Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Brokenness is God's discipline in the life of the believer,
in which he is dealing, usually with attitudes in our
life that he must change, but what he has primarily in.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Mind is future service.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Brokenness is God's discipline in our life in which to
bring about a change so that future usefulness is God's priority.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Before his conversion, the apostle Paul was a self made
man and proud of it. God had to break that
self reliance to make Paul truly useful. Today, on in Touch,
the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley, will be reminded
that sometimes God needs to work in our lives the
same way, and while there may be pain in the process,
(00:58):
there's gain for our lives. Stay with us for good
news in today's message Brokenness the promise.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with the self life,
which is that part of us that desires to act
independently of God. He targets those areas that are hindering
His purpose and will for our life. Then, having targeted them,
he arranges the circumstances for our brokenness. He chooses the
tools by which were to be broken, and then He
(01:29):
controls the pressure as we are broken, and each facet
of our life is brought into.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Submission to His will.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
One of the reasons that brokenness is a painful experience,
oftentimes causing suffering, is simply that God begins to deal
with us in brokenness on a level that is very deep.
He deals with us on a deep emotional level. He
deals with us on a deep spiritual level, and as
a result, he's after what most of us do not
(01:59):
want to give up.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
God is ultimately after.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
The control of our life, and the last thing we
want to surrender is control of ourselves to anybody, God included.
So this is part of our series Unbrokenness the Way
to Blessing, and the title of this message is Brokenness
the Promise.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And as each message, we.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Have taken a biblical character to illustrate the principle. So
today we choose the Apostle Paul. As I look at
the life of the Apostle Paul, I see two areas
in his life that I believe God had to break.
It is the same two areas He has had to
break in my life and that he intends to break
in every person's life. One of those you will find
(02:43):
in Romans chapter seven. Look there for a moment, if
you will verse fourteen. For we know that the Lord
is spiritual, but I am a soul in the bondage
to sin. For that which I am doing I do
not understand. For I am not practicing what I would
like to do, but I.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Am doing the very thing I hate.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The apostle Paul had to come to the conclusion in
his life that he couldn't live the Christian life. Otherwise
he would have depended upon his own strength, upon his
own flesh, upon his own background, upon his own heritage,
upon his own education, upon his own determination, upon his
own aggressive spirit, upon his own determined will, his own.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Depth of commitment.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
He would have done the same thing everybody else does,
until God drives us through brokenness to the helpless end
of ourselves in despair to say to him God, I
cannot I am a failure when it comes to living
the Christian life. The second area in which he had
to be broken is found in Second Corinthians, chapter twelve.
(03:44):
The God says that he had given them this tremendous revelation,
but with it came a thorn in the flesh, something
that Paul suffered tremendously for, for he says, in three
periods of time. This does not mean three nights before
he went to bed, but three seasons more than likely
of fasting and praying, pleading, begging, beseeching God to deliver
(04:08):
him from this. He says, God send it to him
verse seven, in order to protect him, to keep him
from exalting himself. There was given to him a thorn
in the flesh to keep me from exalting myself, and
treated him three times, he says, God says, my grace
is sufficient. Therefore his conclusion was after pleading before God
(04:32):
to deliver him from what appeared to be a hindrance
in his life and a hindrance in his ministry, he
said verse nine, most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast
about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell
in me. Therefore, now I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions,
difficulties for Christ's sake. But when I am weak, I
(04:54):
have learned this awesome important lesson that when I'm at
my weakest, that's when the power of God is released
through me with its greatest intensity. God gives us some
wonderful assurance when we go through valleys of pain and suffering,
when God is stripping us of anything and everything upon
(05:17):
which we would depend, so that pride and arrogance may
be removed.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
From our life.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So if you'll jump these down, because the first thing
I want you to notice here is this, and that
is that God only breaks us in love. God never
breaks us in anger. God never breaks us in wrath.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
It is always out of love.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Somebody may look at the life of the Apostle Paul
and said, well, the reason God broke him was look
at all the sin he committed, all the people, all
of God's people, that he had.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Harmed and punished.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
No the day Jesus Christ met the Apostle Paul in
the Damascus Road, he saved him. And at that moment,
and from that moment all the way back to the beginning,
God forgave his sin once and once and for all,
and he.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Never suffered as a result of that sin.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
God breaks us out of love, that is, he sends
into our life thorns. He sends into our life those
experiences that break down our resistance and our rebellion and
our self will, in order to bring every area of
our body's soul in spirit and submission to Him. So
that our walk will be holy and our work will
be effective. Now, let me distinguish between three words that
(06:28):
are very significant.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I want you to be shure to understand this.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Brokenness is God's discipline in the life of the believer,
in which he is dealing usually with attitudes in our
life that he must change. But what he has primarily
in mind is future service. So brokenness is God's discipline
(06:55):
in our life in which to bring about a change,
so that future usefulness is God's priority. In chastisement, God
again disciplines the believer, but what he has primarily in
mind at that point is the immediate change in order
(07:16):
to correct something wrong in that person's life, to walk
wholly before God. Now, though of course always the future
is in mind. But primarily now God chasens us now
in order we might walk holly before him.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
He breaks us.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
What he has in mind primarily is future usefulness. Now
the word punishment that oftentimes we confuse with brokenness chastisement
and punishment discipline that is chastisement and brokenness for believers,
punishment for unbelievers only. Punishment is an expression of God's
(07:51):
wrath upon unbelievers. Because the unbeliever has rejected the only
sin bearer who can take his wrath. Therefore, when the
unbeliever sins against God, the unbeliever must be must realize
he's going to be the object of God's wrath because
the blood of Jesus Christ has been rejected, the cross
has been rejected. No one else to bear his sins,
(08:14):
So the unbeliever must bear his own sin. So therefore
the unbeliever is punished, the believer is chastised, and the
believer is broken for future usefulness before God.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Very important.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
You look at chapter four of Second Corinthians, and look,
if you will, in the sixteenth seventeenth eighteen verses, verse sixteen.
Therefore he's spoken about difficulties they've had. Therefore, we do
not lose heart. We don't get discouraged and give up
in the conflict. But though our outer man is decaying,
this physical body, it suffers disease and sickness, and it's
(08:51):
getting older, yet our inner man, that is our spirit,
is being renewed day by day and strengthened resurrection for
momentary light affliction. Things that we're going through is producing
for us something. What is it producing? It's producing something
that cannot be seen. He says, it's producing for us
(09:12):
an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, building character,
forming Christ's likeness in our spirit, shaping us into the
mold that God wants us to be in, preparing us
for future service for him. While we look not at
the things which you're seen, That's what the world looks at.
The believer is to look at what cannot be seen
(09:33):
with the naked eye, but the things which are not
seen with the naked eye. For the things which you're
seen with the eye are temporal, passing away, but the
things which are not seen are eternal. So that when
God takes us through a breaking process, we are not
to focus on what we see happening to us, but
we are to ask, God, Lord.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
What do you have in mind? What do you see?
What is it that you're looking at?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
All I can see in fear is hurt, pain, suffering, rejection,
persecution and harassment, a separation, or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But God, what do you see?
Speaker 1 (10:07):
God sees through all the fog in the haze of
those things, and he sees what his great objective is
in that given incidence, in that given period of time,
in that Valley experience. God sees exactly what He's up to,
and therefore brokenness is always an expression of God's love
and that is the key to understanding. Secondly, God sets
(10:29):
limitations on our brokenness. That is, when God begins to
target something in your life, he doesn't just turn you
over to Satan and let Satan have a heyday in
your life. God sets limitations upon our periods of brokenness.
Now let me explain, and it's very important you understand
what I'm going to say at this time. Now Here
(10:52):
is rule one with God in breaking us. Rule one
is this, God's process of brokenness ceases at the point
in which our spirit will be broken. God is in
the process of breaking our spirit. He wants to break
our will. When our will is broken, stubborn, rebellious, have
(11:13):
it my way will is broken, then what happens, Body, soul,
and spirit are offered in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So rule number one with God is the breaking process
of sending into our life whatever is necessary to bring body,
soul and spirit and submission to Him. That breaking process
ceases at the moment or before the spirit is broken.
(11:38):
Rule number two is this that the process of brokenness
ceases at the paint in which it would damage God's.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Great purpose for your life.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That is, if God allows you to be broken and shattered,
and the pain in suffering be such that it would
absolutely destroy God's purpose for your life, then he would
have wasted the opportunity, and that wouldn't be in God's nature.
And then I want you to notice the third thing,
and that is God will deepen our understanding when we
(12:10):
are broken. As God takes those to the breaking process
and stripping us of those things that we've depended upon
before the first thing that he does, we've get a
whole different perspective on who God is. Does he not say,
my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts
a higher than your thoughts. My ways are not your ways,
nor my thoughts your thoughts. In the process of being
(12:31):
broken and stripped of all those things that.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
We depend upon rather than him, what does he do?
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But he opens their eyes to see the working the
ways of God. Not just reading scriptures, but we see
the ways of God, how He works in our life.
We get a deeper understanding of His love, what it
means to accept us on the basis of nothing within ourselves.
But just the fact that he's a loving father. We
(12:56):
understand how he accepts us on the basis of the cross.
We understand stand his patience and love and kindness and
forbearance taught us that he.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Puts up with us.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
While these are the process of breaking us, but there's
the second direction in which we begin to understand.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's ourselves.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Once the process of brokenness takes place in our life
and he begins to strip us of all those things
that would hinder his great purpose in our lives, we
begin to see things about ourselves that we've never seen before.
We began to be able to trace the avenues of
thought patterns that we've had since we were children growing up.
Those thought patterns that were placed there by our parents
(13:35):
when they taught us things that they thought.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Were right but have devastated us.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Place thereby our teachers who rejected us and didn't even
realize that they were doing it. Place there by our
friends who shut us out. Place thereby circumstances that caused
great pain and upheaval and misunderstanding and frustration and anxiety
and fears in our life. But all of that leads
to the third area of direction, and that's this, we
(14:02):
begin to look at other people differently. You know what happens,
Your critical spirit somehow just fades away, this aggressive criticism
and negative attitude, and nobody else is ever right, and
everybody is wrong, and life has given.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You a bad show.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
All of a sudden, you begin look at other people differently.
Then then the fourth thing I want you to notice here.
God never deserts us in our seasons of brokenness. Now,
this is very important that you understand what I'm going
to say. Now, you and I know he says in
Hebrews chapter thirteen, I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
(14:44):
But I can look back at some times in my
life when God was breaking me, when the pain was
so intense and the suffering so overwhelming. Though I knew
in my mind he was there. In my emotions and
in my mind my spirit, I thought, God, you have deserted me.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
And I knew better. That's what I felt. In my mind.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I held on to the truth, But in my emotions,
I felt, God, where are you?
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Knowing at the very.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Moment I asked where he was, Well, let's move on.
He'll never desert us.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
God is always patient with us through our experience of brokenness.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
You know why.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
He knows where we came from, he knows what's been
going on in our life. He knows how long you've
been thinking the things you're thinking. That's your train of thought,
that's the way you've been thinking for years and years
and years. And so God begins the work, and he
doesn't do it suddenly like that. Brokenness is usually their process,
and sometimes it is a process that lasts a very
(15:49):
very long time. And then the last thing I want
you to jot down, and this is the only promise
that has conditioned God will lead you to victory through brokenness.
It may be months, it may be years. When we
rebel against God's breaking experience, we delay God in accomplishing
(16:09):
all that he'd like to accomplish. It may be that
we forfeit many of our opportunities, and we certainly forfeit
some of our reward. Because if you live to be
forty fifty, sixty seventy years of age and finally God finally.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Gets you, look what you've missed.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Look at the potential to be used of God that
was there that you did not utilize. And when you
stand before God to be rewarded, look what will not
be your reward because you refused. You see, the whole
breaking process in itself is an expression of love.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
What is He doing bringing us into oneness?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Look if you will in the verse ten of Second Grietans,
Chapter twelve. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses. I'm
not fighting against them anymore. Insults, I don't try to
defend myself. Distresses, don't try to make God explain them. Persecutions,
accept them from God.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Difficulties.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Know that God's working out something in my life for
Christ's sake. But when I am weak, then I am strong.
Let me ask you a question. Do you want your
Christian life to be a daily walk of intimate oneness
in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, warm intimate,
(17:30):
loving relationship. Do you want God to bring you such
a relationship with Him whereby your service for him will
be effective and glorifying to God. Not glorifying to man,
but glorifying to God. If you want intimacy in your walk,
(17:51):
effectiveness in your service, brokenness is God's way to make
that a reality.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
One last question.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Is your desire to walk in intimacy with Him and
your desire to be used of Him in your business,
in your home, with your children.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Among your friends. Is it great enough for you to
pray this prayer?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Lord? More than I want anything in life or any
other relationship, I want to walk in oneness with you,
a deep intimacy. I want to be used of you effectively.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And therefore, Lord.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Jesus, would you target whatever areas in my life.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
That need to be dealt with?
Speaker 1 (18:39):
And would you break me in those areas that that
oneness and that service you might fulfill in my life?
Would you be willing to pray that? And then remember,
whatever God does, he will only do in love. And
(19:01):
when you're through the valet, you'll view the brightest sunshine
and the most beautiful clouds and the brightest horizon you've
ever known your Christian life.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
You're listening to in Touch, the teaching ministry of doctor
Charles Stanley. God's word is the source of encouragement for
those going through the process of brokenness. So maintain a
steady diet of scripture and trust the Lord's promise to
never leave you nor forsake you. For help getting God's
perspective on your situation, search through our free resources at
(19:41):
InTouch dot org to hear this message again look for
the link to Today on radio. Our web address again
is in touch dot org. Call or text to one
eight hundred in Touch. If you prefer, you can write
to us at in Touch Post Office Box seven nine hundred, Atlanta, Georgia,
(20:02):
three zero three five seven. The powerful word of God
can help us overcome negative emotions, even if you're a
dad who's fearful today's moment with Charles Stanley is coming up.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You've got to be willing to set aside time. That's
a real victory.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Just imagine what it would have been like to look
over doctor Stanley's shoulder as he was spending time with
the scriptures. Doctor Stanley spent hours in preparation for his sermons,
with photos of his Bibles, resources, and handwritten notes. This
new book will give you an intimate look into doctor
Stanley's daily walk with the Father God turned the light
on Charles F. Stanley's personal Bibles, books and notes available
(20:40):
now go to InTouch dot org slash store.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
We're not the first to seek a life of purpose.
The Bible tells of many who followed a specific path,
step by step, with courage, with surrender for a deeper purpose,
a stronger Passion, a lasting piece introducing your path to purpose,
passion and peace. A new ninety day devotional inspired by
(21:07):
the timeless teaching of doctor Charles Stanley, available now at
intuch dot org slash store.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
You're listening to in touch dads who feel the weight
of responsibility may be fearful at times. Christian dads will
hear how to combat these fears in a moment with
Charles Stanley.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
God has not given you the spirit of fear, but
a power of love and of a sound mind. So,
first of all, that says to me, my fear didn't
come from God. The second verse that comes to me
is Isaiah for the one he says, I'm your God.
No anxiously look about you. Keep you focused on him.
I will help you. I'll strengthen you. So then that
tells me and reminds me of what He's going to
(21:53):
do for me. Then, Joshua one nine, be strong and
of a good courage. Fear not, don't be discouraged. The Lord,
your God is with you wherever you go. And so
what that says to me is this is how I'm
to respond. First of all, the source is not God. Secondly,
here's what I'll do. And thirdly, how am I to
(22:13):
respond to fear? Strong and courageous? And three times he
says it to him. In fact, later on of the scriptures,
when God is speaking to Joshua, he's telling the same
thing over and over and over again. He says, be
strong and of a good courage. So those three verses
put it all together for dead to say, Look, here's
what God says. This fear is not from him. Secondly,
he says He'll be with us and upholders and strengthen us,
(22:35):
and don't anxious and look about you. And then he says,
be strong and courageous because I'm going to be with
you and Dad, I understand there's some things that we
look around and if we just take them humanly, there
may be a reason in your mind that you have
to fear. But these three verses of scripture are God's
awesome promise to you as a Christian father. And if
you're not a Christian, you can't claim these promises. You
(22:58):
need to be a godly father to provide for your
children a godly image. And if you will claim these
three verses of scripture and then pass them on to
your children, you build up courage in them, and I
want to encourage you to do that. As we pray together. Father,
I asked that the Holy Spirit would alleviate this fear
in the heart of every dad who's listening, and remind
(23:20):
him that not only does he have a responsibility to you,
but for his wife and his children. That he's to
be the strong one in the family because you placed
him there as the head of the family, and he's
to bear your image in that place of authority. Remind
him of who you are and who you've promised to
be with him, for him, in him and for his family.
(23:44):
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Learn more about trusting God for your family at Intuch
dot org. Is there someone who needs the truth you
heard today, Share it with them, and then tell us
what happened tomorrow on in Touch. After you experience brokenness,
what should you expect? Join us for the answer to
that question Tuesday on in Touch, the teaching ministry of
(24:10):
doctor Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of in
Touch Ministries Atlanta, Georgia and remains on this station through
the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts
Brokenness is God's discipline in the life of the believer,
in which he is dealing, usually with attitudes in our
life that he must change, but what he has primarily in.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Mind is future service.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Brokenness is God's discipline in our life in which to
bring about a change so that future usefulness is God's priority.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Before his conversion, the apostle Paul was a self made
man and proud of it. God had to break that
self reliance to make Paul truly useful. Today, on in Touch,
the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley, will be reminded
that sometimes God needs to work in our lives the
same way, and while there may be pain in the process,
(00:58):
there's gain for our lives. Stay with us for good
news in today's message Brokenness the promise.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with the self life,
which is that part of us that desires to act
independently of God. He targets those areas that are hindering
His purpose and will for our life. Then, having targeted them,
he arranges the circumstances for our brokenness. He chooses the
tools by which were to be broken, and then He
(01:29):
controls the pressure as we are broken, and each facet
of our life is brought into.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Submission to His will.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
One of the reasons that brokenness is a painful experience,
oftentimes causing suffering, is simply that God begins to deal
with us in brokenness on a level that is very deep.
He deals with us on a deep emotional level. He
deals with us on a deep spiritual level, and as
a result, he's after what most of us do not
(01:59):
want to give up.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
God is ultimately after.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
The control of our life, and the last thing we
want to surrender is control of ourselves to anybody, God included.
So this is part of our series Unbrokenness the Way
to Blessing, and the title of this message is Brokenness
the Promise.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
And as each message, we.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Have taken a biblical character to illustrate the principle. So
today we choose the Apostle Paul. As I look at
the life of the Apostle Paul, I see two areas
in his life that I believe God had to break.
It is the same two areas He has had to
break in my life and that he intends to break
in every person's life. One of those you will find
(02:43):
in Romans chapter seven. Look there for a moment, if
you will verse fourteen. For we know that the Lord
is spiritual, but I am a soul in the bondage
to sin. For that which I am doing I do
not understand. For I am not practicing what I would
like to do, but I.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Am doing the very thing I hate.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
The apostle Paul had to come to the conclusion in
his life that he couldn't live the Christian life. Otherwise
he would have depended upon his own strength, upon his
own flesh, upon his own background, upon his own heritage,
upon his own education, upon his own determination, upon his
own aggressive spirit, upon his own determined will, his own.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Depth of commitment.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
He would have done the same thing everybody else does,
until God drives us through brokenness to the helpless end
of ourselves in despair to say to him God, I
cannot I am a failure when it comes to living
the Christian life. The second area in which he had
to be broken is found in Second Corinthians, chapter twelve.
(03:44):
The God says that he had given them this tremendous revelation,
but with it came a thorn in the flesh, something
that Paul suffered tremendously for, for he says, in three
periods of time. This does not mean three nights before
he went to bed, but three seasons more than likely
of fasting and praying, pleading, begging, beseeching God to deliver
(04:08):
him from this. He says, God send it to him
verse seven, in order to protect him, to keep him
from exalting himself. There was given to him a thorn
in the flesh to keep me from exalting myself, and
treated him three times, he says, God says, my grace
is sufficient. Therefore his conclusion was after pleading before God
(04:32):
to deliver him from what appeared to be a hindrance
in his life and a hindrance in his ministry, he
said verse nine, most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast
about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell
in me. Therefore, now I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions,
difficulties for Christ's sake. But when I am weak, I
(04:54):
have learned this awesome important lesson that when I'm at
my weakest, that's when the power of God is released
through me with its greatest intensity. God gives us some
wonderful assurance when we go through valleys of pain and suffering,
when God is stripping us of anything and everything upon
(05:17):
which we would depend, so that pride and arrogance may
be removed.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
From our life.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
So if you'll jump these down, because the first thing
I want you to notice here is this, and that
is that God only breaks us in love. God never
breaks us in anger. God never breaks us in wrath.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
It is always out of love.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Somebody may look at the life of the Apostle Paul
and said, well, the reason God broke him was look
at all the sin he committed, all the people, all
of God's people, that he had.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Harmed and punished.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
No the day Jesus Christ met the Apostle Paul in
the Damascus Road, he saved him. And at that moment,
and from that moment all the way back to the beginning,
God forgave his sin once and once and for all,
and he.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Never suffered as a result of that sin.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
God breaks us out of love, that is, he sends
into our life thorns. He sends into our life those
experiences that break down our resistance and our rebellion and
our self will, in order to bring every area of
our body's soul in spirit and submission to Him. So
that our walk will be holy and our work will
be effective. Now, let me distinguish between three words that
(06:28):
are very significant.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
I want you to be shure to understand this.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Brokenness is God's discipline in the life of the believer,
in which he is dealing usually with attitudes in our
life that he must change. But what he has primarily
in mind is future service. So brokenness is God's discipline
(06:55):
in our life in which to bring about a change,
so that future usefulness is God's priority. In chastisement, God
again disciplines the believer, but what he has primarily in
mind at that point is the immediate change in order
(07:16):
to correct something wrong in that person's life, to walk
wholly before God. Now, though of course always the future
is in mind. But primarily now God chasens us now
in order we might walk holly before him.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
He breaks us.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
What he has in mind primarily is future usefulness. Now
the word punishment that oftentimes we confuse with brokenness chastisement
and punishment discipline that is chastisement and brokenness for believers,
punishment for unbelievers only. Punishment is an expression of God's
(07:51):
wrath upon unbelievers. Because the unbeliever has rejected the only
sin bearer who can take his wrath. Therefore, when the
unbeliever sins against God, the unbeliever must be must realize
he's going to be the object of God's wrath because
the blood of Jesus Christ has been rejected, the cross
has been rejected. No one else to bear his sins,
(08:14):
So the unbeliever must bear his own sin. So therefore
the unbeliever is punished, the believer is chastised, and the
believer is broken for future usefulness before God.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
Very important.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
You look at chapter four of Second Corinthians, and look,
if you will, in the sixteenth seventeenth eighteen verses, verse sixteen.
Therefore he's spoken about difficulties they've had. Therefore, we do
not lose heart. We don't get discouraged and give up
in the conflict. But though our outer man is decaying,
this physical body, it suffers disease and sickness, and it's
(08:51):
getting older, yet our inner man, that is our spirit,
is being renewed day by day and strengthened resurrection for
momentary light affliction. Things that we're going through is producing
for us something. What is it producing? It's producing something
that cannot be seen. He says, it's producing for us
(09:12):
an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, building character,
forming Christ's likeness in our spirit, shaping us into the
mold that God wants us to be in, preparing us
for future service for him. While we look not at
the things which you're seen, That's what the world looks at.
The believer is to look at what cannot be seen
(09:33):
with the naked eye, but the things which are not
seen with the naked eye. For the things which you're
seen with the eye are temporal, passing away, but the
things which are not seen are eternal. So that when
God takes us through a breaking process, we are not
to focus on what we see happening to us, but
we are to ask, God, Lord.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
What do you have in mind? What do you see?
What is it that you're looking at?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
All I can see in fear is hurt, pain, suffering, rejection,
persecution and harassment, a separation, or whatever it might be.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
But God, what do you see?
Speaker 1 (10:07):
God sees through all the fog in the haze of
those things, and he sees what his great objective is
in that given incidence, in that given period of time,
in that Valley experience. God sees exactly what He's up to,
and therefore brokenness is always an expression of God's love
and that is the key to understanding. Secondly, God sets
(10:29):
limitations on our brokenness. That is, when God begins to
target something in your life, he doesn't just turn you
over to Satan and let Satan have a heyday in
your life. God sets limitations upon our periods of brokenness.
Now let me explain, and it's very important you understand
what I'm going to say at this time. Now Here
(10:52):
is rule one with God in breaking us. Rule one
is this, God's process of brokenness ceases at the point
in which our spirit will be broken. God is in
the process of breaking our spirit. He wants to break
our will. When our will is broken, stubborn, rebellious, have
(11:13):
it my way will is broken, then what happens, Body, soul,
and spirit are offered in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So rule number one with God is the breaking process
of sending into our life whatever is necessary to bring body,
soul and spirit and submission to Him. That breaking process
ceases at the moment or before the spirit is broken.
(11:38):
Rule number two is this that the process of brokenness
ceases at the paint in which it would damage God's.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Great purpose for your life.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That is, if God allows you to be broken and shattered,
and the pain in suffering be such that it would
absolutely destroy God's purpose for your life, then he would
have wasted the opportunity, and that wouldn't be in God's nature.
And then I want you to notice the third thing,
and that is God will deepen our understanding when we
(12:10):
are broken. As God takes those to the breaking process
and stripping us of those things that we've depended upon
before the first thing that he does, we've get a
whole different perspective on who God is. Does he not say,
my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts
a higher than your thoughts. My ways are not your ways,
nor my thoughts your thoughts. In the process of being
(12:31):
broken and stripped of all those things that.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
We depend upon rather than him, what does he do?
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But he opens their eyes to see the working the
ways of God. Not just reading scriptures, but we see
the ways of God, how He works in our life.
We get a deeper understanding of His love, what it
means to accept us on the basis of nothing within ourselves.
But just the fact that he's a loving father. We
(12:56):
understand how he accepts us on the basis of the cross.
We understand stand his patience and love and kindness and
forbearance taught us that he.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
Puts up with us.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
While these are the process of breaking us, but there's
the second direction in which we begin to understand.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
That's ourselves.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Once the process of brokenness takes place in our life
and he begins to strip us of all those things
that would hinder his great purpose in our lives, we
begin to see things about ourselves that we've never seen before.
We began to be able to trace the avenues of
thought patterns that we've had since we were children growing up.
Those thought patterns that were placed there by our parents
(13:35):
when they taught us things that they thought.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Were right but have devastated us.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Place thereby our teachers who rejected us and didn't even
realize that they were doing it. Place there by our
friends who shut us out. Place thereby circumstances that caused
great pain and upheaval and misunderstanding and frustration and anxiety
and fears in our life. But all of that leads
to the third area of direction, and that's this, we
(14:02):
begin to look at other people differently. You know what happens,
Your critical spirit somehow just fades away, this aggressive criticism
and negative attitude, and nobody else is ever right, and
everybody is wrong, and life has given.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You a bad show.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
All of a sudden, you begin look at other people differently.
Then then the fourth thing I want you to notice here.
God never deserts us in our seasons of brokenness. Now,
this is very important that you understand what I'm going
to say. Now, you and I know he says in
Hebrews chapter thirteen, I'll never leave you nor forsake you.
(14:44):
But I can look back at some times in my
life when God was breaking me, when the pain was
so intense and the suffering so overwhelming. Though I knew
in my mind he was there. In my emotions and
in my mind my spirit, I thought, God, you have deserted me.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
And I knew better. That's what I felt. In my mind.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
I held on to the truth, But in my emotions,
I felt, God, where are you?
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Knowing at the very.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Moment I asked where he was, Well, let's move on.
He'll never desert us.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Number five.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
God is always patient with us through our experience of brokenness.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
You know why.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
He knows where we came from, he knows what's been
going on in our life. He knows how long you've
been thinking the things you're thinking. That's your train of thought,
that's the way you've been thinking for years and years
and years. And so God begins the work, and he
doesn't do it suddenly like that. Brokenness is usually their process,
and sometimes it is a process that lasts a very
(15:49):
very long time. And then the last thing I want
you to jot down, and this is the only promise
that has conditioned God will lead you to victory through brokenness.
It may be months, it may be years. When we
rebel against God's breaking experience, we delay God in accomplishing
(16:09):
all that he'd like to accomplish. It may be that
we forfeit many of our opportunities, and we certainly forfeit
some of our reward. Because if you live to be
forty fifty, sixty seventy years of age and finally God finally.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Gets you, look what you've missed.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Look at the potential to be used of God that
was there that you did not utilize. And when you
stand before God to be rewarded, look what will not
be your reward because you refused. You see, the whole
breaking process in itself is an expression of love.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
What is He doing bringing us into oneness?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Look if you will in the verse ten of Second Grietans,
Chapter twelve. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses. I'm
not fighting against them anymore. Insults, I don't try to
defend myself. Distresses, don't try to make God explain them. Persecutions,
accept them from God.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Difficulties.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Know that God's working out something in my life for
Christ's sake. But when I am weak, then I am strong.
Let me ask you a question. Do you want your
Christian life to be a daily walk of intimate oneness
in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, warm intimate,
(17:30):
loving relationship. Do you want God to bring you such
a relationship with Him whereby your service for him will
be effective and glorifying to God. Not glorifying to man,
but glorifying to God. If you want intimacy in your walk,
(17:51):
effectiveness in your service, brokenness is God's way to make
that a reality.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
One last question.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
Is your desire to walk in intimacy with Him and
your desire to be used of Him in your business,
in your home, with your children.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
Among your friends. Is it great enough for you to
pray this prayer?
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Lord? More than I want anything in life or any
other relationship, I want to walk in oneness with you,
a deep intimacy. I want to be used of you effectively.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
And therefore, Lord.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Jesus, would you target whatever areas in my life.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
That need to be dealt with?
Speaker 1 (18:39):
And would you break me in those areas that that
oneness and that service you might fulfill in my life?
Would you be willing to pray that? And then remember,
whatever God does, he will only do in love. And
(19:01):
when you're through the valet, you'll view the brightest sunshine
and the most beautiful clouds and the brightest horizon you've
ever known your Christian life.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
You're listening to in Touch, the teaching ministry of doctor
Charles Stanley. God's word is the source of encouragement for
those going through the process of brokenness. So maintain a
steady diet of scripture and trust the Lord's promise to
never leave you nor forsake you. For help getting God's
perspective on your situation, search through our free resources at
(19:41):
InTouch dot org to hear this message again look for
the link to Today on radio. Our web address again
is in touch dot org. Call or text to one
eight hundred in Touch. If you prefer, you can write
to us at in Touch Post Office Box seven nine hundred, Atlanta, Georgia,
(20:02):
three zero three five seven. The powerful word of God
can help us overcome negative emotions, even if you're a
dad who's fearful today's moment with Charles Stanley is coming up.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
You've got to be willing to set aside time. That's
a real victory.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
Just imagine what it would have been like to look
over doctor Stanley's shoulder as he was spending time with
the scriptures. Doctor Stanley spent hours in preparation for his sermons,
with photos of his Bibles, resources, and handwritten notes. This
new book will give you an intimate look into doctor
Stanley's daily walk with the Father God turned the light
on Charles F. Stanley's personal Bibles, books and notes available
(20:40):
now go to InTouch dot org slash store.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
We're not the first to seek a life of purpose.
The Bible tells of many who followed a specific path,
step by step, with courage, with surrender for a deeper purpose,
a stronger Passion, a lasting piece introducing your path to purpose,
passion and peace. A new ninety day devotional inspired by
(21:07):
the timeless teaching of doctor Charles Stanley, available now at
intuch dot org slash store.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
You're listening to in touch dads who feel the weight
of responsibility may be fearful at times. Christian dads will
hear how to combat these fears in a moment with
Charles Stanley.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
God has not given you the spirit of fear, but
a power of love and of a sound mind. So,
first of all, that says to me, my fear didn't
come from God. The second verse that comes to me
is Isaiah for the one he says, I'm your God.
No anxiously look about you. Keep you focused on him.
I will help you. I'll strengthen you. So then that
tells me and reminds me of what He's going to
(21:53):
do for me. Then, Joshua one nine, be strong and
of a good courage. Fear not, don't be discouraged. The Lord,
your God is with you wherever you go. And so
what that says to me is this is how I'm
to respond. First of all, the source is not God. Secondly,
here's what I'll do. And thirdly, how am I to
(22:13):
respond to fear? Strong and courageous? And three times he
says it to him. In fact, later on of the scriptures,
when God is speaking to Joshua, he's telling the same
thing over and over and over again. He says, be
strong and of a good courage. So those three verses
put it all together for dead to say, Look, here's
what God says. This fear is not from him. Secondly,
he says He'll be with us and upholders and strengthen us,
(22:35):
and don't anxious and look about you. And then he says,
be strong and courageous because I'm going to be with
you and Dad, I understand there's some things that we
look around and if we just take them humanly, there
may be a reason in your mind that you have
to fear. But these three verses of scripture are God's
awesome promise to you as a Christian father. And if
you're not a Christian, you can't claim these promises. You
(22:58):
need to be a godly father to provide for your
children a godly image. And if you will claim these
three verses of scripture and then pass them on to
your children, you build up courage in them, and I
want to encourage you to do that. As we pray together. Father,
I asked that the Holy Spirit would alleviate this fear
in the heart of every dad who's listening, and remind
(23:20):
him that not only does he have a responsibility to you,
but for his wife and his children. That he's to
be the strong one in the family because you placed
him there as the head of the family, and he's
to bear your image in that place of authority. Remind
him of who you are and who you've promised to
be with him, for him, in him and for his family.
(23:44):
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Learn more about trusting God for your family at Intuch
dot org. Is there someone who needs the truth you
heard today, Share it with them, and then tell us
what happened tomorrow on in Touch. After you experience brokenness,
what should you expect? Join us for the answer to
that question Tuesday on in Touch, the teaching ministry of
(24:10):
doctor Charles Stanley. This program is a presentation of in
Touch Ministries Atlanta, Georgia and remains on this station through
the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts
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