Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Jesus can break every chain. Whether it is drugs, Or alcohol. Or sex. Jesus can break Every change and he will.
If you will experience his power in your life. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how to live in real freedom.
Now, here's Doctor Graham with his message. Breaking Free from Addiction.
Now, statistically, we are an addicted. Culture. One of the problems that we face is that so many deny. their addictions. It's part of the lies that Satan tells us and the lies that we tell ourselves.
Lies like Well, I don't really have a problem. Or It's not that bad. Or I can quit any time. Or It's not hurting anybody else. By now, I can assume that I have heard them all.
And frankly, they're not all that creative to me these days. Because Satan keeps repeating the same lies. Method of operation is the same as it was way back. And The beginning.
So people often stay addicted to their sin or their pain or their struggle or their their stress or their depression or Their anger or their anxiety or their physical mental addiction, emotional strangulation. They stay addicted because. They no longer in control. You see, addiction is anything you can't control. One of the key words in understanding addiction is found in all the literature.
And all the discussions regarding dealing with addiction is the word dependence. Dependence is a synonym for Addiction. Did you know the Bible talks about this? In 2 Peter chapter 2 and 19, it speaks of giving ourselves over to something. Here's the way it's put: for whatever overcomes a person, that is, you give yourself over to this, it overcomes you.
To that He is enslaved.
So Addiction is enslavement. It is A life out of control. or behavior. that is out of control. The purpose of this message series is to show you from God's Word.
What the scripture says regarding breaking the chains in your life. which will enable you to overcome. You need to understand what God says about your problem. You need to know the biblical truth because, again, we tell ourselves lies. about our struggles.
Or we believe the lies of Satan. But God made you to be free.
Now, freedom is not the same as license. You know, freedom is not the freedom to do everything you want, freedom is to do what you ought. And to live in freedom. is the promise of God for all. Freedom is such an empowering and instinctive within the human heart, within the soul of man.
No one was made to live in tyranny and bondage. Let freedom. Freedom ring. And let freedom reign. In your heart.
Because Jesus came to set you free. John 8:32, and you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free. And then Jesus said, so if the Son sets you free. You will be free in deed.
So the chains that bind us. the habits that hold us back. The sins. that enslave us. Must be broken and they can be broken.
in Christ. It really just Two parts. to this first message. What it means to be chained. and how to be unchanged.
Chained. What am I talking about?
Well, I'm talking about anything that controls you, anything that keeps you. From becoming the person that God intended for you to be. Anything that dominates your life. And ultimately destroys your life. It is self-defeating, self-depreciating.
Self-destructive behavior. It is the kind of behavior that ultimately destroys your life and people all around you, the fallout of addiction in homes and families, children. And Society and culture itself is massive. And so it's a major problem. But in Christ You can be set free.
Now all sin is addictive. All sin can ultimately become Habitual. We all deal with issues in our lives. Because we all have a human heart that is, according to the prophet Jeremiah. despicable And desperately wicked.
Now, in Christ, as we're going to see, we have a new heart and a new life, but here's the truth that you need to grasp. If you are a follower, a believer in the Lord Jesus. You are still in the flesh. You are still in a human body. You still have a human mind.
The Spirit of God comes in to take residence in your life. The Spirit of the Living Christ is now in you, but that doesn't mean that you cease to deal with the flesh and the desires and your own humanity. And in fact, this will be a constant struggle. All the days of your life. Did you know?
That the greatest Christian who ever lived, in my estimation, The Apostle Paul struggled with the spiritual battle. and with sin itself. What to do? When faced with temptations and struggles and difficulties, the Apostle Paul dealt with this. In fact, in Romans chapter 7, verses 14 to 15.
He says, for we know. That the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold unto sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing that I hate. Verse 17: So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
That's addiction. Sin's trying to take over. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my. Flesh. We get our word carnal.
from that word flesh. Carne. And it's the principle, it is the self-principle, it is the sin principle that still lives in us. and none other than the great Apostle Paul. Said, I fight this battle.
Between what I want to do and what I actually do. What I don't want to do, what I end up doing, what I want to do, that I end up not doing. He said, Who will deliver me? from this body. A death.
It is a life And death. Struggle. And one of the first things you need to do if you're dealing. With Addiction is to admit your addiction.
Someone said an excuse Is the skin of a reason stuffed With a lie. And the way to victory, the way to purity. The way to freedom. Is to begin by saying, I can't defeat this on my own. I've got a problem.
I'm struggling with this. I must now seek the help. The help of Jesus Christ and of his people. Because the good news is we are not in Christ Powerless. We we are not Slaves.
If we are in Christ. We have been Set free. We just need to learn to live in the victory that Christ has given us. You can resist in the name of Jesus, the world, the flesh, the devil. You can, in His name, defeat every chain.
And stop believing the lies that you tell yourself or the lies that the enemy tells you. To begin by saying, I am helpless in my own strength. And you may be helpless, but I'm here to tell you it's not hopeless. It's not hopeless. But you have to be willing.
to be unchained. to be set free. to be made whole. To be healed. Because Sin is like a disease.
That It takes hold of our hearts and our lives. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message. Breaking free from addiction. Transform your spiritual life through the power of daily prayer. This September, Jack Graham invites you to deepen your relationship with God through a month-long prayer journey that will strengthen your faith and draw you closer to your Creator.
To get started, Text challenge to 59-789 and deepen your connection with God as Dr. Graham leads you through this transformative 30-day prayer journey. Your spiritual breakthrough could be just one text away. Again, that's challenge to 59789. Our world desperately needs Jesus.
Every single day, countless people slip into eternity without ever hearing that Christ offers victory over death and the gift of eternal life. That's why your partnership to share the gospel is so vital. We want to remind you about the $200,000 matching grant that will double your gift of support today to bring the gospel where people need it most. We'll say thanks for your gift of $10 or more with two copies of Dr. Graham's book, Triumph.
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Now let's get back to today's message. Breaking Free from Addiction.
Jesus met a man one day. at the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. There was a saying, a custom among the people then that when the waters began to stir in this particular pool. The first one in gets healed. And so people would go to this pool and seek healing and help.
Well, this particular man had been laying there for 38 years. And every time the waters would stir, he would try to get in and couldn't get there fast enough. And one day, Jesus of Nazareth comes by and looks at him and singles him out. And when he caught his eyes, Jesus said. Do you want To be made well.
What? Why would you ask me, do I want to get well?
Well, I've seen it. You've seen it too. There are some people that really don't want to get well. They get used to their behavior. They get used to their lives the way they are.
Oh, they may say they want to get well. But they start identifying themselves.
Well, I'm just an addict or I'm just a loser. And can actually get comfortable in the sin. This man was laying there all these years, and Jesus wanted him to say, Yes, I want to get well. Yes, I want to be healed. more than anything in my life.
And Jesus healed him.
So the question remains. Do you want to get well? It starts with admitting your need and confessing. That you're chained. and saying, I can't live like this anymore.
If you're struggling with sin or the habits that are holding you back, addictions, You've tried therapy, you've tried books. You've tried Church You've tried promising to do better. None of that works. Because that's all externally focused. Psychology can help us understand.
What's wrong with us? But only Jesus can break the chains. Ultimately and finally. But why do we do those things that we try not to do and don't do the things that we want to do? Because Satan is messing With your mind.
2 Corinthians 11, 3. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts, your thoughts, Christian. Your thoughts, believer, will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. Satan's primary tool then and now is deception, lies. And the same devil with the same lies that entrapped Eve in Eden is attempting to control the way you think.
He's trying to get into your head. And to create a pattern of thinking that creates then a pattern of behavior that can enslave you, addiction. In reality, the real problem, listen to me now. My problem, your problem. Pride.
Arrogance. Self-sufficiency. That I get to do what I want to do no matter what. or who it hurts. And when I began thinking about that, the sin, the behavior, begins to take over.
It can take over your thought life and then it takes over your work life. You can't stop thinking about it. You can't go out anywhere without the chains. You're just walking around with these chains. And the sin or the behavior, the sinful behavior becomes more important than your wife or your husband.
It becomes more important than your friends, your family, your kids. It becomes more important than your church. And Christian believers, it becomes more important than your career, your job, your calling in life. It just takes over. Let's change.
And I'm here as your pastor who loves you to warn you, to beg with you in the name of Jesus. to admit your helplessness. And in faith. and trust in the name of Jesus. To deny yourself and in the power of Christ.
Stop believing the lies. When a believer begins to say, I need this forbidden fruit. I want this pleasure. What I want, I have to have, and I'll do anything. To get it.
That's when Satan is in your life. Head. And since the sin. Yeah. your heart.
And change. or on your life. You see, Satan has programmed your mind. to think his way rather than God's way. That's addiction.
For some of you, you've been believing the lies so long. You don't know the difference between the truth and a lie. And the only way to learn the difference and to change the pattern of your thinking is: number one. This is how to get unchained. First and foremost is to Discover your identity in Christ, who you are in Jesus.
Because you can't say if you are in Christ. Oh, I'm just an addict. Or I'm just an adulterer. Or I'm just A porn freak. Not if you're in Christ.
You may be a Christian struggling with some of these issues. That's not who you are. You're a new person in Jesus Christ. You were born. To win.
to defeat the enemy. You are alive in Christ. And you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. There is no enemy that can't go down in the name of Jesus. If you understand your true Identity.
So stop saying to yourself, I can't win over this thing. I can't defeat this pattern of behavior. That's a lie. Why?
So most people act out their feelings. Their feelings are produced by what they think.
So you start thinking the wrong way and you start Feeling the wrong way. And ultimately, your feelings are acted out.
So people start feeling things like, well, I just don't feel like I love my wife anymore. Or I've lost that loving feeling for my husband. I'm unhappy. And I need pleasure. I'm down.
I need something to get me up. And the pattern of thinking and feeling and acting. Is repeated again and again. Why?
Because Jesus said Satan is the father of lies. When he lies, he speaks of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus said in John 10, Satan is a thief whose only purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.
So it begins by understanding you have an enemy, admitting. Your personal failure, your inability to help yourself apart from the power of Christ. And then, in a relationship with Jesus, you know that you have the power in Christ. You have a new identity, you have a new name, you have a new nature, you are not helpless. in the power of Christ.
I'm going to wrap it up today with a scripture that I think will. Shed the light you need. Galatians 5, 16 to 24. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the. of the flesh.
For the desires of the flesh are against the spirit. And the desires of the spirit are against the flesh. For these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under. The law, that is the power of judgment under the law.
And then verse 19 How's this for an addictive list?
Now, the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity. Sensuality. Idolatry.
Sorcery. Greek word is pharmakia, which can mean drugs. Enmity, strife. Jealousy. fits of anger.
Rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit God's Spirit. is love and joy. And peace.
Patience. and kindness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self- Control.
Against such thing there is no law. Why?
Because this is the power of Christ. This is the power of his love. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Look, there's only one thing to do with our flesh, and that's to crucify it. You can't modify it, change it externally.
You can decorate it, make it look better. But if you're an alcoholic and you can't control the alcohol, whether you're a bum on the street or you're sitting in church. wearing a $3,000 suit. You're under the power of something else, and you need to be changed from the inside, not by decorating it and just looking good. You know, I've known people to get in accountability groups.
Did you know that being in accountability groups, you can lie right through your teeth to your accountability partners? And sometimes accountability is nothing but manage sin.
So, you can do all the right things on the outside, the external things, that never changes anything. The way to overcome The desires of the flesh and the addictions of the soul and the body. is by the Holy Spirit. You do it by Starving the flesh and feeding the spirit. If you feed the flesh, guess what happens?
You want more and more and more. And you starve the work of the Holy Spirit. But when you feed the Spirit In prayer, in the Word of God, in the praise and the worship of Jesus Christ, in the fellowship of God's people, genuine, authentic accountability. When you are walking in the word and walking in the spirit, then you start winning spiritual battles and peeling back the darkness, and you live not in defeat, but you live in victory in Jesus Christ. When you stop believing the lies Satan tells you, the lies your friends tell you, the lies the culture tells you.
The lies you tell yourself and believing in the truth in Jesus Christ, that's when you'll be free. That's when you'll walk in the spirit. Stop believing what Satan says about you and start believing what God says about you. That you Are alive in Christ, that you. have the power of Christ.
In you. You're no longer enslaved. You're free. And if the Son, Jesus, will make you free, you will be free indeed. You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message: Breaking Free from Addiction.
We're excited to announce that we've been offered a $200,000 matching grant that will double your gift today to help proclaim the life-giving hope of Jesus to people all across the globe. Because your gift is so important, we want to send you a thank you for your generosity by sending you two copies of Dr. Graham's book, Triumph.
to encourage your faith and equip you to share the hope of Jesus with someone who needs it. Please give generously knowing that your gift will be doubled and make sure to request your copies when you give. Text the word overcome to 59-789. Again, the word is overcome. to 59-789.
Transform your spiritual life through the power of daily prayer. This September, Jack Graham invites you to deepen your relationship with God through a month-long prayer journey that will strengthen your faith and draw you closer to your Creator. To get started, Text challenge to 59-789 and deepen your connection with God as Dr. Graham leads you through this transformative 30-day prayer journey. Again, that's challenge to 59789.
Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? We must take drastic actions to deal with the addictions that plague us. Because when it comes to ridding our lives of sin and habits of addiction, the only option is to be extreme. The world may tell you that your addiction, whatever it may be, is not a big deal. But God doesn't see it that way because your sin, your habits, your addictions are hurting you.
Remember how seriously our Lord Jesus took sin? He said in Matthew 18, verse 8: If your hand or your foot cause you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or feet and to be thrown into eternal fire. That's extreme. And the time has come.
To stop the excuses, stop believing the lies, stop believing the lies that Satan tells you, stop believing the lies you tell yourself. and start believing what God says. You have the power, if you are a believer and follower of Jesus. You have the presence and the power of Christ in you. Christ lives in you and will enable you to overcome and to break every chain.
You and I must take extreme measures. to rid ourselves of our addiction and our sin. and God gives us the power and the strength to do it. And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift of $10 or more to PowerPoint, we'll send you two copies of Dr.
Graham's book, Triumph, as our thanks. Text the word overcome to 59-789. And join us again next time as Dr. Grant brings a message about how you can find freedom from fear. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham.
PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.
