The Self Life
This episode of Reflections of The Lighthouse delves into the concept of the "self life," exploring how our belief systems, often rooted in lies and selfish motives, dictate our actions and goals. It highlights how these self-centered pursuits, even those disguised as good, can lead us away from God's true purpose.
Takeaways:
- The self life is governed by your belief system
- Satan's lies lead to pursuing unbiblical goals
- Roadblocks reveal your heart
- True life is found in surrendering yourself to God's control
Get in touch with our hosts:
Dr. Brandon Bower at bbower@lhfw.org
Pastor Jordan Bradley at jbradley@lhfw.org
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Links
Thriftstore (Instagram)
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Music
Raise You Up (30 Sec)
Diego Mendez
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:You're listening to Reflections of the Lighthouse, a podcast sharing the hope of the gospel with those struggling with life altering addictions.
Speaker B:If you'd like more information about the Lighthouse and the services we provide, Visit us@lhfw.org Now here's your host, Dr.
Speaker B:Brandon Bauer.
Speaker B:Welcome back to Reflections of the Lighthouse.
Speaker B:Today we're going to talk about the self life.
Speaker B:And again, Pastor Jordan Bradley's with me.
Speaker B:And so here's my question, Jordan.
Speaker B:When, when someone says the self life, what are they referring to?
Speaker A:They are referring to the, the system of truths, quote unquote truths.
Speaker A:Their belief system, we can call it that they are governing their own life by.
Speaker B:So if I'm governing my life by my belief system, what's wrong with that?
Speaker A:Because there is only one truth.
Speaker A:There's the absolute truth, and that is ultimately found in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:So my truth isn't true truth?
Speaker A:Your truth isn't true truth unless it is Jesus.
Speaker A:Because your truth might tell you that you believe in the flying spaghetti monster as your God and he tells you that you need to run down Coliseum Boulevard saying eat a meatball today.
Speaker A:Or your truth might be Jesus who tells you that you need to trust in him for the forgiveness of your sins.
Speaker B:I think that's one of the things that separates us from other programs in our community.
Speaker B:We are not a 12 step based program.
Speaker B:We do not believe that we can recover ourselves.
Speaker B:It is only through the love and grace of Jesus Christ that we can find true happiness, hope and healing.
Speaker B:Okay, so when someone is trusting in their self life, we would say they are believing in lies, certain lies about themselves, about others, about the world around them.
Speaker B:And most of that has to do with selfishness.
Speaker B:An underlying selfishness that promotes protection, satisfaction and gratification and self interest.
Speaker B:Things like statements like I want to feel good or I want to feel pleasure, or I deserve this, or let's talk about the lies behind those thoughts.
Speaker A:Well, because ultimately, um, our, the only thing that we deserve, right, is the wrath of God.
Speaker A:We, we deserve the, the punishment for our sins.
Speaker A:So the like bare bones, we, anything that's not the wrath of God is, is totally of grace.
Speaker A:But then when we think of, of protection, when we think of gratification and, and ambition and, and feeling good, ultimately those come at the cost of someone else.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Where, where we are.
Speaker A:We've talked about it the last couple of episodes about manipulation where we're manipulating someone else to be gratified.
Speaker A:We're manipulating someone else to, to feel protected and, and so True love is not, is not self serving.
Speaker A:Ultimately, true love is self giving.
Speaker A:And when we are seeking after what the Lord wants from us, ultimately that, that causes us to lay ourselves down.
Speaker B:I'm over here laughing just a little bit inside because you said true love and it took me right back to one of my favorite movies, the Princess Bride.
Speaker B:But we will, we will not dig any further.
Speaker B:I think that Satan is the master manipulator and he's standing behind the scenes causing other people to think they're in control and think that their beliefs for their lives is top priority.
Speaker B:We saw it in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.
Speaker B:He manipulated God's words to get them to make a sinful decision.
Speaker B:Satan's tactics have not changed since the beginning of time.
Speaker B:He wants you to think that you were in control, that pleasure is king, that you need to feel love and that you need to esteem yourself.
Speaker B:You know, the self esteem movement in our country is just causing so much damage.
Speaker B:Scripture tells us to esteem others more than ourselves.
Speaker A:Scripture tells us to esteem God more, right?
Speaker A:Where I mean, even in the way that we eat, in the way that we drink, right?
Speaker A: First Corinthians: Speaker A:And so if we're not esteeming God in how we are living our lives, even down to the very basics of what we're eating and drinking, ultimately we're living for the glory of self or for our own esteem.
Speaker B:Another lie that ties into the self life is right out of the prosperity gospel that I need to bless myself, I need a blessing and I'm going to pursue a blessing.
Speaker B:So I'm going to rationalize my sin.
Speaker B:I'm going to try to control others because I need the blessing.
Speaker B:Now God's not anti blessing, but he's anti sin.
Speaker B:And too often we seek sin as our blessing.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:We see this.
Speaker A:Maybe I'm, I'm dating myself here, but we see this in the YOLO movement, right?
Speaker A:You only live once and so just live it up while you're here.
Speaker A:And so if we're, if that's all we're doing, we are missing the point of why we are here for sure.
Speaker B:It's a God substitute is what it is.
Speaker B:That's right, it is.
Speaker B:I need blessings, so I'm going to find blessings.
Speaker B:I'm going to figure this out.
Speaker B:Ties right back into our last podcast about manipulation, right?
Speaker B:It's creating idols to bless myself.
Speaker A:It's the opposite way that God wants us to live.
Speaker A:Remember in First John, chapter two, verses 15 to 17, it says, do not love the world or the things in the world.
Speaker A:If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Speaker A:For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world.
Speaker A:The world is passing away along with its desires.
Speaker A:But whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Speaker A:And so what we see here is that when we're trying to bless ourselves with what's in the world, we're living for the blessing of right now, which ultimately is not going to last very long.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B: First Corinthians: Speaker B:The simplest, best passages in all of scripture.
Speaker B:It says this.
Speaker B:Beloved brothers flee from idolatry.
Speaker B:It's a simple message that we say is key to allowing God to control our life.
Speaker B:Like we said, God substitutes or creating idols.
Speaker B:The famous quote, the human heart is an idol maker.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:We do that and we create these idols.
Speaker B:You know, look what I've done.
Speaker B:Look.
Speaker B:Look at the great nonprofit I've done.
Speaker B:Look at the book that I've written.
Speaker B:Look at.
Speaker B:And all of a sudden, it's not about God and what he's done, and it's all about me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I think this.
Speaker A:This comes out with some of our guys in.
Speaker A:In.
Speaker A:In the ways that they.
Speaker A:They substitute idols for idols.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Well, maybe one idol led them to addiction, and then they have freedom from that addiction, and then they transfer it to another idol.
Speaker A:It might look like clothing or a car or.
Speaker A:Or maybe rims on a car or.
Speaker A:Or something like that.
Speaker A:Where the, like they place their identity in.
Speaker A:In these things when they're just fleeting.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So one of the things we're really concerned around here is there.
Speaker B:There's a new Senate bill to.
Speaker B:To put a.
Speaker B:Put a casino in the Fort Wayne area.
Speaker B:And we have been vocal against this.
Speaker B:We think it is going to be toxic for our community.
Speaker B:It is going to be the God substitute for too many people.
Speaker B:I am going to go and I am going to win this money, and I am going to be rich, and people are going to respect me.
Speaker B:We don't want a casino in our community.
Speaker B:We think it is a toxic thing.
Speaker B:So we have called on our senator, Andy Zay, to stop this and just found out this morning that the Senate bill was pushed through with his name on it.
Speaker B:And we want our community, our listeners, to say we don't want this in our community and reach out to Senator Zay or the mayor of New Haven and help to stop this because it's going to fuel this right here.
Speaker A:Ultimately, it's just championing other sins.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Like, and it's, it's championing fantasy.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:We see it where, where it just like there's the fantasy of getting rich quick and rich in this world is passing away.
Speaker A:And, and it's, it's for a pipe dream of more money in the community.
Speaker B:And it's going to destroy our community.
Speaker B:And then faith based programs like the Lighthouse are going to have to pick up the pieces.
Speaker B:And, and we're saying we don't have the funding for that.
Speaker B:And you're bringing this monstrosity to our community.
Speaker B:It is not welcome here.
Speaker B:That was totally kind of a rabbit trail, but it also fit right in here.
Speaker B:But if you want to know more about the casino in our area, feel free to tag me on Facebook or message me, send me an email.
Speaker B:Bbauerhfw.org we're active in this fight and we are trying to, to stop this casino from coming to our area in any way that we can.
Speaker B:But back to this.
Speaker B:I think the question is, who are we giving allegiance to?
Speaker B:Me.
Speaker B:Because I want more.
Speaker B:I want what I want when I want it, or, you know, where's your heart at?
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That's Hebrews, chapter three, verses seven and eight.
Speaker A:Say some very, very sobering words.
Speaker A:Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.
Speaker A:As in the rebellion on the day of testing in the wilderness.
Speaker A:That day of testing in the wilderness was the.
Speaker A:What was the day when they were supposed to.
Speaker A:The Israelites were supposed to go into the promised land, and they had just experienced God's deliverance out of Egypt.
Speaker A:And now they were facing another problem.
Speaker A:And they were just like, nope, God can't do it.
Speaker A:And so they just turn their back on God.
Speaker A:They harden their heart to God.
Speaker A:How often do we do that in our lives when we're giving allegiance to an idol of this world rather than the one true God?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And sometimes there's red flags that tell us that our heart's off.
Speaker B:You know, when sinful actions happen, it should warn us that our goals are unbiblical.
Speaker B:If I am protecting something in a sinful way, I should step back and go, whoa, maybe what I'm protecting isn't what I should be protecting.
Speaker B:We see pride, selfishness, control, manipulation.
Speaker B:These are all roadblocks that reveal what's really in our heart.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And it shows up, right?
Speaker A:Like in, in the way that we're communicating in the way that we're.
Speaker A:If we're like quick to fight somebody about something, there might be a little bit.
Speaker A:We might be seeing our sinful response coming out when it's just so quick to fight.
Speaker A:I think that's why James says to be slow to speak and quick to listen, or slow to anger and quick to listen.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think, I think the number one thing for people who are struggling with their self life is that they need to put their self life under God's control.
Speaker B:We are commanded to by Christ.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:We see this in the Gospel of Luke.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:In Luke chapter 6, verse 46, it says, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I tell you?
Speaker A:How simple is that?
Speaker A:We say we love Jesus and then we live the opposite way that he wants us to live.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:So I think the ultimate question is where does your trust lie?
Speaker B:And I think that leads right to the ultimate decision of understanding the gospel and trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Speaker B:And if you truly understand where you're trusting lies, you truly understand that Jesus is the only way.
Speaker B:He's the truth and the life and the only way of breaking our sinful responses and our manipulation and our unhealthy self life.
Speaker A:And for the believer, the one that has trusted in Jesus for salvation and has given their life over to Jesus, that doesn't stop like, like trust in God is a.
Speaker A:Is a day to day, moment by moment thing.
Speaker A:And there's no better verse to help us understand it than in Proverbs chapter three, which says, trust in the Lord with all your heart in verse five.
Speaker A:And do not lean on your own understanding.
Speaker A:In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.
Speaker A:And then verses 7 and 8 are even more helpful.
Speaker A:Be not wise in your own eyes.
Speaker A:Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
Speaker A:It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Speaker B:So reality is, there are unbelievers listening to our podcast.
Speaker B:People who are trusting in their own self to get them to heaven.
Speaker B:People who have a faulty thought about God.
Speaker B:And I want you to know that.
Speaker B:We want you to know the Savior.
Speaker B:We want you to trust in him with all your heart, with all your soul and all your mind.
Speaker B:And it would be the joy of our hearts to talk to you about that.
Speaker B:So you can reach out through our website, LHFW.org or to send me an email.
Speaker B:It's bbower b o w E R H F.
Speaker B:Let me say that again.
Speaker B:Bbower b o w e r@lhfw.org or.
Speaker A:Or you can reach out to me at jbradley B R A d l e yfw.org Yep.
Speaker B:We want to talk to you about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Now, we also get a lot of emails, so we might not answer within 24 hours.
Speaker B:Give us some grace on that.
Speaker B:But we want to talk to you about that.
Speaker B:So please reach out to us.
Speaker B:And thank you for listening to Reflections of the Lighthouse.
Speaker B:Have a great week.
Speaker A:We'll see you.
