Oh my new affections, my new love for God is really making a huge difference in my life.
So I'm talking about the principle of the greater affection. It's one of the great
ironies of life. It's kind of counterintuitive. The very thing that you're doing in your life,
an affection that you have in your life, an idol that you have in your heart,
that's causing problems for you, is actually not to be focused on. So this is kind of
counterintuitive. So I think in some counseling groups that are healing groups, therapeutic
groups, there's a focus on the sin. There's a focus on the addiction. And I'm not saying anything
wrong with that. I think that's good too. But I do believe that unless in one's journey to be
free from that addiction in one's life, there isn't a greater affection, a greater power,
and even a greater passion to replace that old addiction, you're not going to get set
free for very long. In other words, your identity is still going to be in getting
free from the old addiction. And I'm saying there's a new identity in Christ where we're a
new creation in him. And the old has passed away and the new has come. I'm calling that
the principle of the greater affection. So here's my thesis today. The only way to be free,
and I'm going to say consistently free for the rest of your life, free from a sinful affection
is to replace it with more passion for a holy affection. Another way to say it would be the
only way to replace an old affection is with a new one greater than the former one. Let me give
you three thoughts on the principle of the greater affection. Here's the first. Focus on the new
affection. Focus, number one, on the new effect. Don't focus on the old life. Don't focus on the
addiction. Now you may need to give some time and energy to it by asking the question of why
I'm doing this, why I'm drinking alcohol all the time, or why I'm taking drugs.
That's important. Believe me, I'm not saying it's not because those are usually rooted
in childhood shame issues in our life. But you're not going to get completely set free
until you're focusing on a new affection. To get rid of some of the old sinful habits in our life
is not actually focusing on them, but beginning to focus on the healthy and the holy. Focusing
your heart toward the holy thing, the good thing, the healthy thing in your life. Now listen, this
is important. Feelings don't guide focus for very long. Now they may a little bit at the beginning,
but feelings are not going to guide your focus in your life, but focus can guide your feelings. So
let me say that again. Feelings don't guide focus, but focus can guide your feelings.
I'm going to just use an example again from sports. As an athlete, you have a focus on
that routine that you're working on. If you're a football player, you're focusing on the block in
front of you or the play that you're going to run, whether you feel like focusing or not.
And you do it. And man, if you break through and score a touchdown, then certainly the feelings
follow. That's wonderful. But if you live your life, and a lot of people do, don't get me wrong.
This is probably, this is why this is number one, in my opinion, focus on the new affection is
because they focus way too much on the old affection, how bad it is, how bad they are,
who their parents were and what their parents did or didn't do or their ex-wife or their ex-husband
or whatever it might be. I say, forget that. Forget about that. Focus on it maybe briefly
or some healing that needs to happen, but then you've got to make the shift. You've got to make
the shift to the new affection and falling in love with the new you, falling in love with Christ,
falling in love with the power and the love of the Holy Spirit. So that's number one,
focus on the new affection. Feelings follow faith. Faith does not follow feelings. Feelings
follow faith. Feelings follow focus. Focus doesn't follow feeling. Really, really important. So number
two, number two, discipline your heart. Discipline your mind. Discipline your heart and mind. 1 Peter
1.13, Peter writes, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, rest your hope fully upon the grace that
is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. That's exactly what I'm saying,
is that we have to discipline our mind. It's
talks about girding up the loins of your mind.
What that means is that like in ancient times
when Peter wrote this, men wore gowns,
men wore these long robes, but if they needed to run
or they're in warfare or something,
they would take the center part of the gown or the robe
and they would pull it up and then they would tie it
in the middle so that their legs had full mobility.
That's girding up the robe and he's using that
as a metaphor for girding up the loins of your mind,
be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace of God.
Some translations say gird up the loins of your mind
for action, set your mind for action, get ready to run.
So you've gotta discipline your mind and heart.
Motivation means nothing.
Let me just say it again.
Motivation in the heat of our old affections means nothing.
Discipline is what you need.
You have to have discipline and discipline's trained
over time in our life.
Discipline can empower you to change,
to push through, to not quit.
As a runner is running a marathon
and they hit that 20th mile, there is zero motivation.
There is nothing left in them.
The only thing that's left is discipline.
That discipline needed to push through
and that discipline needed to push through
was developed in all the training beforehand.
So when we come to that place where the temptations
and the affections that are unhealthy and unholy
in our life come our way, it's gonna be discipline
to push through that, that gets us through.
Discipline is not our feelings and not our emotions,
but the discipline of our life.
And so if we start to have feelings toward another person
and it's feelings that are based in sexual desires
and that person's not our spouse
and we know that it's wrong,
it's gonna be the discipline of girding up our minds
for action that we look away and we push forward
and that's the affection of our life.
So first, focus on the new affection.
Number two, discipline your mind and heart.
And then lastly, number three,
allow yourself to experience the difference.
Allow yourself to experience the difference.
So what I'm talking about is detach.
You gotta detach in your life and look at the difference
that discipline, girding up your mind for action
and being focused has already done in your life.
So you begin to see, wow, I feel better.
Oh wow, I feel more peaceful.
Oh my, I've lost 15 pounds
and I don't have those headaches anymore.
I don't have that afternoon slump anymore
because I'm drinking a lot more water.
I'm just full of healthy things in my body.
That's an example of detaching.
So you give yourself time to experience the difference.
That's an example of the new life that you have in Christ.
And so as a new believer in Christ,
we're growing in Christ, sometimes just stop.
Just stop and think, wow, my life has really changed.
I've got better relationships now.
I eat better.
I'm not, I don't have any more hangovers.
The headaches are gone.
I'm not puking in the bathroom all the time.
I'm not experiencing that comedown
with being high from drugs.
I'm becoming more even tempered.
I'm becoming more balanced in my decision-making.
I'm starting to think through my future.
I've now got a vision for my future
because I got a clear mind.
See what I'm saying?
Sometimes we get going so fast, we forget
and we don't stop to detach from our circumstances enough
to realize, oh, my new affections,
my new love for God is really making
a huge difference in my life.
And so I'm gonna keep going after that.
I'm gonna press into that.
And the guilt starts to go away
and the procrastination starts to go away.
The unhealthy habits that we had
are being replaced with healthy habits.
So for some of you, you need to be working out.
You need to work out every day.
You need to get up first thing in the morning
and you need to work out.
And you're gonna see a difference within,
it'll take two weeks.
Believe me, it'll take two weeks.
But in two weeks, you'll start to feel different.
Your clothes are gonna fit different.
You're going to have more confidence, you're going to have more peace of mind.
Then you start, with that, you start eating better.
And as you start eating better, you're getting more energy.
And with more energy, you're thinking better.
And as you're thinking better, you're having a greater vision for your future
because you have the ability to analyze your life and say,
well, that's dumb, I don't know why I did that,
or I don't know why I spent my money on this.
So you're learning and you're growing.
So you detach yourself enough to realize and experience the difference
that God's bringing into your life.
So the principle of the greater affection, let me say the thesis again.
The only way to be set free from a sinful affection
is to replace it with more passion for a holy one.
The only way to replace an old affection
is with a new one greater than the former one.
Number one, focus on the new affection.
Number two, discipline your mind and heart.
And then number three, allow yourself to experience the difference.
I believe, men and women, this will be huge
in tearing down the idols of your heart
and replacing those idols, those affections,
with new affections, new discipline, new convictions.
And you're going to walk in victory.
You're going to become the worshiper warrior God wants you to become.
You're going to become the man of God, the woman of God that you were created to be.
You're going to be a better husband.
You're going to be a better friend.
You're going to be a better student.
You're going to begin to live Christ flowing out of your life,
and people are going to see a big, big difference in your life.