Participants: Wintley Phipps (Host), Adly Campos, Georges J Fleurimond, Rick Mercer
Series Code: PFM
Program Code: PFM000010A
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00:27 Hi, I am Wintley Phipps, and welcome to our program
00:30 Perfecting Me, Becoming More Like Jesus. 00:34 I'm so glad you've joined us. 00:36 My guests today on our program 00:38 are Pastor Rick Mercer 00:40 of Morganton Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:42 in North Carolina, 00:44 Pastor Georges Fleurimond, 00:46 pastor of the West Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, 00:49 and Mrs. Adly Campos, 00:50 Speaker and President of Wellbeing International. 00:54 You'll hear from them a little later. 00:57 There is a question that has haunted 01:00 every man or woman who has ever lived. 01:04 It is a question that has haunted me 01:07 and I know it is a question that has haunted you. 01:11 It is a question that has haunted 01:13 all who seek to serve the Lord and live for God. 01:17 Frankly, it is one of the most profound questions of life, 01:21 and a question that must be answered 01:25 if we're ever going to become more like Jesus 01:28 and become people of Christ-like character. 01:32 The Apostle Paul faced this question head-on 01:36 because it is a question that can decide 01:39 and determine our character and our eternal destiny. 01:44 The question can be found in Romans 7:15, 01:48 where Paul says, 01:49 "There is something I do not understand. 01:52 The very thing I hate that I do. 01:56 It is the law at work in me. 01:59 Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me, 02:02 what a wretched man I am. 02:04 Who will free me from my life dominated by sin and death? 02:09 The very moment I needed to prove 02:11 that I was strong I proved that I was weak." 02:14 The question that haunts every human being 02:18 is why do I do the things I hate? 02:23 Whatever evil we can't stop doing 02:25 is a threat to our fitness for heaven. 02:30 Today on Perfecting Me, 02:32 we will address this character defect head-on. 02:35 And I'll show you what I believe is the best way 02:39 to conquer any habit that seeks to compromise 02:44 and destroy the character 02:46 God is seeking to restore in us. 02:49 I know you're going to enjoy this program, 02:52 so stay with us. 02:59 Are you one of those people who in your quite moments 03:02 admit to yourself these facts? 03:06 I hate being nasty but sometimes I am. 03:10 I hate being malicious but sometimes I am. 03:13 I hate being unkind but sometimes I am. 03:17 I hate being cruel but I sometimes am. 03:21 I hate being depressed but I sometimes am. 03:23 I hate to be at gossip but I do it. 03:26 I hate smoking but I do it. 03:30 I hate drinking liquor but I do it. 03:33 I hate pornography but I watch it. 03:35 I hate the club life but I go. 03:38 I hate hooking up with strangers online 03:41 but I do it. 03:43 Why is it that the very thing I hate I do. 03:46 I hate being angry but I often am. 03:49 I hate being arrogant but I am. 03:53 I hate stealing but I do. 03:55 I hate being stubborn but I am. 03:57 I hate swearing but I do. 04:00 I hate losing my temper so easily but I do. 04:03 I hate being ungrateful but I am. 04:08 I hate watching evil but I do. 04:10 I hate selfishness and being selfish but I am. 04:13 I hate being worried and anxious 04:15 but I am. 04:17 I do not understand, says Paul, 04:20 the very things I hate I do. 04:24 It's a law that's living in me. 04:28 It's a truth I cannot escape. 04:31 When I want to do what is good, evil is present with me. 04:36 When I want to do what is good, 04:37 every sinful memory is like a ball and chain 04:41 hanging around my neck 04:43 and these memories are shackles, 04:45 I just can't seem to get rid off. 04:50 How is it that the very thing we hate to do we do. 04:54 And how can we get the strength of character 04:57 we need to live Christ-like lives, 05:00 especially when we're tempted. 05:03 Why is it that even those of us who go to church 05:06 and give ourselves to the Lord 05:09 seem to still do the very things 05:11 we hate to do, 05:13 the very things we know will bring us 05:14 embarrassment and shame. 05:17 We can't seem to find the strength of character 05:20 to stop and walk away from it. 05:23 If you ask the psychologist to answer that question, 05:25 they will explain this problem in behavioral terms. 05:28 They will explain 05:29 that the power that drives us to do 05:31 what we hate is the result of habits we develop 05:34 and the addictive behaviors 05:35 we acquired by pattern and repetition. 05:38 The psychologists see's the answer to the problem 05:41 as unlearning learned behavior. 05:44 Their answer doesn't work very well. 05:46 Many leave therapy and go right back 05:48 to doing the very thing they hated. 05:50 Behavioral solutions do not have the best track record 05:54 and that's why we can't stay on a diet 05:57 for more than 20 seconds. 05:59 Our best intentions are no match for our habits 06:02 and addictive behavior. 06:04 The psychiatrists on the other hand 06:05 look's at the problem 06:07 and focuses on his or her remedy 06:09 on a pharmaceutical or a medical solution. 06:13 They acknowledge the neurological 06:14 realities of addiction 06:16 and to them the way you fix the problem 06:18 of doing the very thing you hate 06:20 is through a prescription. 06:23 But prescriptive solutions do not work well either. 06:27 They haven't invented a prescription yet 06:29 that can successfully block lust 06:32 and temptation, rage and anger. 06:34 They haven't invented a prescription yet 06:37 that can keep you from lying 06:38 and make you want to do the right thing. 06:41 To fix this problem 06:42 the psychologist gives you a plan, 06:44 the psychiatrist gives you a pill, 06:45 and then both of them give you a bill. 06:49 The psychologist focuses on a mental remedy, 06:51 the psychiatrist focuses on a prescriptive medical remedy. 06:55 But I want you to know the only power 06:58 to break a bad habit 07:01 is through hourly secret prayer. 07:06 I want you to watch this video 07:08 from our friends at the 700 Club 07:11 about breaking bad habits through prayer 07:16 and being prayed for by those who love us. 07:24 I remember as a young kid liked sharing 07:26 some of my passion and dreams 07:29 and just kind of getting almost like a blank stare like, 07:32 "Do you really think you could do that?" 07:34 Jed Lindstrom's dad never told him 07:36 the words he needed to hear that he believed in him 07:40 and loved him for who he was. 07:42 My dad was very verbally abusive 07:46 and borderline physically abusive as well. 07:50 Jed's parents divorced when he was nine 07:52 and he went to live with his mother Donna. 07:55 It was already hard on Jed but made worse 07:57 when his father disappeared from his life. 08:01 I saw a little boy that was devastated, 08:04 in tears, crying. 08:06 And of course I'm there holding him, 08:08 crying right along with him. 08:10 I was praying constantly like, Lord, help us. 08:15 Lord, help us. 08:16 Just screaming out for his guidance. 08:19 Hurt and angry, Jed had already made his decision. 08:24 I'm not going to let anybody love me, 08:26 I'm not going to let anybody take care of me, I got this. 08:31 Jed started lashing out at his mom 08:33 and rebelling against anyone in authority. 08:36 As a teenager he was drawn to the kids who used drugs 08:39 and lived by their own rules. 08:42 I just wanted anything 08:44 where I could thrive as a person. 08:46 And so that kind of gave me that place 08:48 where I could fit in 08:49 while I get all these guys and girls around, 08:52 and we can hang out and we could party, 08:54 and we can do whatever we want. 08:57 By the time he was 18, 08:58 Jed was caught in a world of addiction, 09:01 theft, and drug deals. 09:03 One of our main slogans which is pretty big 09:05 in the drug world is, 09:06 "I'm down for whatever and I'll die doing it." 09:10 That was my mentality. 09:12 The level of crimes started getting really high. 09:14 I mean, obviously I've a conscience, 09:15 so I'm constantly knowing that what I am doing is wrong, 09:19 it probably doesn't matter. 09:20 Over the years, he bounced 09:22 between crack houses, jail, and rehab. 09:25 His mom often drove to the streets 09:26 looking for her son, 09:28 at times pulling him out of the crack houses 09:29 where she found him, and she prayed. 09:33 I was praying constantly. 09:36 I was wailing, wailing, and crying, 09:41 and calling out to the Lord to save my child, 09:48 a child that I've never ever thought 09:50 would have gone down this road. 09:53 But Jed couldn't see past his anger. 09:56 Every time I get brought back home by the police, 09:58 I'd sit in my room and my mom would pray, 10:00 and I remember hearing her. 10:01 I'd be like, "Mom, shut up!" 10:03 You know, like, you know, "Mom, be quite, 10:05 I don't want to hear that, I don't want to hear that." 10:08 As drug addiction took complete control over his life, 10:12 Jed decided he had nothing to live for. 10:15 Sooner or later I knew that it was going to end, 10:17 I was either going to get clean or I was going to die that way. 10:21 But I was enjoying the high, I was enjoying the escape. 10:24 Like if I died, they figured I was buried, 10:27 and life is done. 10:29 So I figured I might as well party it up, 10:31 might as well, you know, live the way I want to live. 10:36 There were times even his mom lost hope. 10:39 And one time I just laid in bed and I said, 10:42 "Is this going to be the call 10:45 where he didn't make it this time," 10:48 and I would be planning his funeral. 10:55 That's pretty scary as a parent. 10:59 But that didn't keep her from praying 11:01 and trying to reach her son. 11:04 Mom would pick me up and she'd be like, 11:06 "I don't want to see you die this way." 11:08 Finally I think it all just kind of came in on me like, 11:14 may be living is worth it, may be living life is worth it. 11:19 At 24 years old Jed was homeless 11:21 and had a warrant out for his arrest. 11:23 Some friends gave him a place to stay, 11:26 and one Sunday they took him to church. 11:29 They did a call for communion. 11:31 And I just heard a voice say, "Go up there. Go up there." 11:35 And I remember walking up there 11:37 and that was one of the first times 11:38 I really could feel the presence of God. 11:42 Next morning I called my mom 11:43 and I said I'm done living like this. 11:46 His mom picked him up and took him to the county jail 11:49 where he turned himself in. 11:51 In his cell, he found a Bible. 11:53 So I went to the Bible right away 11:55 and I literally opened up the Bible 11:57 and I got on my knees and I just began to, like, 12:00 weep. 12:01 And I remember looking in the mirror 12:03 just before I got them, I was, like, 12:05 looking at my eyes. 12:06 I'm like, you know, I got to change. 12:09 I just said, "God my life is yours." 12:12 It was like the hatred was gone, 12:14 the anger was gone. 12:16 I felt like the weight of all that junk was off of me. 12:20 God radically began to change my heart. 12:25 Jed was convicted of four felonies 12:27 and faced a mandatory three years sentence. 12:29 Donna prayed that instead of giving him jail time, 12:32 the judge would show mercy and send him to rehab. 12:35 We were in the courtroom, and I was just interceding, 12:40 praying, praying, praying, and finally the judge said, 12:44 "I don't even know why I'm saying this 12:45 but Jed will go to Teen Challenge." 12:50 And I was like "Whoa!" 12:52 I wanted to just get up and shout and scream. 12:55 You know, that was like a complete miracle. 12:58 I mean it felt like I had another chance. 13:01 Jed completed the program and got over his addictions. 13:04 And after finishing Bible College, 13:06 he went on to lead 13:07 an international mission organization. 13:09 And now with his wife Erica and six children, 13:12 he has everything to live for. 13:14 So God has, you know, radically restored my life, 13:19 given me a family, given me beautiful children, 13:22 gave me a hope, and like the Word says 13:23 it gave me hope and a future, something to look forward to. 13:27 Don't worry about your son or daughter has to do this, 13:31 this, and this, and this. 13:33 Pray and let go off it. 13:35 Pray and let go off it, just watch how God unfolds. 13:43 Joining us again are my guests Pastor Rick Mercer, 13:47 Adly Campos, and Pastor Georges Fleurimond. 13:50 Thank you so much for being with me today. 13:53 We're addressing an important topic, 13:56 one that I believe is a revolutionary idea 14:02 that we're going to be putting forward today. 14:06 Habits or I should say bad habits 14:09 are plaguing every element of American society 14:13 and really around the world. 14:16 Bad habits can be found everywhere, 14:20 forgive me for saying it, from our house, 14:24 your house, my house, 14:26 the White House, and even in the prisons. 14:31 I want to ask Adly, 14:33 what are some of the bad habits you feel 14:36 that are dominating 14:39 and having a field day in our society today? 14:45 I want to mention first of all that yes, 14:50 we have just too many bad habits surrounding us. 14:55 The ones that we need to struggle 14:57 with each and everyday, and one that I am finding 15:01 very, very often is the battle of pornography. 15:07 Yes. 15:08 It's invading the homes, it's destroying children, 15:11 it's destroying homes, it's destroying churches, 15:14 it's destroying the nation. 15:16 So pornography would be one of the first ones 15:19 that I would need to mention, pornography. 15:22 Another one is selfishness, self-centeredness, 15:26 everything has to be around us, what we want, when we want it, 15:32 and how we want it. 15:34 And that really interferes in being able to reflect 15:39 God's character in each one of us. 15:43 Yeah, and the devil uses these habits 15:46 to hold us in bondage. 15:48 And the very thing we need to break those habits, 15:52 which is really the character of Christ in us, 15:56 he seems to keep from us. 15:58 Pastor Rick, you've been very open about 16:02 some of the habits that the devil has used 16:05 to keep you in bondage 16:07 and how a relationship with Christ, 16:10 and the mind of Christ, 16:13 and the character of Christ in you 16:15 has helped you to break some of those habits. 16:18 Can you tell us about that? 16:20 Yes, yes, I was a slave to, became a slave to drugs, 16:27 alcohol, lust, and tobacco. 16:32 They had a complete hold on my life to the point 16:35 that they pretty well controlled 16:37 my day-to-day activities. 16:39 I was a certified public accountant and farmer 16:42 and, you know, I didn't set out 16:44 to become a slave to all those things. 16:46 But over a period of time, each one of them 16:49 took a grip on my life 16:50 and to where all I wanted to do was beat my compulsive habit. 16:56 You know, I tell a story 16:58 because frankly there are some habits 17:02 that some of us can't even tell about. 17:06 You know, we don't want to tell a soul about. 17:09 And I'll tell a funny story, it's a funny story, 17:11 it's not a true story, but it's a funny story 17:13 about a pastor who was supposed to be 17:15 in church one day 17:17 and instead he was out playing golf, 17:21 and he was supposed be at the pulpit preaching 17:23 but he was playing golf. 17:24 And according to the story, 17:27 the angels reported him to the Lord, 17:29 you know, and the Lord smiled on His throne 17:32 and said, "I'll tell you what, give him a hole in one." 17:36 And the angels protested, you know, 17:38 "Why would we do that, he is not faithful, 17:40 he is not where he is supposed to be. 17:42 Why would we give him a hole in one?" 17:44 And the Lord smiled and said, "Because that way, 17:47 he won't be able to tell anybody." 17:54 And there are some habits we dare not tell anybody about. 18:01 And really there are some miracles 18:04 and some deliverances 18:06 we can't even tell anybody about. 18:10 You know it is so miraculous and so wonderful. 18:13 But, Pastor Fleurimond, 18:15 what are some of the effective disciplines 18:17 that you have seen in your life and in others 18:20 that have helped to have the character 18:23 to break the habits that are in front of us? 18:27 Well, definitely, there are few disciplines. 18:30 Prayer, meditating on God's word, fasting, 18:35 I learned in my personal life that fasting is very, 18:39 it's a positive way of breaking bad habits, addictions. 18:45 Or even in cases like mine, 18:48 I didn't necessarily have a great experience growing up, 18:53 but I wasn't quite like Jesus Christ. 18:57 And so I've learned that meditating on His word, 19:00 and praying and fasting allows me 19:02 to become more like Him. 19:04 Yes, and the scripture encourages us 19:07 to do several things. 19:08 One is keep our minds stayed on Christ. 19:13 On Him. 19:14 That is a constant communion 19:17 as what the servant of God calls, 19:19 unbroken communion with the Father. 19:23 And Jesus practiced that, 19:26 Jesus Himself practiced a life of unbroken communion with God. 19:31 Pastor Rick, we need the mind of Christ to break bad habits. 19:35 Amen. 19:36 And how do we put on the mind of Christ? 19:41 Yeah, by filling your life with Christ. 19:43 One of the things that happened to me 19:46 is someone come up to me and asked me 19:49 if I would like to study the Bible, right 19:51 when I was in the mess of my life. 19:53 And I said yes. 19:57 It was, I know it was because I've been prayed for 20:00 that I did say yes. 20:02 But I began to just spend time in the word of God, 20:05 spend time talking to God in prayer. 20:08 And as I did that, I noticed 20:10 it was almost like a light at the end of the tunnel, 20:13 that there could be another life out there. 20:16 And I remember talking to God about it and said, 20:18 "Well, Lord, the only time that I feel like that 20:21 I'm filling this empty spot that's deep inside of me 20:25 is when I'm reading the Bible or with You." 20:28 I said, "I can't do this all the time, 20:30 I've got to get out and work and make a living." 20:33 And so God put it on my heart 20:36 to just fix my mind on Him during the day. 20:40 Isaiah 26:3 says, 20:42 "I will keep him in perfect peace 20:44 whose mind is stayed me." 20:46 Hebrews 12:1-2, talks about, "It's time to lay aside that 20:51 sin that so easily besets us by looking to Jesus, 20:55 the author and finisher of our faith." 20:57 And so I found that the more time 21:00 that I spend in a given day meditating on the Word of God, 21:04 being in a state of prayer to God, 21:06 the better my life was. 21:08 And what happened is though sins 21:11 that had a grip on my life 21:12 that had total control over my life, 21:15 as I filled my life with Jesus, they lost their hold on me. 21:18 Praise God, praise God. 21:20 Pastor, in order to have the mind of Christ, 21:24 the mind of Christ, 21:26 we need to start early in the morning, 21:29 consecrate yourself, 21:31 consecrate your thoughts, consecrate your plans. 21:35 Ask Him to take control of every thing about you 21:41 and your plans. 21:42 When you give your mind to the Lord 21:44 early in the morning and of course, 21:46 continue through out the day, it will be easier, 21:50 a lot easier to gain a victory over bad habits. 21:55 And imagine we've got to do that everyday. 22:00 And, you know, I've a little mantra, 22:04 all day, every day, no excuses. 22:08 That's right. 22:09 You cannot give yourself excuses from that life 22:14 because, isn't that interesting 22:16 that every loss in our own lives, 22:21 and in the world, on the wall street, 22:25 in corporations, 22:26 every loss can be traced back to a deficit of character. 22:32 Wow. 22:34 Every single loss in our own lives 22:38 and in the world around us, 22:40 we can trace back to a deficit of character. 22:43 So I want to ask one last question 22:46 in terms of character. 22:47 How does character you think affect our destiny 22:53 and connect those if you don't mind, 22:55 habit, character, destiny. 22:59 Either of you chime in on that. 23:04 Well, in my case, 23:06 I was a certified public accountant. 23:09 I had a lot of people that depended on me, 23:12 they looked up to me. 23:14 But as sin got a hold of my life 23:18 and I became the character of the world, 23:23 I lost who I was and I lost credibility, 23:29 you know, with my clients. 23:30 And so it really had a huge negative effect on my life, 23:37 when I was a slave to these sins. 23:38 Yeah. 23:40 Pastor Fleurimond, before we leave... 23:42 Go ahead you were going to say something, Adly. 23:44 I would add that we need 23:47 to constantly keep our minds set 23:50 on those habits that we want to overcome 23:55 by replacing them with the correct habits. 23:59 Every time you want to get rid of something bad, 24:02 we need to replace it with something good. 24:04 And when we replace those habits 24:06 that harm our character, 24:09 that have a conclusion in our destiny 24:12 because everything we do 24:14 and say has something to do with our destiny. 24:18 We harvest what we sow, 24:21 and if we want to have a good harvest 24:24 of good habits, 24:25 we must replace the bad habits with good habits. 24:28 Yes. 24:30 Pastor Fleurimond, what would you say 24:31 to someone out there who is listening today, 24:34 who is struggling with a habit, 24:36 and realize they don't have the strength of character 24:40 on their own to break those habits, 24:42 what would you say to encourage them? 24:45 Well, I would tell them that the word of God is very clear, 24:49 "That in our weakness, 24:50 God's strength is made perfect." 24:52 Amen. 24:53 And so I think that when we're looking at 24:56 the deficiencies in character, 24:58 if we strive to be more like Christ, 25:00 we're able to put on God's character, 25:03 Jesus' character, 25:07 Jesus has the perfect character, you know. 25:10 And I think that going back to what Rick and Mrs. Adly 25:13 were saying earlier that to be perfected in character, 25:18 you know, the word perfect, 25:20 I was actually doing a series in my church. 25:22 But one of the words that 25:24 stuck out to me was "perfection." 25:26 And it has in essence a meaning of being filled. 25:30 Right, we're out of time, but I really appreciate you 25:33 so much focusing on that. 25:35 And just remember, being victorious over habit 25:38 is the will of God for everyone's life. 25:41 Amen. God bless you. 25:43 Amen. 25:48 There is a symbiotic relationship 25:50 between the eyes and the mind. 25:52 The eye needs the mind and the mind needs the eye. 25:56 I believe the only answer to the problem 25:58 of continually doing what we hate 26:01 begins with the understanding, as Paul says, 26:04 that with the mind we serve the Lord. 26:07 And our only hope to stop doing 26:09 what we hate is to keep our minds 26:12 in constant hourly communion with God. 26:16 But is that really possible? 26:19 I will tell you what is impossible. 26:22 You will never have the strength of character 26:25 to break free from any habit, any habit you hate 26:29 until you learn the power of constant, 26:32 continual, unbroken, hourly prayer. 26:36 But you may ask, "In this modern world, 26:38 how can we ever really practically do that?" 26:43 Constant unbroken prayer with God is possible. 26:46 That's why 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Pray without ceasing." 26:53 Is that really possible? 26:55 God has given to us the ability to think 26:58 while we do most anything. 27:00 We can walk and think, we can run and think, 27:04 we can eat and think, we can watch and think, 27:07 we can hear and think. 27:10 And because we can think while we do anything, 27:12 that means we can also pray 27:18 while we do almost anything. 27:23 That's why the scripture says in Luke 21:36, 27:26 "Pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy 27:31 to escape all these things that shall come to pass 27:35 and stand before the Son of man." 27:37 With our minds we can train ourselves 27:41 to unbroken prayer. 27:42 I'm Wintley Phipps, and remember 27:44 to be a Christian means to be Christ like. |
Revised 2018-02-14