The Spiritual Condition of America, Politics, Culture, and Current Events Analyzed Through the Lens of Scripture. Welcome to the Alex McFarland Show. People can't change. I've heard that said to me so many times. People can't change.
Hi, Alex McFarland here. I'm going to challenge that thesis. And I believe that God can change people. And here to talk about that and being, you know, changed. When we have things in our life, I think deep down we know need to be different, and patterns and habits that need to be broken.
And we think I'm just helpless.
Well, in reality, we are. The Bible says that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. John 15:5, but Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. And somebody who really, in my opinion, exemplifies that is Roseanne Forte. She's been a guest on here before.
In fact, one of our most requested podcasts and radio shows ever that got the highest percentage of listeners of the top three or four shows we've ever done. A couple of years ago, Roseanne and I did a show on breaking alcohol addiction. By the power of God, and she is with us now. There's noise in the background, that noise you hear is the National Religious Broadcasters Convention. And we're going to talk about Roseanne's new book.
But first of all, Roseanne, welcome back to our program and thank you for the vital work you're doing for the Lord to help millions of lives. Thank you for having me. It's so nice to be back and start talking about this again. I really enjoy the opportunity.
Well, we interviewed you a couple of years ago. You had shared your own life story and your book about God delivering people from alcohol addiction. But for those that may be unaware of your work, bring us up to speed. How did the Lord bring you to where you are in your journey? Yeah, when I talked to you, I had done the or written the first book, which is called The Plans He Has for Me, and it's a daily devotional that just helps us practice things.
You know, 1 Timothy 4:15 says, Practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. Progress. And he was talking about scripture. And that's what we're doing in this devotional: practicing being with God, being in gratitude, being in prayer, all the spiritual things that God asks us to do. But I noticed that people will take this 12-week challenge and be transformed and then.
Choose alcohol again or choose their habit again and then be stuck again. And I talked to hundreds of people. That came back to me and said, I had, life was so good. But then I chose this. And I'm like, why?
Why? And they would tell me why they chose things. And it was because they were. Told a lie. Yeah, yeah.
And so I put together what I call 12 core concepts, which are biblically based and neuroscience informed about what people need to know to stay the course over the long term to choose God every single time.
So developed the Choose Freedom program. I developed a book called Prepare to Quit because My heart was breaking over people who wanted to quit alcohol but didn't know where to start. And that was in the preparation stage. And I found out. Preparation is a stage.
I don't want people to have shame, right? It's okay. I know you can't, I know you're struggling quitting. Let's talk about all the things that need to be in place to say I'm ready. And then I ended up meeting in my f my most recent book, I ended up meeting the medical director Of the American Association of Christian Counselors and 8,000 people at a conference.
We talked about this right before you and I went on the show: that God is in charge of introductions. And so I meet Dr. Benzio at a conference, and he's talking about all the things that are necessary. For change to happen. Dr.
Benzia, he's a medical doctor, a psychiatrist. Psychiatrist for the American Association of Christian Counselors, medical director. Paul Benzia. You talk about freedom from life-interfering behaviors. Right.
Roseanne, what is a quote, life-interfering behavior? I, instead of answering the specific thing, what I like to do is. Talk about the criteria that it falls under. It would be something that is taking up more time than you want it to take in your life. It would be something that might be interfering with relationships.
Somebody that's important to you is saying, hey, why are you doing this all the time? Right? It's interfering with Maybe your self-confidence and your shame and your relationship with God, and you're asking for forgiveness every day. It's interfering. with your health.
A lot of times, right, it's causing anxiety and stress and trying to think about how to stop it.
So what does that include? I'm going to talk about something that I'm working on now, picking up my cell phone first thing in the morning, right? before I'm done with my time with God. Yeah. Pornography or shopping or gaming or games, right?
It's anything, or you know, and it seems like the world in which we live here in the 21st century, there are more of these landmines than ever before. Gaming, you know, I really believe, and by the way, I purposely, decades ago, I just promised myself I would never play video games, and I haven't, because I think it's one of the biggest time wasters in history. And I meet guys that are in their, like, I used to say 20s, I meet men that are in their 50s. Either they don't have a girlfriend or never got married, or they're jeopardizing the marriage they do have. jeopardizing their job and career by gaming.
I think it's one of the biggest time wasters in world history. It is. Video games. But yet, let me ask you this: whether it's the video game or the cell phone or the intoxicating substance or God forbid porn. What do these life-interfering addictions do to our neural system and the way our brain operates?
Yeah, this is one of the most beautiful things I found out: that God created our brains as energy-saving mechanisms, right? And the best way to understand that is when you get a new job and you have to drive to and from work, you have to pay attention. You have to pay attention carefully to make the right turns and left turns, and then after a while, You start, you don't even know how you got from point A to point B. Your unconscious mind just memorizes it. And that's a God-given, you know.
Ability so that we can be efficient in how we do things. We don't have to learn how to brush our teeth every day. But our unconscious minds They're like tape recorders. They don't really care about what we put in there. It's just if we practice it, it becomes routine.
Yeah. Habitual and routine. And the interesting thing is, I think it's John 8:34 that Jesus is saying, Truly, truly, I say to you. If you practice sin, you become a slave to sin. And Oh my gosh, talk about neuroscience, right?
And he also says we can renew our minds. And that's the hopeful part that I want to share with people where you started the show. You know, we think we can't change, and it feels that way because change is really hard. Hold that thought if you don't mind. We have to take a break.
Folks, this could be one of the most important things that you hear. like all year long. About how Jesus Christ has a new day, a new path. Yes, change is possible, and Christ is at the center of it. Stay tuned more after this brief break.
Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. In recent years, our nation has suffered greatly and we seem to be on a rapid moral decline. We've rejected God, morality, and we've almost completely lost our sense of patriotism. It's no wonder that many are asking the question: is this the end of America?
Hi, Alex McFarland here, and I want to make you aware of my book, The Assault on America: How to Defend Our Nation Before It's Too Late. You know, our nation has seen politicians that are corrupted by greed and they've got a vested interest in power, and many of our elected officials seem to care little about the country that they've been appointed to serve. Read my book, The Assault on America. We can stand up for our great nation and defend America Before It's Too Late. It's available everywhere.
You can learn more on my own website, which is alexmacfarland.com. Read the book, The Assault on America: How to Defend Our Nation Before It's Too Late. He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. Welcome back to the program.
It's always a joy to hear of people finding Christ and being saved by putting their faith in Jesus, but it is a double blessing when we hear of people being set free. Set free from their past, set free from Anger and wounded emotions. And Roseanne Forte is our guest, and she is a prolific author and just, frankly, a wise person. And I have interviewed her a time or two. Roseanne, by the way, Transformed by His Promises, a 12-week devotional for freedom from life-interfering behaviors.
Renew your mind, rewire your brain, and restore your life with biblical wisdom and neuroscience. Is this your most recent book? It is. You know, folks, the list of endorsers reads like a who's who, many of whom we've had on this show, including people like Lisa Stewart, who we know, David Jenkins, so many great people. She co-wrote this with Carl Benzio.
And of course, Jim Daly, oh my goodness, who I worked with at Focus on the Family. I worked for James Dobson for eight years. I know Jim Daly very well. And of course, Tim Clinton, the president of AACC. He says this is a powerful guide for overcoming life-interfering behaviors through faith reflection and intentional decision-making.
So Roseanne, I think about when people try to change. I'm talking about believers. And they they love the Lord. They have put their faith in Christ. No doubt.
And yet there are things that are just destroying them. many things they've brought into their life that by the choices they've made. But when they try and they say, Okay, this this time it's for real and they fail and they they feel very shamed And I'm thinking about a man I counseled. This is absolutely true. a man that came to my office weeping.
His career, his marriage, his family, it was all imploding because he had around the nation. women that he was cheating with. Talk about a train wreck times ten. And he had vowed and vowed to reform himself, which he couldn't do. And he felt so shamed.
And he just frankly hated himself. At any rate, we could give many stories under you as a counselor could as well. But what do we do when we we realize we can't change and we feel like there is no hope. How do you counsel a person who's at that place?
Well, one, I I want them to understand there's hope for all of us that, you know, We're being worked on and through until the day Jesus returns. And, um,. And there are lots of people that have walked ahead of you. On the other side, that are waiting to grab your hand and say, Trust me, you know, walk with me through this, or I'll love you through this, or I'll help you through this.
So, one, just having hope that change is possible is. is number one. Two You've got to get what's hidden in the darkness, and I say in the recesses of your mind, conversing with Satan. There's no way you've got to share with somebody you trust, like your friend did. You've got to share what you're struggling with, because then that's a big release of responsibility, and somebody who's compassionate to that, right?
And then there's a process. There's a process of walking with God, and there's a process that's why I have the devotionalist, walking with God and understanding maybe the root causes of why you're doing what you're doing. Because most of us, you know, for me it was alcohol, and I was using it to just. Because I couldn't cope with the life, you know, I didn't know how to cope with the stresses of life. I suspect there was some of that embedded in your friend's walk as well.
Well, when we believe that we're going to find. Completion, satisfaction, fulfillment. Outside of God and way outside of God's boundaries. That's a lie, isn't it? It is, it is.
And every time we and that's the devotional, there's like 84 straight days of me saying, yeah, in the first one, me saying, look, here's what God said. Here's how I didn't believe him. I kind of like took a different route. I suffered a consequence, and then we pray, God, I want to walk with the truth of your word and not turn my back on you anymore because you are my protection. And that's when you practice that for 84 days, it kind of makes a difference.
It really does. And obviously, much of this is spiritual and emotional, but establishing a habit, like you said, you know, we drive to work and we take the same route and it just becomes natural. We can. And correct me if I'm saying this wrong, but we can retrain our brains to think different ways. I've always heard.
It takes 21 days to establish a habit.
Well, it can take longer for certain habits. Drugs are longer, alcohol's a little longer, but you know, from what I've seen inside that 12 weeks, man, you can be transformed for sure. And most habits. You know, I've done it with sugar.
Okay. It's about six weeks, you know. Breaking the sugar addiction. I'm breaking my cell phone habit in the morning, and I'm, you know, about halfway through, and it's made significant. difference.
But is it second nature yet? I would say, you know, temptation is not a sin. I think that's an important concept. Amen. Temptation is not a sin.
And so what I'm finding is I'm tempted by it. but I can stop and go. No, because I understand the consequence. Do you know to be tempted is not the sin. To yield to it.
Augustine, one of the greatest Christian leaders of history, he lived 1600 years ago. But apparently, before he became a believer, Saint Augustine. went to the brothels.
So He's walking down a street one day, and a prostitute called out. Augustine, Augustine, it is I. He said, Yes, but it is no longer I. Because he wasn't the same person. Oh, I love that.
Yeah, that can happen. I want to say to everybody listening: whatever. Trap the world, the flesh, and the devil. And those are the evil triumvirate: the world, the flesh, and the devil. And one of those three areas of Danger, you're ensnared in, you can be made new in Christ.
And your brain and your habits and your desires even can be changed, can't they? Absolutely. And I practice what I preach. Part of this is saying the Lord's Prayer every day. And wow, my life has changed just through that because we can acknowledge He's the Father, that He already knows the end of the story.
That I can remember to ask for forgiveness every day and just kind of wipe the plate clean. I can remember not to hold grudges and have bitterness through unforgiveness, right? I can, and my biggest thing. That I know you would understand. Give me this day my daily bread.
Give me today what I need to get through. And that is so helpful to me to slow down with that prayer every day, to practice that every day, to be with Him because. I am tempted a lot in a lot of different ways. And then I go, nope. And that's just because I spend every morning with Him.
Amen. We've got to take a break. Stay tuned, folks. We're going to come back more of these life-changing promises from God. And yes, God has promises for you, my friend.
And we're going to talk further about this after this brief break. Fox News and CNN call Alex McFarland, a religion and culture expert. Stay tuned for more of his teaching and commentary after this. Producer Mike for the Alex McFarlane Show, listen to this. Alex is the Christian voice we need right now.
I love listening to him, and the guests he has on the show are just amazing. I highly recommend his podcast. Great words, Alex.
Well, we give God the glory. We thank the listeners for kind sentiments like that, but we give God all the glory. But, folks, please listen in, spread the word. You're spreading the gospel. Tell others about our programming, and we sincerely thank you.
He's been called trusted, truthful, and timely. Welcome back to the Alex McFarlane Show. We are back coming to you live from the floor of the NRB convention, and we're going to resume our conversation with Roseanne Forte. I do want to remind everybody: please pray for Alex McFarlane Ministries. We have our youth camps coming up, conferences later this fall, the Conversation That Matter conferences, and we're going to be doing a big seminar on reaching Muslims with the gospel of Christ.
Also, I'll be at the Cove twice this summer, the Billy Graham Training Center in Western North Carolina. You can learn about those visits at thecove.org, T-H-E-C-O-V-E. I'll be teaching Daniel and Revelation. I'll also be there with a major apologetics seminar with Gary Habermas. It's going to be fantastic.
But one more thing: United in Prayer. Every Tuesday, we release a prayer devotional. And Roseanne and I were talking about beginning each day with what I would call spiritual habits, whether it be the Lord's Prayer or a scripture.
Well, United in Prayer, and you can sign up at alexmacfarland.com. That's alexmacfarlane.com/slash United Prayer. Every Tuesday, we send you a little devotional, it'll take you maybe three or four minutes to read, just to help you get in the habit of praying, and I mean praying with power. And so check that out if you would. And then finally, I would ask you to please, please consider a tax-deductible contribution to our ministries, events, publishing, broadcasting.
Every week, literally every week, we have the joy of sharing the gospel to millions of listeners and viewers. We have many, many, many thousands of people every year that come to faith in Christ. We send out, oh, I don't know. I I could not number how many thousands of books And emails and printed material we send out. And the gospel is free, but it takes resources to deliver that free message.
And so, if you would consider donating online at alexmacfarland.com or being a monthly partner with us that we could tell the world about salvation in Jesus, we are grateful.
Well, with us is Roseanne Forte, just a friend and a colleague. She's written a number of books. She's helping people find new life and hope in Jesus. And Roseanne, a verse in your book is Proverbs 4:25. Look straight ahead.
Fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet. Stay on the safe path. Don't get sidetracked. Keep your feet from following evil.
And this idea of look on the straight ahead, keep your eyes. It takes some intentionality, doesn't it? But These habits they bear fruit, don't they? They do, and that's what I love about this 12-week challenge. You know, if you If you think about any habit that you have, it It is life controlling.
Never mind life interfering. It's controlling us. And when.
Somebody said to me, take this 90-day challenge. I'm just saying, Trust God, take a 12-week challenge and see what He does. See what He does with all that He promises. And that is a perfect verse because we're going to look straight ahead, we're going to look, we're going to persevere, we're going to run the race. And we're not going to look left or right.
We're not going to be, you know, we might be tempted, but we're going to choose the straight path for 12 weeks, see what happens. And then we're documenting, we're reflecting. We're documenting gratitude. I'm sleeping better. I have less anxiety.
I feel closer to you, Father. And it's amazing.
Well, let me say this, that one of the things that is transformative is getting a good night's sleep. You know, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who was a great Christian leader 200 years ago, but when he was training. Not only ministers, but young Christians, he was insistent that they go to bed on time. and get up on time. And Roseanne, working with so many teens that we do in counseling families, a big thing now, and Moms and dads, you've got to intervene.
um kids that sleep with their mobile device. I knew you were going to say that. Yeah. First of all, seven-year-olds don't need a smartphone. Mm-hmm.
12, 15 year olds don't need as morphine. But moms and dads, it is imperative at every age of life, especially during the cognitive development of the adolescent years, that you get rest. Talk to us about You know, as a Christian, as a steward of my life, Um the value of getting A proper night's sleep. Yeah, that's how your brain repairs, right? It's how.
There are so many things that happen during the night that are restorative to your body. As a matter of fact, one of these core concepts in the Choose Freedom program, when we live in a state of anxiety, there is a scientist that looked at the cellular level what happens when you add toxins or Different things to your cells. They're either in growth mode or they're in protection mode. And a cell cannot be in both modes, it can't be in growth. and protection.
And the scientists Eventually says, in order to be in growth mode, you have to do things and create situations where you're flourishing and communicating with other people, you know, and all these things. If you're in protection mode, which means you're fearful of something. Yeah. That's where most disease comes from, is inflammation and anxiety and stress. Stress is part of that, yeah.
Yeah, and so that sleeping is very restorative. To your entire body.
So Hebrews 12 talks about laying aside every weight. and the sin which so easily besets us. And I was doing a word study on that about There is like an Achilles heel, and what I'm vulnerable to, you're not vulnerable to. You have another weak spot that's your own thing. And, you know, I think.
Satan knows what our blind spots are and our vulnerabilities, and I think the temptations play on those things. If you would, Roseanne, talk to us about identifying our besetting sin. Or our weak spot, and then really with the help of God and His Word, overcoming those. Yeah, I think the identification comes from what we talked at the beginning. And most people know what it is, but you know, I think some people might be oblivious to it.
Sitting back and talking to God in a quiet space and going, what. What is it that's happening that's tearing me from relationships, from productivity, from time, from Love from finances. Like a lot of things are affected when we're dealing with a sinful habit. And I think flipping that on its head. And going, okay, I've identified it.
That is the sin in my life. What does it look like? For me to get rid of that, have better relationships, feel more connected. Get more productive, like, what does that look like? There's the hope that God.
Is promising, does that? Yeah. Well, and I think also, and I guess I'm a preacher up on a soapbox here, we have to call sin by its right name. It's not a quirk. It's not, you know, an idiosyncrasy.
No, I mean, some things in life are sin. And the Bible tells us to turn from Turn away from sin.
Well, and what I've learned in this walk, too, is I think you're right. We use this word sin, but it can cause so much shame.
So I try and balance it because the people I talk to are filled with shame. Right? And so I don't want to produce more. I just want to say We're all sinners. Let's just start there.
Absolutely. And But sin is sin, and that's why I love the Lord's Prayer because if we can really believe what Jesus did on the cross. Was to pay for that, and we get to go to the cross every single day and start new. What a blessing. What a gift.
What a gift. And his mercies. uh are new every morning. His love and grace for you, dear listener, is inexhaustible. I want to say this with all my heart.
And Roseanne, you're doing such great work. By the way, what is your website? Oh, www.choosefreedom.today. Choosefreedom.today. I like that.
I like that. Listeners. God isn't mad at you. God isn't throwing up his hands and saying, oh boy, I'm done with him. If I had the money I would put this on every billboard On every intersection, God loves you.
Jesus Christ is for you. Listeners, please believe that. He's got all the power. And the Bible says Christ will withhold no good thing from us.
Well, being set free is a good thing. Having joy is a good thing. having control And knowing that Jesus is for you. Those are good things. And so we always say this, but it's so true.
Jesus is as close by as a prayer. On the website, alexmacfarland.com, there's a tab: What does God say about my relationship with him? And Jesus's arms are open. One last thing I'll say: and Roseanne, I want to thank you, transformed by his promises, prepare to quit. All the work you've done, yes, plans he has for me.
That's another fantastic 12-week book. Folks, listen to this. And uh we're done. The Lord Jesus knows what you need even before you ask, and the glory of the cross is. Your life can be made brand new beginning today.
If we can help you in your walk, To come to Christ or come back to Christ, reach out to us, alexmacfarlane.com. In the meantime, may God give you every blessing. John 6.37. Christ said, The one who comes to me I will in no way reject. Alex McFarlane Ministries are made possible through the prayers and financial support of partners like you.
For over 20 years, this ministry has been bringing individuals into a personal relationship with Christ and has been equipping people to stand strong for truth. Learn more and donate securely online at alexmacfarlane.com. You may also reach us by calling 1-877-YESGOD and the number 1. That's 1-877-YESGOD1. Thanks for joining us.
We'll see you again on the next edition of the Alex McFarlane Show. Hey, producer Mike here for the Alex McFarlane Show. You know, Alex just released his 21st book. It just came out: 100 Questions on Prophecy and the End Times. And he's here with me in the studio.
Alex, tell us about it.
Well, people everywhere are telling me they love this book. I'm going to ask a favor of the listeners. Folks, this will help, I assure you. Would you go into your local Barnes Noble bookstore? Find a Barnes Noble and go in.
If they don't have my books, would you special order yourself a copy in the Barnes Noble store? The new book, 100 Bible Questions on Prophecy and the End Times, fresh research, published by Broadstreet. Please go into your local Barnes Noble and ask for this and all the other books I've written. It will help spread the word, grow our sales, and get the gospel in the hands of others. And I thank you for doing this to spread the gospel.
