Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
030321
Learn how to deal with stress and garbage in the soul.
In relationship to our doctrine of the Big Genuflex, we have been noting how to receive the blessings and rewards that a believer can receive to glorify the Lord by using their privileges of understanding what an escrow account is and what it does for all of us.
Remember the verb “has blessed us” which is the aorist active participle of eulogeo correctly translated “has blessed us” or “has graced us out” or “has provided for us.” (All in the past).
And, there are two areas that take place here that we all need to note. The first one is stress in the soul or sin nature control of the soul which is a major source of garbage in the soul. Garbage in the subconscious is described by psychologists under the term "defense mechanisms."
Defense mechanisms are designed to hide or to relieve the conflicts and stresses in the soul that cause anxiety, hysteria, fear, worry, or other categories of the emotional and arrogant complex of sins, the worst being guilt.
Defense mechanisms are designed to bury any reaction you might have, any lack of esteem, any explanation for impulsive behavior or failure on your part.
So far, we’ve had (1) Acting-out which is a defense mechanism in which a person acts without regard for negative consequences.
(2) Autistic fantasy = a defense mechanism in which a person substitutes excessive day dreaming for the pursuit of social relationships.
(3) The third one is Denial which is a defense mechanism in which a person fails to acknowledge some aspect of external reality that is obvious and apparent to others.
(4) Dissociation or withdrawal is the fourth one which is a mechanism which is employed when a person doesn't want to deal with a situation so they run away and withdraw from those in the situation.
Now, one of the many benefits of living the spiritual life that God has provided just for you is to rid your soul of the garbage it has stored up throughout the years. The subconscious is that part of our soul where we are not wholly or fully conscious of all the things that are there.
And that means that many people have garbage in their soul and don't even know it. In fact, there are certain transformations which take place that we are not fully aware of. The present tense speaks of your Positive volition toward doctrine. The passive voice of the verb "conformed" means that as you have your mind renewed or renovated, changes are taken place without you even knowing about it.
Notice, we are NOT transforming ourselves nor are we to change ourselves,......we are being transformed or changed. And the Lord has provided information whereby we can use our thinking of divine viewpoint as a basis of advancing in the spiritual life and handling any of the outside pressures that would come our way.
2CO 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare [spiritual] are not of the flesh [human attributes], but divinely powerful or attributes of power, for the destruction of fortresses.
Now, when it says that "the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh," it refers to the fact that our weapons are not based upon a system of human viewpoint like defense mechanisms. In fact, the word fortresses is the Greek noun ochuromaton which is a hapax legomena and it means arguments and reasonings one uses to defend themselves, that's why it's translated fortresses and therefore a perfect description of defense mechanisms.
Defense mechanisms can resist all attacks of human viewpoint, human ability, human power; but God has provided in grace divine equipment and weapons to demolish these defense mechanisms in the soul. The greatest weapon we have in both spiritual warfare and life is what we think. No matter how you slice it, the factor that motivates, empowers and strengthens a believer is his thought pattern.
If the believer is thinking human viewpoint, he is open to satanic infiltration.
Furthermore, he is useless, miserable, and indistinguishable from the unbeliever. On the other hand, the believer with doctrine in the right lobe has divine viewpoint on the launching pad ready for application in order to assault any defense system in this intensified stage of the angelic conflict. Any thoughts that you have which are not the thoughts of our Lord Jesus Christ must be taken prisoner or captive and pushed aside.
The reason why you are to take the thoughts captive or as a prisoner is simply because you are not to share these thoughts with others or allow these thoughts the freedom to go elsewhere.
(5) The next defense mechanism that people use is idealization, which is a defense mechanism in which a person attributes exaggerated positive qualities to self or to others.
When others are idealized, we call that role model arrogance. When self is idealized, we call that self-righteous arrogance or making a role model out of self.
In 1CO 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Or in 1CO 8:2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
ROM 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
Idealization attributes exaggerated positive qualities to self or to others. Therefore, when others are idealized, we call that role model arrogance because all they do is promote themselves. When self is idealized, we call that self-righteous arrogance or making a role model out of self.
PSD #3, The faith-rest drill, PSD #5, Doctrinal orientation, PSD #7, Personal love for God the Father, PSD #10, Occupation with Christ as the priority solution to life, would handle this problem.
(6) Intellectualization is a defense mechanism in which a person engages in excessive abstract thinking to avoid reality or experiencing some very disturbing feelings about self.
PSD #4, Grace orientation, PSD #9, +H or sharing the happiness of God.
(7) Isolation is a defense mechanism in which a person is unable to experience what is really happening around them or in their life.
They feel isolated from their problems because they cannot deal with their problems so they must dump part of it into the garbage can of the subconscious to isolate it from the rest of their soul. Isaiah talked about this in ISA 44:20 when he said He feeds on ashes; a deceived heart has turned him aside. And he cannot deliver himself, nor say, "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" They don't even realize that they have problems!
PSD #3, The faith-rest drill and PSD #7, Personal love for God the Father, would handle this problem.
(8) Projection is a defense mechanism by which a person takes their own flaws, sins and failures and assigns or projects them to others.
We saw Joseph's brothers doing this in GEN 50:15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!"
PSD #4, Grace orientation, PSD #8, Impersonal love for all mankind, would solve this problem.
This is also known as “transference arrogance” where one individual accuses another for doing the same thing like the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son” did by accuses his brother of devouring wealth on harlots; Luk 15:25-30.
Then notice LUK 15:30 but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.'
(9) Rationalization is our ninth defense mechanism which devises reassuring or self-serving but erroneous explanations for one's behavior.
In this defense mechanism the person becomes offended easily because they do not love the Word of God as Psa 119:165 says Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Or PSA 33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
PSA 37:28 For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever; But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
PSA 97:10 Hate evil, you who love the Lord, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
PSA 116:1 I love the Lord, because He hears My voice and my supplications.
PSA 119:47 And I shall delight in Thy commandments, Which I love.
PSA 119:48 And I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes.
PSA 119:97 O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.