“My Identity with Jesus”
 
                        Questions of Identify – At GracePointe - We are living in the third Generation:
 
 
 
                                                Biblical Examples of the Third Generation:
 
The Exodus and Settlement:
Judges 21:25, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
 
David and His Family:
 
Nehemiah’s Solution: Nehemiah 13
We have a problem!
 
                                                                   Notice three incidents:
v. 1, 3
 
v. 19
 
v. 23
 
                                         Three Things that Lie at the Heart of His Solution…
 
The question of Identity:
 
      I must have a clear sense of identity; know my heritage and what it stands for.”!
 
 
The question of belief and obedience:
 
     I must know what I believe and why I believe it!
 
 
The question of my burning passion:
 
     A burning passion for both;
            a willingness to proclaim without compromise who I am and what I believe.
 
 
                                                                  A call for Action:
 
Luke 19:1-10
“…for the son of man has come to seek and to save those who are lost!”
 
 

​                                             The Road to Recovery- “MAINTAINING MOMENTUM”
 
                                                                         R.E.C.O.V.E.R.
 
 
Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and gain the power to do it.
 

 
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
 For the spirit is willing but the body is weak” (Mark 14:38)
                                                                               
 
RELAPSE - “falling back into a self-defeating pattern”
 
            Complacency -->                                                                         Confusion -->
 
                                                            Compromise -->                                                      
 
            Catastrophe -->                                                                           Collapse
 
WHAT CAUSES A RELAPSE?
 

• Reverting to willpower (Galatians 3:3)

 

• Ignoring one of the steps

 

• Trying to recover without support (Hebrews 10:25)

 

• We become prideful (Prov. 16:18; 1 Cor. 10:12)

 
 
HOW DO I PREVENT A RELAPSE?
 

• Evaluation (2 Cor. 13:5; Lam 3:40, LB)

 
          1. Physically
          2. Emotionally
          3. Relationally
          4. Spiritually (Galatians 6:4)
 
 

• Meditation (Isaiah 30:15; Joshua 1:8)   

 
 

• Prayer (Isaiah 26:3)

 
 

                                       The Road To Recovery: “REPAIRING RELATIONSHIPS”

 
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger...along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."                          Ephesians 4:31-32

 
Realize I'm not God, I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.
 
Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, and that He has the power to help me recover.
 
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control.
 
Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust.
 
Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects
 
Evaluate all my relationships, offer forgiveness to those who've hurt me and make amends for harm I've done to others except, when to do so, would harm them or others.

 
                                              WHY FORGIVE THOSE WHO'VE HURT ME?
 

• Because God has forgiven me.

       "Never hold grudges.  Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."              (Colossians 3:13, LB)
 

• Resentment doesn’t work--it’s foolish and unhealthy!

 “To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless thing to do."  Job 5:2, GN
 
  "You are only hurting yourself with your anger!"  Job 18:4, GN
   

• I will need forgiveness in the future, from God.

  "When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too." Mark 11:25, LB
 

                                              HOW DO I FORGIVE THOSE WHO’VE HURT ME?
 

• I must reveal my hurt.
• I must release the offender.
• I can replace my hurt with God’s peace.

 
          "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..." Col 3:15
 
"Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you, for as it springs up it causes deep trouble hurting many in their spiritual lives.”  Hebrews 12:15, LB

 
 
                                               MAKE AMENDS TO THOSE I'VE HURT?  HOW?
 

• Make a list of those I've harmed and what I did. 

 

• Think how I’d like others to make amends to me.

  "Do to others as you'd have them do to you."  Luke 6:31
 

• Ask the question--is this action appropriate?

 "Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal."       Proverbs 12:18
 

• Refocus my life.

 "Put your heart right, reach out to God...then face the world again, firm and courageous.  Then all your troubles will fade from your memory, like floods that are past and remembered no more."        Job 11:13-16, GN
 

                                             The Road to Recovery – “MAKING CHANGES”
 
"Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him...and let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind."     (Romans 12:1-2, GN)
 
Realize I'm not God, I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.
 
Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover.
 
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's care and control.
 
Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust.
 
Voluntarily submit to every change God wants to make in my life and humbly ask Him to remove my character defects.
 
                                WHERE DO MY CHARACTER DEFECTS COME FROM?
 

• A Spiritual Source  - my sinful nature

 

• A Sociological Source - my circumstances

 
          Many character defects are simply self-defeating attempts to meet unmet needs we have.

   

• A Personal Source   - my choices

 
                       
                                            WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CHANGE THEM?
 

• Because I’ve had them for so long.

 

• Identity issues -- we identify ourselves with our defects

 

• The Payoff issue -- every character defect has a payoff

 
                                  None of us ever do things that don’t get rewarded!

    

• Because Satan discourages me      (Revelation 12:10)

   
 
                                     How Do I COOPERATE With GOD'S CHANGE PROCESS?
 

• “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom12:2)

 

• “Be made new in the attitude of your minds”      (Eph 4:23)

 “The old habit is dead when it is changed in our head”

 

• Focus on changing one character defect at a time.                                                                                             "An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions." (Proverbs 17:24)

 

• Focus on victory one day at a time.  "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11)

  "Don't worry about tomorrow, each day has enough troubles of its own." (Matthew 6:34)
 
                                               Change is a decision, followed by a process.

 

•  Stay connected with people who help me, not people who hinder me.        

             
 “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good  character”  (1 Cor 15:33) (see Eccl 4:12, Prov 17:27)
 

•  I focus on what I want, not on what I don’t want.

               
"Fix your thought on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure...Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about..."  (Phil 4:8, LB)
 
 
 

                                                  The Road to Recovery – “COMING CLEAN”
                               
 
"What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! 
What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record."     (Psalm 32:1-2, LB)
 
Realize I'm not God, I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and my life is unmanageable.
 
Earenstly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover.
 
Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ's  care and control.
 
Openly examine and confess my faults to God, to myself, and to someone I trust.
 
                     
                                                    THE REASON FOR THIS FOURTH STEP

• Guilt destroys my confidence.
  • Guilt damages my relationships.
• Guilt keeps me stuck in the past.

 
 “When I swallow my guilt, my stomach keeps score.”

 
                       
                                                         HOW DO I TAKE THIS FOURTH STEP?

• I take a personal moral inventory.

           “Let us examine our ways and test them” (Lam 3:40) 
           "Search me, O God, and know my heart, test my thoughts.  Point out anything you find in me that makes you                          sad."            (Psalm 139:23-24, LB)
 
 

• I accept responsibility for my faults.

              "The Lord gave us a mind and a conscience.  We cannot hide from ourselves."  (Proverbs 20:27, GN)
                 
                                    "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."      (1 John 1:8)
  
             

• I ask God for forgiveness.

 "If we freely admit that we have sinned, we find God utterly reliable...he forgives our sins and makes us thoroughly clean from   all that is evil."(1 John 1:9, Ph)
 
 
Don’t beg, bargain, or bribe…Just BELVIEVE!
   "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you clean as freshly fallen snow."   (Isaiah 1:18, LB)
           
                                    

• I admit my faults to another person.

                     "Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed."  James 5:16 (LB)
 
            
              Who do you tell?
              When do you do it? 
 
                                              Jesus forgives us instantly, freely and completely!
 
 
"All of us have sinned...
yet not God declares us not guilty if we trust in Jesus Christ, who freely takes away our sins."  (Romans 3:23-24, LB)
 
"There is no condemnation for those who live in union with Christ Jesus!"  (Romans 8:1)