Rick Hughes guides listeners on a transformative journey toward understanding God’s divine purpose. Through teaching the ‘Forward Line of Troops,’ Rick introduces essential problem-solving devices that every believer can apply in their life to achieve tranquility and spiritual fullness. He offers a deep dive into how the spiritual life, not constrained by material possessions, can provide eternal rewards and genuine happiness. This episode encourages listeners to grow in grace and deeply treasure their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Welcome to the Flatline with your host, Rick Hughes. For the next 30 minutes, you’ll be inspired, motivated, educated, but never manipulated. Now, your host, Rick Hughes.
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Good morning and welcome to the Flatline. I am your host, Rick Hughes, and I’d like to thank you for tuning in. It won’t be long, 27, 28 minutes of motivation and Some inspiration, some education, all as the announcer said, no manipulation. That means we don’t try to con people. We’re not trying to hustle you. We’re not asking you for money. We’re not trying to solicit funds, sell you anything. We’re just offering information. Make no mistake about it. The Flatline is designed for one thing, to bring you to a understanding of God’s plan and will for your life through Jesus Christ, the anointed Son of God. If you don’t know for sure whether or not you have eternal life, there’s no reason you should ever doubt it. Because the Bible says in 1 John, these things are written so that you might know that you have life. And you can count on God, he’s not a liar. If you make a decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and receive him as your savior, he’s not gonna bail on you when you fail, he’s not gonna leave you when you mess up. He said, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. I give unto them eternal life, and they will never perish, and neither shall any man ever pluck them out of my Father’s hand. So this show, first and foremost, is to encourage you to make the greatest decision you’ll ever make in your life, the eternal decision to receive Christ as your Savior by a simple act of faith alone in Christ alone. I did it by prayer. I asked God to save me. I got on my knees and prayed and said, Lord, I know I’m lost. I know I’m going to hell, and I’m asking you to save me today. I’m willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior. I didn’t feel funny, I didn’t feel any emotional thing, but it happened. God did what he said he would do. And he will do it for you as well. So please, understand the first thing in this show, the most important thing in this show, is your relationship with God through Christ Jesus, his anointed son. Secondly, if in fact you are a Christian and you have made that decision, then we’d like to talk to you about how the mechanics of God works. What does the plan of God entail? How do you know you’re living God’s will for your life? And we offer plain, simple, basic troops called the FLOT line, F-L-O-T. That stands for the Forward Line of Troops. And this is something my pastor taught me years ago. This is not original for me. This is his message that he taught me, and I’m repeating it to you. He taught me how to rebound, how to confess my sin when I messed up. 1 John 1, 9, which is the first problem-solving device. He taught me how to be filled with the Holy Spirit from Ephesians 5, 18, where the Bible says be filled with the Spirit. And he showed me that when I rebounded, I was filled with the Holy Spirit. And when I sinned, I quenched the Holy Spirit. He taught me the faith thrust drill. He taught me grace orientation. He taught me doctrinal orientation. He taught me a personal sense of destiny, how to have personal love for God, how to have impersonal love for others. He explained what it meant to share the happiness of God and what it meant to be occupied with Christ. That’s what we try to teach you on this radio show. Those 10 unique problem-solving devices I learned years ago from my very own pastor. We’ve written a book about it called Christian Problem Solving. It’s free. If you’d like to have it, just contact us. through our website or call us 800-831-0718. 800-831-0718. We will send it to you free of charge. Today, before we get wound up on what we want to cover, I’d like to talk about something. Let’s talk about happiness. Happiness, really being happy. You know, that’s the question I want to ask you. Are you happy? And the opposite of happiness, what do you think that is? Well, it’s miserable. Are you happy or are you miserable? I’ve talked on the phone this week with a lot of people that call and so many people are miserable because of past failures or circumstances and events in their life. So that’s the question I have to ask you this morning. Do you live a miserable existence? Are you sick of certain people, circumstances, anything that causes you extreme unhappiness? Do you have circumstances in your life that cause confusion and chaos? Are all of these situations causing you to worry or even experience depression? The scriptures tell us this in Job 14 one. Man born of a woman is short-lived and full of turmoil. Man born of a woman is short-lived and full of turmoil. That means that he has a life filled with one crisis after another. If I tried to describe a life of misery to you, I would put it this way. One, to be very uncomfortable or be unhappy, living in a state of distress or being depressed over unfair circumstances. And two, I would say miserable individuals often mistake prosperity as a cure for their loneliness. But the truth is the myth of this world, the truth is that the myth of this world is a lie. The secret to happiness does not lie in people or circumstances. The secret to happiness lies in the very words that the Lord Jesus Christ pronounced in Luke 11, 28, where he said these words to a woman who suggested that happiness was related to his mother. And he said, quote now, on the contrary, Happiness belongs to those who hear the word of God and keep it. On the night before his crucifixion, he taught the disciples these things. And here’s what he said. I have taught you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be made full. That’s in John 15, 11. These things are the doctrines that he taught them the last night he was alive with them. You remember the Reverend Billy Graham, the famous worldwide evangelist? He was quoted as saying this about being happy. He said, the happiness God offers brings enduring worth to life. It’s not really the superficial happiness that depends on circumstances, but rather the happiness and the contentment, notice those two things go together, that fills the soul even in the midst of the most distressing circumstances or bitter environment. The truth that I hope you will grasp today is that there’s something that overrides all adversity and all heartache, and it’s called the plan of God. Listen as I read this verse to you, 1 Corinthians 15, 57. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory over, or through, excuse me, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. There’s the victory of the life, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only does Christ deliver you from eternal damnation called the lake of fire, and that awaits the devil and all his fallen angels, but the Lord Jesus Christ offers you a new way to live when you adopt his mindset. It’s a life that’s free of fear, free of worry, free of doubt, and full of confident expectations. Paul wrote it this way in Philippians 1.6, being confident in this very thing, that he, that’s Christ, he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many people spend a lot of money trying to improve their quality of life. And there’s nothing wrong with living a healthy lifestyle, but if you ignore your spiritual life, you will just be a very fit person, still very miserable. In 1 Timothy 4, 8, the Bible says, for bodily exercise profits a little. But godliness, which is another term for the spiritual life, godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. So the spiritual life is much easier to maintain than the physical life. Many people, when I say the spiritual life, they don’t have a clue what I’m talking about. There is a way to live under divine viewpoint learning the problem-solving devices called the spiritual life. This is where you live in your brain, the Christian life. Not in your feet, in your brain. You have mentality, you have volition, you have conscience, you have self-consciousness. And when you learn God’s word and store it in your consciousness, and your volition chooses to exercise positive volition toward what God says, then you’re living the Christian life. Then you can have victory over the world. Then you’ll understand that spiritual life is much easier to maintain than the physical life. You’re getting older, like me, the physical life starts to break down, but the spiritual life, the older you get, gets stronger. It’s completely opposite. If you grow in grace, the spiritual life is strongest as you’re getting the oldest, when your physical life is the weakest. The spiritual life has eternal benefits, but your physical life only wears out. Listen to what was in the Bible in Matthew 6, 19 and 20. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on this earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. That’s the spiritual life. That’s you developing a spiritual life with eternal rewards. So the spiritual life, not the physical life, is the key to your success and your happiness. And your spiritual life is the answer to stability in a nation such as ours that is going through the turmoil we’re going through. How could you be the answer? Well, I’ll read it to you. 2 Chronicles 7, 14. If my people, my people, those are believers, who are called by my name will humble themselves, that’s the right attitude, humility is teachability, if they will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and here comes the volitional decision, turn away from their wicked ways, Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. But what exactly are the wicked ways that we’re doing today? The Bible clearly teaches in Hosea 4, you have forgotten my word. You don’t have any knowledge. You know me, but you don’t understand me. We supplement ritual for reality. What the world is seeking can be found in a relationship with the God of this universe, who is none other than Christ Jesus. And it’s through him and because of him that you can have peace with God and happiness not miserable in a sin ridden world. So if you’ve discovered that the world offers, if you’ve discovered what the world offers has not given you the enjoyment you’re seeking, then maybe now, maybe today, maybe right now it’s time to start a new life in Christ. Today you can place your faith in the work of Christ on the cross. and you can receive him as your savior today. In 2 Corinthians 5.21, the word of God clearly says, he has made him, Christ, who knew no sin, he was a sinless perfection, to be sin for us, he took our place. So he has made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God by means of him. If God is perfectly righteous and we’re perfectly unrighteous, how could we ever have fellowship with God? See, the Bible says there are none that are righteous, no, not even one. All of our righteousnesses are like a filthy rag in God’s ass, so the only way that you can have any identification with God is when you receive the righteousness of Christ imputed to you, just like he received your sins imputed to him. When you make a decision to receive Christ as your savior, his righteousness is given to you and you are on equal standing with him and you’re able to be a member of God’s royal family. In 2 Corinthians 5, 17, therefore, if any man is in Christ, He’s a new creature. Old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new. You remember when you went to school years and years and years ago, there was an old chalkboard and it was dusty and chalky and the teacher would take a wet sponge and clean it and the chalkboard would look clean and crystal clear again. This is what happens when you believe in Christ. All your sins are gone, wiped away. You start all over, a brand new life when you’re born again. Just as Jesus instructed Nicodemus, you begin a new life, not a physical life, but a spiritual life. That means that God the Holy Spirit will indwell you, he will mentor you in what’s available to you through God’s word, and if you learn of your new assets and in fact do use them, then your potential for happiness is unlimited. I’m not saying you won’t need to see a doctor from time to time, I’m not saying you might not need counseling from time to time, But I’m telling you this, that if you learn God’s word and exercise a faith-rest drill and develop a relaxed mental attitude, stand on the promises of God, you don’t have to worry, you don’t have to be upset, you don’t have to be in some sort of miserable status in your life. You can have objective optimism through Christ our Lord. Don’t make the mistake of confusing happiness taught in the scripture. with the fact of the details of life which are just momentarily and they do fade away. The new happiness I’m trying to tell you about, the new happiness I’m speaking about is related to the immaterial part of your soul and your spirit, not the material part of your body, not the bed you sleep on, not the automobile you drive around in, but what’s in your brain. The immaterial part of you, your soul, this is where the happiness is. God’s matchless grace designed a spiritual life for you to live in. And when you live in his power by means of the Holy Spirit and enjoy his provisions by means of the word of God, then you can overcome the worst of your environment and have contentment the way the world does not possess. In Philippians 4.11, Paul wrote about that. He said, not that I speak in regards to need, for I have learned whatever state I am to be content. He wasn’t unhappy because he didn’t have something and he wasn’t happy because he did have something. Happiness is not related to circumstances. Happiness is not related to people. Happiness is related to the Lord Jesus Christ. Did you notice this? Listen, a self-contained happiness that is your constant companion is available and you will be able to rise above circumstances in your life. Self-contained happiness is available. In Romans 14, 17, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy, joy, you hear that word, joy, in the Holy Spirit. There’s your self-contained happiness. Did you notice I said peace and joy? Do you have peace in your life? Are you happy? Because if not, if not, it’s time to start over by receiving Christ as your Savior. And if you’ve already made that decision but still find no peace and no joy in your life, it’s not because God does not provide these things for you, it’s because you neglected your spiritual opportunities. And you allowed the devil, aka Lucifer, Satan, to distract you. Or maybe you allowed the flesh to enslave you. Or maybe even you gave in to the world and was seduced by the promises the world offers but cannot be kept. So if you’ll let me, if you don’t mind, I wish you would just let me for a few minutes here, let me list a few things that are available to the believer who seeks to grow spiritually. First of all, if you take God’s word and learn it and apply it into your life and use it, you can have tranquility of soul. Yes, you can live a calm life in spite of the circumstances. in spite of who’s in power politically, in spite of what you do have or don’t have financially, in spite of any relationship you do have or don’t have. You don’t have to be upset. You don’t have to be miserable. You can have a tranquility of soul simply by this. Here’s the problem-solving device. Simply by confessing your sin of worry, by being filled with the Holy Spirit, where part of the fruit of the Spirit is peace and joy and love and long-suffering, and using the faith rest drill. Those are the first three promise-solving devices. What is the faith rest drill? Standing behind the promises of God and using them as a shield of faith to protect you from the fiery darts of the wicked one. There is no reason for you not to live a calm life. There’s no reason for you to be apprehensive. There’s no reason for you to be worrying about anything. You can have tranquility of soul if you grow spiritually and become a mature believer. Number two, another thing that’s available to you is no stress-related sins to dominate you. That’s right. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to get angry. You don’t have to get bitter. As a matter of fact, the Bible says in Ephesians 4, put all that behind you. Don’t get bitter. Don’t worry. Don’t get full of malice. You know, I watch people, and it’s very interesting to see how mad people get about certain things. Mad on the interstate, get out and fight in the middle of the road, drive up and shoot each other. Neighbors fight over their property lines. People fight over relationships. There’s a better way to live. No stress-related sins to dominate you. Do you mean tell me I can live without being worrying? Yes. Are you telling me I can live without getting angry? Yes. Are you telling me I can live without being bitter? Yes. How do I do that? Well, you have contentment. That’s available to you through the filling of the Holy Spirit and through the intake of the word of God on a daily basis. You can be content. You can have a wonderful life full of contentment. As Paul said, I’ve learned whatever state I’m in to be content. Your happiness is not related to whether you’re able to pay all your bills this month or not. Your happiness is not related to your sickness or not. Your happiness is not related to what people say about you or don’t say about you. Remember what Jesus said, happiness belongs to those people who hear my Father’s word and keep it. He called it joy. It’s a peace that passes all understanding. It’s a relaxed mental attitude that is unbelievable in the middle of the most extreme trials. You can have contentment. And you can have a number point, a number point four, an attitude of gratitude. That’s appreciation for what God has given to you. Not jealousy, not bitterness, but attitude of gratitude. There’s a verse that says, this is the day the Lord has made. We’ll rejoice and have a super abundance of happiness in it because of his unfailing love and mercy every day. Each day you get up and look out the window. If the sun is shining or if the rain is raining, it doesn’t make any difference. You need an attitude of gratitude that God gave you one more day to represent him on this earth. One more day to enjoy all of his grace benefits. That means that you’re not threatened by any circumstances that you may face in your life today. You don’t have to be threatened by circumstances. I know going to the doctor is not fun. Hearing bad news is not fun. These are simply circumstances of this life. This body is going to wear out. This body is going to shut down. We’ve got a new body coming, a resurrection body. The Bible says the eye has not seen, the ear has never heard, the heart has never felt the amazing things God has for you. Maybe you’ve never thought about that. You’re going to get a new body, and it won’t wear out. But I’ll tell you what’s going with you. Your soul is going with you. Your thoughts are going with you. Your body will go to the grave and perish as it’s supposed to. But your soul, your mentality of your soul will go with you into your resurrection body. And you will be able to know and understand and learn things you haven’t seen yet. God’s matchless grace means you’re not threatened by any circumstances. So you have security and you have confidence. You’re very secure and you’re very confident in God’s plan. You don’t have to worry. And then you have stability in your life. stability from the word of God in your soul. That means you’re not bounced back and forth, carried around by every little bit of doctrine that comes along. The Bible talks about that. I’ll read it to you. The spiritual life I’m talking about is contained in those 10 provisional devices. I call it the flat line. And learning those 10 problem-solving devices is the most important thing you will ever do. The most important thing you’ll ever do. Why? Well, because if you don’t know them, if you don’t use them, you cannot glorify God to the max if you’re a Christian. They are the mechanics of the Christian life. That spiritual life I’m talking about requires far more than an occasional rededication at a revival. It’s much more than a praise and worship service or a retreat weekend for singles and married couples. You know, these things might be refreshing, but they don’t teach you how to maintain fellowship with God by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit, nor do they teach the faithless drill or any of the other basic biblical doctrines required for you to glorify God to the maximum in your life. Sadly, sadly, many believers are satisfied with spiritual appetizers rather than the stake of the in-depth teaching from the scriptures. Many churches that are packed out offer appetizers. Many churches that offer in-depth Bible teaching are not packed out. People don’t want that. They’d rather be entertained. They’d rather get a little shot of 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there, and go about their way. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews said about in-depth teaching from the scriptures. He said, we have a lot to say to you, but it’s hard to explain because you’re dull of hearing, which means you can’t concentrate. For though by this time you should be a teacher, that means you’ve been saved a long time, but in fact now you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God. That’s the basics. And you have come to need milk and not solid food. That means you’re still on the bottle. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. He’s just a baby. But solid food belongs to those who are full age enough That is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. This is why it’s necessary for you to be under the teaching of a well-qualified pastor. In Ephesians 4, and he himself gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastor teachers for the equipping of the saints. Note that, equipping of the saints. For the work of the ministry. Note that. For the edifying of the body of Christ, note that, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature individual after the measure of the statue of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men, who in cunning craftiness deceitfully plot against you. But speaking the truth in love, you may grow up and do all things unto him who is the head, Jesus Christ our Lord, from whom the whole body is joined together by every joint that supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share. And it causes growth in the body for the edifying of itself in love. You remember the body of Christ if you’re a believer. God has given someone a spiritual gift to guide you and teach you, your shepherd, your mentor, your pastor, teacher. And if you sit under his authority, if you listen to him teach the word of God and apply into your life what he teaches, then you will be able to live a life without any misery. You’ll be able to live a life full of contentment, full of happiness, being occupied with the person of Christ. So again, you’re not miserable, are you? Are you living a miserable existence? Because you sure don’t have to. There’s a better way to live, a better way to enjoy life, a better way to go through your day than sitting around worrying and being upset and being angry and being frustrated. It’s the Christian life, the spiritual life that we talk about. And it only comes through listening to the teaching of the Word of God and applying what you hear into your life and hopefully coming from a well-qualified pastor. Not you trying to teach yourself. Not you trying to read some book that some dude sold you about how to be happy. But sitting under a pastor and listening to him crank it out line by line, word by word, verse by verse until you understand what this is all about. Well, I’m very grateful you listened to me today as I ranted and raved about how to be happy and not be miserable. I hope you’re listening, and I hope you’re paying attention. That’s why we’re here, to encourage you, to point you in the right direction, to encourage you to find that pastor teacher and get under his ministry and grow in grace and the knowledge of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s our intention to be back next week, if God will allow, same time, same place. Until then, we need your prayers, we need your encouragement, and we thank you for listening. So until then, this is your host, Rick Hughes, saying thank you for listening to The Flatline.
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Thank you for listening to The Floodline with your host, Rick Hughes. If you’d like to contact Rick, please write to him at P.O. Box 100, Cropwell, Alabama, 35054, or online at www.rickhughesministries.org.
