Overcoming Temptations/Addictions: Part 3

The Bible is the inspired Word of God. In its pages we find the answers to life's most perplexing questions. The Bible is filled with precious gems of information, just waiting for you to discover each and every morning. I recommend the Bible; the Uncompromising, Unfailing, Infallible Word of God.


OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS AND ADDICTIONS: PART 3:
The Rules of Engagement


Overcoming Every Temptation and living righteously in the sight of a Holy God is advantageous for so many reasons. Let's explore one of those reasons below.


Sin Separates From God

The Bible says

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

I do not want to be separated from my Creator. The Bible teaches that God's goodness and mercy is forever. God loves us. He made us in His Own Image. Even thou I am the created & He is the Creator, the Bible says He calls us "Brethen" (Hebrews 2:11). That's pretty good wouldn't you say.

One day Jesus looked around and say whoever does his will is his mother, sisters and his brothers.
Matthew 12:50 "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother". That's pretty good and generous wouldn't you say.

But sin separate us from God. Consider the case of King Saul. The Bible says

1 Samuel 28:6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

Saul's constant disobedience separated him from God. God is Holy. Likewise, God wants His people to be Holy as well.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

God wants us to be
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Wouldn't it be a dream come true to be considered righteous by the heavenly host like Daniel, Noah, Job, Elijah, Elisha, John the Baptist, and Deborah. We would enjoy the presence of God in a special way. Imagine being like Abraham and considered a Friend of God

James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Righteousness requires faith.
However, obedience & good works is the evidence of your faith. Don't let anyone fool you and say you can't obey God. Let's break the chains of sin, disobedience and addiction.

LET'S BREAK THE CHAINS ADDICTION, SIN & DISOBEDIENCE


James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

In this verse is found the source of unlimited power to be victorious over every single temptation and addiction. Have you ever wondered why the devil going to flee from you? Think about it for a moment.
Why would the devil flee from you?

The bible says we have angels that excel in strength
Psalms 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

The angels of God are availabe to us when we pray. But why exactly, does the devil have flee? Let's see. Isaiah and King Hezekiah prayed and God dispatched an angel. The Bible says

2 Ch 32:19 And they spake against the God of Jerusalem, as against the gods of the people of the earth, which were the work of the hands of man.
2 Ch 32:20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
2 Ch 32:21 And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he [the king] returned with shame of face to his own land....


Why does the Devil have to flee?

Perhaps you know the story about Jacob. Jacob had an encounter with an Angel. The Bible says


Gen 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Gen 32:25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Gen 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
Gen 32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Gen 32:29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.



Now if an angel is going to put a righteous man's thigh out of joint, can you imagine what the angels of God are going to do to the devil and His angels? I suspect that the devil's flee because they know that the angel's of God are likely to put their jawbone out of joint.
Devils have to flee when we call on the name of the Lord.

We have the full resources of heaven availbe to us. We Can Get the Victory over Every Single Temptation, Besetting Sin and Addiction - every time.



DID YOU KNOW, ALL OF HEAVEN REJOICES WHEN YOU ARE VICTORIOUS

When you are victorious of every temptation and addiction, All the Angels Rejoice. The Bible says

Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

When you are victorious of every temptation and addiction, All the Angels Rejoice. God rejoices over you with singing. The Bible says

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.



God Wants To Rejoice Over You With Singing.
That comes from the Old Testament. Our loving creator in the Old testament are one and the same as the God of the New Testament.

Break every chain, that binds you to this world today.

The Bible says

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Overcoming Temptations/Addictions: Part 2

Principle #1: The Bible says

Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee".

God blessed us with the ability to think. Our brain is the most complex thing known to man in the universe. Under just 1 square millimeter, there are 10,000 neurons. Each neuron is intricately connected to 100s or thousands if not billions of other neurons. The electrical activity of these billions of neurons are called action potentials.

Our thoughts are the result of billions of action potentials potentials. (and scientist would like to say it is all the product of random chance.) Spontaneous thoughts arise from time to time. They help us to be creative and solve problems.But from time to time, those spontaneous thoughts are temptations - the desire to do destructive things , be it sexual, drug, temptations or simply meaness spirited-ness.

To bring all these spontaneous thoughts (action potentials ) back in harmony with God, we can follow the Bible Counsel.


Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee".

When those spontaneous thoughts arise on things that destroy, recite a few verses from the Bible (in your mind), such as:

**Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee".

**1Thessalonians 4:16,17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

**Or The Lord's Prayer "The Lord is my shepherd.."


That's a great way to get all those action potentials firing in the same direction. - in direction of the Holiness that God wants for you. God wants you to rise above all those things that would destroy you and those around you.

When all is said and done and you've broken the Chains of Addiction, God wants to rejoice over you with singing.


Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.


Memorize the verses of the Bible from time to time.

Principle #2: Immediate Change of Environment

The Bible says

James 4:4 "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.


When the man believed, he had to act on his belief. If you are in a location which makes sin available to you. After you have placed your mind on the right track, it's time to walk, time to remove yourself from that environment that might be making sin conducive.

Principle #3: Permanent Change of Environment
The Bible says

James 4:4 "..., know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God".

John 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends;..."


Certain atmospheres are poisonous to our spiritual, physical, mental and financial well-being. Perhaps you've had the experience of one spoiled apple spoiling the whole bag of apples.

For the Crack Addict, it is wise to stay away from people who use it and sell it. More often than not that means staying away from your family members, boyfriend, girlfriend and the old places where you were introduced to it. A Change of Enviroment. The Bible says 'whoever will be a friend of the world is an an enemy of God'. You don't have to be friends with them any more. Most of us would like to think we can go back and help them. But the truth is you were lucky you escaped. I have friend who started again associating with his family members who used it. He was free for years, and he got back on crack. He was deported. He can't come back to america for the rest of his life. A change of environment is what the bible prescribes.

I wish I could have taken that crack addicted mother and boyfriend out to the country for a few weeks, where there was no drug dealer and source. - ( I am looking for an opportunity to buy a country homestead to use for such ministry purposes).

Likewise the Alcohol Addict shouldn't visit bars - nor go out with friends who are drinking. It is so easy to think that we can go but not drink. But that's a temptation in itself.

The sex addict, can use a change of environment. It is wise to ignore the following:


Club & Party scene??. Question: Isn't the club scenes established, promoted and maintained by sexual promiscuity? I don't think there is a soul that would argue that point. Overcoming addictions means a change of environment


Television??. Is looking at all that misogny on TV going to help? Anton LaVey the founder of the church of satan was videotaped saying that 'Television is the Altar of Satan". It might present information that is practical or even useful for 3 minutes, but no sooner does it present objectionable material to recondition the minds of masses away from God and His Righteousness. Who needs Television if it's just a means of decieving souls


Yes, It is wise to make a lifestyle change from things that destroy. But after having done so, the battle wages on in the mind. We require a daily infusion of the word of God.

So we are back to Principle #1:

Psalms 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee".


With these 3 simple principles, you can overcome every chain of addictions and find peace with God.

Overcoming Temptations/Addictions: Part 1

The Problem

Recently, a friend asked me to meet him for Bible Studies.
Two months earlier, I met him on the street while giving out free bible studies at the Utica Avenue Train Station. We were to meet at some point for Bible Studies. He had 3 jobs and his schedule was completely filled. But this time when I called, he wanted to meet. He said, he was not feeling well. So, I went to his job at his lunch break. He's a construction worker. We met in the basement of an unfinished building under construction. Amids the bare concrete, dust, exposed pipes and wires, I knew this was as good a place as any to share the goodness of God.



We prayed together. He said, 'okay I'll just sit and listen'. I planned on studying the prophecies of Daniel & Revelation but before we began I asked him his concern. He said, 'I want to be a Christian, but I have a problem, I'm struggling with sex addiction'. He wanted to know how to overcome temptation.

I prayed and commenced and impromptu bible study on the topic.

-------------------------------------

I visited the home of a family in crisis a few months ago. The mother & boyfriend lived in the apartment building. There were 6 children in the home. But this family had one catch, the mother and boyfriend smoked crack. The mother forced two of her children to go out on the street and beg for money to finance her crack habit. The mother it very clear to her children that if they did not go on the street - and bring home money, they could find some place else to lieve. This mother did not care weather her children lived or died. She knew the law very well. It turns out that ACS will not pull out children out of the home just because the parent is smoking crack - that's what I was told by the person who took reports. Here's the challenge with the ACS policy. According to an Associated Content News Report

"Since many female crack addicts have children, this means children are neglected and in some cases abused or exposed to the world of crack. Children are used as sources for obtaining crack and many have turned their own children on to crack or have their daughters engage in sex with male customers or associates to obtain crack. "

ACS prefers to respond to disasters rather than nipping problems in the bud.



I sat in that bare apartment filled with 4 daughters wondering how much longer it would take this mother to start thinking of selling her daughters to find crack. The children begging on the street were age 17 (girl), 21(boy). They were just at the age where ACS will not intervene. She knew the law. When I spoke to the mother, she seemed like she wanted to get her life together. She said it seems like her and her family was cursed. (it was cursed because of her addictions) As I considered the need of that home, it became clear that she needs to learn how to overcome temptation.


Crack and Cocaine like many other drugs are water soluble. They wash out of the body quickly. There is no special medication to detoxify crack addicts. To detoxify, all that's needed is to drink water, take showers, hot steam baths, and following a healthy diet/lifestyle. Once the drug has exited the system in a day or two, the one remaining issue is how to overcoming temptation.


Whether it's Crack Addiction, Sex Addiction, Food Addiction, Gambling Addiction, Alcohol Addiction, Porn Addiction, Rage, Selfishness, Laziness, Evil Thought Patterns and all other vices, they are all the same - Sin Addictions. They destroy.

The Bible describes the Sin Addiction by saying in Jeremiah 13:23 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil".


Sin Addiction is the problem & God offers us the Solution. It's Simple and it's found in the Bible. To be continued in Part 2

Photos From Our Fellowship Night!

The Icebreaker



More of the Icebreaker



Amanda Welcomed Us...



ASC Brooklyn College Choir



Our Guest Speaker, Pastor Jaime



Yum! Vegan Lasagna!

Walk The Walk (Students)

Attending a secular college or university as a Seventh-day Adventist is a challenge. Where can you turn when you’re on your own? Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) is here to help. ACF allows students to enter into a community that can help build their spirituality. This video presents an invitation for students to join ACF. Learn how ACF can help Adventist students at public colleges and universities walk the walk.

Where are the Students? (Churches)

Attending a secular college or university as a Seventh-day Adventist is a challenge. Where can you turn when you’re on your own? Adventist Christian Fellowship (ACF) is here to help. ACF allows students to enter into a community that can help build their spirituality. This video presents an invitation for students to join ACF. Learn how ACF can help Adventist students at public colleges and universities walk the walk.

“A Celebration of His Love”

Fellowship Night

We have so many WONDERFUL things planned!

You can look forward to:

An Insightful Guest Speaker!
Special Music!

Games!
Yummy, healthy refreshments will be served! Both vegan & vegetarian.

Friday, December 20th at 6:45 p.m.

Hunter College West, Room 206

Presented by the Adventist Christian Fellowship

www. AdventistChristianFellowship@gmail.com

"Lord, why?"

by Noreen Malcolm

I received a phone call from one of my friends yesterday. And I was quite disappointed to hear the news my friend had just delivered.

“What is going on?” I thought out loud. “Lord, why?”

A few tear drops began to trickle down my eyes. And I questioned myself almost to the point of exhaustion.

So, it is when we experience disappointments in life, right? We become perplexed. We worry. We cry. We call on the name of God with much anxiety.

Little do we know that all disappointing experiences which come our way are to shape our characters. In fact, James 1:3, states that, “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”

Therefore, let us be encouraged in the Lord. Let us put our confidence in Him. With God, all things will work together for your good!

Courtesy of http://www.pahsion.com/

Does God Really Love You?

by Noreen Malcolm

Sometimes people characterize God to be mean and unkind when events in their life are not orchestrated in the way they planned it. But that characterization of God is far from the truth.

Based on the plan of salvation, God is clearly not mean or unkind. He exhibits much benevolence for imperfect people by sending his only son to die for our sins on the cross at Calvary.

In Romans 5: 7-8, the Bible says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3: 16 also tells us that “…God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

God clearly does not want anyone to perish. He cares about us so much that he not only sent his son to die for our sins, but is also giving many of us time to get our “acts” together. In 2 Peter 3: 9, the Bible says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Ellen G. White, a Christian evangelist states in the book, Ministry of Healing, that “The Lord God through Jesus Christ holds out His hand all the day long in invitation to the sinful and fallen. He will receive all. He welcomes all. It is His glory to pardon the chief of sinners. He will take the prey from the mighty; He will deliver the captive; He will pluck the brand from the burning. He will lower the golden chain of His mercy to the lowest depths of human wretchedness, and lift up the debased soul contaminated with sin.” (p.161)

Taken from http://www.pahsion.com/

Make A Joyful Noise

Our worship service. A small group of us, gathered together to sing hymns, and study the bible.