Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

Well, the way to experience more of God's power in your life is to avoid these spirit quenchers. What's the antidote to all of these spirit quenchers? In a word, it's obedience. Obedience. Very simply, doing what you know you need to do.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Do you want to experience more of God's power in your life? Well, there may be some things that you need to eliminate first.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares four spirit quenchers that can essentially snuff out the Holy Spirit's power. It's a message called "Flamethrowers versus Fire Extinguishers."

Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Speaker 2

Dr. Jeffress, thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Let me remind you that time is running out to request the Jesus Map. This is a beautifully illustrated reference tool that traces the footsteps of Jesus throughout his earthly ministry, along with 52 key events in the life of Jesus and where they actually occurred. The Jesus Map also includes a detailed map of Israel during biblical times. You won't find this resource anywhere other than right here. And the Jesus Map is my gift to you simply for contacting Pathway to Victory today.

And then, as you likely know, this month we've been concentrating on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. As a pastor, I've observed that too many Christians go through life underutilizing the power of the Spirit. Well, I've written a book that describes the many ways you can unleash the Spirit's power in your life. My book is titled I Want More. You'll learn why God has given you a desire for more, and my book will help you put a plan into action to overcome the spiritual battles in your life.

We'll give our contact information later, but right now let's get started with today's teaching. This is a study called Flamethrowers versus Fire Extinguishers.

Speaker 3

You know, in this series on the Holy Spirit, we've been talking about what we can do to ignite the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And in this series, we've said there are four combustibles that God uses in our life to ignite the spirit's flame in our life. Combustible number one is the word of God, the Bible. That's one energy source for the Christian. Combustible number two is conversation with God, prayer. Combustible number three we looked at last week was the people of God, that is the church. And today we're going to look at the fourth combustible, and that is obedience to God.

This whole series is built around the premise that you want more of God's power in your life. Well, the way to experience more of God's power in your life is to avoid these spirit quenchers. Spirit quencher number one that is mentioned here is immorality. Immorality will extinguish the power of God's spirit in your life. Look at 1 Corinthians 6:18-20. Paul says, "Flee immorality, for every other sin that a man commits is outside the body. But the immoral man sins against his own body." Now that word immorality is "porneia" in Greek. We get our word pornography from it. It is an umbrella term that describes any sexual activity outside of marriage. Immorality quenches the spirit's presence in your life. Every other sin is outside the body. Immorality is with your own body and, more importantly, with the Holy Spirit of God.

What is the remedy to that kind of immorality that quenches the presence of God's spirit? It's the realization, he says in verse 19, that you are not your own and you have been bought with a price. You're not free to do with your body whatever you want to do with it. The Bible says when we are born into this world, we are born not free. We are born slaves of Satan. He is our master, and all he has planned for us is a lifetime and an eternity of misery. God purchased us out of the marketplace of Satan and sin and death, not so that we could be free to do what we want to do, but so that we are free to follow him, to serve him with all of our heart. Immorality quenches the spirit's presence in our life.

Spirit quencher number two is bitterness. How can you make sure that you don't fall short of the grace of God and fall into the trap of bitterness? Four quick suggestions. First of all, realize that offenses are inevitable. Secondly, reflect on God's forgiveness of you. See, before you get all high and mighty and self-righteous and say, "I'm not gonna forgive. I refuse to forgive," remember the great debt from which you've been forgiven. Forgiveness is the obligation of those who have been forgiven. Number three, release your offender from his obligation to you. You know, forgiveness isn't about forgetting. It's not about sweeping something under the rug or pretending like it never happened. Real forgiveness, first of all, acknowledges that a wrong has occurred. Calculate the debt of what is owed you because of the wrong. Forgiveness is giving up your right to hurt somebody else for hurting you. That's what forgiveness is—turning it over to God, letting God deal with that person rather than you.

And then number four, remember the consequences of unforgiveness. The most serious consequences to bitterness are the spiritual consequences. Jesus said it very clearly in Matthew 6:15, "If you do not forgive others, neither will my Father in heaven forgive you." Immorality quenches the Spirit's presence in our life. Bitterness, refusing to forgive, quenches the Spirit's power to heal our hurts.

There's a third spirit quencher, and that is greed. Greed quenches the Spirit's purpose in our life. Now let me explain what I mean. You know, the Bible says in Romans 8:28-29 that God has one purpose for every Christian. His purpose, for which all things are working together for good, is to conform us to the image of Christ, for whom God foreknew, He predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. So that's God's plan for every one of us here this morning—that we perfectly resemble Jesus Christ in our actions, attitudes, and our affections.

But God also has a specific, unique plan for your life, a unique path he wants you to travel on. And the way that he communicates his unique purpose to you is through the Holy Spirit of God. In Philippians 2:13, Paul writes, "For it is God who is at work within you, giving you both the will that is the desire and the power to achieve his purpose." God is working in your life right now. He's giving you both a desire and the unique power to fulfill his unique plan for your life. God may be speaking to some of you right now. He may say to some of you, you know, who are single, "It's time for you to get married. I want you to marry so-and-so." He may be saying to those of you who are young couples, "I'm giving you the desire to go ahead and have a child." Now he may be saying to you, "I want you to go and have a long weekend with your mate and rekindle the romance." I mean, God is continually speaking to all of us to do his will.

But you know what can quench the Spirit's purpose in your life more quickly than anything? It's greed. It's holding onto money. It's saying, "You know what? I would like to do that, but I just don't have the money to be able to do that." Now hear me clearly. Jesus said we need to do planning before we begin a project. A wise person is one who counts the cost. But a lot of times we don't follow through on what the Spirit is leading us to do because there's an over-obsession with money—holding onto it rather than letting go of it. We think, "You know what? I really would like to go to the mission field, but I just can't give up a good-paying job in order to do that." Some of you are saying, "You know, I know I ought to get married, but I just don't have the money to do it." Let me give you a news bulletin: you'll never have enough money, so forget it, okay? I mean, you know, if you wait around until you have enough money to get married, you'll never earn enough to have a kid. "Oh, I don't have enough money." Listen, it's gone once you have children. So just remember that. That is greed. An obsession with money can many times quench what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.

How do we keep greed from extinguishing God's purpose in our life? First of all, view money realistically. Its power to protect us and satisfy us is far less than you can possibly imagine. Secondly, hold on to money loosely. After you have tithed, after you've set aside 10 to 15% for your future and for emergencies, you need to learn to hold the rest of it very loosely. You know, if God prompts you to buy a gift for your child, go.

Speaker 2

Ahead and buy it.

Speaker 3

Spend the money. Did God prompt you to take your mate on a trip? Go ahead and take the trip. If God is moving you to give an extra gift, go ahead and give that gift. Learn to hold things loosely. You know what? Every time you follow that impulse to let go of money, you have reduced just by a little bit more the stranglehold that greed has on your life. It's a victory when you let go of it. Hold your money loosely and, thirdly, thank God for your money. Regularly expressing gratitude to God for what He has already given us has a way of reminding us that it really does all belong to Him. I was thanking somebody who had made a generous contribution to our church. And you know what they said to me? They said, "Pastor, it's really easy to give when you realize it's not yours to begin with." When we express gratitude to God, it has a way of reminding us that it all belongs to Him.

Immorality quenches the Spirit's presence in our life. Bitterness quenches the Spirit's power to heal our hurts. Greed quenches the Spirit's purpose in our life. Spirit quencher number four is worry. Worry quenches the Spirit's peace in our life. Have you ever had this happen to you? Maybe you've been at a stage in life where things seem to be going quite well. Your career is going well. Things in your family are relatively peaceful. You're following through on your goals. And quite frankly, you've never had a better relationship with God than you're experiencing when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you are overwhelmed by fear. A particular fear comes into your life. You know, what if I lose my job? What if my child is killed in an automobile accident? What if I develop cancer? What if I lose my job? What if, what if, what if? And suddenly it's like you were hit with a 50,000-volt stun gun. You're just paralyzed. You can't move forward. You can't continue doing what God is leading you to do. You have become a victim of worry. The Bible says worry will stop the Spirit's peace in our life.

One writer notes that the most common command in the Bible, the most frequent command, you know what it is? It's not "hate not," or "covet not," or "lie not." The most common command in the Bible is "fear not." Fear not. It's found 365 times in the Bible. It's as if God is saying to us at least once a day, "Don't be afraid. Don't be overwhelmed by fear." Sometimes that's easier said than done, isn't it? How can you keep fear from extinguishing the Spirit's peace in your life? First of all, when you find yourself overwhelmed by fear, try to determine the source of your fear. Ask God to help reveal to you the source of your fear. Now this is key. Sometimes fear can come from God.

Now I know what some of you are thinking. You're thinking, "Pastor, you need to go back and listen to your message from several weeks ago. You quoted 2nd Timothy 1:7. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind." Pastor, you just contradicted yourself. Is God ever the author of fear? Well, by fear, I'm talking about a prompting that can come from God. Sometimes God will give us a prompting of something in our life that is not right, something that needs to be taken care of. It may be something like, He may prompt us to call a doctor for an appointment. He may prompt us to call and check up on our child. He may prompt us to check our bank deposit and see if our finances are in order. He may prompt us with something much more serious, that all is not right in our relationship with God. God is continually giving us these promptings. A prompting from God only becomes a fear when we obsess about it rather than acting upon it. See the difference? God gives us these promptings all the time in our life. If we act on them, then that's fine. But if we obsess on them and don't act, it turns into a fear.

Sometimes promptings come from God. Sometimes fear comes from fatigue. We all know the famous Vince Lombardi line, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." There's just something about being physically exhausted that makes you more susceptible to fear. Think about the story of Elijah in First Kings 18:19. Remember Elijah, the one who slew the hundreds of prophets of BAAL on Mount Carmel? And yet he allowed one disgruntled queen, Queen Jezebel, to send him running. He became overwhelmed with fear. Finally, he was exhausted. He said, "Lord, just go ahead and take my life right now." But then he slept, he ate, and he gained a new perspective. Did you know sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap? You know that. Not read your Bible, not pray, not listen to Christian music. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just take a nap. And when you wake up, things will seem different. That's what Elijah did. Fatigue can sometimes be a source of our fear.

Thirdly, Satan can be a source of fear sometimes. He is responsible for much of the fear that comes into our life. You know why I say that? Because much of the fear that we face is based on things that never turn out to be true. Last night I had some time by myself, and I just started flipping through some of my past spiritual journals from years gone by. I looked at them from 10 years ago, 20 years ago. I wrote down the things I'm concerned about, the things I was praying for, the things, some of them that I was fearful about. And I just started laughing as I read these things because not one of the things I feared 10 or 20 years ago ever came to pass. None of it ever happened. Other stuff happened that I didn't know about and didn't expect to happen, but nothing I was fearful about, worried about. None of those things ever came to pass. Isn't that just like Satan? He would love to get us overwhelmed by the what-ifs of life, things that will never occur in your life. That's why Jesus said in John 8:48, "Satan is a liar. He's the father of all lies." He wants you to worry about things that, in fact, have no basis in reality.

So that's why I say one of the best things you can do is first of all, determine the source of your fear. Is it a legitimate prompting that needs to be acted on? Is it simply a case of fatigue, or is it the enemy attacking you? Secondly, decide to confront your fear. If you determine that it is a legitimate concern that needs to be acted upon, go ahead and act upon it instead of stewing over it. I mean, if there's a doctor's appointment that needs to be made, pick up the phone and make it. If there's a bank statement that needs to be reconciled, go ahead and reconcile it. If, in fact, you need to go ahead and do something about that growing distance between you and your mate, go ahead and sit down and talk with him or her about it. Don't put it off. Don't obsess about it. Act upon your fear.

You see, again, there is a vast difference between legitimate concerns that God places in our heart and irrational fear. Here's the difference. Godly concern always leads to change and ultimately to success. But fear always leads to paralysis and failure. Now, Paul made that distinction in 2nd Corinthians 7:10. He said, "For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance that is a change without regret, and it leads to salvation. But the worry of the world produces death." Real godly concern will always lead somewhere. It leads to change and salvation. But the sorrow, the regret, the obsessing of this life always leads to paralysis and ultimately to death. Napoleon Hill once said, "Do the things you fear, and the death of fear is certain." Go ahead and confront your fears.

And thirdly, deliver your fear to God. You know, after you confront your fear head-on, you still may find that the enemy comes back and tries to get you paralyzed by fear. In that case, deliver that fear to God first. 1 Peter 5:7 says, "Casting all your care upon Him because He cares for you." You know, the best word in that verse to me is the word "all." Cast all your anxiety upon Him. God's shoulders are broad enough not just to handle the little concerns of your life, but the biggest concerns of your life. Remember Corrie Ten Boom, that great saint of God who wrote "The Hiding Place"? She used to say whenever she was overwhelmed by worry, she would stand in front of the mirror and she would say, "This fear, this concern is too big for even Jesus Christ Himself to handle." Then she would smile and then she would feel ashamed of herself. What concern in your life? Let me ask you, what concern in your life is too big for God to handle? Can you think of one? Casting all your anxiety upon Him, for He cares for you.

Immorality quenches the Spirit's presence. Bitterness quenches the Spirit's power to heal your hurts. Greed extinguishes the Spirit's purpose in your life. And worry extinguishes the Spirit's peace in your life. What's the antidote to all of these spirit quenchers? In a word, it's obedience. Obedience. Very simply, doing what you know you need to do. Now, don't tune out here. Listen, is there an immoral practice or an immoral relationship you're involved in right now? Go ahead and forsake it. Abandon it. Is there somebody you are having trouble forgiving right now and bitterness has been in your heart for a long time? Go ahead and forgive that person. Is there something you feel like God is leading you to do, but because of your obsession with money, you just can't do it? Go ahead and flee from that greed. Is there some worry that is overwhelming you, extinguishing God's peace in your life? Go ahead and give it to God. Cast it upon God because He cares for you.

Jonathan Edwards, the great Puritan preacher, during his lifetime composed a list of 70 resolutions that guided his life. And resolution number 25 is particularly relevant to our discussion today. This is what he resolved: "To examine carefully and constantly what that one thing is which causes me in the least to doubt the love of God and then to direct all my forces against it." What is the one thing in your life that is quenching the Holy Spirit's power in your life? I imagine you already know what it is, don't you? You see, God has given you the desire, but He has also given you the power to change that one thing. Go ahead and change it. Change it today and watch the flame of God's Spirit begin to burn brightly in your life again.

Speaker 2

It's my hope and prayer that at this very moment listeners all across our nation are making a decision to turn away from their sin and surrender their lives in obedience to God. Because when the Spirit is in control, we can experience truthfulness and satisfaction in our walk with God.

Now at the beginning of today's broadcast, I mentioned a bestselling book I've written that deals with this very topic. It's titled *I Want More*. If you want to learn how to unleash the power of God's Spirit in your life, this book will give you a practical, step-by-step plan to overcome your spiritual battles. It'll help you put your finger on four damaging attitudes in your life. I call them Spirit Quenchers because they're blocking the Spirit's access to your heart. When you apply the Biblical principles, this book, *I Want More*, will become a game changer for you.

A copy of my book *I Want More* can be yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. So be sure and get in touch with us today. Thank you for your generous gift. We will channel whatever you give directly into reaching more people with the message of hope and light.

As new doors open to expand the impact of Pathway to Victory across America and around the world, your gift empowers us to say yes. Together we will push back the forces of darkness that are working against our culture and shine the bright light of God's truth in its place.

Speaker 1

David thanks Dr. Jeffress, you're invited to request a copy of the book *I Want More* when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Here's our toll-free phone number, 866-999-2965, or visit online at online@ptv.org. Now, when you give an especially generous gift of $75 or more, we'll also include this month's teaching series called *Unleashed* on both CD and DVD. Call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. You could send your request by mail. Write to PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. One more time, that's PO Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

One last thing: Dr. Jeffress is working on a new teaching series about miracles. If you have a story about God's supernatural intervention in your own life, you can share it with Dr. Jeffress by emailing miracles@ptv.org. That's miracles@ptv.org. I'm David J. Mullins. Does it feel like something's missing in your relationship with God? Well, tomorrow we'll discover how to find contentment in both our spiritual walk and all areas of life. Join us again Friday for Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. If you enjoy listening to Pathway to Victory, you can also experience the powerful biblical teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress on television. Watch Pathway to Victory weekdays on TBN, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and weekends on both TBN and Daystar, as well as numerous other television stations across the country. Pathway to Victory's mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word, and we're doing it through the most effective media possible. For complete program information and viewing options, visit ptv.org. Again, that's ptv.org.

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