The Detours to Discontent

CRN spiritual then at the next generation difficult to get that unpacked with encouragement intimately will help you in your flourish and fry in the midst of doubts, danger and despair, encouraging the unveiled unique aspects of what it means to never give up physical truth message as Christians around the world face mounting pressure to compromise that they abandon the biblical values of any amount, and received bonus resources from leading the way to live for Christ to leave a lasting legacy next-generation gift of any amount. Contact me for more details about the visit LTW.org or give us a call 866-626-4356, but also people who have physical witnesses. The causes loss of drawer and loss of content all the people who have weaknesses in the are constantly losing the drawer because of the moral weakness what your weaknesses might be. You have a long talk law the voice of God only area of your weaknesses are already in a manger lost Malcolm to leading the way with Dr. Michael lost joy in your life. Maybe past choices or current circumstances. Happy feeling discontented will today be motivated to dig deeper and to grow through your discontent today on leading the way. Dr. Yousef challenges you with a message called detours to contentment of ever gone frustrating sodium pick up a car might live in a strange country where you are very familiar with the language there started driving not have done your homework.

You really have looked at the map you map your way through. And you know how you going to get there and you got it all worked out and then after you're gone for a few miles there was Santos's now this all of the courses I well you know what got me all that bad all just know exactly what the word seven and have experience in other countries and most European countries were Detroit very similar so you figure it out and go to garage to go right and left. The left a little something to keep going and then after a little while all of a sudden coming into an intersection where on no more shots arrived left posterior neuroscience, for whatever reason somebody stole the sign off figures 1 out of them all work is just gave up. But due to her son so an account of a panic mode you try to use your best common sense approach and and you try to wing it.

Now you are right now in the middle of a serious lost in a detour. I wanted to have that feeling of lostness. Okay, I wanted to just feel that with me right now. This you are stuck with this sign is missing and you don't know what you're going, I'm telling you this for a reason. I want to talk to me about four detours that are very dangerous to life of joy and contentment. I see God sometimes allows restlessness. Sometimes God allows discontent in our lives for one reason, that is to drive us back to him now. Those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ know. Also some discontentment and loss of joy and loss of peace in our Christian walk. Many of us know what is like not to experience that life abundant the Jesus promised and then we have to sit down and say why an asset question to me. There are four detours that take you away from contentment in your Christian walk. There are four dangerous detours that causes you restlessness in your Christian walk.

But before I give you those four detours I will have a disclaimer here just to be true to the word of God that absolute peace is impossible in this life that I will try to enjoy is only possible in heaven. The true contentment can only be experience when we see Jesus face-to-face so I got that out of the way.

I'll make sure that you understand that because that is the core of the gospel and of Oliver that I would not be truthful with you. So what are these four most dangerous teachers that can send us off course in our spiritual walk number one unwillingness to confront our weaknesses unwillingness to confront our weaknesses. Secondly, unawareness of ally of legalism unawareness of the lie of legalism. Certainly, underestimation of the pitfall of product underestimation of the pitfall of pride and finally unfaithfulness and self giving, listen, every one of us have weaknesses. Every one of us. Now that I've written so many books. Most of my nonpublic public knowledge. You know your weaknesses.

I know mine. Everyone have weaknesses. There are some people who have physical weaknesses that causes loss of joy and loss of contentment, some pain, some grief, something that is happening to them physically bodily. The other people who have weaknesses in the are constantly losing the joy because of the moral weakness.

Some have character flaw. Some have us a problem of spiritual discipline that's constantly making them lose their contentment and the joy. Whatever the area of your weaknesses might be.

If you have not learned to apply the grace of God only area of your weaknesses. Chances are you've lost your contact already in a major detour and you've lost your way, you have lost your way and that detours simply because you do not know how to apply the grace of God in that area of your weaknesses, not to tell you something I don't want you to misunderstand me. I know some people always like to hear what they want to hear so so this is going to go out of your start focusing on the weaknesses in several Michael sets out no I do not say that all do not focus on your weakness.

That is not the issue.

In fact, that is unequal danger. On the other extreme. Do not make your weaknesses to be a focus that will get you into worse trouble. What I'm saying to you is that the answer to all of our weaknesses is when we focus on the grace of God can become perfect in our weakness.

I know I've experienced it firsthand many times when I wanted to listen the grace of God is not sufficient for your weaknesses. Chances are you focusing on your weaknesses too much are you ignoring your weaknesses altogether either place. You should not be now the grace of God is sufficient for all of our weaknesses no matter what they are and as I said user different from the person next to the difference from Island mono different from yours because our part from trusting in the grace of God to meet your weaknesses and to give you victory in your weaknesses that can be enough contentment.

The company contentment only when you know and daily learn to apply the grace of God to the areas of your weaknesses will you understand what it is not to lose your joy know as I said one of my public weaknesses is that I'm impatient. I'm just an impatient person. Overdrive do I pray every single day to apply the grace of God to my weakness of impatience so that the grace of God becomes perfect in me. The second thing I wanted to be careful about because a scenario of a detour is what I call the lie of legalism. Legalism is the elevation of any man may rule to the level of the commandments of God limited. Peter is the elevation of any man-made rules to the level of the commandments of God, talk about your business rules or school rules of the laws of the land.

Another sound, I'm talking about the Christian walk and talk about their spiritual walk. Having those rules elevated the same level as the commandments of God, you know, when I grew up I was up to my eyeballs in legalism and I did not know what I really did not know what I want, I had an argument with a friend and I was in my teens and I insisted that the Commandments thou shall not smoke, drink, play cards or go to movies were in the Bible and I spent all searching the Bible can find them so I had to admit the next morning that he was right. I was absolutely submerged in legalism. Now I gotta confess to some of these things we cannot not very healthy or not good for you and the other stuff is basically a waste of time. As far as I'm concerned, that's but that's not the issue. The issue is new, elevated manual to be equal with the commandments of God, as legalism. I want take this a little bit deep.

Anyone who says that they are saved by the grace of God. Plus whatever comes after that.

Plus it doesn't matter what it is you are into legalism. He is trained by the grace of God plus a church into legalism into the live legalism.

Saved by the grace of God plus community plus baptism plus. This plus that plus the other thing you are into legalism because there is not. Plus, after the grace of God. Now I want to tell you why, because whatever that plus is in your life is going to cause you problems.

So how come, because whenever you cannot keep the plus you going to lose your joy. You lose your peace if you choose to live legalism. It means listen to me very carefully with this one. If you choose to live legalism. Here's what's going to happen to you.

You have been the grace of God as the only basis of your relationship with him.

I don't get me wrong there are those in the evangelical churches today who are running around and saying it's all right grace. It's all I grace us all by grace. Grace will cover it all, and they are living in an lifestyle in this. I will gradually cover the limitations something that's when Jude called the license I was reading this morning my personal devotion, and that is worse than the legalism wanted to listen very carefully. Legalism is keeping the commandments of men and elevating them to the level of the commandments of God. Why do I say this because thinking that legalism is going to please God make you feel is going to make you feel to be a super spiritual and that thinking listen to me because all of the line that thinking is going to diminish the wonder of the grace of God, so it's not only confronting our weaknesses, not only to live legalism.

But thirdly, the pitfall of pride is dangerous detour from contentment and I wanted to pick up things about pride.

If you dig deeper into sin in your life. Any weakness in your life if you start digging deeper start peeling the layers events on pride looking right in the middle. All because of sin, and the second thing I want to tell you about pride.

I know that firsthand pride is very, very, very, very, how many very surveys very deceitful and deceptive pride can dress up to look like something oh very spiritual air can be so disguised and presented as something very selfless pride can be disguised as righteousness will and reality cry, always, always is self-serving.

In fact, I want to tell you something else I don't want to do business. I'm convinced that pride hinder answers to prayer. I believe that with all my heart.

Pride hinder answers to prayer.

I am convinced, with every fiber of my being that God in heaven is longing to look down and see his children praying big prayers praying God -sized friends. I am convinced that God wants his children to daily keep asking for great and mighty things, so that God's name be glorified so that God's kingdom be explained by pride put an end to all that. In fact, pride is at the root of the fact that so many Christians have been sitting in the seats of salvation and have never exercised faith in the great God that we have. I'm convinced of that.

Not only that they miss out on the blessing, but heaven would not rejoice simply because we allowed pride to Phyllis and to trip us not only unwillingness to confront our weakness can be a detour not only the lie of legalism can be a dangerous detour from contentment not only the pitfall of pride can be a dangerous detour from contentment falsely lack of generosity can be a detour from contentment convinced the Lord Jesus, the God of glory God of very God in human flesh has a keen sense of observation of people and the Gospels tell us about an incident where Jesus was obviously in the temple, and that he got very close to the treasury of the temple where people were giving and you know how they used to do it. Back then, that all the giving was public so the Pharisees were coming in here comes Sarah C Mr. row snow fungus okay and I would declare Harry Combs and he brings his big bucks and in terms of narrowing down some and that treasury box in the trunk with pool.

Everybody clapped, you know, tongues Pharisees snookums in this template will blow their mother will clap in the wonderful Jesus standing there watching all this taking place and then he sees this precious widow who comes in what would be equivalent to two sins of our money to pennies. She brings this and probably she was ashamed and probably was hiding probably didn't want anybody to see if she were the nurse a conflict, but the money in the treasure box and other Pharisees had something like would be equivalent to our tollbooths.

You know to know pennies and there is a limit of what you can put in the treasury. There was a minimum that you wish us tollbooths what they claim is dump all the stuff you keep at home and on all these bags apprenticing just dump them in the that something like that. Nothing was automatic but they have rules against Payless and that this was the least a person can give the least client that could go through that boost tollbooths. Jesus commended her for all generations as the most generous of all or what are you talking about people your Gilliam box yes. But Jesus understands of those big bucks on the crumbs of the big bucks givers Jesus what she has nothing to do with what you have is nothing to do with what you do has everything to do with the element of sacrifice.

This woman gave everything else everything to she was a woman after Jesus's own heart. Do you know why because only a few days later, very short time later he went up on the cross and gave everything for dangerous detours not knowing to apply the grace of God to weaknesses falling in the live legalism. The pitfall of pride lack of generosity. I told you earlier that ultimate contentment is not possible in this life, but for true joy and peace we have to wait until we see Jesus face-to-face.

Nonetheless, the Lord does give his children a foretaste of heaven as they walk through this life of temporary peace temporary contentment temporary joy and that's what I been talking about, not the permanent one and so God in his mercy, God in his grace, God in his sovereignty he framed human history between two gardens. The garden of Eden is the beginning of humanity and there in that magnificent beautiful garden because of the sin of Adam and Eve.

They brought in this contentment and sorrow and restlessness that were seeing their son Kane is inherited. On the other there is another garden center that is to come is called the new Jerusalem. The Bible talks about this magnificent Garden City that is coming down from heaven, the new Jerusalem, but you know what in the middle between those two gardens is 1/3 garden right in the middle is called the garden of Gethsemane and for everyone who is going to make it through to the Garden City of God must come through the garden of Gethsemane where the Lord Jesus Christ God of very God paid the price for the sins of all who put their trust in him. So is it the sins of everybody everywhere in the world. It's available for everyone everywhere in the world, but only those who come in claimant becomes their's to make it to the ultimate garden you must come through the garden of Gethsemane plotted a couple things about this wonderful wonderful Garden City called new Jerusalem. There, in this magnificent city. The Lord Jesus Christ himself.

With all the believers who have gone before us all the saints from the old and the New Testament and the Old Testament, those who look forward to this coming in the New Testament does not look back.

His cross there are in the Garden City with him in the Garden City called new Jerusalem. All this contentment and restlessness will end and that Garden City called the new Jerusalem all conflict, all strife will cease and that Garden City called the new Jerusalem. All tears will be wiped away forever in the Garden City called the new Jerusalem, all the forces that are constantly pulling us away from the presence of God from the joy of God from the contentment of God will be gone and disappeared and that Garden City called the new Jerusalem, all the striving old attention.

All the disharmony in homes among families and among friends be gone forever. There will be no more death or dying will be no more sickness or disease will be no more suffering or pain will be no more hatred or bitterness will be no more separation or alienation will be no more tears, no fear as my destiny is that your distant, but if it is not.

Not sure it can be today can be a destiny today detours to discontentment. That's the title of today's audio message from Dr. Michael. You sat here on leading the way, you can listen again at LTW.Borg or through your favorite podcast platform.

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