Our Unique Life – Part 5
Transcript of FLOT Line Episode 620 aired on July 16, 2017
Good morning and welcome to the FLOT Line. I’m your host Rick Hughes and for the next few
minutes I invite you to listen up. It’s going to be a time of motivation, some inspiration, a whole
lot of education, done with absolutely no manipulation. No gimmicks, no games, no requesting
money. We’re only here for one reason, that’s to give you accurate information. And that
information I pray will help you verify as well as identify the plan of God for your life. And if
you wish to orient and adjust to the plan, then you have the freedom and the liberty to do so. But
my job is to be accurate, not to give you some human speculation, but to give you Biblical
revelation and to be accurate from the Bible, the canon of Scripture. That’s right this is a show
about the Bible so don’t turn it off yet. It’s not like anything you’ve heard before I promise you.
No jumping up and down, no yelling, no screaming, just some logical presentation of the Word
of God. If you’re new to the show, FLOT stands for Forward Line Of Troops. And what we’re
using here is a military analogy of how a believer in Jesus Christ can establish a main line of
resistance in his life using a forward line of troops. And that F.L.O.T. stands for Forward Line Of
Troops and that is made up of ten unique problem-solving devices. When you learn these and use
these, then you will be able to stop the outside sources of adversity before they ever become the
inside source of stress. That’s why we always say adversity is inevitable and yet stress is
optional. Because adversity is what circumstances do to you and stress, well that’s what you do
to yourself. So learn these ten problem-solving devices. We have a book about it. It’s free if you
want it, I’ll send it right to you. No charge.
It lists rebound as problem-solving device number
one. It lists the filling of the Holy Spirit as problem-solving device number two. It lists the
faith rest drill as problem-solving device number three. And it lists Biblical orientation,
grace orientation, a personal sense of destiny, personal love for God, impersonal love for
others, +H or sharing the happiness of God and occupation with Jesus Christ. Those are
your ten unique problem-solving devices.
Somebody says prayer is not in there. Well, prayer is
not designed to solve your problems. Prayer is instantaneous communication with the Father, but
as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:8 I prayed three times for my problem to be removed and it was
not removed and that’s when God told him that My grace is sufficient. Grace orientation is a
problem-solving device. Four weeks ago I started a special study on the uniqueness of the
Christian life. And since that time I’ve been to Texas and spoken in Texas, presented this study,
added some notes, so I’m going to review a little bit before we press on to where we left off last
time. I have already taught you our unique assets as believers in Jesus Christ. What God the
Father has given to us and what He’s provided for us, our unique assets. One of the most unique
things the world has ever known, ever seen, ever heard of, I mean shock and awe,
is called the
mystery doctrine of the church, it is Christ living in you.
No one ever heard of that before.
Christ living in you. In the Old Testament, in the tabernacle, the Shekinah Glory indwelled the
tabernacle but it never indwelled any individual. But now, according to the Bible in Colossians
1:27,
“To whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among
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the Gentiles, which is Christ in you.”
So the Gentiles were brought into the royal family of God
to begin the unique dispensation called the Church Age. Christ living in you. The Holy of Holies
of the tabernacle has now taken up residence in you. And so Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 to
“put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh.”
When I say put on the Lord
Jesus Christ, what I’m saying is that
as a believer in Christ, a Christian, you need to have a
different identity and a different personality profile.
A different identity and a different
personality profile. You were an unbeliever, you’re now a believer. Now you have to assume the
profile of Jesus Christ which is humility.
“He humbled Himself,”
the Bible says in Philippians
2:5,
“and made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Himself the form of a man and was
obedient all the way to the cross.”
So we take on His mentality. We take on His personality. He
lives in us. And then guess what happens? Ephesians 3:20,
“Now to Him who is able to do
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”
not only in eternity but in time as well
because we have divine operating assets. That’s what makes us stand apart from the unbelievers
in the devil’s world. I call them the disadvantaged ones. They don’t have the advantages that we
have. But the sad thing is, I think it’s very possible that a lot of believers never really tap into
their unique assets. We’re under orders, we’re under orders from God, we must present ourselves
for His service. Romans 6:13,
“Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as
instruments of unrighteousness but
[here’s the mandate]
present yourself to God as those alive
from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Present yourself to
God is the Greek word
paristemi
and it’s an imperative mood in the Greek New Testament that
says when you don’t do this you are sinning. If you disobey the commander’s orders you are
sinning.
Presenting yourself to God means
that you take your flesh, your sin nature, remember
the Bible says
“The flesh wars against the Spirit, the Spirit wars against the flesh, they’re
contrary one to the other,”
so you put your flesh aside,
you deny self, you say no to self and
you begin to grow in God’s grace plan.
Learning the protocol plan of God, utilizing the grace
provisions that God has for you because your body is now the temple of God. There is no longer
a tabernacle. You are the tabernacle. 1 Corinthians 3:16,
“Know you not that you are the temple
of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
[and goes on to say]
if any man defile the temple
of God, him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy and so should you be.”
Divine
discipline is real for the believer in Jesus Christ. When we reject the plan of God, we go through
warning discipline (Hebrews 12:6), we go through intense discipline (that’s when God takes us
out behind the woodshed), and we can also go through dying discipline. So you cannot afford to
turn your back on the Word of God or to defile your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
How do you do that? By getting sin in your life and not confessing the sin, letting the sin
hibernate, letting the sin saturate your life. It could be any sin. But you defile the temple of God.
If that sin nature controls your body, then you’re going to scar your body up.
And if you do
enough sin, enough times, the damage is inconceivable. Because Ephesians 4:19 says,
“Those
being passed feelings
[that means they’re calloused and they’re insensitive, they’re apathetic,
they have no conviction, they’ve destroyed all of their norms and standards]
those that are passed
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feelings have betrayed their own self to lasciviousness and produce uncleanliness with greed.”
This is a pattern in the latter days of the church, the Bible says. In 1 Timothy 4:1,
“Now the
Spirit expressly says in the latter times some will depart from the faith
[in other words they walk
away from the Word of God]
and they will listen to deceiving spirits
[doctrine of demons]
and
they will be having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
Conscience seared with a hot iron.
What does that mean? That’s the Greek word, seared is the Greek word
kauteriazo,
and we get an
English word from that, cauterize, and this means, you know, to cauterize something, to burn it
so it doesn’t keep bleeding, you cauterize a bleeder. Those who spread false doctrine, those who
walk away from the faith are branded in their mentality like a cow is branded with a branding
iron. That cauterizing of their soul, no conviction, no consciousness, all norms and standards
destroyed. So you must not let that happen to you. You can’t afford to dabble in sin and fail to use
problem-solving device number one which is rebound. It’s a volitional decision you must make.
You have to make this decision. Ephesians 4:22 says,
“You must put off that old manner of life,
those old habits and those old actions which are corrupt, that lead to deceitful lust and be
renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
In other words,
learn to think differently, acquire divine
viewpoint, take on the mentality of Jesus Christ.
So what are the mechanics? Again, use your
volition to advance spiritually, change the way you think, start thinking some divine viewpoint
(learn God’s Word), change the way you live (grace orientation, God graced you out, you grace
other people out), change your goals (you have a new sense of destiny, a new identity, you are a
believer in Jesus Christ) and all of this is done by means of the filling of the Holy Spirit. So we
have incredible assets. We have the Bible, we have different spiritual gifts. We have a well-
qualified pastor teacher who’s designed to teach us God’s Word. We have all of these things
available to us if we take advantage of them. And here’s the thing that God’s going to do with
you. He’s going to inspect your heart. Revelation 2:23,
“I am the One who searches the minds
and hearts and I will give to each of you according to your production.”
So we have amazing
promises here. I want you to hear this one promise. This is the most amazing promise of all.
“I
will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee.” “
Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee because he trusts in Thee.”
This
is an amazing lifestyle.
There’s a possibility that you can live a life free of anxiety, free of stress,
free of fear, free of worry. That you can have perfect peace. Psalm 119:165,
“Those who love
Your Law have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble.”
That’s to be discouraged or to
be defeated. And this is not the peace that comes from getting saved. I mean, Billy Graham wrote
a little article called “Peace with God,” and that’s what happens when you get saved for sure.
“Having been justified by faith we have peace with God,”
Romans 5:1-2,
“through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
That’s salvation peace. But what I’m talking about is a peace after you’re saved, a
peace as you live your Christian life. A way to live with a relaxed mental attitude. It’s incredible.
It’s a life free of worry, a life free of anxiety, a life free of fear. That’s why Paul wrote in
Philippians 4:6-7,
“Be anxious for nothing…”
Listen, capacity for life, the capacity to live your
life, is related to you being content with what God gives you. And the instructions from the Word
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of God are designed to develop integrity in your life. And this is the attitude of stability and it’s
the capacity for really true happiness – having this integrity. Arrogance will destroy any chance
of integrity. No integrity, no contentment. So the details of life, those things that are out there,
that’s not the source of true happiness. I mean, I enjoy having fun, doing certain things, I love to
fish, bass fishing is a hobby for me, but it’s not the source of true happiness. Even Paul said it
this way and in Philippians 4:11,
“Not that I speak in respect of want for I’ve learned to be
content in whatever circumstances I have.”
This is a question I have to ask you, are you content
today or do you think that something else could make you happy? Look at your life. Look at
your circumstances. Are you content? Now I’m not talking about your spiritual life. I hope you’re
not content with where you are spiritually. But physically the assets you have, you know, the
details of life, are you content or do you think if you could win the lottery or do you think if you
could just meet the right person or do you think if I just lived in a different place that I could get
a different job then I could be happy? See, unhappy people are going to take their unhappiness
with them wherever they go. So to have tranquility of soul, to have stability of mental attitude,
it’s an amazing thing, not letting your emotions control you, and living under this peace that God
supplies you. This kind of true contentment, that’s peace. That’s the peace of happiness. And it is
possible through the power of God to come to the place in our lives where we have this
happiness. It’s called +H, it’s problem-solving device number nine. This tranquility and this
contentment and at the same time to have a fantastic love and appreciation for our Father. Now,
last time I was talking to you about this. I also want to let you know that
there is great comfort
and relief in prayer.
Listen to the verse I’m fixing to read to you. Philippians 4:6-7, as I started
it,
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
[by prayer]
and supplication
[prayer]
with thanksgiving
[prayer]
let your requests be made known to God.
[prayer, prayer, prayer,
prayer, and what does it say after that?]
And the peace of God, which surpasses all
understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
There’s comfort and
relief in prayer. When you express your helplessness, when you express your dependence on
God, that’s you recognizing and orienting to His grace provisions. And thus we can relax, we can
enjoy the peace of God with a relaxed mental attitude because Satan is going to attack your
thinking. That’s where he works. He’s attacking your mind. That’s where you live your spiritual
life – in your mind and your soul. You’re not what you look like, you’re what you think.
The
Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart so he is.” The real you is what you think.
And this
is where the battle goes on. It’s the battle for your thoughts. So you live your Christian life in the
mentality of your soul and that’s where he will focus his attack. He wants you to doubt, he wants
you to be deceived, he wants you to be discouraged. These are all weapons that Satan uses. And
the Bible says if you’ll make those requests known to God, the peace of God which passes
understanding will guard, the future active indicative of
phroureo,
it will guard you. It will
protect you. It will protect your mind and your heart. Your mind, your
nous
(n.o.u.s.), that’s the
Greek word mind and your heart
kardia
(k.a.r.d.i.a.),
they’re two different compartments in the
soul. The mind is where you assimilate information and the heart is where you apply the
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information. So one is intake and one is outtake. One is take it in and one is put it out. So you
take it in with the mind and use it in the heart. When you use it in the heart it’s called wisdom in
the Bible. It’s an amazing thing. And so there’s never any need for you to worry yourself sick.
Never a need for any of this sort of stuff because the peace of God will guard you. Amazing.
Amazing. I told you last time that Satan will try to neutralize you by recapturing your thoughts.
He will try to get your thought life. He will try to get the way you think. And this is why Paul
wrote it this way, he said,
“Cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against
the knowledge of God and bring into captivity
[listen now]
every thought to the obedience of
Christ.”
Casting down imaginations and every high thing. High thing,
hupsoma
, it’s a Greek
word meaning barrier or antagonism. Paul describes his mental attitude to us, it’s him talking
about his self there. He speaks of the way he handled things, his resources. That’s what that is.
And he said we destroy human speculations. That’s casting down imaginations. Let me give you
a little modified expanded translation of 2 Corinthians 10:5,
“We destroy human speculations
that are antagonistic to God as well as every barrier in our soul that stands against the
knowledge of God and by doing this we capture every thought and bring them into obedience.”
Now remember, Satan is going to play mind games with you. The victory in your life begins with
what you think. So he will try to change the way you think. Recapture your thoughts. He will try
to reclaim your affections, that’s why the Bible says,
“love not the world.”
And he will seek to
redirect your focus, that’s why the Bible says,
“don’t look at things that are seen but things that
are unseen.”
And he will seek to redefine your values and that’s why the Bible says,
“don’t lay
up for yourselves treasures on this earth but seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness.”
So you as a believer you have all these assets.
You’re a royal priest, you’re a
member of the royal family of God, you have the power of intercessory prayer, you have the
filling of the Holy Spirit.
All of these things so that you can have a tranquil and a quiet life. The
Bible clearly says this. Paul encourages prayer on behalf of 1 Timothy 2:1-2, he says to Timothy,
“I urge that entreaties, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving be made known on behalf of all men
[and look at verse two]
for kings and all who are in authority
[like the president]
so that we may
live a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and all dignity.”
In other words, what Paul is saying
is he wants Timothy to pray for the government so they will be undisturbed by government
authorities and they can have a tranquil calm life and learn and serve and worship God, not have
a stormy life. And Paul knew the deteriorating political atmosphere of Rome. He knew what was
going on and essentially in 64 A.D. Rome burned down and Nero accused Christians of doing it
and I mean he persecuted them unmercifully. So if there’s one thing we don’t have in America
today, it’s tranquility or quiet lives because we are assaulted every day by media bullies seeking
to impose their agenda on the masses. The only way to debate that or defeat that is through
prayer. Now, let’s talk about your unique times that you live in, okay? The most unique thing is
we live in the Church Age and when we became believers in Jesus Christ, we are automatically
adopted into the family of God, made heir with God and Christ. We’re heirs to the family of God.
Listen, Galatians 3:26,
“For you are all the sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Having
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predestined us to the adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will.”
That means, here’s what it means, you and I, we are spiritual aristocracy.
That’s the highest class in society. We are spiritual nobility. We might not be presidential. We
might not be kings. But we are nobility in Christ and this is superior to any other dispensation in
the history of the church, even from the beginning of time until the end of time. No one has the
spiritual nobility of the royal family of God except the church members. You, me,
we are
members of the body of Christ, adopted into the family of God. We have a new purpose, a
new responsibility, a new source of authority and we have a life that is planned specifically
for us
and us alone. So, as we learn that purpose, we learn our unique assets, we use our assets
and we know that we are now (you, me) we are now the personal representatives of Jesus Christ
during our time here in the arena of contention called earth. We are ambassadors from heaven.
The Bible says we’re royal ambassadors. That means we’ve been left here for a purpose and for a
certain time. And so if we’re going to do that, we’ve got to have a certain mindset. That mindset
requires us to have humility and to commit ourselves to the life that God has for us. Paul said it
this way, he said,
“I’ve been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, and yet it’s not me, but it’s
Christ living in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who
loved me and gave Himself for me.”
What Paul is saying is, he put to death the flesh. He’s not
living for the flesh anymore and he’s not living by sight anymore.
The only way to live is to live
by faith and you must trust God.
In other words, Christ died for you experientially, thus you
die for Him in your position. You say, ‘No, I’m not going to obey the lust of the flesh. Yes, I’m
going to let the Holy Spirit control my life. Yes, I’m going to take God’s Word and learn and use
it. Yes, I’m going to change the way I think. Yes, I’m going to change my personality. Yes, I’m
going to represent Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.’ I mean, the Son obeyed the Father and
you have to as well. You have to obey the Son. Jesus said to the disciples,
“If anybody wants to
come after Me, let him deny himself.”
That means put your life aside. You’re going to have to
live for Me. And this act of sacrifice is simply you denying what you may have the right to do in
order to serve Him. In other words, your existence, your life must forever be a channel for the
flow of the gospel demonstrated by virtue love to all that you meet. Whether it’s impersonal love
for the lost man, whether it’s personal love for the believer, having personal love for God the
Father. Because Paul said,
“For me, to live is Christ,”
Philippians 1:21. That must be you. For
you, to live is Christ.
That’s why you’re here – to re-present Him.
Not only represent Him by
means of your local church but to re-present Him in your personal life. That’s why Paul said,
anything that I had in the past I count that all as dung. I have a new life, a new mission, a new
purpose. All that other stuff is just rubbish. If He is my Lord, I have a new ownership. I’m His
servant now, Paul said. He called himself a slave of Jesus Christ and we are also. Think about it.
Your destiny, your history depends on your attitude about this. I hope you’re learning. I hope
you’re putting this together. It’s an awesome time to grow in the grace and the knowledge of your
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for listening. Until next week, same time, same place.
Thank you for being with us