Portfolious

There are many types of addictions — substance, pornography, sex, gambling, overeating, even power, to name a few.  Often addiction begins with experimentation; justifying the habit only reveals the addiction.  Why is addiction wrong? Because of its life-controlling and destructive nature.

I.  God’s desire for us

To not be addicted to or mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12), but to be mastered by Him only (Luke 10:27)

II.  How to overcome your addictions

Deliverance; Dependence (on Jesus — John 15); Devotion (hate the habit, love God); Discipline (takes time to replace bad habits with good ones)

III.  Your responsibility in the process — Phillippians 2:12

Acknowledge the problem; Affirm your need of Christ; Affirm your need of others to help you; Account for your actions to someone; Abandon your sins; Amend your ways; Anchor your life in Christ

IV.  God’s part in the process — Phillippians 2:13 (“It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose”).  Also, 1 John 1:9 — “If you will confess your sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive your sins, and purify you from all unrighteousness.”

Do you believe that God wants your free?  He will do His part; will you do yours?

Jeremiah 32:17

We launched our “Nothing’s Too Hard for God” theme last year, and many discovered that 2008 was a pretty rough rear in several respects.  But, I want to reiterate, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that is too hard for God!

I.  Consider His performance

This verse reminds us of creation — if God created the universe, He can certainly handle your problems! All of biblical history is a resume of God’s ability to do anything.  Modern history tells us that God is still not done doing the impossible.  For example, check out the 8 real life stories on nothingstoohardforgod.org.  Remembering how God has worked in your personal history is confirmation of what He can and will do today and in the future.

II.  Consider His promises

The Bible is full of promises that He has already fulfilled.  D.L. Moody said, “Take the promises of God. Let a man feed for a month on the promises of God, and he will not talk about how poor he is. You hear people say, ‘Oh, my leanness! how lean I am!’ It is not their leanness, it is their laziness. If you would only read from Genesis to Revelation and see all the promises made by God to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to the Jews and to the Gentiles, and to all His people everywhere — if you would spend a month feeding on the precious promises of God — you wouldn’t be going about complaining how poor you are. You would lift up your head and proclaim the riches of His Grace, because you couldn’t help doing it!” 

III.  Consider His position, according to our text

A.  “Sovereign” — a word reserved for God; He is completly in charge

B.  “Lord” — denoting His authority over everthing

C.  “Great power” — meaning exceeding strength

D.  “Outstretched arm” — there is nothing beyond His reach

We need to be reminded of the truth that “Nothing is Too Hard for God”.  What is “impossible” in your life?  Let’s trust God today!

Matthew 7:9-11

God is committed to giving us good gifts (James 1:17).  But, too often, like small children on Christmas Day, we ignore the gift and play with the empty box!  The box is how the gift comes, but it’s not the gift!

I.  Gift of Eternal Life — Romans 6:23

The gift is eternal life, not death.  Death is separation from God.  Death is the box (Christ’s death is how we receive the gift of eternal life).  Too many people receive this gift, then spend all their time playing with the sins that lead to death.  You’ve been forgiven and set free of those things — walk away from acts that lead to death, and step into the full life that Christ has for you!

II.. Gifts of the Spirit

The Motivational gifts are listed in Romans 12; the Manifestation gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12; the Ministry gifts are listed in Ephesians 4.  1 Peter 4:10 says, “each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (italics mine).

The gifts are what God distributes so that the body of Christ will be served and ministered to.  The box is described in 1 Timothy 4:14:  “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” (italics mine).  Too many people enjoy the “doo-dads” of spiritual blessing and the “Pentecostal motions”, never realizing that the blessing is only the box — the gifts are serving others.  Pentecostals tend to be very selfish, leaving Christian service for the “main-liners”, while we spend our time enjoying “blessings”.  The fact is, we ought to be at the forefront of serving others!

III.  Gift of the Holy Spirit, described in Acts 2:1-4.\

The gift is Holy Spirit power, according to Acts 1:8.  The box, or initial evidence, is speaking in tongues.  Too many Pentecostals are content only with the experience of speaking in other tongues, not with exercising the power to witness.  If you speak in tongues on a regular basis, but don’t open your mouth to share the gospel message with the lost in English, then you are playing with an empty box!

God has given us many gifts, and eventually playing with empty boxes will lead to boredom and frustration.  I challenge you to lay aside the box, and take hold of the gifts!