Rediscovering Repentance Ep. 07: Sin isn't overcome instantly, so true repentance isn't a one-time thing. It's a lifestyle that we live.
Absolute Surrender: Peter's three denials of Jesus broke him, leading to freedom from self and readiness for God's purpose.
In the 15th message of our "Unveiling Yahweh" series, we will be learning about God’s strength in our spiritual battles.
This episode: Sin is never overcome all at once, and so true repentance is not something we do one time. It's a lifestyle that we live.
While pride and selfishness are celebrated in much of American culture, the Lord tells us in His Word that they will lead to destruction.
We're taking a break from our series, Babylon: The Seat of Satan's Power, this week. In this replay from our "Exposed" series, we look at what allows pride to flourish and grow inside us. We’ll look at life in America and examine the ways it encourages us to be proud. We’ll also talk about trials in marriage and how they can foster our pride in unexpected ways. Both topics will help us see more clearly the way God deals with pride and the consequences of its unchecked influence.
Mankind is growing in rebellion against the Lord to serve a god of their own choosing.
Nimrod’s name is only mentioned four times in the entire Bible, yet his legacy is infamous. First Chronicles 1:10 credits him as the first mighty world ruler, garnering the attention and admiration of all the people on the planet. Under his irascible and warlike leadership, he was able to leverage the people’s devotion and begin the construction of the Tower of Babel, the premiere symbol of rebellion against Yahweh. Only 2 generations separated him from godly Noah, and yet he able to amass a cult following of defiant souls in rebellion against the Lord.
In our fourth installment of Babylon: The Seat of Satan’s Power, Steve Gallagher helps us see how the spirit of antichrist in Nimrod was able to accomplish such a horrific achievement, and how that same spirit continues to amass power and influence in the 21st century.
This series is based on the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. You can find out more about that book by visiting our bookstore.
Whatever IT was that happened, it’s now a mountain between you and God. If He ever loved you, it seems impossible to believe He could now.
Can God love someone like me? Does this question ever trouble you? Perhaps it comes up in those quiet moments when you’re all alone. Maybe there was a time—in your childhood years perhaps—when you could believe that God really did love you. But that was… before thoughts of God were overrun by the alluring pleasures and entertainments or athletic ambitions the world offered you… before the molestation… before that first sexual tryst in high school or college… before the abortion… before pornography became an obsession… before secret sin took over and began to dominate your life… before you crossed lines and engaged in things you swore you’d never do. Whatever IT was that happened, it’s now a mountain between you and God. If He ever loved you, it seems impossible to believe He could now.
I remember all too well being in that place. My carefully constructed life was demolished in quick fashion when my secret sexual behaviors came to light. I lost my job in ministry, lost my treasured pristine reputation, severely damaged my marriage and wound up exiled to a program for sexual addicts in rural Kentucky. I wasn’t just lost; I was a 38-year-old Loser at the lowest point of my life. Years of self-love had left me hardened outwardly and hollow inwardly.
One day, shortly after my unceremonious arrival at the Pure Life Ministries Residential Program, I took a walk out on the ridge, to the place where a hand-hewn wooden cross stands amidst a small grove of cedar trees, and sat down on the bench overlooking the cross. I began to pray. I told God how miserable and wretched I was. I confessed sexual sins, sins of deception, sins against others, sins against Him, sins too shameful to speak of here. I told Him how wrong I was; how sad I was; how lonely I was; how I felt like a failure my whole life; how nobody really loved me and I couldn’t blame them.
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I lost track of time but I’m sure I spent at least 30 minutes babbling on and on, admitting to God precisely how disgusting, vile and wretched I was. At some point, a vague memory of some preacher saying I shouldn’t do all the talking but should allow God opportunity to speak when I’m praying came to mind. So I paused in pouring out my heart to God and said, “Sorry Lord; I’ve been doing all the talking.” (In my thinking, this was just one more failure to add to the list.) “Do You have anything You want to say to me?”
It’s hard to put into words what happened when I asked that question. But somehow, I felt—in a very literal way—the arms of God Himself draw me into a hugging embrace, and I heard Him say with perfect clarity in my heart, “I love you.”
That was it for me. He won my heart. I had just spent a good half-hour or more telling the Lord all the reasons why no one could possibly love me, why He shouldn’t love me or even have anything to do with me. And how did He respond? What did He want to say to me about all of this? “I love you.”
Friend, that’s what He wanted me to know above all else. To be sure, He fully intended to deal with my sin, my selfishness, my pride and self-righteousness, my unfaithfulness, my utter lack of respect for His Word. But first, I needed to know a very, very vital piece of the puzzle that I had long been overlooking: He loves me.
There’s a story in Genesis that helps to make the love of God come alive for me. Perhaps you remember how Jacob deceived Isaac and stole his brother’s inheritance, then fled to the distant home of his mother’s relatives. In exile, Jacob wound up agreeing to tend the flocks of his Uncle Laban. He also happened to fall in love with Rachel, Laban’s younger daughter. Soon enough, the arrangement was made that he would work for Laban for seven years, at the end of which time Rachel would become his wife. Here’s how the Scriptures summarize Jacob’s years of toil: “So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” (Genesis 29:20)
Wow! “…and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her.” Can you imagine love like that?
There are two sides to consider from this profound statement about love.
While it’s easy to sing “I love you Lord” while participating in the congregational hymns and worship songs of the church, and perhaps even to utter the words in prayer now and again, the truth for most of us is that we do not love God—at least, not like we ought to. Not like Jacob loved Rachel. If we did, then years of serving Him would seem as nothing more than a few days to us. He would truly be the center of our affections. Doing what we know would be pleasing to Him, wouldn’t be such a struggle. Obeying Him wouldn’t seem burdensome or restrictive. It would be exhilarating!
If you spent time studying Scripture about what it means to truly love God, you just might discover that your love for Him is pretty weak and superficial. If that is the case, the best response is to begin by confessing the truth to God. Be honest. Be sincere. Pour your heart out to Him. He can handle the truth. And He can help you change.
There’s another side to this divine portrait of love between Jacob and Rachel. This passage also provides great insight into the Father’s love. God does love you. What if it meant serving seven years for you? Would He do it? Yes, He’s willing. And He proved it by coming as the Servant-of-All for us. (Mark 10:44-45) Would He serve seven years? I suspect He would serve seventy-times-seven years. In fact, He would give His whole life. He did give His whole life: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Let these familiar words become full of new meaning to you.
The Lord desires to wake us up from our apathetic lifestyle so that we'll put forth the effort to seek Him and know Him more.
For thousands of years, thick spiritual darkness covered the entire world. The prince of darkness, Satan, longed for the day when he would once again unite the globe in open rebellion to God's authority. But one day, 120 men and women left an upper room in Jerusalem with a fiery zeal and a white hot love for Jesus of Nazareth - the man who had changed everything about their lives. Their passion and their testimonies were infectious and began plundering the kingdom of darkness of its subjects daily.
When God's people are inflamed with love for Jesus and a zeal for His Kingdom, Satan's master plan for humanity is presented with a massive threat. But the enemy won't go down without a fight. In this show, we'll look at one of his most effective counterattacks - fostering a church culture that is full of apathy.
We want real victory in our lives, not just an artificial state of purity that’s based on our circumstances.
Can the seed of wickedness, rebellion and perversion truly reside in the heart of someone nurtured in a good environment and surrounded by godly examples? Scripture warns us that it can.
We see this clearly in Noah’s son, Ham. He grew up surrounded by the godly influence of his father, and even witnessed sin’s terrifying consequences firsthand in the destruction of mankind in the flood. But despite this, his heart was not set on the Lord like Noah. Ham’s moral character was not something internal, but something based upon his circumstances.
This is a story we’ve seen played out countless times in the men who come to us for counseling. A young man is raised in a godly home. He grows up attending a good church, hearing truth. But eventually he grows up and leaves his family’s protection. Soon, he finds himself allured by worldliness and entangled in sin. This is a tragic reality, but one which can be rectified.
In this interview, we sit down with Vice President of Discipleship Programs, Ed Buch, and look into different scenarios that can lead someone to believe they are walking in freedom, when in reality are allowing sin to remain untouched and flourishing in their heart. For anyone ensnared by sexual addiction, this video will help you see how you ended up in such a bad place, and how to find your way back out.
This series is based on the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. You can find out more about that book by visiting our bookstore.
Christians have to be very careful to limit how much they subject themselves to the ungodly influences of television and movies.
What is your opinion about homosexuality, sex, and nudity in movies?
There is no question that we as a people have fallen from the decency that once prevailed in our nation. That is the point of my book: How America Lost Her Innocence. Today, it is no longer decency that is the norm but indecency.
Having said that, I would like to address a larger, and what I consider to be a much more important, issue: the need for Christians to be very careful to limit how much they subject themselves to the ungodly influences of television and movies. Nearly everything on television and in movies caters to the flesh. How does it affect a believer to subject himself to hours of carnal programming? Watching a limited amount of cartoon movies, documentaries and sports will not adversely affect a believer too much. But in my opinion, believers should not be subjecting themselves to carnal sitcoms, dramas and movies.
Solomon rightly said, “Watch over your heart with all diligence because from it flow the issues of life.” The heart is the core of the human being and is affected by outside influences. Like a computer hard drive, what is programmed into it determines what kind of data comes out of it. Think of your heart as a seedbed, out of which our thoughts spring. Jesus said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts…” (Mark 7:21 NASB)
The heart is affected through the senses, and, in turn, generates thoughts. A person’s thinking establishes the basis for his actions. His actions become a lifestyle. A lifestyle determines a person’s destiny. As you can see, it is very important to guard one’s heart.
Sin is not easily eradicated from our hearts and is always waiting for its chance to reveal itself.
After the flood Noah and his family exited the ark with a clear vision of God’s judgment upon evil. And as they began the toilsome work of rebuilding humanity, they would undoubtedly tell their story to succeeding generations in hopes that another worldwide devastation would be avoided.
But sin will not easily be eradicated from our hearts. Even the terror of divine retribution can be quickly forgotten by the enticement of sin’s promises. Scripture tells us that evil is always lurking, waiting for its chance to be revealed.
One day the ultimate human expression of evil will reveal itself in The Antichrist. Throughout history, many precursors to this man – many “antichrists” – have risen and fallen. What connects them all is a spiritual lineage that can be traced back to that little band of survivors who exited the ark at the dawn of man’s second genesis.
This series is based on the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. You can find out more about that book by visiting our bookstore.
As Christians, we are growing up into Christ, into the full measure and full stature of who He is. He is the model.
Every day, as we trust and obey our Heavenly Father, we are being transformed into the image of Jesus. God can use many things to do this, but often those things can be painful circumstances and trials in our lives. This is the message Kathy Gallagher has shared with many wives who have come to us devastated and broken by their husband’s betrayal. In part two of an interview with her, she shares more about this, from her experience and knowledge of the Word of God.
Nate: Today, I’d like to circle back to something that we touched on before. And that is that even though the Bible doesn’t have tons of specific instruction for wives, it does have a lot to say about being godly. Could you give some examples of that?
Kathy: It is very difficult to be a biblical wife. And I don't mean just a wife that professes to be a Christian, but a biblical wife. I'm still learning how to do that. My personality and the character traits that define me overall as a person fall so short of the ideal of what’s laid out in Scripture. The constant challenge for me is seeing my failure. I see my weakness as a wife, as a Christian and as a leader in this ministry. I see it all the time, but it also challenges me and ignites my desire to grow. Getting saved is just the beginning of this process. We are in the process of being saved. We get saved and we come into the Kingdom, but we are being saved, and we are coming out of the world's mindset. We've entered into a different Kingdom, and its principles and values are so vastly different than what we are used to. It's a painful process going from the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. It's glorious in the beginning, but that journey is a painful, painful journey.
You can easily separate yourself from the outward things of this world, but I find that the mindset of the spirit of this age is the hardest thing to overcome. For us women who have been so hurt by our husband’s sexual sin, our reaction to pain, suffering and injustice in our natural self is to retaliate, get mad, demand our rights and fight for our cause. But that’s exactly what the world does. When we act like that, we don't look much different than an unsaved woman who finds out her husband is in sexual sin. I don't mean to be pointing my finger condemning anybody for that reaction. That is totally a natural response. But if you look at Jesus’ life, it helps you come out of the world’s mindset, or at least see more clearly how the spirit of the world is trying to shape your thinking.
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Jesus is our example and look at the attitudes He had to deal with in the disciples. In the Gospels you get a very clear picture of the worldly mindset that the disciples were in. But Jesus was showing them very patiently His interior world and what being His follower should look like. The humility and lowliness of His heart is the antithesis of the spirit of this world. That's where we get off track as women. One of the main characteristics of a godly Christian, whether you are a woman or man, is humility. If we're not humble, it's hard to be broken, it's hard to repent and it's hard to forgive.
You've got to start with humility. I think that's why Jesus made such a big deal about it. And He was Himself lowliness personified. Another essential trait found in a godly wife is gratitude, but the question can easily arise, how am I supposed to be grateful? Women may ask themselves how they can be grateful when their husband has just created such a big mess in the marriage. But we are told to be grateful in every circumstance in the New Testament, and that was written by someone who was under tremendous persecution and suffering.
Nate: Can we talk about some of the character traits that you mentioned related to godliness? Why is it that a woman has to learn to live in the spirit of forgiveness if she wants to be godly?
Kathy: Being godly means that we want to be like Jesus, correct? Well, that’s the spirit that He is always in. He doesn't stop forgiving. It's an atmosphere and it is a spirit. Let’s compare it to the spirit of gratitude for instance. You don't just have gratitude on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you truly have gratitude, then you are just a grateful person. You develop and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. You cultivate thankfulness, generosity or even selflessness. It's not something that you just automatically are full of when you get saved. In fact, initially, you don't get any of that. You get the Holy Spirit, but you even have to cultivate Him in your life. You don’t get everything you need to be godly immediately and then just live life on autopilot.
Whoever said that being a Christian is for weaklings and that Christianity is a crutch is crazy. I don't know who came up with that idea, but that is the furthest thing from the truth. It takes a very noble character to learn to walk with God the right way. I am not inferring that I’m perfect either, because I fail constantly. But you have to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness, a humble heart, a thankful heart, a heart of gratitude and a prayerful spirit. As Christians, we are growing up into Christ, into the full measure and full stature of who He is. He is the model.
Nate: Yeah, I was actually talking to a guy the other day because he had a pretty rough night. He was in a lot of lust and he was confessing that to me. And he had actually completely resisted, but he just felt so wrong to even have those desires. I just asked him, “What do you think God is like towards you this morning,” because he felt so beaten down. Then I looked at him and I said, “I know He's proud because a year ago you were just giving into this kind of thing and now you're suffering through this struggle and fighting against your flesh and I know God is proud of you.”
Kathy: It's precious to God. That's why I love to hear that stuff. I mean I don't love to hear that he feels discouraged at the end of that battle, but it is through those struggles that Jesus is being formed in us. I really believe that about all the hardship, all the battles and all the struggles these women go through. My natural gifting is mercy. What I want to do is rescue. I want to get in there and I want to yank them out of this mess. I want to beat that sucker over the head for being so ugly to his wife. That's what I'm like. But what God is like and what He's looking for is the willingness to battle through the trials and not give over to how the flesh wants to respond.
When I got saved, this is what was told to me. “Jesus is going to make all of your problems go away and your life is going to be awesome.” Not true! As soon as I came into the Kingdom, I got thrust into battle. I gave a message years ago on tested faith, because it is so precious to God that we are going through that process. The struggle is so valuable to Him. He sees it rightly, we don't. That's why He can say that it’s precious to Him.
Nate: Yeah. So, I guess with all of the things that you talked about such as gratitude, submission, forgiveness and respect. I guess the big takeaway for these women is that this isn't just going to be magically imparted to them. There has to be a pushing back against our fleshly tendencies. We must fight to have Jesus formed in us.
Kathy: Yes, and it's very discouraging. I know that a lot of young women will hear this that are raising children and are exhausted. The thought of having to fight for a life in God in the midst of what they’re going through can be very discouraging. But I just want to leave this thought with whoever's listening that needs to hear this. If you're weak, struggling and not doing well spiritually, it's probably because you're not praying. I wish there was a different word. I wish I could use a different word than prayer, because that's become almost a dirty word in the church. I hate to say that, but that is how it is viewed. Women dismiss it and want something else to help them get through their trial. But I'm telling you, girls, it is the thing that will change the course of your life, your children's lives and probably your husband's life.
You have to go into it believing, with a desire to understand what the Bible is saying. You know, we are so shallow with the Bible. But we need to read, study and pray about what God has said about prayer and about what He has given us through it. We have the Word of the living God, but it's become so common to us that it's cheap. Everyone is so quick to say, “Give me something else, something I can get ahold of.” Well, prayer IS the thing and that's all I have to give you. But it is the thing that you need. It is the very thing you need.
If you are weak spiritually, or if you're falling down spiritually, it's due to the fact that you’re not praying. Prayer is where the Lord meets us. He comes to us in our times of prayer. It's not instant gratification necessarily. It builds you up over time. A reservoir is being built inside and you will see it if you give time and energy to it. But that's not even the goal. The goal is for God to transform you into the image of Christ. And he does do that. He absolutely does that.
Nate: Yea. You basically have just said throughout this entire interview that Christlikeness is the secret to a good marriage. But that is not all you are saying, because I think sometimes we can be really shallow. For example, we can think, “If I'm like Jesus, then I'll get everything that I want.” And I know that's not what you're saying because when you look at the life of Jesus, you realize that this man had such a perspective about what this life was for and where things were going. But His life, when you consider it in terms of results, was unfruitful from many people’s perspectives. He did all these amazing things for people and most of them just wrote him off. Once He didn't give them what they wanted, they turned against Him. Even His disciples were mostly clueless as to what He was really aiming at. When He rose from the dead, they weren’t even expecting it.
Kathy: Yeah, they were surprised.
Nate: Yeah, they were surprised because they didn't really believe. So in terms of results, His life was kind of a disappointment. But when you see it through the eyes of faith, you realize that something more eternal took place.
Kathy: Look at it over the last 2000 years. Look at all the fruit that has come out of His 33 years on Earth. Look at the fruit. But it has transpired over a very long period of time. God is not in a big old hurry. He is very loving. He's so patient. He's so humble, and He is looking at things from an eternal perspective.
Satan has constructed a world-system that feeds a lifestyle of pride and self-centeredness, that mocks at God’s rule and authority.
Last week, we began looking at some of the main tactics Satan uses to lead mankind into rebellion against God. In this episode, we’ll look at another example of how Satan does that. Join us, as we examine how our enemy works tirelessly to promote a lifestyle of selfishness and pride in us and how that leads us into rebellion against the Lord. We’ll also discuss how God earnestly and tirelessly works to tear those things down in every believer’s life.
When we learn to consistently treasure the Lord instead of our sinful desires, we begin to look more like Him and less like the world.
When we sin, we naturally don’t want to take responsibility for our actions. We want to blame others or even blame God. But Scripture clearly says that it’s our own desires which lead into sin. In this discussion, Brooks, Josh and Chris unpack how they went from a place of making excuses when they sinned, to a place of brokenness and contrition over their spiritual condition. They also discuss how the Lord brought them to a place where they were no longer controlled by their desires.
While it’s true that our desires can influence us, only our will can make the decision to act upon those desires.
Up to this point in our series, we've been taking a bird’s eye view of the spiritual realm to expose how the world is being controlled by an ancient spirit bent on rebellion against God. Now it’s time to zoom in and start looking at some of the practical, every-day things that the spirit of Babylon uses to draw mankind into that rebellion. We'll expose some of our personal vulnerabilities, and some of the weaknesses in our religious system, which leave us exposed to this very powerful, very seductive and very evil spirit. Journey with us as we look at the massively important realm of desire.
Morality is not a line. It's a direction.
Before the flood, humanity had become intoxicated with evil. The sin and wickedness introduced at the fall had grown exponentially with each successive generation. By the time of Noah, humanity had spiraled so far out of control that all their thoughts and all their feelings were unredeemable.
We are not immune to this same spiritual process. Though God has promised all of us salvation through Jesus Christ, this same soul-sickness can easily consume any one of us who would refuse that offer. When we turn from the Lord, we will inevitably begin to plunge into the same darkness which overtook the pre-flood world.
In this interview with one of our Residential Program counselors, we discuss the Spiral of Degradation found in Romans 1. We’ll take an in-depth look at each step down that spiral. We’ll also talk about the hope available for anyone who finds themselves on that destructive path. If you desire freedom today, it is still available for you!
This series is based on the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. You can find out more about that book by visiting our bookstore.
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