Daily Huddle - Sat Nov 2, 2019 Refuse And Choose

Love you all, praying for you.
 
Have you ever been addicted?  An addict.  Oh no, not me.  Have you ever been addicted to something?  Are you addicted right now?  An addict?  What is addiction?  A pattern of thought that controls you.  There are harmful addictions and there are helpful addictions.  Most people’s addictions are harmful.  A pattern of thought that controls you.  Change the thought, change the pattern, you will be free.  Jesus said - He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.  To be free indeed, He first sets you free inthought. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.  Jesus said "I have come to seek and to save that which was lost."  Those lost in sin – thought patterns that controlled them.  Salvation (putting your faith in Christ) changed your state of sin (your sin nature, that which you were born in, your fallen nature – which leads to death) and replaced it with a new heart – a new nature – life in Christ – eternal life - from death to life.  But in Romans 12:2 - Now that you are saved, God instructs you to transform your mind.  Change the thought pattern – which controls you – into His thought pattern to control you.  What are you addicted to?  Well mine is different – they say its actually a chemical reaction – it changes your body composition… Yep – there’s that thought pattern – that controls you.  You can be addicted to anything; fear, lust, pride, alcohol, slander, drugs, sloth (laziness), grief, coffee, greed, complaint.  "I just need my coffee to start my day." (Feeding that thought pattern).  You can be addicted to lateness.  Leave right now?  It’s only 15 minutes away – we don’t want to be too early."  Addiction - a pattern of thought that controls you.  I can’t keep my house clean during “whatever season” basketball season, Christmas rush season, Tax Season, Election Season, Software Release season – whatever busy season you are in.   Addicts – rarely admit it.  They will say “God made me that way, or "I’m just born that way.”  Addicts always defend and justify their thought patterns - even when God sends truth to correct it.  I’m a night owl, I’m most productive at night.  Addict – a pattern of thought that controls you – and we will always justify the thought pattern – which controls us.  And every time we justify it it is further engrained within us.  You’re not productive in the morning – because you stayed up til 2 am – not because you’re a night owl.  The most Godly people rise early.  Early the next morning – Abraham saddled his donkey.  Obeyers rise early.  John 20:1 - Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.  The first person who saw the resurrected Christ – was the person who rose early.  Proverbs 8:17 - I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.”  So are you saying if I don’t get up early every morning, I’m sinning?  Addict – a pattern of thought that controls you.  Every addict will come against any new information, or any truth that confronts their thought pattern.  No one ever said if you don’t get up early every morning – you are sinning.  Sometimes Jesus stayed up all night in prayer to His Heavenly Father.  He had to go to sleep some time.  Are you an addict?  Are you addicted to something?  It’s your ‘by reason of’ the cold - why you keep doing something, or won’t do something – that is different from your pattern of thought which controls you.  But mine is really an addiction, it’s not just mental it’s physical, it has changed the chemical reactions or construct of my body…  That is what you think, your pattern of thought that controls you.  If truth itself would slap you in the face, you won’t change.  So what is the only answer to addiction?  Refuse and Choose.  Refuse sin, Choose Jesus.  In this moment, refuse sin... choose Jesus.  Jesus is the Word – so refuse sin and choose Jesus.  Jesus himself demonstrated this.  Three times the devil presented a new pattern of thought – to addict him.  Each and every time – It is written, It is written, It is written.  Praying that every time you are about to do something – that is not what God wants for you to do, or wants for you to think, or has for you in this hour.  That you would speak out loud with your mouth – “I refuse sin, I choose Christ.”  “Sin I refuse you, Jesus, I choose you.”  Refuse to slander, refuse to complain, refuse to lust, refuse to say anything harmful, refuse to be idle, refuse to be late, choose to be early.  Refuse to let any pattern of thought control you that is not the thought pattern of Jesus – the Word of God.  God promised you this.  Titus 2:11 - For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  (salvation from your sin nature – once and for all, and salvation from every pattern of thought that controls you that is not the Holy Spirit in conformity to His Word)  Tutus 2:12 - It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (Grace to say no!  Refuse sin, and Choose Christ.)  Verse 13 - while we wait for the blessed hope--the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  A different pattern of thought – addicted to obedience, the love of Christ.   Praying for you - that you will ask God to reveal your addictions - that the Holy Spirit would reveal your every pattern of thought that doesn’t conform to His Word which is the only standard of truth.   Praying that you will recognize when your patterns of thought – are defending and justifying themselves.  Praying that you would always say in that moment…  I Refuse Sin, I Choose Christ.  Sin, I refuse you.  Jesus, I choose you.  Praying that God would change your thought patterns – that you would always be addicted to Him, His Presence, His Word – and your actions will surely follow.  This is what repent means – to think differently about sin – that pattern of thought that controls you.  And instead be controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Praying you will walk in the Spirit – so you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  He promised you Grace to say no!  That means even things you’ve thought and done for years – you can be set free.  Praying that you will always Refuse and Choose. 
 
Love you all,
dad