WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:05.960 Hey, everyone, welcome to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Hope. Now 2 00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:09.160 we're going to continue our series today called building My 3 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.599 Life on Values that last, and Rick will press on 4 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:15.519 and show us how we benefit when we apply the 5 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:24.039 Biblical principles of trust, self control, balance, respect forgiveness, moral purity, fairness, honesty, 6 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.399 and love to our lives. And now let's join Rick 7 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.120 as he shares the final part of a message called 8 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:32.200 accepting responsibility. 9 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:37.759 The average American spends six hours a week in shopping 10 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:42.479 related activities. Some of you blow that statistic out of 11 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:42.840 the water. 12 00:00:43.640 --> 00:00:46.079 I know you know, I've seen you. 13 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.280 You know, when the tough, when the going gets tough, 14 00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:54.119 the tough go shopping, you know. And and yet it's interesting, 15 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:57.000 by the way, that the more educated you are, the 16 00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:57.799 more you shop. 17 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:00.840 So some of you go, see, honey, I'm smart. See 18 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:01.920 I'm really smart. 19 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:04.519 I'm getting ready to go out on a little educational 20 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:05.439 field trip, darling. 21 00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:10.959 God says, that's dumb. 22 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.840 If you're spending all your money and you're not saving anything. 23 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:16.840 Look at what it says. Let's read Proverbs twenty one 24 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:22.280 twenty with great guilt. Okay, y, let's read it aloud. 25 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:26.359 The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish 26 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:30.079 man spins whatever he gets, ouch. 27 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:33.840 Spends whatever he gets. 28 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:36.319 Now you say, Rick, why you're making a big deal 29 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:39.120 of this, because did you know that the number one 30 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:45.040 cause of divorce is not adultery, It's not having an affair. 31 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:51.560 The number one cause of divorce is not abuse, its debt. 32 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:56.719 Fifty four percent of the divorces in America occur over 33 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.640 financial pressures. We have now decided that the marriage vow 34 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:08.080 is till debt do us part. And God says that's 35 00:02:08.120 --> 00:02:12.439 not very smart. Now, let me just get real honest 36 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:14.759 with you. I read a survey this week that said 37 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:18.360 most baby boomers are going to be flat broke in 38 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:24.479 retirement and they're going to live in abject poverty. Why 39 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:30.080 because they're not saving anything. Are you teaching your kids 40 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:33.120 how to save? Are you teaching them how to make 41 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:36.039 little three little banks or three little boxes and you 42 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:39.120 divide up and allowances. This is for spending, This is 43 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:42.520 for tithing, giving back to God. This is for savings. 44 00:02:43.080 --> 00:02:44.639 And when they get over, you get them, open them 45 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:47.159 a bank account, and you teach them how to give, 46 00:02:48.199 --> 00:02:52.400 how to save, and how to spend. More important, are 47 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.680 you modeling that or is everything just going out the door? 48 00:02:56.840 --> 00:03:00.520 Regardless of how little your income is. You need to 49 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:04.240 learn to live on a margin where you live on 50 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.560 less than you make so you can put away some 51 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:12.919 to save. God says, that's being responsible. Somebody asked John D. Rockefeller, 52 00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:15.400 who at one time was the world's wealth this man, 53 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:17.919 how did you amass such a fortune? He said, It's 54 00:03:17.960 --> 00:03:20.879 real simple. I've abided bye all my life, he said. 55 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:24.319 I give the first ten percent as a tithe back 56 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:29.439 to God. I save ten percent, and I live on 57 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:30.400 the other eighty percent. 58 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:33.120 Not a bad starting point. 59 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.159 I would suggest that if you were being haphazard in 60 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:40.800 your finances, that you might start that agenda returning the 61 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:43.439 first ten percent to Goddess, he says, saving ten. 62 00:03:43.280 --> 00:03:45.680 Percent and learning to live on the rest. 63 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:50.960 Why the Bible says this, The fool thinks only about 64 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:56.159 having a good time now, And like it or not, 65 00:03:56.599 --> 00:04:00.000 God uses money to test you. 66 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:02.360 He is testing your responsibility. 67 00:04:02.919 --> 00:04:05.599 And when he looks at your finances some of those 68 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:08.560 rewards in heaven and those responsibilities in heaven, God's going 69 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:11.039 to say, were you responsible with what I gave you 70 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:14.479 here on earth? And the Bible also says to whom 71 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:18.120 much is given, much is required. So you want to 72 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.720 be responsible, start saving your money. 73 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:22.439 Number two. 74 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:25.560 If you want to be responsible, one of the ways 75 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:31.199 is by controlling my reactions. By controlling my reactions, well, 76 00:04:31.240 --> 00:04:32.759 before we get in this point, here's what I want 77 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.439 to do today. I want you to rate yourself on 78 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:38.120 each of these four areas. Now we're not gonna go 79 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:39.800 one to ten, but let's just use a kind of 80 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.680 thumbs up or thumbs down. It's like a plus sign 81 00:04:42.800 --> 00:04:45.759 means this is under control in my life. It's doing 82 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:48.600 great and I feel good about it. Minus means major 83 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:52.040 warning here, I'm not being very responsible. So give yourself 84 00:04:52.199 --> 00:04:54.399 a plus or minus in the area of the money 85 00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:58.000 right now. Okay, plus sign means yeah, we're saving, we 86 00:04:58.079 --> 00:05:01.680 have a consistent plan for saving, spend and giving or 87 00:05:01.800 --> 00:05:04.240 being no, we have no consistent plan, or we're not saving. 88 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:08.480 Give yourself a minus now. No peaking. Okay, don't peak 89 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:14.639 anybody that would be irresponsible. Okay, write that down now. 90 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:18.759 Number two second way by controlling my reactions. Earlier we 91 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.519 talked about that you cannot control the events. You can't 92 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:25.000 control the things, the tragedies that happen to you. But 93 00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:29.399 you can control your response and reaction. So God says, 94 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:34.600 if you want to be responsible, maturity and responsibility are 95 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:37.639 evident in your life. When you can handle the pressures, 96 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:42.519 the stresses, the problems, the pains of life without losing it, 97 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:48.120 without becoming stressed out, without becoming angry and blowing up, 98 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:53.759 without shrinking into depression. And he says, when people hurt you, 99 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:56.399 he says, you turn around and you do good to him. 100 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:58.800 He says, the key to. 101 00:05:58.800 --> 00:06:04.199 Responsibility is learn to control your emotional reactions. Notice these verses. 102 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:09.959 A fool expresses all his emotions, but a wise person 103 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:10.839 controls them. 104 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:11.680 Do you do that? 105 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:14.720 Of course, the way that we usually express our emotions 106 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:17.279 is through our words, And so Jesus tells us in 107 00:06:17.319 --> 00:06:20.720 the Book of Matthew, people will be responsible for every 108 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:22.079 careless word they've said. 109 00:06:23.319 --> 00:06:24.399 I don't like that verse. 110 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:27.519 That's one of the ones I wish God had left 111 00:06:27.519 --> 00:06:31.279 out of the Bible, because honestly, it says, I, Rick 112 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:34.120 Warren am going to be held responsible for every careless 113 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:38.639 word I've said. God is judging the responsibility of my 114 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.120 mouth and yours too. So if you want to be responsible, 115 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:44.399 he says, you need to put your mind in gear 116 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:48.040 before you put your mouth in motion. You need to 117 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:50.439 think before you speak. That's being responsible. 118 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:52.040 Are you are you? 119 00:06:52.360 --> 00:06:54.959 Are you just a blabber mouth? You just say anything 120 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.959 that floats through your mind, whether whether it's going to 121 00:06:57.040 --> 00:06:59.399 hurt anybody or not, whether it's the right time or not. 122 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:03.600 Says control my reactions. Look at the next verse. Don't 123 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:07.399 let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil 124 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:08.600 by doing good. 125 00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:10.199 He's saying there. 126 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:12.839 One of the ways you show responsibility is by not 127 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:15.399 trying to get even with people. 128 00:07:15.079 --> 00:07:16.800 Who hurt you. 129 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:21.279 See, when somebody shams you or rips you off, somebody 130 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:26.839 maligns you, slanders you, somebody steals from you, somebody abuses 131 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:31.199 you or hurts you. When you try to get even 132 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:33.199 with that person, you know what you've done. You've just 133 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:38.399 lowered yourself to their standard. You are even with them, 134 00:07:38.519 --> 00:07:40.720 and a person who tries to get even is no 135 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:44.000 better than the person who just did the wrong. Because 136 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:46.160 you're even, you're trying to get even. But when you 137 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.959 forgive that person and you move on and say, God, 138 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:50.399 I'm gonna let you take care of it, I know 139 00:07:50.439 --> 00:07:51.959 you're gonna settle the score. 140 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:53.160 And I trust you to do that. 141 00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:56.879 That puts you in a superior moral position because you 142 00:07:57.000 --> 00:07:59.480 let God settle the score, which and he, by the way, 143 00:07:59.480 --> 00:08:01.439 has better rea sources than you do to do it. 144 00:08:02.839 --> 00:08:05.240 And so you say, God, I'm going to return good 145 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:07.720 for evil rather than evil for evil. I'm not going 146 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:10.240 to try to get even somebody shuts me out of 147 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.040 a car pool lane or something like that. I'm not 148 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.079 going to try to get back at them. I realize 149 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.399 that what they reap, they'll sew and they'll eventually God'll 150 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:20.279 get even with them. But God, I'm going to return 151 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.600 good for evil. That is responsible, that's controlling your reactions. 152 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:27.160 So I want you to rate yourself on this one. 153 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.360 Number two, When people tick you off, what. 154 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:30.720 Do you do? 155 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:36.639 Irresponsible actions are either to a blow up or b 156 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:40.919 clam up. Both of them are wrong. Those are inappropriate 157 00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:43.399 ways to deal with anger. Either become a skunk you 158 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.559 smell up the place, or a turtle you withdraw in 159 00:08:46.600 --> 00:08:47.159 and hide. 160 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:48.200 God does it tell you to be. 161 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:51.039 A turtle or a skunk. There are appropriate ways to 162 00:08:51.080 --> 00:08:53.720 respond with anger. He says, you do it in calmness, 163 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:58.080 in love, and in truth. Give yourself a plus or 164 00:08:58.080 --> 00:08:58.840 minus on that one. 165 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:03.399 Okay. Number three The third way that. 166 00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:06.200 We can be more responsible of just this list I 167 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:11.519 just picked is by guarding my mind. By guarding my mind, 168 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:15.240 God has given you your mind, and the Bible says, 169 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:19.720 as a man thinks in his heart, so is he are. 170 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:23.120 Our minds control everything else. They influence our thoughts, can 171 00:09:23.519 --> 00:09:26.600 affect our feelings, and our feelings affect our actions. So 172 00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:29.519 it all starts up here. Now, let me. 173 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:30.960 Relieve you of a little false guilt. 174 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:36.919 You are not responsible for every little stray thought that 175 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.840 flits or passes through your mind, aren't you glad of that? 176 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:46.759 Whow Okay, You are not responsible for every little thought 177 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:49.279 that's gone through your mind, because those can come from 178 00:09:49.320 --> 00:09:53.120 all different things. Conversations you over here, by accident, things 179 00:09:53.159 --> 00:09:55.879 that you see by accident. The devil puts thoughts in 180 00:09:55.919 --> 00:09:58.919 your mind, Oh yeah, all the time, when the devil, 181 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:02.879 when Satan gives you a thought that's called temptation. When 182 00:10:02.919 --> 00:10:06.080 God puts a thought in your mind that's called inspiration. 183 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:08.600 And both God and the devil are trying to talk 184 00:10:08.600 --> 00:10:09.120 to you all the time. 185 00:10:09.159 --> 00:10:11.360 They're trying to, you know, give you ideas, good ones 186 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:12.480 from God, bad ones. 187 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:12.840 From the devil. 188 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.639 And so you're not responsible. Martin Luther once said it 189 00:10:17.679 --> 00:10:20.720 like this. He said, you can't keep the birds from 190 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.480 flying over your head, but you can't keep them from 191 00:10:23.480 --> 00:10:28.200 building a nest in your hair. And what you are 192 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.360 responsible for are the thoughts that you choose to hold 193 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.399 on to and go over and over and over in 194 00:10:33.399 --> 00:10:34.960 your mind. The one goes through your mind. Oh, let's 195 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:40.039 think about that one for a while. Like jealousy, like resentment, 196 00:10:41.559 --> 00:10:43.240 and a number and number of other things. Oh, I 197 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:46.879 like I feel good about feeling so prideful about this 198 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:51.919 situation and other things. You are not responsible for all 199 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:54.960 your thoughts, but you are responsible for what you choose 200 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:58.720 to allow in your mind through your eyes and through 201 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.639 your ears, through the eyegate, the irgate, and God is 202 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:05.399 going to hold you accountable for what you think about 203 00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:08.879 by allowing to let indo your mind. Now, this is 204 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.840 an area, honestly, that many of you who've been Christians 205 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:16.200 ten twenty thirty years are still acting very irresponsibly in it. 206 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:19.279 It amazes me what some people see, much less let 207 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:24.519 their children see. Almost notice what the Bible says proverb fifteen, 208 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:28.759 A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool 209 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:34.720 feeds on trash. The fool feeds on trash. You might 210 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:36.320 want to cut that out and put it on your TV. 211 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:39.559 See. 212 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.159 I know a lot of people who are true believers 213 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:48.159 in Christ, in God, but they're they're watching trashy TV 214 00:11:48.279 --> 00:11:52.120 shows all the time, and they're listening to trash radio 215 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:56.000 all the time, and they're watching trashy soap operas and 216 00:11:56.039 --> 00:12:01.480 talk shows, and they're reading trashy magazines and trashy books 217 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:05.279 and novels, and they're paying good money to go see 218 00:12:05.399 --> 00:12:10.879 deviant behavior as entertainment and seeing trashy movies and hearing 219 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:15.639 trash talk on those movies. And I've probably heard this 220 00:12:15.679 --> 00:12:18.679 a thousand times. But Pastor Rick, you know, when I 221 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:20.639 go and I see those kind of things, it just 222 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:23.240 doesn't phaze me. It doesn't bother me. I can listen 223 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.279 to it. It just doesn't bother me, and it doesn't 224 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:28.600 affect me. And I want to say, who are you kidding? 225 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:31.960 Huh? Who in the world do you think you're kidding? 226 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:37.480 You think you're kidding? God, It does affect you. 227 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:40.320 Scientists have done study after study after study that says 228 00:12:40.480 --> 00:12:45.200 you never really forget any scene that you may not 229 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.559 recall it consciously, but they can put a probe in 230 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:51.320 your mind, and you know, stimulate certain parts of your 231 00:12:51.320 --> 00:12:53.200 brain and that idea will come right back up in 232 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:53.879 living color. 233 00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:56.519 It's all stored there. 234 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:02.039 And some of you have been storing garbage for years now. 235 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:06.200 There's an old computer saying that says, garbage in, garbage out. 236 00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:09.240 Whatever you put in your mind is inevitably going to 237 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:11.840 come out in your behavior and your beliefs. And what 238 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:15.879 it does is it weakens you, and it weakens your values, 239 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.240 and it lowers you because you've become accustomed to it 240 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:19.679 so that it doesn't. 241 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:20.279 Bother you anymore. 242 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:25.279 And when things don't bother you anymore, that is a 243 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:29.039 warning light that you've already passed a threshold. 244 00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:30.399 See. 245 00:13:30.440 --> 00:13:34.320 One of the ways Satan tries to get sin and 246 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:38.240 deviant behavior acceptable is the starting point is it gets 247 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:41.480 you to laugh at it. It gets you to laugh 248 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.000 at ah, look at Oh, that's funny, that's really funny. 249 00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:50.799 And once you've laughed, your barriers have lowered. That's why always, 250 00:13:50.840 --> 00:13:53.759 any deviant behavior always starts on a situation comedy on 251 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:57.600 television before it moves to a drama. Always, every time, 252 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:01.639 study the last forty years of television. Because if Satan 253 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:04.399 can get you laughing at something that is wrong, that 254 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:06.879 is sinful, You've already lost a battle. 255 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:07.120 Listen. 256 00:14:07.159 --> 00:14:09.720 Sin is not funny, folks, It's not funny at all. 257 00:14:09.879 --> 00:14:12.000 It put Jesus on the cross, that's how funny it was. 258 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.639 And it is absolute abhorrent to the nature of God. 259 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.639 And when I sit and I allow things in my mind, 260 00:14:19.720 --> 00:14:23.759 God says you're being irresponsible, and you. 261 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:24.559 Got to check it out. 262 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:27.799 Some hey said, well, I just try to be open minded. 263 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:29.519 Will some of your open minds need to be closed 264 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:34.720 for repairs. Okay, you need to do a little spring cleaning. 265 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:36.039 Now. 266 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.639 Some of you say, you know what, Rick, I never 267 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:40.679 have any desire to read the Bible. You know why 268 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:43.279 you don't hunger for it because you filled your mind 269 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:45.879 with trash. There are three things. You can fill your 270 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:50.120 mind with the truth, which always builds you up. You 271 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:53.320 can fill your mind with poison, and you know what 272 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:56.120 that does you pornography and other stuff like that. Or 273 00:14:56.200 --> 00:14:58.159 you can fill your mind with what I call stuffing. 274 00:14:58.799 --> 00:15:02.159 Stuffing is stuff that's neither good nor bad. It's just stuff. 275 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:04.679 It's trivia. But you know what, if you eat a 276 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.639 whole meal of stuffing, when the steak or the desert 277 00:15:07.679 --> 00:15:11.320 comes on. You don't want any of it because you're 278 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.759 not hungry for it. The Bible says the wise man 279 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:20.679 is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash. 280 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:25.159 Your character comes from what you think about, So rate 281 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:28.159 yourself on this one plus or minus. Have I been 282 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.960 pretty vigilant and I say, there's just certain things I 283 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:34.159 won't watch. I'll turn the channel, I won't listen to it. 284 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:35.720 I'm not going to listen to this or that or 285 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:39.519 whatever or does Is your mind just an open freeway 286 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:41.960 that anybody who wants to drop garbage in it can 287 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:44.799 And you'll say, well, it doesn't affect me, or you're 288 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:48.320 kidding yourself and you're being irresponsible. Give yourself a negative. 289 00:15:48.360 --> 00:15:52.200 That's one you need to work on. Number four a 290 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:56.840 fourth theory of responsibility. I can be responsible in life 291 00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:04.440 by admitting my mistakes. By admitting my mistakes. Proverbs twenty 292 00:16:04.440 --> 00:16:07.840 eight thirteen says a man who refuses to admit his 293 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:13.840 mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and 294 00:16:13.879 --> 00:16:19.200 forsakes them, he gets another chance. God gives you another chance. 295 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:21.360 He always gives you more chances if you just confess 296 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:25.360 and forsake. The Bible says in the Book of Hoseiah. 297 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:28.759 Don't point your finger at somebody else and try to 298 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:32.399 pass the blame. So I said earlier. Typically we try 299 00:16:32.440 --> 00:16:36.240 to accuse and excuse. Whenever we blow it, we say, 300 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:40.039 it's not my fault, it's all your fault. I'm a 301 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.799 victim of circumstances, and. 302 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:45.919 On and on and on. Now the fact is, folks, 303 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:47.200 look up here. 304 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:53.039 I'm doing this message for me because there are many 305 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:57.320 areas of my life that I am irresponsible in, and 306 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.879 there are many areas of your life that you were 307 00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:03.799 irresponsible in. There's a verse in the Bible that says, 308 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:06.200 there has never been a person who lived on this 309 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:09.480 earth who always did what was good and never did 310 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:15.880 what was wrong. We've all blown it. We've all been irresponsible. 311 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:20.319 The Bible calls it sin. God doesn't want you going 312 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:24.079 around with a heavy guilt trip about all the irresponsibility 313 00:17:24.079 --> 00:17:25.799 in your life, but he wants you to go around 314 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:27.920 with a sense of promise and hope that He will 315 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:29.000 help you overcome it. 316 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:30.319 He can even listen. 317 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:34.680 He can even bring good out of the stupid decisions 318 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:38.240 that you've made in your life, if you will give 319 00:17:38.279 --> 00:17:41.079 them to him. It's one of the great truths of 320 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:44.200 God's word, and Tracy is a great example of it. 321 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:45.839 I want you to hear her story today. Would you 322 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:46.799 give her a warm welcome. 323 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.440 My name is Tracy, and I'd like to share how 324 00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:05.400 God has forgiven me and healed me from the painful 325 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:10.079 hearts that came from living irresponsibly for many years. And 326 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.200 I'd like to tell you how God has brought good 327 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.039 out of the bad in my life since I committed 328 00:18:15.079 --> 00:18:18.480 it all to him. I was born when my parents 329 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:20.519 were in their forties, and by the time I was 330 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.880 four and a half, my dad died of a heart attack, 331 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:28.480 leaving behind my mom, two brothers, sister, and myself. Soon 332 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:31.559 a new dad came into my life. He was nice 333 00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:35.519 and funny, and I liked him right away. Unfortunately, he 334 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:40.039 was also an alcoholic. Years to follow were a roller 335 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:43.359 coaster of highs and lows. By the time my teen 336 00:18:43.440 --> 00:18:48.519 years hit, I was very bitter, confused, and resentful. Instead 337 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:52.920 of taking responsibility for myself, I blamed my parents for 338 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:58.240 my unhappiness and God for letting it happen. Turning my 339 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:01.440 back on family and God, I searched for love, affection, 340 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:05.640 and an end to my inner pain. I turned to 341 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:10.400 a destructive and irresponsible path of drugs and alcohol. When 342 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:12.880 I couldn't get the pain to go away, I'd settle 343 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:16.759 for numbness. My search for love took me from one 344 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:21.079 bad relationship to another, never finding what I looked for, 345 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:27.440 and destroying myself along the way. I left home at 346 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:30.839 sixteen and moved in with my sister. She had traveled 347 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.319 a similar path. She understood my pain, but, like me, 348 00:19:34.519 --> 00:19:38.000 hadn't found the answer. Then I met a man I 349 00:19:38.039 --> 00:19:41.000 thought put an end to my search. Once again, I 350 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:43.839 made someone else responsible for my happiness. 351 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.000 I was afraid to be alone, and he played on that. 352 00:19:49.240 --> 00:19:51.920 By the time we'd been together two years, I was 353 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:53.839 anorexic and suicidal. 354 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:58.079 One night we fought and I snapped. 355 00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:03.559 I found myself scared, hopeless, and alone, with the bottle of. 356 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:04.880 Migraine pills in my hand. 357 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:10.319 I awoke to having my stomach pumped. My roommate had 358 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.799 found me in time. It was only a week later 359 00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:19.079 that I discovered I was pregnant. For the first time, 360 00:20:19.759 --> 00:20:23.240 I had to think of someone else besides myself. I 361 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:27.400 had to be responsible for my actions. I was frightened 362 00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:31.079 and alone, and in my desperation I turned to God 363 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:31.640 for help. 364 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:34.839 The Lord I had tried so hard. 365 00:20:34.599 --> 00:20:37.839 To alienate had been waiting patiently for me to return 366 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.440 to him, and God was faithful as I faced the 367 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:45.160 months ahead. He led me back to my family and 368 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:48.400 stood by me, holding me up when my boyfriend announced, 369 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:49.160 it's mere. 370 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:51.119 The baby, and I chose the baby. 371 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:56.160 The Lord was there when a frightened teenager gave birth. 372 00:20:57.599 --> 00:20:59.359 I would like to say I learned my lesson and 373 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:04.160 was never irresponsible again, but I'm hard headed and it 374 00:21:04.200 --> 00:21:05.200 hadn't quite sunk in. 375 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:07.079 Oh. I tried. 376 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:09.400 I went back to church and I read the Bible, 377 00:21:09.720 --> 00:21:11.000 but it was a shallow effort. 378 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:12.920 I didn't mature in my faith. 379 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:16.400 Even more, I still carry guilt and shame from my 380 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:22.799 failures within me. I hadn't accepted God's complete forgiveness. It's funny, 381 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:25.519 but the guilt and shame that comes from not living 382 00:21:25.559 --> 00:21:29.799 responsibly can actually cause you to continue living in the 383 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:34.240 same way. With my deep need to feel accepted, I 384 00:21:34.279 --> 00:21:37.440 went from one bad relationship to another for almost two 385 00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:41.480 more years. Then, in one moment, my entire life was 386 00:21:41.559 --> 00:21:47.039 ripped apart at the seams. I was raped, not by 387 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:53.799 a stranger, but by someone I trusted. What's worse, he 388 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:56.759 first tore my toddler from my arms and threw him 389 00:21:56.799 --> 00:22:00.680 in his crib. He then raped and beat me in 390 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:07.440 full view of my frightened, screaming child. I was so 391 00:22:07.599 --> 00:22:11.079 full of hurt, anger and shame and guilt that I 392 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:15.039 couldn't even pray for help. Truth was, I was afraid 393 00:22:15.079 --> 00:22:19.759 to pray. I felt I was being punished for my life. 394 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:23.799 I carried the secret of this event inside me for 395 00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:28.559 many years. I took my son and I moved. 396 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:30.880 I enrolled in a. 397 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:34.839 University and got a job. But I soon found that 398 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:36.680 I was going from daycare to nightcare. 399 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:39.119 I wasn't my son was. 400 00:22:40.359 --> 00:22:43.680 I missed him, and I was burnt out, so I 401 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:48.279