New Episodes every Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern)
Helping men and women find hope, help, healing, restoration and redemption
leading to lasting victory over sexual addiction through a growing, vibrant, powerful relationship with Christ.
Episode #36 "You've Got the Power!"
Transcript
What is the purpose of your life—why are you alive right now? The fact is, as a child of God, the life you’re living is not your life. This isn’t about you. Contrary to popular opinion, you aren’t here on this planet for your own personal pleasure and satisfaction.
In Romans 14:7-8 we see that God gifted you with life so that you could live it for Him and for His glory. All of it. Every bit of it. All the time.
So—be honest now—how are you doing with that?
Welcome to today’s episode of the Point of Purity Podcast. A weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity. I’m your host, Steve Etner, Author, National Speaker, and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry, inviting you to grab your Bible and come on in as we discover that You’ve Got the Power!
(01:00) A Little about Mitchell
Let me tell you the story of a man named Mitchell. As the son of a pastor, Mitchell had a solid upbringing. Every time the doors of the church were open, Mitchell’s family was there. As a teen he was heavily involved in the church’s youth group. He even went to a Christian high school and was active in missions. After graduating, he went to a Bible College, where he immediately connected with a traveling ministry helping churches minister to the children of their congregation.
While in college, Mitchell met a wonderful Christian gal named Lee, and a few months later they were married. By the time Mitchell was 32 years old, he had four wonderful children and was enjoying a successful career in sales. Everywhere Mitchell went, people loved him. He read his Bible daily, attended church weekly, and prayed as often as he could.
However, Mitchell wasn’t a happy man. All the money he had saved wasn’t bringing the satisfaction he so desperately wanted. All the “friends” he surrounded himself with weren’t bringing him happiness. He even tried some of the more “forbidden pleasures” this world had to offer—but it didn’t ease his sense that something significant was still missing. In short, King Me wanted more.
As a result, his marriage was falling apart, his family was disintegrating before his eyes, and he began hopping from job to job, always blaming management for his failures and frustrations. Mitchell began to feed an addiction to pornography as an escape mechanism to help him cope with his pain. Of course, this drove him further into depression, anxiety, and despair. King Me was not a happy camper. Finally, Mitchell made a failed attempt at suicide.
Mitchell’s story is described well by David in Psalm 39:6. “Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.”
David’s son, Solomon put it this way: “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14). He also wrote in Ecclesiastes 2:11, “When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever wondered, at the end of the day, “What’s the point?”
The problem Mitchell struggled with is one we all can relate to. You see, at the heart of all of Mitchell’s problems, failures, and frustrations was a worship disorder. He had turned his focus inward. King Me was sitting high and mighty on the throne of his heart.
Mitchell could have saved himself a lot of heartache and frustration if he had only started his quest with God instead of self. Could it be there’s a lesson here for us to learn as well? We could save ourselves that same heartache and frustration if we would just start every day with God instead of King Me.
1 Corinthians 10:31 commands, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Why? Because “in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.” (1 Peter 4:11)
(05:24) Purposefully on Purpose
You see, God created you with a purpose. You were designed by the Almighty to glorify Him. It’s programmed within your very DNA! It’s at the very heart of who you are. God wants you to grow into a deeper relationship with Him. He is calling you to live a godly life that brings honor and glory to Him in everything you think, say, and do.
True purpose and meaning to life cannot be found in fame or fortune, people or pleasures. All those things are naturally focused on self. Typically, the primary reason we pursue them is to make King Me happy and content. When they fail to achieve that goal—and fail they will, because King Me can never be truly happy—we abandon them for something else in hopes that maybe the next great thing will bring the elusive happiness we so desperately seek.
Isaiah asks a very important question that we would do well to consider. “Why spend your labor on what does not satisfy?” (Isaiah 55:2) In fact, I want you to seriously consider this question: Why do I choose to waste my time and energy on things that cannot and will not bring me lasting satisfaction?
(07:11) Time for a Change
Remember our story about Mitchell? Today Mitchell and Lee enjoy a fantastic marriage. They are involved in a counseling ministry through their church, helping couples find hope, healing, and restoration in their marriages, and Mitchell is in full-time ministry.
What happened? What changed? Why the huge turn-around? God showed Mitchell who was sitting on the throne of his heart — and it wasn’t God. The Holy Spirit convicted Mitchell of his worship disorder. You see, Mitchell had started with self and ended with God. May I suggest that we learn from his mistake? Choose right here and right now to remove King Me from the equation altogether and start with God. I don’t want to see you reach the end of your life saying, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.” (Isaiah 49:4)
I’m not sure who said this, but it bears repeating: “You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
(08:29) Power Up
2 Peter 1:3 says, “(God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Now there’s a promise with a punch! Think about what I just read to you. Listen to it again: “(God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” You see, God has already given you everything you need to live a godly life.
This is so powerful that I’ve got to repeat that: God has already given you all you need to live a godly life that daily honors and glorifies Him at all times. You’ve got the power!
And what an amazing power it is! I want you to notice in 2 Peter 1:3 that it is God’s divine power that provides you with everything you need to live a godly life. Whose power? Certainly not your power, or mine. Truth be told, you and I are totally incapable of being godly all on our little lonesome. No, it’s God’s power and His alone. It belongs, not to King Me, but to the King of Glory. “Who is this King of glory? (He’s) the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” (Psalm 24:8)
1 Chronicles 29:11 says “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”
God has graciously and freely given you His power to be godly. So that begs the question, what kind of power does God have?
- God’s power is the power to create the entire universe and all that’s in it out of absolutely nothing. Can you do that? Do you have that kind of power? I sure don’t.
- Psalm 147:4-5 tells us, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power.”
- And in Isaiah 45:7 God says, “I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” I know I certainly can’t do them; can you?
- Jeremiah describes it this way: “God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” (Jeremiah 10:12)
Think about it—God simply spoke, and it happened. He said a word, and something came out of nothing. Now that’s ultimate power! 2 Peter 1:3 is telling us it is that very power that provides us with everything we need to live a godly life. There is absolutely nothing that kind of power cannot do. Which means there is nothing you lack to BE godly.
Not only is God so powerful that He created the universe out of nothing, Paul tells us that “by his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.” (1 Corinthians 6:14) Yes, you heard correctly. “God raised (Christ) from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” (Acts 2:24) Now that is incomprehensible power. Don’t miss this now: That is the divine power that God has given you! Don’t take my word for it. Listen again to 2 Peter 1:3. “(God’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”
You’ve got the power! Am I saying that God has given you the ability to speak and have a universe come into being? Of course not. Am I saying He has given you the power to raise the dead to life? Nope. I am saying that He has given you the power to remove King Me from the throne of your heart and the divine ability live your life entirely for God.
God has equipped you with everything you need to honor and glorify Him. So please don’t sit there, whining and whimpering that you can’t be consistently godly — yes, you can! Don’t try to weasel your way out of living daily for God because it’s just too hard or you don’t think you have what it takes to be consistently godly. You’ve got the divine power of the Almighty, most sovereign God of the Universe dwelling within you! Stop trying on your own and start trusting in God.
When contemplating all that God is, the author of 1 Chronicles writes, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12) Truly “He rules forever by his power.” (Psalm 66:7)
It would be very wise for us to follow our Heavenly Father’s advice to “be still, and know that (He is) God.” (Psalm 46:10)
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:28-29)
Only “the God of peace, who … brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep”—only God—can “equip you with everything good for doing his will.” (Hebrews 13:20-21) How awesome is that!
Ephesians 5:1 commands you to “imitate God, therefore, in everything you do.” When you are “imitating” someone, what exactly are you doing? In what ways are YOU to “imitate” God? Consider this next point very carefully. Only God can always be godly. Let me repeat that. Only God can always be godly.
Now I realize that statement is about as basically fundamental as saying that apples grow on trees, fire is hot, and water is wet, but let’s take a moment to really think about this.
The ability to consistently live a godly life does not naturally reside within you, nor does it naturally reside within me. On our own we can never be godly—all we can be are people trying to be godly. Only God is godly. This is why, when King Me is sitting on the throne of your heart, you will always fail to live a life that glorifies God.
Think for a moment about a cordless power drill without its battery pack. All on its own it’s a worthless collection of parts that can do nothing. When I pick it up and pull the trigger, nothing is going to happen. It is incapable of doing what it was created to do. Why? Without the battery plugged in, it has no power.
Just like a power drill without its battery, on our own we’re merely a shell, unable to accomplish anything good for God.
Godliness is NOT you or me intentionally doing or being something. We are not godly people simply because we teach a Sunday School class or serve on this committee or that board at church or lead a small group Bible Study (or even author a book on the topic). You are godly when you allow your Heavenly Father to live His natural godliness through you moment by moment, day by day.
In John 3:30 John wrote that for God to become greater in our lives; we must first become less. It must not be about you. Not now, not 5 minutes from now, not 5 hours, 5 days or even 5 years from now. Never.
Only when King Me steps off the throne of your heart and you let God take His rightful place will His divine power flow through you, giving you everything you need to live a consistent, godly life.
(20:39) Great Resources
If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about our ministry, be sure to visit our website to discover the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com (repeat)
One of those resources I would like to highlight for you today is my online course entitled “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory.” You see, saying “No” and choosing to live in an upright and godly life is a daily decision you must make. Every time you are faced with a temptation, you are also faced with a decision: Do I give in, or do I stand firm in my faith and fight it? Do I yield to the Spirit and glorify God, or do I focus on self and give in to my fleshly desires?
In this 9-lesson online course, “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory”, – you will discover, in a very clear and practical way, how to live a life that is holy and pure, how to say no to sin and live in full and complete surrender to God. This 9-week course is available right now for only $55 at Christian Growth Academy .com
So I encourage you to visit Christian Growth Academy.com and purchase your place in this online course so you can discover how to “Overcome Temptation” and consistently live the life God has called you to live. A life of holiness. A life of godliness. A life that honors and glorifies God. A life of freedom!
(22:44) In Conclusion
Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast. If this has ministered to you, if this has blessed you, challenged you, or encouraged you - I ask you to do three things. First of all: would you please let your friends know about The Point of Purity Podcast. Help us help men and women across the globe win their war for sexual purity and live in freedom. Because I am a not-for-profit ministry, I cannot afford a marketing budget. As a result, the only way people are going to know about this Point of Purity Podcast is if my listeners ... if you ... tell others about it. So, would you please partner with us by helping spread the news?
Then second, and this is so important, please take a few seconds right now to go over to your favorite Podcast Player and rate our program and this episode – why? because every time you do, your rating lets them know this podcast is important, it is valuable, and your ratings helps us get this program and this ministry into the ears and hearts of people just like you. Not sure what to do?
If you’re using an Apple device, simply go to Apple Podcast (if you’re not already there) ... open up this episode (if it’s not already open) ... and scroll to the very bottom to the Ratings and Review section. There you can give this episode a 5-star rating and a short, written review. And, for you Android users – click the Podchaser link in my show notes to leave your rating and review.
https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-point-of-purity-podcast-1556278
Third, if you haven’t subscribed to this podcast yet, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!
So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.