Reversing Addiction Consequences

320 evidences there's only one way to escape the flaws and failures.

The deepest round. This is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative toxic relationships, alcohol, social media, gaming, these are only a few of the things people get addicted to these days, but today Dr. Evans explains that while people fall into all kinds of different traps the spiritual issues that keep us stuck are often the same. Let's join him as he explains God's children call spiritual POW's trap in the sin that they have been unable to break trapped in a situation that is contrary to the will and word of God from which they have not been able to escape. Whether it is alcoholism or drug's or pornography or gluttony or profanity, whether it is lashing out in anger and wrath, and inability to control one step up, they find themselves caught and unable to get out but many are discovering is that going to church solve the problem.

Praying has it release them from it related to being released from consequences.

I want to talk about the consequence of addiction that shreds minds ruin souls close relationships because you find yourself caught and even if that's not you, there is somebody in your circle of influence who finds themselves addicted the biblical word for what the world calls addiction is strong because the biblical word stronghold is referring to the spiritual nature of the addiction stronghold is a spiritually based addiction, which means if you fix an addiction which is really a stronghold without the right spiritual connection. You can't be released from it.

Because you haven't dealt with the core issue that's behind it to you just deal with the thing itself. When living in a time when people find themselves stuck now my concern is not for the person who stopped and wants to be, because I can help you the most spiritual person in the New Testament. The apostle Paul struggled with something he couldn't shake in Romans chapter 7 verses 14 to 24. Paul says he was doing things he did not want to do.

He said he told himself.

You shouldn't do it.

He said well it was bad was really serious, but the ability to pull it off. What I kept promising… Do it again. After promising God struggle between my flash and my salvation in the two were not getting along. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and gave him life. The Bible says he came up from his tomb tied up in his hands and his feet just because he had like that meeting was free. Jesus said… Elusive and letting go. Gave him life, but he needs freedom, so it is possible to have come to Christ have eternal life, and still not yet be free from what the stronghold or spiritual addiction happens to be, and so this thing called stronghold spiritual addictions spiritual slavery and subcategory of life, which is why he calls it. In verse 14 a slave to sin. How does this stronghold or spiritual addiction. Whatever category it is occur because understanding the cause will lead us to the cure.

When you say can you go to the doctor to go try to find the cause.

We can give you the right chair, many of us are trying to cure the wrong cause. So it medicating something that's not the problem.

I wonder why we're not getting healthier. Spiritual. To understand this stay with me here.

I want you to follow me to second Corinthians chapter 10 we all need this either for ourselves or for someone else.

And so it is critical that you understand this second Corinthians chapter 10 verse two says I asked that when I am present. I need not to be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some regard us as if we walked according to the flesh, for though we walk in the flesh, we do not walk according to the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses we are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

The problem of addiction that is mastered you or me.

The problem of addiction has to do with a lofty thing.

See the phrase he said this lofty thing in those five has been raised up against the knowledge of God, so let me define the lofty thing. The Greek word lofty synonym for this partition you go to our room. We have classrooms that have a partition down the middle. You can open it or you can close it if we want to have to classrooms in the same space we close the petition. This petition is lofty.

It goes from the floor to the ceiling and we close it to divide the room so that we can have two separate classes as opposed to having one major class so we divided the way the lofty thing. Now the realism we divide the room if so, the information in this capital room doesn't cross over to the meeting in capital room.

We want the content to be separated so that one room is not enough for a ring with another room.

What Paul is saying is the reason why we stay defeated is because of our partition in the mind.

There is a blockage in the mind. He says speculations and thoughts raised the petition out against the knowledge of God. So what the animate God's NC set up a partition in the mind so that the truth of God can't get through. And because he partials all your thinking. Your speculation and your thought, no matter how many servings you hear it can cross over to the other room because the other room is filled with contradictory information that the enemy doesn't want the knowledge of God to cross over into calls with other information on behalf of the room you my because that information, knowledge, and speculation against the knowledge of God. So the lofty thing is contradicting what God says what God thinks so that it doesn't go all the way through.

So what happens is that the enemy is able to keep the truth of God from infiltrating your thought patterns so that you had every one moment and defeat another book. This blocking through a lofty thing keeps what he calls in verse four fortress prison or operating so the moment you think you get now to find out you still in because it didn't cross over it. It did the partition make sure it didn't cross over. Now the biblical word for this lofty thing is double mindedness, double mindedness double to my thought for getting into different directions at the same time partition. It is the job of Satan to keep you thinking into waves at the same time. Mind you, getting God's thoughts on Sunday. As long as in the other room you have his thoughts on Monday because if they can get you to have God's thoughts on Sunday but getting his thoughts on Monday. He can keep God's thoughts from penetrating all of you.

Therefore, God's thoughts don't last long. So in order for the penetration of God's truth to bring victory in the area of the stronghold due to the vice grip of sin that have been amplified by Satan and demons. In order for that to be overcome. That wall must be taken down in order that the fortress the prison might be destroyed, not remodeled.driven to Québec to tell us about the deconstruction process in a moment. Stay with us.

I think we can all agree this letter has been one for the ages 2020 has been full of challenges God has remained faithful to every storm to help you remember that faithfulness as we step into a new year. We went to Sanjiv Dr. Atkins 20 most popular messages from 2020.

Along with this devotional book counts for a purpose.

These resources are our thanks for your gift to help finish the year strong and reach more people in 2021 visit Tony Evans.org for details. Remember, you get a total of 20 of Tony's most popular messages focusing on the keys to spiritual growth biblical ways to beat, worry and anxiety. How to know God cares about you personally, and much more. So get in touch with us today. Make your generous year-end contribution and letter sent you the best of Tony Evans 2020 is popular devotional book called for a purpose make the arrangements of Tony Evans.org or call our resource Center at one 800 832, 22 team members are standing by to help you day and night. Again, dial 1-800-800-3222 right now Dr. Evans is back with more of today's message Elyse begin now to remove the petition so there is no longer a division in the mind so that now God's knowledge flows through and the fortress is destroyed and all the speculation is holding me hostage back to our original passage. He says in John chapter 8 verse 31 and 32.

If you continue in my words. Your truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free always are going to be freed by the truth that nobody will disagree with that said another way, you will only be freed by the truth, not what you believe to be true. We Will run riot, I know my truth and what has your truth gotten you know it's not what you believe to be true. Not talking about truth, some truth truth about the truth and one of the reasons people stay in stronghold is because they're living on truth or bad truth on some TV programs truth on some cultural truth and not the truth.

The absolute standard by which reality is revealed.

Today we live in a world of information but little truth with PO 12 feelings which is changing all the time. Our reason, which is uncertain, moral instincts, which are different from person to person something else.

Something else that if you miss it you missed the real deal of victory. He just said, if you will continue in my word, you hang out there if you bring your sin you're dealing with and you lay it before the word and you lay it before the warlord.

This is what I'm dealing with an arena were not taken his word and think this works to commit 15 minutes to 30 minutes every day to get this thing to get down and meet and muscle begins to grab hold of it and wraps itself around it. He says the truth will make you free.

Look at another verse because when you look at verse 36 so if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Okay women women with which we double vision, because verse 32, says, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free. Right. But in verse 36 it says so if the son makes you free, you will be free and be in the first one. The truth will make me free, but in the second one.

The sun sets me free in the first one and free, but in the second one free indeed. So what's the difference between being made free and being set free and was the difference between being free and free and if somebody comes in you in jail and comes up to you and says someone is just posted bail for you. The plot somebody is paying what you need to get out now that you have now I'm free but you still in jail free because that was the posted. But you're not. But you are free because once you post bail accepted the free but then I got to do paperwork paperwork so is that I between literally being free and being the word of God post bail but the son has the key to the lock the bail make sure free, the sun sets you free. In other words, it is literally the knowledge of the Bible. It is the relationship will be that produces the experience of the freedom that you have when you spend time in the work I level you. The fourth verse 12.

Since the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword says it's alive. The book is alive visible.

But it's alive everything with the book does according was for 12 seasons. He was for 12 book, the word of God when taken in by soul and spirit. The reason why we stay trapped in certain things is because the soul and spirit are not divided they all mixed up Del Valle intertwined because things have not been separated so that which is God is God and that which is not is not so. We got all mixed together.

But he says with the word of God does. It's coming. It separates the soul and the spirit so that they become to distinct realities and you know what's what she thought was not what I wanted to listen to it to make sense of that. He says what God shall cost between the two children to segment but then after he says that it comes to verse 13 and he says, and all things are laid bare before his eyes. Verse 12 we thought about the word of God. But in verse 13 he thought about his joy he takes the word written and God the person when the living word connects with the written word Solomon mine. Not only is bail posted but Jesus comes with the key and when the sun sets you free.

You are free in the gaps whether data is Luke 24, 34, says. When Jesus rose. They said he is risen indeed the same in the because Jesus Christ never stop living after he died on the cross. After Jesus died on the cross was very much alive on Saturday as he was on Friday that the Scripture says that on Saturday he went to Chino to preach victory to the salt that it so Jesus Christ was at the lab on Saturday as he was on Friday, but his body on Saturday was still laying in the two was spiritually alive, but he was not physically alive.as the prison would say early on Sunday morning. Just a little while before day Jesus, God, so that what was already true became visible was already real. You could say it's one thing to be in jail and he have somebody posted bail. All job and stuff when folks see you walk out of the jail house that you are free. Jesus made his freedom on Sunday morning. If you have an experience the freedom that comes from having your sins forgiven your life turned completely around drawn by Tony Evans.org today and click on the link that says Jesus there. 20 will explain to you exactly what it means to become a Christian connected with information and resources you need to start your new life. Don't wait visit Tony Evans.org today while you're there, don't forget to get your copy of Tony's popular devotional book called for a purpose as well as his brand-new audio compilation the best of Tony Evans 2020. This giant collection and the book are available for a limited time is our gift when you make a year-end donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station get more details and make the arrangements today. Had Tony Evans.org and be sure to take time to browse through a huge collection of CDs, DVDs, books, Bible studies, and more. We can be your one stop shop for holiday gift giving. Again that's Tony Evans.org or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 team members are standing by to help with your resource request, day or night. Again, dial 1-800-800-3222 when you're following someone you don't get to choose their route or the destination. If you do it no longer qualifies as following tomorrow.

Dr. Evans will remind us the same is true for Christ followers right now though he's back with the final story to wrap up our time together, 63, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation folk in Texas and Louisiana and Arkansas find out about it till June 19, 1865. Not because the proclamation had been sometimes it was God's fault didn't know about so one reason you can stay is because nobody told you to be free. But there is another way you can stay asleep. Somebody could tell you that you are free, but you've gotten so used to living on the plantation side freedom that you have stated in slavery forbids three so used to being there. They didn't want to take the risk of freedom on the cross, Jesus joy emancipation nation to trust Christ is ready. I want you to know. Once a petition in no time so that you don't believe in freedom free is free and only if you can send you continuing this is where the sun tryout like a great man. Years ago, 19, three in Washington DC. It is made possible by the general