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Turn to and read 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
Pray.
This morning, we want to consider “the how.”
When you hear of a marriage falling apart have you ever asked yourself, “What happened?”
When you hear of a young person who has destroyed their life through drugs or alcohol have you ever asked yourself, “What happened?”
When you learn of a Christian leader who has “suddenly” turned their back on God and His Word and asked yourself, “What happened?”
This morning we want to consider the “What happened?”
How does Satan corrupt an individual’s heart?
Each step of the process that we will look at this morning takes and individual’s heart further from God and ensnares it in sin and corruption.
Attraction
In other words, it was attractive.
Have you ever wondered why beer commercials are some of the funniest commercials?
Have you ever wandered why the individuals portrayed in beer commercial are always beautiful and good-looking?
The enemy always wants to enter our spiritual heart under the cover of something attractive.
It would be impossible to fully describe every kind of bait in the world today, but remember, bait always appears fun, enjoyable, entertaining, funny.
It appears harmless.
It is attractive, cool, awesome, and exciting.
The first glance usually catches us off guard, and draws us in for a closer look!
Turn to and read Proverbs 9:13-17.
The attraction is always a combination of appearance and desires.
Notice the testimony of Achan, when he had taken of the accursed things after the battle of Jericho.
Again, we must be reminded of our sin nature.
Our sin nature desires and Satan is only too willing to oblige by dangling some attractive bait in front of us.
Those two forces - working in tandem - pull us in for an all too often deadly second look.
The hook as been set.
Now on to step #2...
Adaptation
Especially to the Christian, this adaptation process is critical.
You see, at first exposure, this corruption goes against the spiritual heart of the Christian.
At first “listen,” your spiritual heart will cry against it in shocked outrage, much like the lungs of a twelve-year-old would reject the first puffs of smoke from a cigarette.
It is almost as if your spiritual body cries out, “Get this out of me! I’m not made for this kind of pollution!”
The Holy Spirit is our early warning system.
The Holy Spirit rejects, resists, and warns you about the corruption entering your heart.
Remember last week, 1 John 4:6...
But, be warned...
This “early warning system” can be disabled.
It happened on the 35th anniversary of South Charlotte Baptist Church...
When the Holy Spirit’s warnings are quenched, you become more comfortable with this invasion of your spiritual heart.
When your heart has adapted to the influence of Satan, the process is complete.
The Bible refers to this process in 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
“…having their conscience seared with a hot iron.”
You see, these spirits seduce and sear the conscience.
The searing process can be uncomfortable at first, but eventually the conscience stops feeling what it should.
And that leads us to step #3...
Addiction
Turn to and read Proverbs 23:29-35.
Step #1 is attraction.
That first enticing look.
Step #2 is Adaptation.
The Holy Spirit cries, “NO,” but we push that warning aside and become comfortable with the infection.
Once you adapt to the new influence, you soon find yourself needing more and more.
As they say, “You’re hooked!”
But...
Do not interpret addiction as enjoyment.
It’s not addiction, you tell yourself, it’s enjoyment.
“Every one else has a problem.
I’m OK.” That’s exactly what Satan wants you to think as they lodge themselves like hooks into the flesh of your spiritual heart.
Until finally...
The addiction will literally control your life.
Unknowingly, quite subtly, you find yourself increasingly needing, wanting, and depending on more of this influence.
Every chance you get, you run to these influences and drink of their spiritual fluids.
Lest we think that we are only talking about addictions to alcohol or tobacco or illegal drugs, etc. allow me to ask, “Are you addicted to your smartphone?”
I recently read a book entitled, “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.”
(The author is not a Christian but I find his title interesting considering what 1 John 4:6 says about the spirit of truth and the spirit of error and the fact that we must be cautious what “voices” we listen too.)
The book begins...
In September 2016, the influential blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan wrote an essay for New York Magazine titled, “I Used to Be a Human Being.”
Its subtitle was alarming: “An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts.
It broke me.
It might break you, too.”
Two pages later you read...
Few want to spend so much time online, but these tools have a way of cultivating behavioral addictions.
The urge to check Twitter or refresh Reddit becomes a nervous twitch that shatters uninterrupted time into shards too small to support the presence necessary for an intentional life.
Amazingly, in our world, it has become increasingly more convenient to take these influences - addictions - everywhere we go and to have them in a moment’s notice.
In the 1950’s men would keep a pack of cigarettes rolled up in their shirt sleeve.
In 2019, individuals carry their “addiction” in their back pocket, in their purse, or simply carry it in their hand everywhere they go!
As humorous as that sounds, ladies and gentlemen, we need to realize that...
This addiction is not physical, but a spiritual addiction of the heart.
Alteration
While God wants to transform our lives and renew our minds to conform us to the image of His Son...
Satan’s desire is to alter us to the image of this world.
The heart is reprogrammed without our even realizing it.
The spiritual condition changes and the heart is altered.
Where there should love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance there is now bitterness, anger, immorality, and the seed of every evil work.
Joy gives way to anger.
Love gives way to unfounded resentment and hatred.
Peace gives way to trouble and frustration.
Purity gives way to defilement and baseness.
And, when you looking for some physical reason, some apparent explanation for the change, you won’t find one!
Eventually, this alteration will find its way to the surface and almost always shows up first in the countenance.
A changed countenance is a warning sign of this alteration.
Don’t believe me?
Ask Nehemiah....
The influences of your heart produce a countenance that communicates your spiritual direction, and nothing you can do - short of yielding to God to transform your heart - will change the countenance.
A healthy countenance is the direct product of a healthy relationship with God! Here’s how the Bible says it...
Not only does the countenance service as a warning sign but...
Spiritual confusion is a warning sign of this confusion.
For King Saul, the spiritual alteration which began in 1 Samuel 15, is clearly seen in his confusion.
He didn’t know what to do.
He was confused.
So much so that, instead of turning back to God, he instead turned to the witch in Endor.
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