STEPPING INTO ABUNDANT LIVING – POWERLESSNESS
TONIGHT WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON ANOTHER PRINCIPLE AND HINDRANCE TO
ENJOYING THE ABUNDANT LIFE WE ARE PURSUING IN THIS CLASS.
John 10:10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).
WHY NOT LIFE TO THE FULL? WHY
NOT ABUNDANT LIVING?
LAST WEEK – DENIAL – you were introduced to the promise in JEREMIAH
- God wants to HEAL our Wounds and set
us free However, a wound can’t be healed
by saying it isn’t there..…
THE
Principle – realize we are not God –
admit we are powerless to control our tendency to do the wrong thing and admit
our life has areas of unmanageability.
The Sermon on the Mount
MATTHEW
5:3–12 Beatitudes
GNB –
Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.
Genuine happiness, said Jesus, comes from
• recognizing our need for God
(spiritual poverty) (5:3)
part of
seeing our spiritual poverty is realizing our powerlessness.
THIS WEEK WE ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF POWERLESSNESS.
What don’t
we have power over? – Brainstorm…&
respond/ dialogue
·
The
weather -- what else??
·
FEELINGS/
EMOTIONS (EXPLAIN) can’t stop them from happening but… we can have power over
what we do with them.
·
Other
People
Even though we are Powerless over
Others, we must..
Stop making excuses for them.
And.. we need to Stop making excuses
for ourselves.
While it is our goal to
develop compassion and achieve forgiveness, acceptance, and love, it is also
our goal to accept reality and hold people
accountable for their behavior. We
can also hold ourselves accountable for our own behavior and, at the same time,
have compassion and understanding for ourselves.
When we claim powerlessness,
we are not claiming irresponsibility. We
have no power to control others, what they do, what they did, or what they
might do. We're stating that we are
willing to end an ineffective life based on willpower and control. And we're beginning a spiritual, mental, and emotional
journey in which we take responsibility for ourselves.
We are not victims. We are not helpless. Accepting powerlessness when that is
appropriate enables us to begin owning our true power to take care of ourselves
and let go of others.
We need to avoid making excuses for our own or someone else's
behavior. -- let consequences and
responsibility fall where they belong.
Edited version from “The Language of Letting Go”
Author: Melody Beattie
I Can’t ..
God can. I’ll let Him….
Lessons
learned from car remote/ keys.. and electric tooth brush.
When we
run out of power what do we have the tendency to do?
1. give up, feel hopeless, we quit
2. blame – someone must have unplugged
it – didn’t check the battery – it’s their fault
3. revert to our own power – my
example: I could have done this which would have been ok but maybe not as good
4. call someone hoping they have the
power… if nothing else some advice to get out of the mess (like the husband
about using the key)
5. best choice: get plugged in to the
power source! Recharge!
What are
some of the powerless little gods we plug into – those that we put in place of
the One and Only powerful God?
1. our
intellects 2. our anger that makes us
feel powerful 3. a spouse/ dating partner
4. a substance: drugs, alcohol, food
5. our positions …. You name it,
we will come up with something..
How do we
move on.. step closer to abundant living?
1. Stop denying the pain/ the problem/
the situation/ the area of powerlessness.
2. Stop playing God. Stop trying to fix – control, etc.. You know the more out of control we feel the
more we control.. ex. Elderly..
caregiver, etc.. eating disorders
3. Start admitting that we have areas
of unmanageability in our lives.
4. Start admitting our powerlessness.
When we
admit we are powerless, we begin to..
- break pride Prv 29:23 (NLT)
23 Pride ends in humiliation,
while humility brings honor.
while humility brings honor.
For all
those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves
will be exalted.”
- stop worrying – Matt 6:34(NLT)
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. utilize the serenity prayer
- we quit trying to escape – trying to
escape pain drains us of precious energy. When we admit our powerlessness, God
opens true escape routes showing us His power and grace. … scripture on providing a way out… 1
Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
- loneliness ends – why? As long as we
maintain our false power, we become isolated and alone. Admitting powerlessness
and our need, opens the door to connection in the Body of Christ.
Read 1 Cor chapter 12
- separation we may feel from God ends –
separation from God feels very real and as long as we continue to attempt to control and have power over things God is
calling us to surrender, we pull away. However,
the truth is: Ro 8:38-39 (NLT)
38 And I am convinced that nothing can
ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons,[a] neither our fears for today nor our worries
about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
39 No power
in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will
ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
In conclusion….
We must realize and remember that our God has a name for ALL our needs–
including our powerlessness! – God has a name for Power!!!!
God’s
name: El Shaddai = “I am your all
powerful God”!
Ps 68:35
“you are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and
strength to His people. Praise be to
God!”
STEPPING INTO ABUNDANT LIVING –
POWERLESSNESS
GROUP
WORK
1. Share your thoughts on
powerlessness. How do you feel when you
think about being powerless over certain situations or people in your
life?
2. Who would you like to
change and why?
3. Are you ready to admit
your powerlessness over the people in your life – admit that you cannot change
them?
4. What area do you need to
admit you cannot change in your own personal life?
5. What did you do this past
week to move out of denial and into a realistic view of your life and
situations?
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