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Step 5: Ya Gotta rejoice in the smallest positive result.

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What was fouled up in Eden (Genesis 3), Christ mended—friendship with God.

Step 5 is an eye opener. (ah-ha moment).

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At first, this may sound a little confusing but here is where you are:

1) You’ve decided to do something constructive to change what has been sabotaging you. You’re focusing on Jesus instead of your demeaning destructive habit.

2) You’ve taken responsibility for you.

3) You’re refusing to go along with temptation’s evil efforts to keep you under its control.

4) You’re cooperating with God continually. Meaning, you’re working together with the Lord to enrich your behavior and consequently, your involvement with God is becoming stimulating and stronger.

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While it may not have been obvious to you before, now the results are evident because you’ve committed to and faithfully followed the first four steps.

Consequently, you’re seeing definite returns on your invested connection with God. As a result, you’re experiencing more control over your debilitating habit(s).

The saying, “Success breeds success” resonates truth in you.

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As your relationship with God improves you’re noticing that your other relationships are also improving.

1. Your relationships with those you love.
2. Your relationships with friends and even your enemies.
3. And, more notably, your relationship with you.

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Consequently, because you’re awakening a rewarding relationship with God and have chosen to make the Lord your primary focus, your zeal and determination intensify.

That is to say feeling healthy is a sensation you’re reluctant to trade for your past stuck behavior. Because, now, you’re longing to protect your new health.

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There isn’t any freedom or peace like the peace and freedom Jesus makes available. This fact is alive within you.

Your liberating choices are becoming obvious to you (and everyone you come in contact with).

Remind yourself: Every time the temptation comes it’s an opportunity to see God pull you closer to Himself.

Therefore, you desire to keep moving forward.

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You are eager and ready for step 6.

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(Audio)

Progress may have come quickly because you were focused and enthusiastic. However, recently, you may have hit a “speed bump” and it’s shaken your resolve.

Fine.

What you’re experiencing is warfare opposing your welfare.

God hasn’t abandoned you. You are in a good place because you see the futility of relying on you. Review the slightest success you’ve experienced and thank God for it. Don’t quit making liberating choices.

Don’t stop trusting in Christ to get you unstuck. The freedom may be gradual but it is working—rejoice!

Every play in the game of life—even the losses—can move you forward. Allow that to happen as you and God run the plays (together). Every play contributes to your winning.

Thanks for listening to Lee’s Nite Radio.

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to be continued

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Step 4: Ya gotta continually cooperate with God.

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You’re feeling better because you’re making healthy choices and your relationship with God is improving. So far, you’ve decided to do what you know you must do to get the results you’re longing for.

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God has always been close but now you’re noticing and your choices show it as you exercise your free will.

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This ability to choose is God’s gift and you’ve been taking more and more control of its correct operation.

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This ability to choose is God’s gift to you and you’ve been taking more and more control of its correct operation.

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True, you may have experienced some slip-ups. Even so, they’ve made you realize that by yourself you’re not big enough or good enough to stop temptation or move forward in your relationship without Jesus’ leadership.

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Don’t panic, you’re right where you ought to be.

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In this step it’s important to remember that cooperation with God isn’t a one-time thing, it’s constant, as in continually.

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Cooperation builds further responsibility into your relationship.

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I should say that some try to modify step 4.

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I mean people realize and agree that for them to succeed in quitting a damaging behavior they must have God’s help. And so they expect God to deliver them from whatever they are asking for without any action on their part. “God you take this it’s too much for me.”

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You’re right, it’s too much for you.

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The mistake is in forgetting that you also play a part in living inside your freedom and enjoying a renewing prosperity in God.

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It’s absolutely useless to assume you can dump your situation on God and then forget about it.

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If you assume that God will make things better without you doing anything, you’re seriously missing the intent of the relationship. This isn’t going to happen, relationships never succeed if they’re only one-way.

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Consequently, action step 4 has two pieces that fit together just as in previous steps.

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What is at play here is your freedom of choice.

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Your power to make a choice must remain active and functioning.

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Why? Because you’re building a relationship and the Lord intends for you to see the benefits of building a relationship “together.”

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Your choices are changing you.

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Continual cooperation with God is improving your relationship and confronting temptation effectively.

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Step 5 is waiting for you.

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Audio:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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Okay, so you’ve messed up. It happens. But don’t let it be an excuse to not get unstuck.

God is simply showing you that by yourself you are unable to free yourself.

Positive faith, positive thinking and thinking good thoughts will only take you so far. You need more.

The good news is that God isn’t defeated by your failure.

What you must practice is remaining humble and dependent upon the Lord’s ability to free you and protect you from the onslaught of what is opposing you.

Cooperate with the Lord God over and over again.

Don’t attempt to be independent. You’re building a relationship with the Living God and this isn’t accomplished by behaving independently. You will see results because you constantly and continually cooperate with God’s Holy Spirit.

I appreciate your company on Lee’s Nite Radio.

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Step 3: Ya gotta wanna refuse temptation’s attraction

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When Step 1 and 2 are your new reality, you’re ready for the challenge of Step 3. This step is more than willpower, but it takes your willful choice to make it happen.

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Step 3 shows the measure of sincerity and effort you actually have. What’s your number? The range is from 0% meaning you’re not doing anything to 100% meaning you’re doing whatever you need to do to be free.

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The primary motive for doing step 3 is that you realize Jesus is the treasure you’ve been missing.

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Just as in the previous steps there are two harmonizing ideas at work.

1. You refuse to participate in an empty and regretful temptation because,
2. you’ve found out true pleasure, joy and satisfaction come from a connection with Jesus.

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Why would you want to compromise this relationship with Jesus? When this step is operating correctly you won’t settle for anything less than the best available to you.

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Also, this is a good time to introduce a point that is critical in making Freedom operate for your benefit. As you know, temptation is tenacious. Temptation is always on the alert to interfere with your choice for freedom.

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Expect temptation to be close to where you are right now.

Temptation’s sole intent is to keep you stuck.

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However, by refusing to go along with temptation’s attraction—because you’re committed to discovering and enjoying the next piece of treasure in Christ—you’re setting yourself up for continual success.

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Step 4 then becomes your next healing choice.

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Audio:

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Whatever is hurting you doesn’t have to.

The first three steps of “Getting Unstuck” happen bing, bing, bing.

It doesn’t take a week to complete step #1, then another week to do step #2, and then one more week to finish step #3. These three steps when operating at their best happen quickly: 1) You decide that you “want to,” 2) You accept personal responsibility for you and 3) You refuse to be persuaded by what’s been hurting you. In other words you refuse to do what’s been keeping you stuck.

The desire to make this a new part of your daily life comes from that feeling you get when you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired. This doesn’t give you the power to eliminate what is harming you nonetheless your choice matters more than you might imagine. God is the one who has the power and the ability to change things.

I’ll say more about this in step four. For now deal with temptation’s appeal. Refuse the attraction whatever it is and see the temptation as an opportunity to draw closer to God.

Again, God has the power to eliminate what’s hurting you, you don’t.

Thanks for hearing me out on Lee’s Nite Radio.

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(to be continued next week)

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