Breaking The Bondage Of Addictions / More Than Conquerors Lesson 6

Lesson Six

Put Something Good in Their Place

 “I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to everyone that helpeth with us, and That laboureth.” I Corinthians 16:15, 16

In our banner verse (I Corinthians 16:15, 16) the plea to all believers is to submit to a new authority. No longer should the world have power or authority over you. It is time for you to have a new authority, a new power, and that is to submit to those who are laboring for Christ and learn to do the same. It is especially important to sit under the Biblical preaching and teaching of a godly pastor. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17)

We have talked about many things that we must “put off” in our lives. “That ye put off concerning the former conversation [manner of life] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” (Ephesians 4:22). We must “put on” good things in their place: “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Ephesians 4:24)

We will now look at many verses of Scripture that give us a pattern for putting good things in place of the bad and also specific areas that need to be replaced with God’s ways.

Replace the Bad Treasure of your Heart with Good Treasure

In Matthew 12:34-35, Jesus warns that “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

Put on a new security system to guard your heart: The guarding of the heart and the renewing of the mind always require a “first responder” approach. Proverbs 4:23 “Keep [guard] thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

The word “keep” in this passage could read “Above all keeping” keep your heart. Also this word diligence is “constant, careful effort; to continue in spite of difficulty or opposition.”

For all believers, whether you are a babe in Christ, a person seeking deliverance from bad habits, or a mature Christian, we must read and meditate on the Word of God daily and in depth. Remember how Jesus dealt with Satan in Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Luke 4:4).

Replace destructive thoughts with God’s thoughts

Psalm 119:28 “My soul melteth [droppeth] for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.” The heavy heart will be lifted by Psalm. If you think no one is thinking about you, think again.

Psalm 139:17, 18 “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” And, Psalm 40:5 “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order to thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”

Psalm 119:113 “I hate vain [empty] thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Replace vain thoughts quickly with the Word lest they lead you into captivity by the enemy.

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit [roll] thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.”

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect [peace, peace] peace, whose mind [thought, imagination] is stayed [framed] on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Replace the Old Thought life with a Renewed and Cleansed Thought Life

 “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” (Ephesians 4:17-18)

False reasoning blinds us to the truth. We are to “cast down” false reasoning according to 2 Corinthians 10:5, specifically “every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,…” Our acquired knowledge of God can give us a perception of God that is not Biblical. That is why our minds must be renewed. Studying the Word will replace those wrong perceptions and give us the right ones. These will become stepping stones to help us “walk in truth” and “in the Spirit”.

Guarding the heart involves policing our own thought life “and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (II Corinthians 10:5b)

Replacing old thought patterns may mean you will have to change “frequencies”: Change from the “wudda-cudda-shudda” head chatter channel to the Philippians 4:8 channel: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Do not continue to rehearse the offenses you believe someone has done to you. Forgive and move on: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Do not forget to pray at the times when your thought life needs correcting. “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication [petition] with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6, 7)

Replace your old Counselors with new Counselors

 “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings [hard question, proverb, riddle].” (Proverbs 1:5, 6)

“Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.”(Proverbs 15:22)

“Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.” (Psalm 119:24)

Psalm 1:1 “Blessed [happy] is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

Replace the Old Paths with New Paths

Psalm 119:59, 60, 101, 105: “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments…I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word…Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

Replace your Old World View with a Christian World View

Psalm 119:104, 128 “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way…Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.”

Colossians 3:1-3 tells us to shift our attention and affection to things above “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

No matter how many earthly things we may acquire in this life, we “can’t take it with us”.

Someone has said, “There are no pockets in a burial shroud.” Neither are there any U-Haul’s behind a hearse. All that we can take to heaven with us are the souls that we win to Christ. We should primarily think of our own children and other loved ones not to mention friends and acquaintances for God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:9) This is our primary reason for being on earth. Here are two examples of this principle:

First, we see in Jesus’ command to the Gadarene demoniac in Luke 8:38, 39. “Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought Him that he might be with Him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.” The Gadarene obeyed the Lord, laid aside his own desires, and showed his gratitude for what Jesus had done for him by obeying Him.

Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

Secondly, in Luke 16:27-28 are the words from a man in hell who did not want his brothers to come to that place. “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father (Abraham), that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus the beggar) to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”

In this parable of Jesus, He makes it clear that a regular person raised from the dead will not impress those who will not believe the Word of God. We must take the gospel to the lost. Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have command you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Romans 10:13-17 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher [proclaimer]? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Isaiah 52:7) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? (Isaiah 53:1) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Replace Old Knowledge with New Knowledge

Colossians 3:4-10 re-emphasizes the need for us to be focused on heavenly things and to be dead to earthly sins which are bondage. It is summed up in verses 9, 10. “…ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

The Apostle Peter re-emphasizes the importance of growing our faith. II Peter 1:5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;” II Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)

Replace Corrupt Communication with a Divine Dialogue

Another activity which can be put into the place of a bad thought life is to maintain constant communication with the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. When we realize that prayer brings us right into the throne room of God, our words and thoughts should take on an entirely different tone.

I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.” This is a sure way to keep our hand and our heart in God’s Hand and to allow Him to lead us instead of our own thoughts and unconverted motives.

Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;”

Luke 18:1 “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Pray for Others: Colossians 4:3 “Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:” Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Pray for Your Spiritual Victory: Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Proverbs 28:26 warns “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”

BE GRATEFUL!! Remember that “The seeds of discouragement cannot grow in a heart full of gratefulness.” – Unknown

I Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

II Corinthians 2:14 “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.”

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Replace the Dens of Iniquity with a Holy House of God

Hebrews 10:23-25 sets forth yet another means God has provided for us to learn how to live for Christ and to gain freedom from bondage. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

We live in what has been commonly referred to as “the Church Age”. It probably began at Pentecost (Acts 2) after Christ had returned to heaven, but the Lord also makes reference to it in Matthew 16:18. As the disciples began to see many souls converted to Christ, the Jewish believers were driven from the synagogues and, in some cases, into hiding. To give support and encouragement to one another, and to disciple new believers, they met daily at first, going from house to house. They, no doubt took turns opening their homes to each other. A futile exercise of communal living was brought to an end by persecution. Believers were driven out of Jerusalem to many different places that the gospel might be spread to the known world.

We know by the Apostle Paul’s epistles (small letters) that there were churches established in various places including Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, and Thessalonica to name a few. Throughout the book of Acts and all of the epistles, the organization and God-directed behavior in the churches is recorded. Since the last mention of the Church (the body of Christ) is in Revelation chapter four, this is the point at which we believe the church is taken out in the Rapture and the judgment of God comes down on Israel and other unbelievers.

All this to say that attending a good Bible believing, Bible preaching, soul winning, and pure living church is not an option. It is a command and an obligation. The Church is the means whereby God is doing His work today and the supreme support group and network for believers. It is the major player in the Victor’s Protection Program. Not only does God give you a new name, a new identity and for certain a new life, He also gives you a new family. Your church family will become closer and more caring towards you than your natural family if they are not born again, sold-out-to-Christ believers.

To neglect being involved with such a body is to reject God’s purposes for your life. We are here “to glorify God on the earth and to finish the work that He has given us according to what Jesus said in John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Remember our banner verse (I Corinthians 16:15, 16) tells us to addict ourselves to the ministry of the saints. There are never enough helping hands in any church body. Whether it is carrying out the trash, folding bulletins, making coffee, wiping up tables, or delivering a meal to a homebound saint, anyone can help.

If you are in church learning about the Word of God and allowing God to change you where you need it most, as well as helping others come to Christ and grow in Christ, you will not have idle time when the devil can waste you and take you captive at his will “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover [awake] themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”(II Timothy 2:25-26).