Get Relief
Introduction
We are in a series titled “prison break.” The goal is to help you get control of areas that are out of control. Last week I ask the question, “What is there in your life that is out of control? What is there that you would like to be set free from, but have not been able to accomplish?” We looked at God’s responsibility. We said that He holds the key! It’s not will power; it’s Christ’s power that sets a person free.
Today I want to talk about your responsibility. If God holds the key what is my personal responsibility? By taking personal responsibility it is possible to “get relief!” That is what I will address today - how to get relief.
There is old Jerry Clower story about Marcel Ledbetter treeing a racoon. Marcel started yelling, "Shoot this thing! Just shoot up here amongst us, one of us has got to have some relief." I am talking to people today who desperately want some relief. "What can I do?" you are asking.
I. Get honest.
Romans 6:11-16
A. Freedom begins with acknowledging the root of the problem.
B. If you want to experience change in your life you must acknowledge the root problem
C. God says the basic problem is the attitude you have towards god, life and yourself.
D. The attitude is sin!
1. Romans 6 talks about slavery.
2. Sin is a tough master no matter the disguise that it wears.
E. What is sin?
1. You may say, my sin is my temper, or overeating, or getting drunk, or high, or bitterness.
2. These are the results. Sin is the attitude that says, i am in charge and i don’t need god.
F. You Fool Yourself
You fool yourself into thinking you can manage your own life or control your struggles. You are convinced your way of handling issues is the right way.
G. You are only fooling yourself.
H. Admit you have a Problem
All who work with people who are struggling as well as those who have found freedom will agree the first step to getting relief is to admit you have a problem.
1. John 8:34 “i tell you for a certainty, whoever sins is a slave to sin.”
2. To not admit you have a problem is the biggest problem of all.
II. Exchange Masters
Romans 6:11
A. Everybody is controlled by something.
1. People
2. Schedules
3. Drugs
4. Need to fix others
5. Anger
6. Food
B. Why not choose the right Master?
C. Give God every area of your life.
III. Take action today
James 4: 13,14
A. Come Now
“come now, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit; whereas you do mot know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
B. Delay always makes a problem worse.
C. Don't make Excuses
“the person who wants to really wants to change finds a way; the person who doesn’t finds an excuse.”
IV. Resist trying to fix others
Matthew 7:3
A. It's not you Brother
“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”
B. You cannot fix other people.
C. Don't play the Blame Game
The blame game and the repair others game only leads to frustration and delays your personal healing.
V. Escape temptation
Romans 13:14
A. Make no provision for the Flesh
“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
B. Stay away from situations that cause you to fail.
C. Determine in advance how you will handle temptation.
VI. Look to something better
Philippians 4:8
A. Think on the Right Things
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praise-worthy-meditate on these things.”
B. The battle for a life is the battle for the mind.
1. The battle begins in the thought life.
2. A thought leads to consideration; consideration leads to an action; action leads to a habit; a habit leads to a stronghold.
C. You decide what to Think
The mind has been described as an airport runway. You are the air traffic controller. You decide what lands in your thought life.
VII. Identify relationships that need mending
Romans 12:18
A. Do all possible to live in peace
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you live peaceably with all men.”
B. Things that control your life hurt others.
C. A clear conscious is critical to lasting change.
VIII. Enlist a support group
Ecclesiastes 4: 9,10
A. Two are better than one
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.”
B. Addictive behavior is cyclical.
1. You realize there is a problem.
2. You seek help.
3. You gain victory.
4. For a while you do well.
5. Something happens and you fail again.
C. How do you break the cycle?
1. You need friends who will love you, support you, encourage you, and keep you headed in the right direction.
2. It is tough taking that step, but it is absolutely vital to lasting victory.
D. Celebrate recovery is a ministry designed to offer that help.
IX. Focus on helping others
Galatians 6: 1, 2.
A. Think of Others
“Brethren if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
B. Work from Weakness
“God wants to take your greatest weakness and make it your ministry.”
C. Be a Comforter
I love what paul says in 2 corinthians 1 when he says, “God has comforted us, that we, may in turn, comfort others."