Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The self life is.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
That desire within me that desires to live independent of God.
And I believe if you'll stay with us, you'll understand
something about your life, about suffering, pain, about sickness, hardships,
trials and hurts that maybe you've not quite understood. You're
going to be able to look back and thank Him
(00:29):
for continuing the process even though you didn't like it.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Most believers in Jesus desire to grow spiritually, but we
often unintentionally resist the process that develops our faith. Welcome
to in touch the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
Today you'll hear scriptural truth that helps us come to
terms with pain, suffering, and hardship. Our series gets underway
(00:55):
now as we learn the principle of brokenness. Let's listen in.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Most people do not understand what the Bible teaches about brokenness,
and the last thing they want is a.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Good case of it.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
And so what they do is they try to avoid
it at any expense, at all costs. Run the other direction.
And in a day when there is so much talk
about prosperity and God healing all of our sicknesses and
God wanting us to be happy and everything just perfect.
I want to tell you the message of brokenness does
not appeal to those who do not want God's best,
(01:32):
but who want some kind of personal satisfaction.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
But here's what I want to say to you.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
In this series, You're going to understand what God has
been doing in some areas of your life that you've
wanted God, why do you keep on letting this happen. Likewise,
you're going to be able to look back and see
some times and experiences, in some hurtful times, times of
pain and suffering, that you've complained, question God, doubted God,
(02:01):
complain to your friends.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Argued with God about it. You're going to be able to.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Look back and thank Him for continuing the process even
though you didn't like it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So I want to encourage you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
That you'll not miss a single one of these messages,
because here is the heart of what God is trying
to do in all of our life. And I believe
if you'll stay with us, you'll understand something about your life,
about suffering, pain, about sickness, hardships, trials and hurts.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
That maybe you've not quite understood.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And I want to begin by turning to John chapter twelve,
and if you'll turn there with me, Jesus is beginning
to talk to his apostles about his death, and in
two verses of this passage he sort of lays the groundwork.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Of this whole series.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The title of this series is brokenness the Way of Blessing,
and the title of this message is brokenness the principle.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
If you look, if you will.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
In verse twenty four and twenty five of John chapter twelve, truly, truly,
I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone.
But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who
loves his life loses it. He who hates his life
(03:21):
in this world shall keep it to life eternal. Now,
let's ask for just a moment and think about what
do we mean by brokenness in the light of these
two verses. Because God on what you listen carefully. Because
God has purpose to bring every area of our life
(03:44):
into submission to his will. He continually removes from us
every hindrance that would keep us from being fully surrendered
to His will and fully trusting him. You see, God
wants us to learn to live in full trust. As
(04:05):
long as I depend upon anything else in my life,
it isn't trust in Him, It is trusted in myself.
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
What is the self life?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
The self life is that desire within me that desires
to live independent of God. It is that inner desire
of independence.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Now all of us have those areas of.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Our life at times we don't want to surrender. And
my friend, God has drawn a bulls eye in.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That area of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
He has targeted that for brokenness because He's not going
to let you along. One of the reasons that some
people go through great trial and hardship in their life
is that God is breaking them in a given area. Now,
already many of you, most of you, you already know
what it is because the spirit of God has already surfaced.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It in your mind. You know what it is. Maybe
when it first popped up your mind, you said, all
not that, and there it is. There it is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
You can't get rid of it. God has drawn a
circle around it, and he says, I've targeted that in
your life because God knows that that area which you
have not submitted, is hindering God's purpose and design, great
beautiful design.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
For your life.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
But we're afraid to give it up. We're afraid to
lose control. We're afraid our needs will not be met,
our desires will not be fulfilled, we won't be contented,
and we'll have to go through life lacking and missing
and not experiencing the things in life that we want
to experience. My friend, God has targeted all kinds of
(05:57):
self reliance and self confidence.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
He wants us living in, walking.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Depending, resting, in relying upon Him for every aspect of
our life. In that way and that way alone, can
God live out to the fullest all that He is
within us. It is not adding to and subtracting from.
It is Christ within you, living through you the life now.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
But sometime we have difficulty with that. And so I want.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
To explain the necessity and how this takes place. If
you will look for a moment back in John chapter twelve,
and notice this verse. He said, he who loses his
life will save it, but he who loves it's going
to lose it. That is, if I'm going to attach
(06:48):
myself and refuse to surrender, I'm going to lose the best.
But if I'm willing to hate it, to die to it,
to let it go. I'm going to win, I'm going
to gain.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
God has said this in different ways in several passes. Look,
if you will, in Matthew chapter ten, for a moment,
Verse thirty seven of Matthew ten, he who loves father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me.
And he who loves son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me. He who does not take
his cross and father after me is not worthy of me.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
He who has.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Found his life shall lose it, and he who has
lost his life for my sake shall find it. Now
all of that sounds like contradictions, but the truth of
what he's saying is this, I must be willing to
die to the self that is within me. That does
not mean that we have no personality and no life,
But I mean that part of me that is independent
(07:42):
of God, that principle of sin, that is still within me.
He says, we must be willing to die of that. Now,
I want you to turn to First Thessalonians chapter five,
and I want.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Us to see what God is referring to.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And how this takes place in a person's life. So
we know that he's talking about dying to something, giving up, surrendering, yielding.
Come in this submission to holding on, I lose, letting.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Go, I win.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
In first us along this chapter five, verse twenty.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Three, here's his prayer, Paul's prayer.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Now, may the God of Peace himself sanctify you entirely,
and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved
complete without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Now we are made.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Up truly, as he says, in this passage of body, soul,
and spirit. With our body, we relate to our environment.
We have five senses. We smell, we see, we taste,
we hear, we touch. That's the way we relate to
our environment, he says. Your body your soul. That is
(08:55):
our mind, our will, our motions, our conscience, our consciousness.
And with our soul, we relate to ourselves. We have
a self consciousness awareness of ourselves. And we also relate
to one another. We can laugh with each other, love
one another, receive each other's love, or we can become
jealous and angry. But our emotions there are thought patterns,
(09:15):
our consciousness, our conscience. That which warns is of danger.
That's a part of man. But then there is man's spirit.
He says, your spirit, soul, and body. The spirit of
man is that inner man, that is that part of
us with which we relate to Almighty God. When you
receive the Lord Jesus Christ is your personal savior. The
(09:38):
Bible says, the Holy Spirit came to undwell you.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
What did he do? The Spirit of God. You're having
been forgiven through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The Spirit of God came into your life to unite
with your spirit, to bring to life within you a
spirit that now.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Can relate to God, so that you can to Him.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Now that you're a believer in drive of the Holy Spirit,
you are sensitive to God.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
You are aware of him. You can talk with him.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
He speaks with you. You open the words, you understand
the word of God. The Spirit of God gives you
guidance and direction, convicts you of sin. There's a whole
new life. You've been born again. Your spirit has been
born again. There's new life, a new spirit. Now by
your spirit, you.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Relate to God.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
By your soul, you relate to yourself and the others.
In with your body, you relate to the world. The
essence of brokenness is this that the Holy Spirit who
lives within me now is able to exercise the will
of the Father through my soul, through my body, into
(10:45):
life that is no longer responding to life based on
the senses, no longer responding to life based on self will,
but now responding to life based on and in submission
to the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Brokenness is
not an instantaneous act on the part of God, though
(11:07):
it can be, and it may be once in a while,
But most of the time it is a process that
begins over conviction, over some area of my life that
God has zeroed in on, and then He begins to
do some breaking.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Now what do we mean by breaking? When you think
about what is a part of our life?
Speaker 1 (11:28):
All of us have those areas of our life that
we depend upon unless God has broken us. We depend
upon our past experiences. We depend upon our abilities and
our gifts and our talents. Some people depend upon their status,
their position, their power.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Their authority, their relationships.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Some people put their trust in their looks or where
they live, or their position in society. My friend, whatever
you put your reliance on God, God has targeted to
shatter and to break and to remove, in order that
your dependence and your alliance would be upon Him and
(12:10):
him alone. God wants no other gods in your life,
no competition in your life for your obedience and allegiance
and devotion and love and worship of Him. And whatever's
there He's going to break one way or the other.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
My friend, how does a.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Person become productive in the Christian life? Only when we
are willing for God to break everything in which we
have placed any reliance, any dependence, and it is self.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Remember what I said in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life,
which is that part of me that wants to act
independently of God. Turn will the Second Corinthians chapter four
for a moment. Listen to what Paul says in this passage.
(13:12):
In the sixteenth verse of Second Corinthians Chapter four, he says,
therefore we do not lose heart.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
But though our outer man, this.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Physical body, is decaying, it's getting older, yet our inner
man is being renewed. What day by day, how by
momentary light. Afflictions now they may last for years, but
against the background of eternity, it's only light for momentary light.
Affliction is producing for us something that is weighty in value,
(13:48):
far beyond all comparison. While we look not at the
things which is seen, but at the things which are
not seen. The things which you're seen a temple, but
the things which are not seen are eternal. You see
the pain and the suffering and the heartache, and the
difficulties and the tears and the weeping that we go through.
We thank God, why all of this? Where's the joy
(14:11):
and where's the peace?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
God?
Speaker 1 (14:13):
My friend Zero's in on that area of fair life
that needs to be broken. You know, the people that
God has the most difficult time with breaking Those who
are the most gifted, those who are the most talented,
those who have a characteristic of being determined, those who
(14:33):
have the most self confidence, those who have the most
things going for.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Them as far as the world is concerned.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Those the kind of people God has the most trouble
with because they have so much to rely upon that
appeers listen, that appears to be getting them through life.
What they don't see is what they're missing, and so
they hold onto the reins of their life, Lest God,
if they give up all range of their life and.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Become a slave to Jesus.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Who wants to be a slave, any wise person desires
to be a slave of the Living Christ.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Remember who you were made for. He who is living.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Within us deserves and demands the right and the authority
to have everything else about us under such control that He,
at any given moment, is able to express his life
through us through our lips, and through our eyes, and
through our hands, and through our feet, through our body,
through our thinking, through our emotions, so that you and
I are not merely reflections, but we are living, walking
(15:38):
expressions of.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
The life of Christ. Now think about this.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
He says that in the eternity future that you and
I will be trophies. Think about that you and I
will be trophies of the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And because we're trophies of the grace of God in Christ, death, barren, resurrection,
power to save, we will forever.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Be a heavenly reminder of all the angels of the
grace and love of God. In this life, we are
preparing for the life to come. In this life, we're
going to school. In this life, God has us on
the potter's wheel. Now you know, when the potter throws
a lump of clay, And so often I've seen this,
(16:26):
throws a lump of clay on the wheel, and with
a gentle touch of his fingers in his hands, and
maybe a little paddle here and there, he forms a
beautiful vase.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
If he forms it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And it doesn't come out exactly right, you know what
he does. He crushes it, throws it back on the wheel,
and goes through the same process again.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
What does God do in your life? In my life?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Whenever and wherever and however he sees any area of
independence which he knows will hinder his great purpose in
your life and mind, he throws us back on the wheel,
back in the cruciable love brokenness. And he keeps on
breaking and fragmenting and shattering and pruning and chiseling away
of our life, breaking again and again and again, until
(17:10):
he has formed us in the likeness of His son.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
That's what the Christian life is all about. It is becoming.
The doing is an overflow of the becoming.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
If Christ Jesus has brought every area of our life
into submission to his will, we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Worry about whether we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
When my will has been settlebusted, I belong heart, soul, mind,
body's spirit, everything belongs to him.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Then it's up to him.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You know why you argue with God because you have
an independent streaking that hasn't been broken. My friend, when
I look at the Bible read what God says about
the Christian life, I'm awed by what he says versus
how we act. And God says, I've zeroed in on
every unbroken, unsurrendered, ugiven area. Brokenness is God's method of
(18:07):
dealing with the spirit of independence within our life. Have
you wondered why you're going through such difficulty and hardship
and heartache and trial or you'd like to blame it
on somebody else because it's much easier to do it
that way. But my friend, could it be that God
has zeroed in on an area of your life and
he has the pressure on, and he just sort of
(18:28):
keeps tightening the vice in love by his grace, never
too much and never too quickly, but he keeps tightening
the vice, putting the pressure on in order to break
you from self dependency, self will, self sufficiency, that independent
streak that God knows is the greatest deterrence that you're
(18:50):
becoming what God wants you to be. Now this gets
real simple. Either I'm going to surrender.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
And let God have his way.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
And live my life discovering what God wants to do
and what he wants to provide. I'm going to vary, ignorantly, selfishly, blindly,
mistakenly hold on to my little bit for fear of
loss and miss God's great blessing. So I want to
(19:29):
ask you one last question. What are you holding on
to that you're willing to keep on holding on to.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
And live your.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Life missing God's best over something that is temporal and
passing and insignificant compared to what God has offered you.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You're listening to INTI the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
Think about what you're afraid to surrender to God, and
remember that freedom begins when you choose to release your
grip and trust God's promise to meet your needs. To
learn more about the freedom we gain when we surrender
to Christ, visit our website in touch dot org and
(20:19):
click on Today on Radio to hear this message again.
And if you'd like to have a copy of doctor
Stanley's complete message, you can order online over at the bookstore.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
The title is.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Brokenness The principle or order his teaching set brokenness. The
way to blessing. 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 seventy nine hundred, Atlanta, Georgia, three
(20:52):
zero three five seven. What does God use to get
your attention? Difficulty?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Pain? Learn?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Learn how to respond correctly? Coming up in today's moment
With Charles Stanley, We're not.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
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 the timeless teaching
(21:28):
of doctor Charles Stanley, available now at InTouch dot org
slash Store.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
With the Thirty Life Principles Bible Study, you'll enjoy a
rich exploration of God's Word. Designed as a ninety day
learning experience for individual use or in a group setting.
You'll explore doctor Stanley's thirty Life Principles and learn how
to make the Bible a part of your everyday life.
Because we can all benefit from a closer look. To
order the thirty Life Principles Bible study call one eight
(21:57):
hundred in Touch or visit intog slash.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Store you're listening to in Touch. Sometimes God will allow
a believer to lose something they prize in order to
gain something that's priceless. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
God knows exactly what it takes. And you think about this,
when God does take away in order to bring us
to himself. When the person resists that, it's evident that
don't understand the ways of God.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Number one.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
And secondly, to resist God's coming after us and reaching
out to us and trying to speak to our heart.
To resist that is dangerous and it's unwise. And I
would just say to some people that they who may
be doing just that. You're resisting God. You don't like
what he said, you don't like what he's done. He's
(22:53):
taking away things that you loved or things that you
thought were absolutely essential to your life, and that was
a sense of your security right there. Taking all that away,
your resistance is only going to drive you further away
from God. And the wise thing to do is this
and a lot of people think they're very wise because
they look at all they have wisdom, says God, what
are you trying to say to me? And the sooner
(23:15):
you say that, and the sooner you yield to His will,
the sooner you're going to understand what real success is about.
And then you're going to be willing to surrender to
His will and realize all of that was between God
and me. Now you've cleaned out all of that in God.
Now it's just you and me and let's see what happens.
And my friend, all of a sudden, you can have
a change of attitude about what's valuable in your life.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You can learn more about how do you life from
God's perspective. It all begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Learn about that when you visit us at intuch dot org.
If today's program fueled your excitement about Jesus, tell someone
and then share your story with us too Tomorrow on
in Touch. When we find our selves in difficult situations,
(24:01):
the main question usually on our mind is why our
series continues as we discover the purpose of brokenness. Tuesday
on in Touch, the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries Atlanta,
Georgia and remains on this station through the grace of
(24:24):
God and your faithful prayers and gifts.
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The self life is.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
That desire within me that desires to live independent of God.
And I believe if you'll stay with us, you'll understand
something about your life, about suffering, pain, about sickness, hardships,
trials and hurts that maybe you've not quite understood. You're
going to be able to look back and thank Him
(00:29):
for continuing the process even though you didn't like it.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Most believers in Jesus desire to grow spiritually, but we
often unintentionally resist the process that develops our faith. Welcome
to in touch the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
Today you'll hear scriptural truth that helps us come to
terms with pain, suffering, and hardship. Our series gets underway
(00:55):
now as we learn the principle of brokenness. Let's listen in.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Most people do not understand what the Bible teaches about brokenness,
and the last thing they want is a.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Good case of it.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
And so what they do is they try to avoid
it at any expense, at all costs. Run the other direction.
And in a day when there is so much talk
about prosperity and God healing all of our sicknesses and
God wanting us to be happy and everything just perfect.
I want to tell you the message of brokenness does
not appeal to those who do not want God's best,
(01:32):
but who want some kind of personal satisfaction.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
But here's what I want to say to you.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
In this series, You're going to understand what God has
been doing in some areas of your life that you've
wanted God, why do you keep on letting this happen. Likewise,
you're going to be able to look back and see
some times and experiences, in some hurtful times, times of
pain and suffering, that you've complained, question God, doubted God,
(02:01):
complain to your friends.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Argued with God about it. You're going to be able to.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Look back and thank Him for continuing the process even
though you didn't like it.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So I want to encourage you, my friend.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
That you'll not miss a single one of these messages,
because here is the heart of what God is trying
to do in all of our life. And I believe
if you'll stay with us, you'll understand something about your life,
about suffering, pain, about sickness, hardships, trials and hurts.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
That maybe you've not quite understood.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And I want to begin by turning to John chapter twelve,
and if you'll turn there with me, Jesus is beginning
to talk to his apostles about his death, and in
two verses of this passage he sort of lays the groundwork.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Of this whole series.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
The title of this series is brokenness the Way of Blessing,
and the title of this message is brokenness the principle.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
If you look, if you will.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
In verse twenty four and twenty five of John chapter twelve, truly, truly,
I say to you, Unless a grain of wheat falls
into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone.
But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who
loves his life loses it. He who hates his life
(03:21):
in this world shall keep it to life eternal. Now,
let's ask for just a moment and think about what
do we mean by brokenness in the light of these
two verses. Because God on what you listen carefully. Because
God has purpose to bring every area of our life
(03:44):
into submission to his will. He continually removes from us
every hindrance that would keep us from being fully surrendered
to His will and fully trusting him. You see, God
wants us to learn to live in full trust. As
(04:05):
long as I depend upon anything else in my life,
it isn't trust in Him, It is trusted in myself.
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
What is the self life?
Speaker 1 (04:18):
The self life is that desire within me that desires
to live independent of God. It is that inner desire
of independence.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Now all of us have those areas of.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
Our life at times we don't want to surrender. And
my friend, God has drawn a bulls eye in.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
That area of your life.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
He has targeted that for brokenness because He's not going
to let you along. One of the reasons that some
people go through great trial and hardship in their life
is that God is breaking them in a given area. Now,
already many of you, most of you, you already know
what it is because the spirit of God has already surfaced.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
It in your mind. You know what it is. Maybe
when it first popped up your mind, you said, all
not that, and there it is. There it is.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
You can't get rid of it. God has drawn a
circle around it, and he says, I've targeted that in
your life because God knows that that area which you
have not submitted, is hindering God's purpose and design, great
beautiful design.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
For your life.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
But we're afraid to give it up. We're afraid to
lose control. We're afraid our needs will not be met,
our desires will not be fulfilled, we won't be contented,
and we'll have to go through life lacking and missing
and not experiencing the things in life that we want
to experience. My friend, God has targeted all kinds of
(05:57):
self reliance and self confidence.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
He wants us living in, walking.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Depending, resting, in relying upon Him for every aspect of
our life. In that way and that way alone, can
God live out to the fullest all that He is
within us. It is not adding to and subtracting from.
It is Christ within you, living through you the life now.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
But sometime we have difficulty with that. And so I want.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
To explain the necessity and how this takes place. If
you will look for a moment back in John chapter twelve,
and notice this verse. He said, he who loses his
life will save it, but he who loves it's going
to lose it. That is, if I'm going to attach
(06:48):
myself and refuse to surrender, I'm going to lose the best.
But if I'm willing to hate it, to die to it,
to let it go. I'm going to win, I'm going
to gain.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Now.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
God has said this in different ways in several passes. Look,
if you will, in Matthew chapter ten, for a moment,
Verse thirty seven of Matthew ten, he who loves father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me.
And he who loves son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me. He who does not take
his cross and father after me is not worthy of me.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
He who has.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Found his life shall lose it, and he who has
lost his life for my sake shall find it. Now
all of that sounds like contradictions, but the truth of
what he's saying is this, I must be willing to
die to the self that is within me. That does
not mean that we have no personality and no life,
But I mean that part of me that is independent
(07:42):
of God, that principle of sin, that is still within me.
He says, we must be willing to die of that. Now,
I want you to turn to First Thessalonians chapter five,
and I want.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Us to see what God is referring to.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And how this takes place in a person's life. So
we know that he's talking about dying to something, giving up, surrendering, yielding.
Come in this submission to holding on, I lose, letting.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Go, I win.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
In first us along this chapter five, verse twenty.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Three, here's his prayer, Paul's prayer.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Now, may the God of Peace himself sanctify you entirely,
and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved
complete without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Now we are made.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Up truly, as he says, in this passage of body, soul,
and spirit. With our body, we relate to our environment.
We have five senses. We smell, we see, we taste,
we hear, we touch. That's the way we relate to
our environment, he says. Your body your soul. That is
(08:55):
our mind, our will, our motions, our conscience, our consciousness.
And with our soul, we relate to ourselves. We have
a self consciousness awareness of ourselves. And we also relate
to one another. We can laugh with each other, love
one another, receive each other's love, or we can become
jealous and angry. But our emotions there are thought patterns,
(09:15):
our consciousness, our conscience. That which warns is of danger.
That's a part of man. But then there is man's spirit.
He says, your spirit, soul, and body. The spirit of
man is that inner man, that is that part of
us with which we relate to Almighty God. When you
receive the Lord Jesus Christ is your personal savior. The
(09:38):
Bible says, the Holy Spirit came to undwell you.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
What did he do? The Spirit of God. You're having
been forgiven through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
The Spirit of God came into your life to unite
with your spirit, to bring to life within you a
spirit that now.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Can relate to God, so that you can to Him.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Now that you're a believer in drive of the Holy Spirit,
you are sensitive to God.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
You are aware of him. You can talk with him.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
He speaks with you. You open the words, you understand
the word of God. The Spirit of God gives you
guidance and direction, convicts you of sin. There's a whole
new life. You've been born again. Your spirit has been
born again. There's new life, a new spirit. Now by
your spirit, you.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Relate to God.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
By your soul, you relate to yourself and the others.
In with your body, you relate to the world. The
essence of brokenness is this that the Holy Spirit who
lives within me now is able to exercise the will
of the Father through my soul, through my body, into
(10:45):
life that is no longer responding to life based on
the senses, no longer responding to life based on self will,
but now responding to life based on and in submission
to the Holy Spirit who lives within us. Brokenness is
not an instantaneous act on the part of God, though
(11:07):
it can be, and it may be once in a while,
But most of the time it is a process that
begins over conviction, over some area of my life that
God has zeroed in on, and then He begins to
do some breaking.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Now what do we mean by breaking? When you think
about what is a part of our life?
Speaker 1 (11:28):
All of us have those areas of our life that
we depend upon unless God has broken us. We depend
upon our past experiences. We depend upon our abilities and
our gifts and our talents. Some people depend upon their status,
their position, their power.
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Their authority, their relationships.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Some people put their trust in their looks or where
they live, or their position in society. My friend, whatever
you put your reliance on God, God has targeted to
shatter and to break and to remove, in order that
your dependence and your alliance would be upon Him and
(12:10):
him alone. God wants no other gods in your life,
no competition in your life for your obedience and allegiance
and devotion and love and worship of Him. And whatever's
there He's going to break one way or the other.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
My friend, how does a.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Person become productive in the Christian life? Only when we
are willing for God to break everything in which we
have placed any reliance, any dependence, and it is self.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
Remember what I said in the beginning.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Brokenness is God's method of dealing with a self life,
which is that part of me that wants to act
independently of God. Turn will the Second Corinthians chapter four
for a moment. Listen to what Paul says in this passage.
(13:12):
In the sixteenth verse of Second Corinthians Chapter four, he says,
therefore we do not lose heart.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
But though our outer man, this.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Physical body, is decaying, it's getting older, yet our inner
man is being renewed. What day by day, how by
momentary light. Afflictions now they may last for years, but
against the background of eternity, it's only light for momentary light.
Affliction is producing for us something that is weighty in value,
(13:48):
far beyond all comparison. While we look not at the
things which is seen, but at the things which are
not seen. The things which you're seen a temple, but
the things which are not seen are eternal. You see
the pain and the suffering and the heartache, and the
difficulties and the tears and the weeping that we go through.
We thank God, why all of this? Where's the joy
(14:11):
and where's the peace?
Speaker 2 (14:12):
God?
Speaker 1 (14:13):
My friend Zero's in on that area of fair life
that needs to be broken. You know, the people that
God has the most difficult time with breaking Those who
are the most gifted, those who are the most talented,
those who have a characteristic of being determined, those who
(14:33):
have the most self confidence, those who have the most
things going for.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Them as far as the world is concerned.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Those the kind of people God has the most trouble
with because they have so much to rely upon that
appeers listen, that appears to be getting them through life.
What they don't see is what they're missing, and so
they hold onto the reins of their life, Lest God,
if they give up all range of their life and.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Become a slave to Jesus.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Who wants to be a slave, any wise person desires
to be a slave of the Living Christ.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Remember who you were made for. He who is living.
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Within us deserves and demands the right and the authority
to have everything else about us under such control that He,
at any given moment, is able to express his life
through us through our lips, and through our eyes, and
through our hands, and through our feet, through our body,
through our thinking, through our emotions, so that you and
I are not merely reflections, but we are living, walking
(15:38):
expressions of.
Speaker 2 (15:40):
The life of Christ. Now think about this.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
He says that in the eternity future that you and
I will be trophies. Think about that you and I
will be trophies of the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
And because we're trophies of the grace of God in Christ, death, barren, resurrection,
power to save, we will forever.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Be a heavenly reminder of all the angels of the
grace and love of God. In this life, we are
preparing for the life to come. In this life, we're
going to school. In this life, God has us on
the potter's wheel. Now you know, when the potter throws
a lump of clay, And so often I've seen this,
(16:26):
throws a lump of clay on the wheel, and with
a gentle touch of his fingers in his hands, and
maybe a little paddle here and there, he forms a
beautiful vase.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
If he forms it.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
And it doesn't come out exactly right, you know what
he does. He crushes it, throws it back on the wheel,
and goes through the same process again.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
What does God do in your life? In my life?
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Whenever and wherever and however he sees any area of
independence which he knows will hinder his great purpose in
your life and mind, he throws us back on the wheel,
back in the cruciable love brokenness. And he keeps on
breaking and fragmenting and shattering and pruning and chiseling away
of our life, breaking again and again and again, until
(17:10):
he has formed us in the likeness of His son.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
That's what the Christian life is all about. It is becoming.
The doing is an overflow of the becoming.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
If Christ Jesus has brought every area of our life
into submission to his will, we don't have to.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Worry about whether we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
When my will has been settlebusted, I belong heart, soul, mind,
body's spirit, everything belongs to him.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Then it's up to him.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You know why you argue with God because you have
an independent streaking that hasn't been broken. My friend, when
I look at the Bible read what God says about
the Christian life, I'm awed by what he says versus
how we act. And God says, I've zeroed in on
every unbroken, unsurrendered, ugiven area. Brokenness is God's method of
(18:07):
dealing with the spirit of independence within our life. Have
you wondered why you're going through such difficulty and hardship
and heartache and trial or you'd like to blame it
on somebody else because it's much easier to do it
that way. But my friend, could it be that God
has zeroed in on an area of your life and
he has the pressure on, and he just sort of
(18:28):
keeps tightening the vice in love by his grace, never
too much and never too quickly, but he keeps tightening
the vice, putting the pressure on in order to break
you from self dependency, self will, self sufficiency, that independent
streak that God knows is the greatest deterrence that you're
(18:50):
becoming what God wants you to be. Now this gets
real simple. Either I'm going to surrender.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
And let God have his way.
Speaker 1 (19:02):
And live my life discovering what God wants to do
and what he wants to provide. I'm going to vary, ignorantly, selfishly, blindly,
mistakenly hold on to my little bit for fear of
loss and miss God's great blessing. So I want to
(19:29):
ask you one last question. What are you holding on
to that you're willing to keep on holding on to.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
And live your.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Life missing God's best over something that is temporal and
passing and insignificant compared to what God has offered you.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
You're listening to INTI the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
Think about what you're afraid to surrender to God, and
remember that freedom begins when you choose to release your
grip and trust God's promise to meet your needs. To
learn more about the freedom we gain when we surrender
to Christ, visit our website in touch dot org and
(20:19):
click on Today on Radio to hear this message again.
And if you'd like to have a copy of doctor
Stanley's complete message, you can order online over at the bookstore.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
The title is.
Speaker 3 (20:30):
Brokenness The principle or order his teaching set brokenness. The
way to blessing. 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 seventy nine hundred, Atlanta, Georgia, three
(20:52):
zero three five seven. What does God use to get
your attention? Difficulty?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Pain? Learn?
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Learn how to respond correctly? Coming up in today's moment
With Charles Stanley, We're not.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
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 the timeless teaching
(21:28):
of doctor Charles Stanley, available now at InTouch dot org
slash Store.
Speaker 5 (21:34):
With the Thirty Life Principles Bible Study, you'll enjoy a
rich exploration of God's Word. Designed as a ninety day
learning experience for individual use or in a group setting.
You'll explore doctor Stanley's thirty Life Principles and learn how
to make the Bible a part of your everyday life.
Because we can all benefit from a closer look. To
order the thirty Life Principles Bible study call one eight
(21:57):
hundred in Touch or visit intog slash.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
Store you're listening to in Touch. Sometimes God will allow
a believer to lose something they prize in order to
gain something that's priceless. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
God knows exactly what it takes. And you think about this,
when God does take away in order to bring us
to himself. When the person resists that, it's evident that
don't understand the ways of God.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
Number one.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
And secondly, to resist God's coming after us and reaching
out to us and trying to speak to our heart.
To resist that is dangerous and it's unwise. And I
would just say to some people that they who may
be doing just that. You're resisting God. You don't like
what he said, you don't like what he's done. He's
(22:53):
taking away things that you loved or things that you
thought were absolutely essential to your life, and that was
a sense of your security right there. Taking all that away,
your resistance is only going to drive you further away
from God. And the wise thing to do is this
and a lot of people think they're very wise because
they look at all they have wisdom, says God, what
are you trying to say to me? And the sooner
(23:15):
you say that, and the sooner you yield to His will,
the sooner you're going to understand what real success is about.
And then you're going to be willing to surrender to
His will and realize all of that was between God
and me. Now you've cleaned out all of that in God.
Now it's just you and me and let's see what happens.
And my friend, all of a sudden, you can have
a change of attitude about what's valuable in your life.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You can learn more about how do you life from
God's perspective. It all begins with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Learn about that when you visit us at intuch dot org.
If today's program fueled your excitement about Jesus, tell someone
and then share your story with us too Tomorrow on
in Touch. When we find our selves in difficult situations,
(24:01):
the main question usually on our mind is why our
series continues as we discover the purpose of brokenness. Tuesday
on in Touch, the teaching ministry of doctor Charles Stanley.
This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries Atlanta,
Georgia and remains on this station through the grace of
(24:24):
God and your faithful prayers and gifts.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.