S1: Today on Bold Steps, Mark Jobe has a timely message
S1: about division, unity and the key component of our attitudes.
S2: Some of you are feeling the weight of conviction right
S2: now because the spirit inside of you is grieved. Stuff
S2: that needs to be out of your heart, and the
S2: only way to get rid of it is through repentance.
S2: Acknowledging it, calling it out, turning around and saying, Lord,
S2: baptize me afresh in your kind of love. Change my heart, God,
S2: because it's gotten hard.
S1: Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is president
S1: of Moody Bible Institute and the senior pastor of New
S1: Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Yesterday we
S1: began a really relevant message from Mark called Attitudes That
S1: Divide Us. It's no secret that we're living in incredibly
S1: divisive times. From social media debates to family gatherings, it
S1: seems like tensions are running higher than ever. And sadly,
S1: Christians aren't immune to this trend. So today, Mark continues
S1: with practical biblical wisdom for maintaining unity even when differences arise. Now,
S1: if you missed yesterday's program, remember you can always catch
S1: up at Bold steps.org or through our Bold Steps app.
S1: Let's join Mark now as he continues with part two
S1: of attitudes that divide us here on Bold Steps.
S2: So I would say this if you're experiencing anger today,
S2: you need to treat it as a dashboard. In your car.
S2: You have a dashboard and there's a lot of lights.
S2: I know some of you ignore them all the time. Like, yeah,
S2: there's a light that's been going on. I don't I
S2: just don't pay attention to the lights. Let me say
S2: pay attention to the lights. Because that light is telling
S2: you you need to change the oil or you need
S2: to put oil in that car. Yeah, it's just a light.
S2: All these lights just. And anger is like that. It's
S2: a dashboard in your life that tells you there's something
S2: in your life that's undealt with. If you are here
S2: today and you have anger, the stress, it's my roommate.
S2: It's the pressure. It's the unfairness, it's the finances. It's
S2: whatever you blame it on. But listen, people around you
S2: know that you're angry. You need to pay attention to
S2: the dashboard. Why is it going off all the time?
S2: Because there's something at the root that you need to
S2: deal with. And here's what the Apostle Paul says. The
S2: apostle Paul says, hey, be angry, but don't sin. Anger
S2: can show up in explosiveness, stewing, irritability, hostility, aggression. And then, Paul,
S2: I don't have time to get way into this, but
S2: Paul gives us basically three rules for anger. Number one,
S2: don't let it turn be angry and don't sin. Anger
S2: can quickly turn into damaging destructive behavior if it's not channeled. Hey, yeah,
S2: you get angry at your roommate. That's normal. But when
S2: you start to become critical, demeaning, when you start to
S2: become abusive with your words, when you start to slander,
S2: you've crossed the line and let anger become sinful. Don't
S2: let anger turn. Feel the emotion, the urge, but don't
S2: let it turn to something destructive. And that's why the
S2: apostle Paul tells us, by the way, uh, he says,
S2: don't let the sun go down while you're angry. In
S2: other words, if you let it, if you let it
S2: stew without dealing with it, it turns, let anger stew
S2: and don't deal with it. It'll turn to bitterness, resentment.
S2: It'll turn to revenge. It'll turn to hate. It'll turn
S2: to a critical spirit. It always turns. And so the
S2: rule that the apostle Paul gives is deal with it
S2: that day. In essence, what he's saying is you need
S2: to deal with it that day. So I've learned, if
S2: I want to have a really good fight with my
S2: wife and and have time to stew, I pick the
S2: fight early in the morning. That way I have all day.
S2: I'm just kidding. He's not really talking. It's not just
S2: about the 24 hour rule, but it is about do
S2: not wake up the next day not having dealt with
S2: your anger. And then number three, listen. He says, don't
S2: give the devil a foothold and give no opportunity to
S2: the devil. Can I tell you something? A foothold is
S2: when someone tries to close the door and you put
S2: your foot there and you can't close the door. You
S2: ever done that? Run around playing with your roommates or
S2: as kids. They try to close the door, you put
S2: your foot in there, and then you can yell in
S2: the door and you put your hand in there. Try
S2: to reach in, do something. Throw something in there that's
S2: called a foothold. When you give the devil, here's what
S2: the Apostle Paul is saying a foothold gives the enemy
S2: opportunity to get greater stuff into your life. Look up
S2: at me. This is really important. I see a correlation
S2: between people that struggle with ongoing anger and a challenge
S2: with lust. It goes hand in hand. If you give
S2: the enemy a foothold, I believe it opens the door
S2: to lust. It opens the door to rebellion. It opens
S2: the door to spiritual apathy. It opens the door to violence.
S2: It opens the door to abuse. It opens the door
S2: to depression. If you don't deal with your anger and
S2: you let it fester, you let it turn to something. Uh,
S2: that that that you say, well, I'm not angry anymore.
S2: You're not explosive anymore, but you're still angry. Um, I
S2: have couples in in marital counseling tell me that all
S2: the time. They say, well, you know, I was angry,
S2: but now I'm not angry. Yeah. Yeah, I was I
S2: could have killed him yesterday. And now he walks in
S2: from work and says, hey, babe, how you doing? Don't
S2: babe me. And you say you're not angry? No, you're
S2: not explosive, but you're still angry. And if you don't
S2: deal with this door. If you don't close this door,
S2: if you don't deal with. That's what's at the root
S2: of it. Listen, if you have trauma in your heart,
S2: if you have. If you have scars in your soul,
S2: which a lot of us do, we live in a broken,
S2: messed up world. And a lot of you have been
S2: raised in families that were broken, dysfunctional, Unhealthy, toxic. And
S2: if you had a healthy family and had good parents
S2: and had good investment, then you are the rarity and
S2: you better thank God for that. But the great majority
S2: have brokenness. A lot of brokenness. And a lot of
S2: times that brokenness is not dealt with. And at the core,
S2: there's anger because of the scars, because of the the
S2: critical spirit, because of the words that were hurled at us,
S2: that affected our identity, because of the disillusionment that we've experienced,
S2: because of the abandonment that we feel, because of the
S2: emptiness of our soul, because of the hurt that is
S2: within us, because that sense that we don't belong when
S2: others seem to belong because of that, that those deep
S2: scars inside. And listen the you are not responsible for
S2: how you were raised and the scars that were perpetrated
S2: on you, but you are responsible for what you do
S2: with it before God. And if you don't go to
S2: the root, if you don't deal with it, if you
S2: don't call it out, if you're not honest about it,
S2: it will come back. And it will show up as anxiety,
S2: as addiction, as depression. I've seen very gifted pastors, extremely
S2: gifted pastors and leaders grow ministries that were very powerful,
S2: but they never dealt with the core issues. And then
S2: one day we wake up and we hear of the
S2: implosion in their household, in their marriage and their family.
S2: And we say, how could that have happened? I know
S2: exactly how it could happen, because someone did not deal
S2: with the core issues that kept surfacing with anger, and
S2: they just kept going on, kept burying it, kept acting
S2: like it didn't exist, kept excusing it. Because sometimes when
S2: there's gifting, we just kind of camouflage and say, well, hey,
S2: look how God is using them and everything must be. Well,
S2: here's the here's the thing about our gifting. Our gifting
S2: is not tied in. We don't deserve or earn our gifting.
S2: It's given to us. It's the grace of God. So
S2: you can operate in your gifting and be struggling deeply inside.
S2: You can be failing interiorly but yet have success, so
S2: to speak, on the outside. And no one can tell
S2: until there's a massive implosion in your marriage and your life.
S2: Addiction comes out, an affair comes out, abuse comes out
S2: because that has to deal. Hey, some of these some
S2: of these pastors should have dealt with their issues when
S2: they were in Bible college. And they wouldn't be in
S2: the news now. We'd be celebrating what God did. But
S2: not grieving over the implosion. And I feel an urgency.
S2: I think they tried to block me from climbing up
S2: here as I'm going to. It didn't work. Didn't work.
S2: I feel an urgency in my spirit. An urge as
S2: as someone that spends, I spend a lot of time
S2: raising pastors, coaching pastors, dealing with brokenness. I feel an
S2: urgency in my spirit to remind you, if your dashboard
S2: is flashing, please pay attention. Deal with it now. Deal
S2: with it now.
S1: This is Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. And we'll get
S1: back to today's message in a moment. Mark, speaking of
S1: unity and attitudes, I'd like to surprise you with a
S1: really kind voice message we recently received from a listener
S1: named Marilyn. Take a listen to this one.
S3: My name is Marilyn Lewis. I live in Dallas, Texas.
S3: I would like to leave a comment for Doctor Jobe.
S3: His sermons are so very powerful and uplifting. And may
S3: God continue to bless his life. Thank you.
S1: Isn't that nice?
S2: Hey, Marilyn, I love that. Thank you so much for
S2: that word of encouragement. You know, we get people from
S2: really all around the country that are letting us know
S2: how God is using this ministry in their lives and
S2: touching them in ways, uh, touching family members, Helping people
S2: come to Christ. And so it is encouraging. Hey, we
S2: listen to all the messages and when you send in
S2: a prayer request, we also pray for all the prayer
S2: requests that are sent our way.
S1: Thank you Marilyn. And if you've never reached out to
S1: us before, we encourage you to take a moment today
S1: and send us maybe a letter or maybe a message online,
S1: as Marilyn did. Maybe share your story, or a question
S1: or a prayer request with us at Bold Steps. Just
S1: go to our website, Bold steps.org or give us a
S1: call and leave your message, as Marilyn did on a
S1: recorded line by dialing (312) 329-2011. Write that down (312) 329-2011. Of course,
S1: you can also email us at Bold Steps at Moody's.
S1: Let's get back to our message now. Attitudes that divide us.
S2: The apostle Paul goes on. He says, number three, stop
S2: being a taker. Start being a giver. Verse 28, he says,
S2: let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor,
S2: doing honest work with his own hands so that he
S2: may have something to share with anybody that's in need.
S2: This is bigger, and you may not consider yourself a
S2: thief here, but there's an attitude of a thief. A
S2: thief says I'm entitled. I can take that which which
S2: I haven't worked for because people owe me. That's an
S2: entitlement spirit that says people owe me so I can
S2: take things from other people. A taker is always looking
S2: at how they can get stuff from people, how they
S2: can use people. A giver is always asking, how can
S2: I empower and help people around me? And the Apostle
S2: Paul says, listen. He says, don't get a job just
S2: so you can pay your bills. He goes radical and
S2: he says, get a job so you can pay your bills.
S2: And by the way, work hard so you can give
S2: to others. The attitude that I'm calling you, which is
S2: contrary to how the world thinks, is an attitude of
S2: Tude of giving. Number four. Stop talking trash. And start
S2: encouraging people with your words. Notice what he says in
S2: verse 29. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out
S2: of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building
S2: others up according to their needs, that it may benefit
S2: those who listen. Do an inventory of your talking and
S2: ask how much of your talking is actually benefiting others,
S2: or how much of it is actually damaging others, building
S2: up yourself, laughing at others, laughing at other people's issues
S2: at their expense to build yourself up. Listen, how much
S2: of your communication is actually building? Building others up? And
S2: what the Apostle Paul is talking. He's talking about unity.
S2: And he's saying, you know, a lot of us in
S2: our communication, Ishim were unwholesome. That word unwholesome comes from
S2: the word corrupt. And, um, can I just tell some
S2: of you, some of you need to get off social media? Amen. Amen.
S2: You're like a volatile, explosive, angry person on social media.
S2: I mean, I see very mild, meek people. I see
S2: some of their posts and I'm like, whoa. One little comment.
S4: And you're like, ah.
S2: You would never talk to someone like that in person.
S2: But on social media, when you're anonymous, you go at
S2: it calling people other believers. I don't know what Jesus
S2: you follow and who you think you are, but you
S2: go at it like a out of control. And social
S2: media oftentimes is a platform that gives itself to volatility
S2: and explosiveness, and most of it is not well prepared
S2: for good dialogue and engagement. It's not about let me
S2: hear what you're saying on the other side. It's I'm
S2: going to prove how wrong you are and how right
S2: I am, and I'm going to throw out the heaviest
S2: words that I can, the most polarized words that I can.
S2: And here's the sad thing. I expect it from the world,
S2: but I see it in the church way too much.
S2: The latest battle, of course, is politics. And could I
S2: just remind you that you need to see your politics
S2: through the lens of Jesus instead of Jesus through the
S2: lens of politics? Can we remember that? Can I also
S2: remind you that before your left or right or center
S2: and independent, that you are a follower of Jesus, that
S2: you will belong to the kingdom of God, that that
S2: is your allegiance, that that is your identity. Any identity
S2: that supersedes your identity as a believer in Jesus will
S2: ruin your testimony, because you allow politics to supersede your
S2: identity in Jesus. Or you can allow the fact that
S2: you're a male to supersede your identity in Jesus, or
S2: a female or black or white, Hispanic or Asian. Listen,
S2: we there's a variety of people that follow Jesus. But
S2: first of all, what unites us is we are one
S2: in Jesus the Christ. That is our common denominator, and
S2: that should be our primary identity. I got that out
S2: of my system. Feels good. And let me close with this.
S2: And I could do a whole message on this. Stop
S2: grieving the spirit. And start putting on the attitude of God.
S2: Verse 30. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit. The
S2: moment that you came to Christ. You became indwelt with
S2: the third person of the Godhead. And your body became
S2: the temple of the Holy Spirit. Now God is present everywhere,
S2: but there's a certain powerful indwelling that you now possess.
S2: When you walk in the chick fil A down the street.
S2: Guess what? The indwelling of the Spirit of God just
S2: walked into chick fil A. There's something different. You change
S2: the atmosphere. Why? Because you. You are a follower of Jesus.
S2: And you bring the Holy Spirit into a place in
S2: a fresh, new, powerful way. Something. Something to think about.
S2: But guess what? You can't check the Holy Spirit out.
S2: He doesn't. You can't say, hey, could you wait outside?
S2: I'm going into the seedy barred. If I was talking
S2: to my congregation, I'd tell CD barred or, you know,
S2: going to smoke weed or going into strip bar, because
S2: we have a lot of people that are coming straight
S2: out of the world. I know I don't have to
S2: tell you that. But you can't check the Holy Spirit
S2: at the door. Because you were sealed to the day
S2: of redemption. You don't seal and unseal. And then he
S2: says this. Listen, verse 31, how do we not grieve
S2: the spirit? Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor,
S2: you may not know what the word clamor means, but
S2: in the Greek it means the outcry, protest of a
S2: noisy commotion. Listen in argumentative attitude. Let all clamor and
S2: argumentative attitude that shows up on social media red hot.
S2: And slander. Which means you talk about people behind their
S2: back and it's not anything constructive. Be put away from
S2: you along with all malice, and instead be kind to
S2: one another kind, which means you're actually looking at people's
S2: emotions and how they feel about what you're saying. Be
S2: tender hearted. That means that it's the opposite of hard hearted. Like,
S2: I don't care what I say. They just need to
S2: tough up. Hey, tender hearted means I care about you.
S2: I actually am concerned about how you feel. I have
S2: a sensitive heart to people that are broken and hurting.
S2: Forgiving one another, releasing people quickly, even as God in
S2: Christ has forgiven you. You want to stop grieving the spirit.
S2: There are some of you right now, and I know
S2: it because in a crowd like this, there has to be.
S2: There's some of you right now that you have no
S2: joy because you're grieving the spirit through disobedience. And when
S2: you grieve the spirit, you have no joy because the
S2: fruit of the spirit is joy. You cannot have the
S2: God of the universe grieving inside of you. And you
S2: go around happy, lucky, feeling energized and good. Some of
S2: you are feeling the weight of conviction right now because
S2: the spirit inside of you is grieved by bitterness, anger, slander, disobedience, attitude,
S2: stuff that needs to be out of your heart. And
S2: the only way to get rid of it is through repentance.
S2: Acknowledging it, calling it out, turning around and saying, Lord,
S2: baptize me afresh in your kind of love. Change my heart, God,
S2: because it's gotten heart.
S1: Attitudes that divide us a powerful lesson, Mark. I really
S1: think this biblical teaching is so valuable for all of
S1: us in today's age.
S2: So if you've been struggling with anger, the lights on
S2: your dashboard have been going off and people around you
S2: are somewhat afraid of what mood you're going to wake
S2: up in this, I'm talking about chronic anger. Then I
S2: believe there's a root that you need to deal with.
S2: And so, father, I pray for that person right now
S2: that struggles with chronic anger. I pray in Jesus name
S2: that you would show them the root of their pain,
S2: their bitterness, their unhappiness. I pray God that they would
S2: go to that hard place. I pray that they would
S2: forgive people, release people, repent of attitudes, deal with it,
S2: carve it out of their heart, father, so that they
S2: can stop grieving the spirit and move on with a joyful,
S2: purposeful existence that you've called them to. I pray this
S2: in Jesus name. Amen.
S1: Yes, Amen. Thank you Mark. Such a great reminder for
S1: the days we're living in. You're listening to Bold Steps,
S1: and tomorrow we'll hear Mark ask the question. What is
S1: holding you back? We'll be in Judges chapter seven for
S1: a countercultural lesson on being left self dependent and becoming
S1: more God dependent. You'll want to hear what that's really about,
S1: so be sure to join us then. And before we
S1: wrap up today, I want to invite you to get
S1: your copy of this month's exclusive Bold Step gift. In
S1: today's challenging cultural landscape. Young girls face unprecedented pressure from
S1: social media and friends and entertainment before they even reach
S1: their teenage years. They're bombarded with messages that can distort
S1: their understanding of themselves, relationships, and especially their worth in
S1: God's eyes. That's why we're excited to offer you Dana
S1: Gres's eye opening book, Lies Girls Believe. This insightful resource
S1: helps girls ages 7 to 12 recognize and reject harmful
S1: misconceptions like, I need to look perfect to be accepted,
S1: or I can't talk to my parents about difficult things.
S1: What makes this book so special is how it connects
S1: with young readers. Through vibrant graphics and interactive sessions and
S1: real life scenarios that resonate with their experiences. Whether for
S1: your daughter, granddaughter, niece, or any young girl you mentor,
S1: lies girls believe is a treasured investment in her spiritual journey.
S1: So request your copy when you support bold steps with
S1: a gift of any amount. Just go online to Bold steps.org.
S1: org and request lies. Girls, believe or call us at
S1: 800 Moody. That's (800) 356-6639. Or if it's easier, you can
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S1: Write to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago,
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S1: the conversation. Well, that's all the time we have today.
S1: I'm Wayne Shepard. We'll see you again tomorrow. When Mark
S1: asks the question, what's holding you back? That's coming up
S1: Thursday right here on Bold Steps with Mark John. Bold
S1: steps is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
S1: Moody Bible Institute.