October 9, 2016 Teaching Outline

                                             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)