Rick Warren - The Prayer of Deliverance Part One

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hundred six hundred five thousand and four Right now, Here's

Pastor RICKOD Part one of a message called the Prayer

of Deliverance.

A year ago, I got a note that says this,

Pastor Rick. Every morning I start out with great intentions

to change my ways. I think today is going to

be different, but it never is. Somehow, in some way

I always seem to fall back into the same old

pattern of relating to people and my old bad habits.

Sometimes I feel like there's a tug of war going

on inside of me. Honestly, I really want to do

what's best, but I always end up disappointing myself.

And God. Rick.

I have tried everything, prayer, resolutions, self help tapes, even hypnosis.

Nothing seems to work. Why do I keep making the

same mistakes over and over and over. Why am I

so resistant to change? Why do I think? Why do

I do things that I know are bad for me?

I'm really discouraged and I need help getting unstuck. If

you're honest, every one of us have felt that way

at different times in our lives about different things in

our lives. Because the reality of living on this planet

is good intentions are never good enough. Good intentions are

never good enough. If your life is going to change,

If you're going to break free from the hang ups

in your life, from the stuff that messes you up,

from the past, and from your temptations, and from bad

thought patterns and all kinds of things, it's going to

take more than just well, I hope I'll do better tomorrow.

And the reality is we.

Often get stuck in this this cycle of good intention, failure, guilt, confession,

good intention, failure, guilt, confession, and on and on, around

and around in a circle. Is that the way God

wants you to live? No, that's why you need Well,

we're going to talk about this week in the prayer

of deliverance. Now we've been looking at each phrase of

the Lord's prayer in depth and in detail, and this

weekend we come to lead us not into temptation, but

deliver us from evil. Now, the fact is some of

you want to start checking out right now, So well,

thank God, I haven't been tempted in fifty years, right.

We often think temptation is an enticement or a llure

to do something evil. We could mean bad and nasty,

the really bad stuff, murder, adultery, and fornication, all of

these different sins that other people do. And we tend

to think that temptation is just about the big things

in life, the forbidden, the evil things in life. But

actually I found that satan is much more subtle in

my life and some of those things. I'm not tempted

to murder anybody.

I'm just not.

And you can train your mind to think in certain

ways that certain things just don't tempt you anymore like

they used to in hard ways. But I made a

list off of the top of my head of what

I call the subtle temptation. I don't know if any

of you deal with any of these, but I do.

Number one.

The temptation to do what works, not necessarily the right thing,

but what works. The temptation to do what's easy, like

when you're a parent and you set your kid down

in front of the television and let them babysit, and

a thousand other ways we do what's easy. The temptation

to do what's quick, The temptation to do what works

in the short run, the temptation to do what is

self serving or best for me. I find myself often

tempted by the temptation to do what's unimportant, to not

do what really matters in life, the essential things in life,

but to do.

Stuff that Why am I doing this?

Why am I frittering away my time procrastinating? I'm doing

the unimportant. The temptation to do what I've always done,

The temptation to do what's right for the wrong reason.

The temptation to do nothing. When you see something that

I know I could help that person, I know I

could help in that situation. I know I could do that,

but you don't do anything when you see the poor,

you see the sick, or you see the needy. The

truth is, temptation is a lot more subtle than we

think it is. But the answer to the temptations that

we experience in life is this verse, which is the

prayer of deliverance. And the prayer of deliverance always leads

us to the path of escape. Now, Jesus said, you

are to pray Thy kingdom Come. Thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this

day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we

forgive those who sin against us. We've looked at that

the last two weeks, and he says, lead us not

into temptation. Now, if we didn't give into temptation, we

wouldn't have to worry about the two sentences before the sins,

the guilt and the resentment. We wouldn't have to worry

about that one. But God says that the prayer of

deliverance is the path of a escape.

And what is the path of escape?

I want you to take your outline, and I want

you to read this verse with me. One Corinthians ten thirteen.

Read it with me. The temptations that come into your

life are no different from what others experience. Okay, stop

right there. If you say nobody knows what I'm going through,

you're wrong. The temptations that come your way are no

different from what others experience.

We all have.

The same basic temptations in life. You are not unique

in the fact that you're tempted. Some of your temptations

are more unique. But temptation is not you needque We

all get tempted and they're not any different. Then he says,

and read it with me. God is faithful. You will

keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't

stand up against it. Now, let me stop right there.

When you say it was so strong, I just had

to get in, then you were calling God a liar.

Because God says I will always make a way out.

I will never put more on you, or I will

never allow more on you than I put in you

to bear it up. And when somebody says I just

couldn't help myself, they're not telling the truth. Because the

truth is temptation is a choice, and you only do

what you choose to do. So don't blame anybody else

temptation is a choice to do do right or do wrong.

And he says God will keep the temptation from becoming

so strong you can't stand up against it. And then

read the Ress with me. And when you are tempted,

he will show you a way out so that you.

Will not give in to it. And I want you to.

Circle show you a way out, because this weekend we're

going to look at the way out.

Number one.

The first step on the path to escape from the

prayer of deliverance, as the Bible teaches, is first I

have toy what makes me vulnerable. I must identify what

makes me vulnerable.

Now, notice I.

Didn't say identify what tempts you. You already know what

tempts you. What you may have never really thought through

is what causes me to be tempted by that? What

makes me vulnerable to that temptation, what makes me weak,

what makes me susceptible. And more important than knowing what

tempts you is knowing the when, why, how, where, and

all the other factors that go into that temptation. If

you're serious about permanent life change. Now, Jesus said this

in Matthew twenty six forty one. He says, watch and

pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The

spirit is willing, but the body is weak. In other words,

you may be willing, you may want to overcome your temptation,

but will powers not enough.

The spirit is willing. Have you learned that willpower is

not enough?

It'll work for a while, but after a while you

get tired and willpower burns out. No lasting change ever

happens with willpower. I'm gonna lose weight, I'm gonna stop smoking,

I'm gonna whatever. Well, yeah, you can force yourself for

a while, but as soon as you get tired, the

will poops out. So he says the spirit is willing,

but the body is weak. Now he says, watch and

pray circle both of those. You can't just pray, You

have to watch. So when Jesus says, as you are

to pray, lead us not into temptation, he's even saying

that's not enough. It's important to pray the prayer of deliverance.

But besides praying, you aught to got it. You also

have to do some watching. And what is he saying

you need to watch for? You need to watch for

the circumstances that make you vulnerable. You need to identify

those and work with them. Now, let me explain what

I'm talking about. If you've been around saddleback for a

length of time, you know that the Bible teaches that

every human being is unique. There's nobody in the world

like you. You have a unique thumbprint, a unique EyePrint, a

unique voice print. You have a unique heartbeat, you have

a unique footprint. Everything about you's unique. God never MIxS copies,

he never mikes clones. He will never make anybody like

you before you or after you. And we call this

your shape.

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This is Pastor Rick's Daily Hope once again.

Here's Rick.

Now what you may have never really realized as we

talk about God shaped you for ministry, God shaped you

for mission. It's gonna affect everything. Your shape also affects

what tempts you. Your shape determines what tempts you. It's

why some things tempt you and don't tempt other people.

Why some things attempt other people don't tempt you. You

have a unique susceptibility to temptation based on your shape,

your personality, your experiences, your DNA, all.

That kind of stuff.

Certain sitting situations tempt you and others don't. And some

of us just really get to you, and some of

them you can just blow off. And some things entice

you and lure you in, and others bore you to

tears and have no effect on you. So where does

that come from? Where do the temptations in your life

come from? Well, some are caused by nature, your own

said nature, and some are caused by nurture.

The way you grew up.

And if you grew up in a house that was

prone to blow up in anger, you probably learned that pattern.

If you grew up in a house where you learned

to stuff your emotions, that's pattern you learned. So some

temptations are by nature and some are by nurture, some

are caused by your DNA, and some are caused by

your environment, some are caused by your character, and some

are caused by your your circumstance. What am I saying

is this, you don't get to choose your temptations.

You don't get to choose them the things that really

tempt you.

Sorry, it's just part of the negative side of your shape.

Now what does that mean.

Well, the implication of that is you cannot be self

righteous about anybody else's temptation, and you can't be self

righteous about your own. And what does tempt you and

what doesn't. And so when you see somebody who's tempted

by drugs, or you see somebody who's tempted by gossip,

or you see somebody who's tempted by pornography, or you

see somebody who's tempted to overeat, really doesn't matter where

that temptation come from. From DNA, from genes, from nature,

from nurture, from environment, from choices, from circumstances. All of

those things fit into that. But the fact is they're

all the same thing, and one is no better or

less evil than the other.

The Bible says sin is sin.

So we have no right to judge and say, well,

my sins are okay, yours are nasty. How could anybody

do that?

Okay?

Now, what I'm saying is that you have a pattern

of vulnerability, and you better figure out what it is,

because I want to tell you.

For sure, Satan knows what it is.

Satan knows your vulnerable points, and he's plotting the moment

you wake up. If you wake up in the morning,

you don't hit Satan first face on, just means you're

head in the same direction. To identify your pattern, you

identify what makes you vulnerable. Now to get specific, let

me give you five questions you need to ask yourself first.

You need to ask yourself when am I most tempted?

When am I most tempted? In other words, what day

of the week you're going to find some days of

the week you're more tempted about things than others, Like

on Mondays, or on Fridays, or on Sundays. Maybe a

certain time of the day. Maybe you're more tempted in

the morning, or at lunch or early or late afternoon.

Maybe you're tempted when everybody else is in bed. You know,

you need to figure out when are you most tempted.

You know, I can handle any diet till noon. I mean,

that's nothing. It's the hours between about six o'clock and midnight.

That's my pattern of temptation. It's when I want to

eat everything in the refrigerator and buy an extra refrigerator.

Now I could go out and blame my genes and say,

you know what, I just came from an obese family. Well,

just because it's genetic in me doesn't mean it's right

or it's healthy.

No, it is not. It is not.

And so you have to say when am I most tempted?

You need to ask where where am I most tempted?

Some of you are most tempted at work. Some of

you are most tempted at your neighbor's house because of

your neighbor. When my neighbors come over to my house,

they just get so tempted. Maybe you get tempted in

the kitchen. You need to know where you get tempted.

Do you get tempted at seven eleven's? Do you get

tempted at a sports bar?

Do you get.

Tempted at the beach? A lot of you get tempted

in front of a computer. You need to know your

area of vulnerability. When am I most tempted? Where am

I most tempted?

Then? Number three?

Who is with me when I'm most tempted? You need

to know your pattern of vulnerability.

Who is with me?

Am I most tempted when I'm alone? Am I most

tempted when I'm with friends who lead me in the

wrong direction? You know you can't soar with the eagles

if you're flying with the turkeys. Am I most tempted

when I'm with my coworkers and I think they're a

bunch of jerks? Or am I tempted when I'm with

a crowd of strangers and I think nobody would know me?

Am I tempted with my family? To say things to

my family I would never say to anybody else. You

need to figure this out. This is your pattern. Identify

what makes me vulnerable when?

Where? Who? Number four is what?

What temporary benefit do I get if I give in

to the temptation?

There's always a payoff, you know.

The Bible even says that the Bible says there is

pleasure in sin. It just says there's pleasure in sin

for a season. In other words, it doesn't last you

have your kicks, then you get the kickbacks.

Folks, let's just admit it. Sin's fun.

It's fun if it were miserable, nobody do it. Okay,

let's just admit this all right. Sin is fun, and

the Bible says that. The Bible says disobeying God is

a whole lot of fun. Doing the wrong thing is

a whole lot of fun. There is pleasure in sin

for a season. So what of the temporary benefit I

give in when I give in the temptation? Do I

get comfort? Do I get excitement? Do I get joy?

Do I get pleasure? Do I get a false sense

of confidence? You need to know what's the payoff when

I do this? And then the fifth thing you need

to ask is how how do I feel right before

I'm tempted? Right before I'm tempted?

You need to know.

What your emotional triggers are. You need to know what

makes your you vulnerable? Is it frustration? And then all

of a sudden you get tempted? Is it stressed? You

get tempted?

Is it when you're bored? You get tempted? When you're lonely?

You get tempted when you can't sleep at night? You

get tempted.

You need to know these things.

Step one, identify what makes me vulnerable. Watch, don't just pray,

Watch and pray. Then once you know that pattern, here's

step number two. Plan to avoid it. You plan to

avoid it. You don't wait until you're in the situation.

Decide am I gonna give into this or not? No,

you decide before your emotions kick into gear.

This is Pastor Rick's daily Hope. We are so happy

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you know that Pastor Rick and his wife Kay created

an advent calendar with specially commissioned custom artwork.

It's beautiful.

Here's Pastor Rick to tell you more.

You know, friends, one of the most common questions that

you hear this time of the year is are you

ready for Christmas? It's a question that shows how much

preparation we think is necessary just to celebrate this holiday.

And this holy day. We think getting ready for Christmas

means putting up decorations and buying and wrapping gifts and

sending cards and planning meals and helping with school plays

and church musicals and office parties, and the list goes

on and on, making sure that we help all the

people who are in need. But does doing all that

really get us ready for Christmas? We'll making it through

a checklist, prepare me for celebrating the Birth of Jesus.

We both know the answer is no, And we both

know that it's too easy to get so caught up

in doing too many things, many of them good things,

but so many things that we forget the real reason

for the season. So you know what, Here at Daily Hope,

we've put together a brand new resource that I want

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get ready for celebrating the Birth of Jesus. It's an

advent calendar, a calendar of preparation. And each day on

this calendar, you'll open one Bible verse and then you

just turn to the corresponding page and a companion book

that we've put together, and you read through the very

short spiritual growth devotional, not only takes a couple minutes

to read the Bible verse and the devotional, but it's

going to prepare your heart for the coming of Christ

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Preparing your heart for Christmas will help you spend the

holiday expressing your gratitude to God, worshiping instead of worrying,

and taking things off your schedule so you can appreciate

the true meaning of Christmas. I don't want you to

miss the miracle of Jesus this Christmas.

You'll want to get the Daily Hope Advent Calendar and

devotional book in your hands now to start using it

on December first. This resource is a perfect way to

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and family, and we'll send it to you to say

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