any
listeners right now
00:27:56.07\00:27:58.65
that maybe in bondage, who maybe
00:27:58.68\00:28:01.02
identifying some of
the things that we shared.
00:28:01.05\00:28:03.32