SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION

The tension is here:

Between

who you ARE

&

who you COULD be

Between

how it IS

&

how it SHOULD be…

(Jon Foreman)

Step #1: Turn Away From GodRefuse to honor God AS God (Rom 1:21)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #1: Turn Away From GodRefuse to honor God AS God (Rom 1:21)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #2: The Mind DarkensStepping away from reality Rom (Rom 1:21-22)

Step #3: An Idol Takes God’s PlaceReject Him, something takes His place (Rom 1:23)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #3: An Idol Takes God’s PlaceReject Him, something takes His place (Rom 1:23)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #4: God Leaves Us AloneGod honors our choice to reject Him (Rom 1:24)

Step #5: Pursue Pleasure @ All

CostsGrasp for highs w/diminishing returns (Rom 1:26)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #5: Pursue Pleasure @ All

CostsGrasp for highs w/diminishing returns (Rom 1:26)

HOW TO RUIN YOUR LIFE

WITHOUT EVEN TRYING

Step #6: Sin Normalizes & DestroysWe reflect what stands against God (Rom 1:28-31)

“There is such a thing as

righteous anger, & there is

a right response to it.

Righteous anger consists in

getting angry at the things that anger God

& seeking a proper remedy to correct them.”

JAMES BRYAN SMITH

Go ahead & be angry. You do well

to be angry—but don’t use your anger

as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry.

Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil

that kind of foothold in your life.

EPHESIANS 4:26-27 (msg)

“Visceral anger

(low time between action & reaction)

& meditative anger

(grows over a period of time)

are fueled by two ingredients:

unmet expectations & fear.”

JAMES BRYAN SMITH

- Daughter of parents

from India

- Born in Syracuse, NY

- Raised in Oklahoma

- Graduated from the

Univ. of Michigan w/a

degree in Brain Behavior

& Cognitive Science Nina Davuluri

- Daughter of parents

from India

- Born in Syracuse, NY

- Raised in Oklahoma

- Graduated from the

Univ. of Michigan w/a

degree in Brain Behavior

& Cognitive Science

- Crowned Miss America

last Sunday night

Nina Davuluri

“And the Arab wins

Miss America…great.”

Nina Davuluri

“And the Arab wins

Miss America…great.”

“How the _____ does a

foreigner win Miss

America? She is a Arab!”

Nina Davuluri

“And the Arab wins

Miss America…great.”

“How the _____ does a

foreigner win Miss

America? She is a Arab!”

“Nice slap in the face to

the people of 9/11…pathetic.”Nina Davuluri

“And the Arab wins

Miss America…great.”

“How the _____ does a

foreigner win Miss

America? She is a Arab!”

“Nice slap in the face to

the people of 9/11…pathetic.

“Miss America right now…or miss Al Qaeda?”

Nina Davuluri

You have heard that it was said to those

of old, ‘You shall not murder; & whoever

murders will be liable to judgment’

But I say to you that everyone who

is angry with his brother will be

liable to judgment; whoever insults his

brother will be liable to the council; &

whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be

liable to the hell of fire.

MATTHEW 5:21-22

Anger Contem

pt

Malice

HOW UNCHECKED

ANGER PLAYS OUT…

False Imperative

Narratives“I AM alone,” “Things ALWAYS have to go

the way I want them to,” “Something terrible WILL

happen if I mess up,” “I MUST be

in control,” “Life MUST be fair & just,”

“I NEED to be perfect ALL the time…”

Jesus’ True

Narratives“You are NEVER alone,” “Jesus IS in control,”

“Mistakes happen all the time & things

usually work out just FINE,”

“Life is NOT always fair & just, but God

gets the LAST word,” Jesus ACCEPTS me

even though I’m NOT perfect…”

And everyone who hears these words

of mine & does not do them will be like

a foolish man who built his house

on the sand. And the rain fell, & the

floods came, &the winds blew & beat

against that house, & it fell,

& great was the fall of it.

MATTHEW 7:26-27

Option #1take time for a Sabbath one day this week

SOUL TRAINING EXERCISES

- A choice to rest from work; an expression of trust

- Take time to plan it in advance if need be

- Eat good food, play games w/family, read a

book,

read the Bible, take a nap, pray privately…

Option #2get honest about unrealized expectations

SOUL TRAINING EXERCISES

- Spend time quietly praying & listening to Jesus

- Ask Him to show you the source of your anger

- Open your hands to Him; ask Him to remove

what

you’ve been grasping & replace it with…