In this engaging session, uncover the secrets to spiritual contentment and inner happiness by aligning with God’s will. Rick Hughes takes us step-by-step through the process of addressing our human sin nature and rebounding effectively into a life filled with spiritual enlightenment. Drawing wisdom from the Bible, Rick explains the role of the Holy Spirit as a guide and mentor, helping listeners to triumph over daily temptations and achieve a spiritual life that is both fulfilling and harmonious with the teachings of 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 Good morning and welcome to the flatline
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I’m your host, Rick Hughes, and for the next few minutes, you have a cordial invitation to stay tuned. We have a brief show, only about 30 minutes of motivation, some information, a whole lot of education, but we do it without any type of manipulation. We don’t solicit money. We don’t sell anything. We’re not trying to hustle you to get you to join something. This show is about giving you accurate information. That’s it. If you want to verify and identify it, we can go through the Bible, show you where we get it from. Your job as a listener is to orient and adjust to the truth if you hear it and you agree with it. But my job is to be accurate, to give you truth, not to get your emotions stimulated, not to try to get you fired up, but to simply tell you what the Word of God says so that the end result is that you can orient and adjust to God’s plan and have a magnificent life. You know, I want to thank you, first of all, before we get going this morning, for so many of you that’s written to me in the last week and said we are listening and we do enjoy the show and we hope you’ll stick with it. We have canceled four cities that we’ll no longer be broadcasting in, and we’re looking for new cities to move to. But if you’re listening in San Antonio, we had a show, two shows in San Antonio we’ve canceled. And we’ve canceled a show in Mount Vernon, Illinois, and we canceled another show in the Mississippi Delta around Greenwood, Mississippi. But we’re going to other markets, other stations, and I’ve been hearing from people in Spokane, people in Cheyenne, people in California, people in various places all over the country. So thank you. Let me know if you’re listening. I really am encouraged when I get those notes that say we’re listening and we’re enjoying the show. You can email us. Simply go under our website, rickhughesministries.org. I appreciate it. And if you ever would like one of the Flotline bookmarkers, we have those 10 problem-solving devices in a bookmarker, and we can send it to you. You can stick it in your Bible and refer to them occasionally. We also have a book called Christian Problem Solving that’s free. It lists all 10 problem-solving devices that make up the Flotline in your soul. These are things you can take advantage of if you’d like to have them. They’re not for sale. They’re always free. Everything we do is free because we know if God’s in it, he will in fact pay for it. And let me remind you that I’m not a pastor. I’m not trying to build a local congregation. I’m more of a person who’s pointing the way to a good pastor. Hopefully I can direct you to where you can sit under a well-qualified pastor and learn God’s Word consistently. How the protocol plan of God operates, how it works, how you can apply it to your life, and how you can have this fantastic spiritual life the Bible talks about. Most people don’t have any idea what the spiritual life is. Remember, God gave you two ends. That’s right, two ends. And success in your life depends on which one of those ends you use. You might have heard it said, it’s heads you win and tails you lose. Ephesians 5, 17 says, don’t be unwise, but understand what is the will of the Lord. And there’s the real question is, what is God’s will for your life? It’s very easy to mess up. You can make a single decision that can affect you all of your life. And it’s very easy to make bad decisions. And bad decisions limit future options because the cosmic system is always out there luring you. And what’s really amazing is the power of the sin nature. We have a sin nature. We all do. Every one of us are born sinners. And when that sin nature goes negative and the cosmic system lures it, it’s unbelievable what the sin nature in man can do and the power of the sin nature. And no matter what you tell people, they just will not listen. And they go down the my way highway, we call it. So a lot of people this morning, Sunday morning, you’re listening wherever you are. They may be headed for church this morning. That’s good, as long as they don’t sit there glazed and dazed. Some are really born-again children of God, and some simply go for the ritual, but there’s no reality to why they go. Many people, it seems, think that worship is being spiritual. I’m going to worship this morning, so I’m going to be spiritual. We’re going to sing some songs, and we’re going to praise God and seek to give God the glory by attending a worship service. The Bible does say in Psalm 50, 23, those who offer praise glorify me. And it is true, praising God in a song service is a wonderful way to glorify God. But it’s not how we grow as Christians. If we want to grow as a Christian, 2 Peter 3.18 says, grow in the grace and the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But grow, grow in the grace and knowledge. So this is something you have to come to understand. It’s imperative, God said, that you know me and understand me. That’s what he’s looking for. And the Bible says it clearly that you know me and you understand me. No one ever grew spiritually by singing. No one ever did. But we are mandated to grow spiritually. And how does that happen? In 2 Timothy 2.15, study to show yourself approved unto God. a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. So from 2 Timothy 2.15 and 2 Peter 3.18, we have two words, study and grow. And both of those words are what we call imperative mandates in the Greek New Testament. They are not a request, but they’re an order from God. Simply put, me, you, we all are ordered as believers to to study the scriptures and learn about the grace of God and the knowledge that’s required to function in this plan. Because if I do this, then I won’t be ashamed at the judgment seat of Christ when I’m standing there and my lack of understanding is demonstrated by my poor performance in my life as a believer. God wants me to learn something, learn how to execute his plan. It’s there, it’s available. And what’s amazing is the fantastic happiness and contentment that is associated with this plan. It all starts with us coming to understand the God that we know and what he expects from us. In Jeremiah 9, 23, 24, I’m looking for those who know me and understand me. If you want to know God, you must understand, first of all, foremost, that his anointed son, Jesus Christ, is the only way to reach him. That’s the only way you can come to God. In John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can come to the Father but by me. In John 10, 7, then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. By me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pastures. Why is Jesus Christ the only way to God? Why is that? Well, because he’s the Son of God. Because he paid the penalty for our sin. Because Christ alone satisfied the righteousness of God. You know, God accepted his sacrifice as a ransom for our sin, and thus a holy God requires a perfect sacrifice, and you and I are not perfect, so we can’t appease the righteousness of God. So God reached down to me before I ever reached up to him. Remember, John 3.16, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. He loved me way before I loved him. So it was the cross of Christ that made God acceptable, accessible, excuse me, to us. And Jesus was made for that cross. And that cross was made for him, something the disciples didn’t quite understand. But he kept telling them until finally they figured it out. He’s going to die. He had to die. That was the plan all along. And if you understand that, then you understand that you can have a relationship with God through the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. You can have a new life. You know, we use the term reboot in this world, reboot the computer, reboot your phone, turn it off, turn it back on. You can reboot your life. You can have a new life if you’ve screwed up the old life. The Bible says if any man is in Christ, he’s a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new. Now think about this. Today, as you’re listening to me, you could start your life all over again. You could take everything you’ve ever done in the past that you’re ashamed of, those sins that you’ve committed that you know are wrong, and you can come to the cross and lay them at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, who in fact died for them already. He paid the penalty for those sins already. And by putting your faith in Jesus Christ today, you can have a new life. You could start a brand new life today. How? If any man’s in Christ, he’s a new creature. Old things are passed away. All things become new, 2 Corinthians 5, 17. The night that I prayed and I asked God to save me and I told God that I was believing in his son, Jesus Christ, and I wanted to receive him as my savior, that was my second birthday. I have an original birthday when I was born physically. That’s when I came into the world. But I have a spiritual birthday. That’s when I was born spiritually. Just like I’ve had to grow up physically and adapt my life to physical stress and requirements and mandates, I have to grow up spiritually. My spiritual life could not stay stunted. I couldn’t stay a spiritual midget. I had to grow up and learn God’s plan. So you and I both have a physical life, and if you’re a believer, you have a spiritual life. Like me, you must learn how to function in this new life. And the wonderful thing about it, here’s the great thing, is the Lord Jesus Christ promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to guide you. In John 16, 7, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It’s expedient for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, the comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you, and he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself. But whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come. When you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you get your own guide in life. You get your own mentor in life. You get your own coach in life. All the same, it’s the Holy Spirit. He comes to live inside of you. He indwells you, and he desires to fill you and control you. And this is the same Holy Spirit that sustained Jesus Christ and guided him during his time on earth in his humanity. Remember, Our Lord Jesus Christ was the God-man. He was undiminished deity and true humanity in one body forever. So Jesus Christ, the Lord, the anointed Son of God, imparted the Holy Spirit to each person who receives him as Savior. And it’s through the Holy Spirit that we live the spiritual life. It’s a battle, I admit. Even after I accepted Christ as Savior, I still, every day, have temptations. I still fail. The Bible says in Galatians 5.17, the flesh wars against the spirit. The spirit wars with the flesh, and they’re contrary one to the other, so you cannot do the things you would like to do. We do have a flesh. We will always have this cancerous body called the flesh. until we die and we get a new body, a resurrection body, a glorified body, and it will not be identified with sin. We won’t have a sin nature. So remember that. Romans 7.15, Paul echoed the same thing that I feel. For that which I do, I don’t understand. For what I wish I could do, I don’t do. But what I hate, that I continue to do. None of us want to continue to sin. None of us are proud of ourselves when we sin. But it’s the flesh. It’s inside of us. However, if we’re going to have a successful spiritual life, we have to learn how to control the flesh. We have to learn how to let the Holy Spirit guide our life. In Galatians 5.16, this I say then, walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. There’s a promise. So the question is, how do I walk in the spirit? Well, here’s the answer. At salvation, you were sealed by the Holy Spirit. So the night that I prayed and I asked God to save me, I was sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1.13, after you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. And so I was also indwelled by the Holy Spirit that night that I got saved. 1 Corinthians 6, 19, what, don’t you know your body is the home of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own? So the Holy Spirit came to live in me just like he came to live in you when you accepted Christ. And the question is, will we let him control our lives or will we let the flesh control our lives? You know, you were also filled that moment that you accepted Christ. And you’re given two negative mandates in the Bible. So you’re sealed and dwelled and filled the moment you believe in Jesus Christ. But the Bible tells you in Ephesians 4.30, don’t grieve the Spirit of God. And in 1 Thessalonians 5.19, don’t quench the Spirit of God. Two negative mandates. These two things, grieving and quenching, are signs that you have allowed your flesh to take control. It’s a sign that you have sin in your life that you haven’t confessed, that you haven’t dealt with. So Romans 8, 7 says the carnal mind is hostile to God. It is not subject to the law of God, neither would it ever be. So you can be that way, you know, when you decide to sin. When your negative volition kicks in and your sin nature flares up and tempts you and waves that red flag and you go for it, then you become carnal because you have allowed your sin nature, your flesh, to take control. And thus the Bible says those that are in the flesh cannot please God. You can’t please God if you’re out of fellowship with unconfessed sin in your life. When that happens, your spiritual life stalls out. You may continue to go through the motions, but it’s just ritual without reality because What you’ve done is you’ve quenched and you’ve grieved the Holy Spirit. And so you had a problem. This is when it’s time to recover. This is when it’s time to resume your spiritual advance. So how do you do it? Well, some people say, well, you’ve got to surrender to God. Brother, surrender to God. Brother, what in the heck does that mean? You got to yield, brother. Yield, brother. Okay, what does that mean? You got to rededicate your life to the Lord, brother. Okay, good. How do I do that? You know, the Bible clearly says, if I regard sin in my life, the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66, 18. So how do I get back in fellowship with God after I have quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit? Is it surrender, yield, rededicate? No, it’s 1 John 1.9. If we confess our sin, he’s faithful and just to forgive us of our sin. and to purify us from all of our wrongdoing. And this is problem-solving device number one in the flatline of your soul. You must cite your sin to God in order to resume your spiritual life and to restore your fellowship with God. I didn’t say repent. You know, some people tell you, you got to repent, brother, repent, brother. Well, there are three words for repent in the Bible, three different Greek words, metanoia, metamelomai, and metanoeo. So I may ask you, which one of those three words are you referring to? To repent means to change your mind, change your thinking. So when we come to God and confess our sin, we are changing our mind. We know it’s wrong, and we’re admitting it’s wrong. Because if we ever hope to grow spiritually and get out of infant diapers as a Christian, then we must stay in fellowship. We can’t grow spiritually if we don’t stay in fellowship. And Hebrews 5 talks about this. It says you’ve been a Christian a long time now, and you ought to be teaching others, but instead you’ve gone back to where you need the very first principles of the Word of God, and it says, it uses an analogy, it says you’re like a baby that needs a bottle, because if I tried to give you strong meat, you would choke on it, the writer of Hebrews says. I see that sometimes when I’m out speaking and traveling around. If I’m in some church somewhere and I’m giving strong doctrine, too much doctrine, too much information, people choke on it. They’re not used to that. They just like a little milk, a little pablum. That’s not growing spiritually. That’s not being a mature believer. A mature believer has an intense hunger for the Word of God. He wants to learn it. And I know after I became a Christian and after I found a well-qualified pastor that God led me to, I had an insatiable hunger to study the Word of God and to learn it, to get a notebook and to get a Bible and listen to the teaching of the Word of God. writing down what I learned and reviewing it and going over it. And much of what I say to you today and teach you today is what I learned from my very own pastor who taught it to me so many years ago. I learned that the Christian life has problem-solving devices, and it’s called the FLOT line. And the first one, as I told you, is the recovery procedure for that every Christian must go through. We must confess our sin when it occurs. And remember, sin comes in three areas, something you think, something you say, even something you might do. So without confessing the sin, none of us would make it one day in our spiritual life. If you want to walk in the Spirit, It’s simply an analogy to living every day under the control of God the Holy Spirit. So at this moment in time, as you’re listening to me, currently, right now, Either your sin nature is controlling your life or you’re filled with the Holy Spirit. How would I know? How would you know? Well, is there unconfessed sin in your life? And you say, well, I can’t keep up with all of them. But remember, the Bible says this. If we confess our sin, he’s faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, even the ones you don’t remember. Is there unconfessed sin in your life? Because if there is, you’re not in fellowship with God. You are under control of your flesh, and you’re not pleasing to God. You’ve quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit. You must use problem-solving device number one. You may think you’re being spiritual, but it may only be the area of strength that you have produced by your sin nature because your sin nature can do good things and your sin nature can give money. Your sin nature can pray. These are all good deeds, but they’re all burned up at the judgment seat of Christ. They’re called wood, hay, and stubble in 1 Corinthians 3, 11 through 16. Yep, you got a sin nature. And if it’s controlling you, it’s the flesh. Again, remember I said the flesh wards against the spirit. The Bible says in Romans 13, 14, do not make provision for the flesh. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2, 11, abstain from fleshly lust. This flesh, this sin nature, we got it at physical birth. That’s where it came from. For by one man sin entered into the world, Romans 5, 12. and death by sin, and now it spread to all members of the human race. For all have sinned, everybody sinned, so we all have it. And by means of Adam’s original sin, we were born spiritually dead. But by means of Jesus Christ, the anointed Son of God, we are born spiritually alive at the second birth. The second birth is really phenomenal. Any man’s in Christ, he’s a new creation. Nicodemus didn’t quite understand it in John 3, 3, and he told Nicodemus he needed to be born again. And this is the key to understand. This new birth does not eradicate the flesh. it simply means there’s a new power source in your life it’s not an eradication of the flesh if anything it exasperates the flesh the holy spirit now empowers your dead human spirit and you are born again and now you have a choice about who’s going to control your soul who’s going to control your thinking listen to romans 6 6 know this The old man is crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed and henceforth we might not serve sin. In Romans 6.11, reckon yourself dead to sin, but alive unto God through or by means of Jesus Christ the Lord. You cannot afford to let sin control you any longer. You’ve got to stop that. You know, a lot of people spend money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t even like. And the plain truth is this, that a lot of our activities that we go through is nothing but a narcotic to try to deaden the pain of our empty life. That’s what happens. So don’t think the sin nature is going to give up without a fight. Galatians 5, 17, the flesh wars against the spirit, wars. The spirit wars against the flesh. It’s an everyday affair, everyday. This is an inward battle internally between the spirit of God and the sin-infused human nature, and it is never ending as long as you’re on this planet in this corrupt body that’s infected with the sin nature. So if you’re going to control that sin nature, you must learn to recognize the patterns and recognize the trends of when it comes and what it does and what it’s luring you to do. So how do you tame it? Well, there’s no way to tame it. It’s infected and it’s terminal. You just can’t tame it. but you can refuse to let it control you. Control is the operative word, not influence you. But we’ll sin, we will sin, but we don’t have to submit to the sin. We don’t have to submit to the domination of the flesh. We can quickly recover by confessing our sin or rebounding using 1 John 1, 9 and the operative word is quick, quick, quick. You have a choice. When you sin, you can quickly confess your sin and get that flesh out of control or you can let it linger and let the flesh control you and you’ll continue to sin and you’ll repeatedly sin again until the discipline of God drops the hammer on your head and you’ll wake up and say, boy, was I a dummy. I hope you’re listening. I sure hope you’re learning. I’m doing the best I can to make it as simple as I can. Please, stick with me. Write to me if you have a question. Come back next week. Same time, same place, same station. Pray for us as we look for other stations to broadcast on. So until then, this is your host, Rick Hughes, saying thank you so much 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.
