Your weakness is a reason to FLEE from sin, not an excuse to FLIRT with sin. Stop blaming weakness for wrongdoing!
‘Faith Is Natural’ is a program on God’s Heart TV with short words of inspiration and encouragement for your daily life from the Living Word of God - in the beauty of His creation.
➡️ Receive Daily Encouragement on WhatsApp - https://godsheart.tv/whatsapp/
➡️ Support God's Heart TV financially - https://godsheart.tv/financial/
➡️ Information about Interactive Prayer - https://godsheart.tv/interactive-prayer/
➡️ Volunteer as a God's Heart TV Translator - https://godsheart.tv/translate/
➡️ Share your testimony - https://godsheart.tv/testimony
➡️ Join our Live Prayer Service on the first Saturday of every month - https://www.youtube.com/godshearttv/live
‘Faith Is Natural’ is a program on God’s Heart TV with short words of inspiration and encouragement for your daily life from the Living Word of God - in the beauty of His creation.
➡️ Receive Daily Encouragement on WhatsApp - https://godsheart.tv/whatsapp/
➡️ Support God's Heart TV financially - https://godsheart.tv/financial/
➡️ Information about Interactive Prayer - https://godsheart.tv/interactive-prayer/
➡️ Volunteer as a God's Heart TV Translator - https://godsheart.tv/translate/
➡️ Share your testimony - https://godsheart.tv/testimony
➡️ Join our Live Prayer Service on the first Saturday of every month - https://www.youtube.com/godshearttv/live
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Grace and peace to you all in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ, welcome everyone to
00:15another edition of Faith is Natural here on God's Heart TV and what a thing of joy it
00:23is to be surrounded by the beauty of God's creation that testifies to His glory, His
00:32majesty, His power, His goodness. Thank you to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now people
00:41of God, I want to address today a very common excuse we tend to give to justify ourselves.
00:55It's very common today for people to blame weakness for wrongdoing. You hear people say
01:05things like, I'm battling with my weakness. This is my weak area. This is the weakness
01:13that I've been struggling with. In fact, many times when I speak to people on the phone,
01:18I hear them say words like, oh brother Chris, I just cannot help myself. I'm trying to change
01:26but I can't. My weakness is just too much. I can't help myself. Oh, it's painful people
01:35of God is provoking and painful to hear such language because this is one of the biggest
01:43lies orchestrated by the devil to lull us into a false sense of immunity to the responsibilities
01:57and repercussions of wrongdoing. This is what I want to talk about in today's Faith
02:05is Natural. Stop blaming your weakness for your wrongdoing. Now, let me be clear with
02:17everyone. I'm not saying that weakness is not a factor in wrong. No, it's a factor,
02:27but we must recognize the devil is a deceiver. He delights in twisting the truth and the
02:35most effective lies tend to contain an element of truth. The devil is a liar. Although weakness
02:46is a factor in wrong, it should never be used as an excuse for wrong because God always
02:59provides a way out for his children. Now, I want to remind you of the words of our Lord
03:08Jesus Christ. Famous words in the book of Matthew chapter 26 verse 41. He said, watch
03:17and pray lest you fall into temptation. Why? Because the Spirit is willing that this flesh
03:29is. Yes, there is no one without weakness and there is no one above temptation. But
03:40as you see from that scripture, the identification of your weakness is a reason for watchfulness.
03:50It's a reason to humble yourself before a mighty God. It's a reason to recognize how
03:59much you need him, to depend on his strength day by day. Yes, God knows we are weak. That
04:10is why he sent his spirits to help us in our weaknesses and that is why he always provides
04:21a way of escape when temptation strikes. I want to read a very beautiful promise of God.
04:32Well-known scripture from the book of first Corinthians chapter 10. Turn with me if you
04:38have your Bibles there. First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. And it says this, no
04:45temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. But God, God is faithful
04:57who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation
05:04will also make the way of escape, the escape routes that you may be able to bear it. What
05:13a beautiful promise. What a glorious promise people of God. Well-known scripture. But I
05:19want to emphasize something. If you read the entirety of this chapter, first Corinthians
05:27chapter 10, you would discover that this promise is accompanied by a condition and
05:38an instruction. In verse six, taking the example from the children of Israel, the condition
05:52upon which this promise is premised is clear. To set your hearts on the things above, the
06:05things of God, not to lust after the things of this world, the lures and the cares of
06:13this world. What am I emphasizing here people of God? The issue is not actually weakness.
06:23The real issue is what you set your hearts on. What you set your hearts on will set you
06:35up to succumb or to overcome. What you set your hearts on will set you up to succumb
06:49to temptation or position you to overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit.
07:00There's a condition. There's also an instruction. The verse following verse 13, immediately after
07:07that promise we read this. Verse 14, therefore my beloved flee from idolatry. Run from sin.
07:17Disconnect from anything that tries to disconnect you from God. This is an instruction. Therefore
07:27flee from idolatry because anything you place above God in your hearts becomes gold.
07:38God. Now
07:43here is the key principle I want you to take to hearts today, children of God, from this message.
07:52Please take note of this. Your weakness is a reason to flee from sin,
08:05not an excuse to flirt with sin. I'm going to repeat it. Your weakness is a reason to flee,
08:18run, depart from sin, not an excuse to flirt with sin, to toy with sin.
08:27Look at the case of Joseph in the book of Genesis chapter 39 and the temptation he faced from
08:35Potiphar's wife. Look at how he handled that situation when the heat of Joseph's temptation
08:43intensified. He fled the scene. He fled from sin and he did not fall into sin. A word of warning.
09:00If you flirt with sin, it is just a matter of time before you fall into it.
09:09If you toy with sin, it will soon trap you.
09:20You will eventually succumb to what you set your hearts to because the journey
09:30from your hearts to your hands is shorter than you realize.
09:39This, this is why, children of God, the identification of your weakness
09:49is a reason to flee from sin and avoid temptation, not an excuse to flirt with sin and invite temptation.
10:03That's what we see in that scripture, that promise in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 13.
10:11When you set your heart on the things above and flee from sin, yes, temptation will come
10:20but you will overcome with the help of the Holy Spirit. But if your heart is set
10:27on the fleeting treasures and pleasures of this world and because of that weakness of your flesh
10:36you flirt with sin, temptation will come and that temptation will overcome you and your weakness will wound you.
10:47At this point, I want to highlight to you something important about Joseph's
10:59perception of lust and sexual immorality that influenced the way he handled that temptation.
11:10Let me turn there, the book of Genesis chapter 39
11:15and I'm going to read verse 9. This is when Potiphar's wife tempted him,
11:23come and lie with me, come and sleep with me and at the end of verse 9 he says this,
11:28How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
11:45I believe one of the greatest challenges facing believers in today's generation,
11:56most especially the young people of today's generation, is the internal reclassification
12:06of lust as weakness rather than wickedness.
12:15Here at God's Heart TV, we receive thousands of prayer requests and one of the most common
12:23problems people ask for prayer concerning is the issue of watching pornography, masturbation, lust.
12:37People reach out and say, please pray for me because of my battle with the weakness of lust.
12:46I'm struggling with pornography. I'm in the bondage of masturbation. I can't help myself.
12:57We have reduced the wickedness of pornography to a battle with weakness.
13:05We have lowered the threshold of immorality to accommodate our selfish desires
13:13with the argument that, well, it's better than fornication.
13:17It's better than adultery or no one sees me or I'm not harming anyone.
13:27But when you watch pornography,
13:33you are degrading a person made in the image of God.
13:43Someone's daughter, someone's son, you are degrading a person to an object
13:54for your personal pleasure, for your fleeting enjoyment.
14:04And what you see as
14:07entertainment is actually entanglement.
14:19Because any attempt to satisfy lust only intensifies it.
14:29People of God, this is cause for reflection, sober reflection.
14:36Stop opening a door that is beyond your power to close.
14:45I can't help myself. I can't help it.
14:50You don't have the power to stop it, but you have the power to stop feeding it.
14:55You don't have the power to overcome it, but you have the power to run from it.
15:00You don't have the power to halt it, but you have the power to hate it.
15:05What must you do?
15:06Starve your weakness, feed your strength, position yourself for the Holy Spirit to help you
15:13and he will stop blaming weakness for wrongdoing.
15:26I want to emphasize at this point, we all fall.
15:31I'm not saying there's a perfect person.
15:34We all make mistakes. We all fall.
15:36The key is to get back up.
15:41But take notes of this.
15:44When you are fleeing from sin and you make a mistake, you will learn from it.
15:52But when you flirt with sin and fall into it, you will end up repeating it.
15:58And the cycle goes on and on and on.
16:02You may express momentary regrets to mitigate any immediate consequence,
16:11but there is no real repentance
16:15fueled by the prompting of your conscience by the Holy Spirit.
16:21Real repentance, genuine change springs from within.
16:30And the evidence is not just a superficial remorse.
16:33The evidence is learning from your mistake, growing through your mistake.
16:41What is the sign that you're on the right track with God?
16:45When your mistakes become a tool that mature you spiritually,
16:52when your weaknesses create a sense of dependence on God,
16:58know that you are a child of God.
17:05As I bring this message to a conclusion, remember,
17:11God always provides a way out for his children.
17:18He always provides an escape route.
17:22But it can only be discerned when your heart is set on the things of God.
17:30It's only when you seek God's heart that you can truly see life clearly.
17:42If your heart is set on the things of this world,
17:46the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,
17:53you will not see a way out of your weakness.
17:57You may attempt an escape route, likely when things have gone too far.
18:07But any escape routes you attempt outside of Christ
18:13will only entangle you deeper in bondage.
18:21So the choice is yours.
18:25What will you do with your weakness?
18:30Will your weakness become a gateway to your destruction
18:36or a pathway to your dependence on God?
18:41The one who has promised to manifest his strength in our weakness.
18:53I want to read a scripture,
18:59a word of exhortation to conclude this message.
19:04In the book of 2 Timothy chapter 2, verse 22, it says this.
19:13Flee also youthful lusts, but pursue righteousness, faith, love,
19:25peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
19:34What are you fleeing?
19:39What are you pursuing?
19:46May God bless his word in the midst of our hearts.
19:50And remember, there is always room for repentance.
19:56Right now, it is time to pray.
19:59Right now, it is time to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
20:15People of God, let us pray.
20:19Is your mind polluted by thoughts of lust,
20:27sexual immorality that bombards you right now
20:33by the precious blood of Jesus Christ?
20:36Be cleansed, be cleansed right now.
20:41Right now, is your hearts troubled by guilt and condemnation?
20:51The weight of guilt and condemnation right now
20:56in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
20:59Be purified, be purified, be purified.
21:06Behind every spirit, behind the addiction to pornography,
21:16masturbation, sexual immorality, that spirit of lust,
21:21I command you to come out right now,
21:25out in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
21:29Every spirit pushing you down the path of perversity,
21:33be cast out, be cast out, be cast out
21:40in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
21:44Right now, whatever trap set up by the devil
21:54to derail you spiritually, receive the wisdom to avoid it.
22:02Be alert to overcome it, overcome it, overcome it
22:07in Jesus' mighty name.
22:13Receive that strength to maintain your resolve.
22:21Receive the strength to maintain your commitments.
22:26Receive the strength to maintain that desire
22:31to serve Jesus in spirit and in truth.
22:35Receive it today.
22:40Remember, if you don't stand for something,
22:48you will definitely fall for something.
22:52I pray you receive the divine courage
22:59to stand for what you believe.
23:02Receive the divine courage to hold fast to your principles,
23:08even in the face of pressure.
23:10Receive that courage to stand firm
23:14on the solid rock of God's word.
23:17On the solid rock of God's word, in Jesus' mighty name.
23:23Thank you, Lord.
23:24Holy spirits, oh, holy spirits,
23:29help us to learn from our past
23:35without living in our past.
23:40In the mighty name of Jesus Christ,
23:45we pray and the people of God said,
23:49amen, amen, amen.
23:54Thank you, Jesus.