Losing the Weight of Distractions / Pastor Randy Goldenberg / FCF Church

Is it fun? Yes. Of course, it's fun. Is it entertaining? Yes. It's entertaining. To death, evidently, in some cases, it goes on. The warning. Prolonged and excessive use may lead to what is that? Do you know what that means? It means your brain is shrinking. When you're doing this, your brain is going next thing you know, you're just Prolonged and excessive use may lead to brain atrophy, increased susceptibility to mental health disorders. Do you wanna have a mental health issue for the rest of your life? [01:27:33] (47 seconds)  #ScreenTimeWarning

If you want the best life possible, that is exactly what God wants, but he can only give it to us if we trust him, that his word penetrate into our hearts, change our life, change our characters, change our values, change our priorities, change our practices. That's reality. So defectors never have testimonies that are good. When people walk away from Christ, when people walk away from church, you'll never hear them saying, you know, since I walked away from Christ and walked away from church, man, the quality of my life has taken off like a rocket. [01:03:05] (29 seconds)  #BestLifeInChrist

I have lived to see the truth of this. Truth be told, I've gone through periods of discouragement through my years in ministry where I I thought about just running for the hills, just quitting. I mean, just disappearing, literally. I we'd be so discouraged at times. But every time I didn't, I saw God come through and and that that gave me strength to see, man, see, it was so important you didn't quit. Some of you maybe are right on the edge. You feel like things are too hard. You're contemplating following God, but things are not getting easier. They're getting harder, and you're thinking about quitting. Do not quit. [01:22:34] (31 seconds)  #PersevereInFaith

Jesus actually wants his people, those that he created in his own image, to have the best life possible even in this world. I think it gets lost a lot of time at church. It's kinda like, okay, we wanna go in here and we wanna do our duty to God and make sure he's not too tipped off at us. And the truth is, God wants to bless us with the kind of life we we want, but we just don't know how to get it. God can't give us this best life possible unless we unite with him by putting our trust in Christ. [00:52:28] (29 seconds)  #UniteWithChrist

Crowded out. Picture soil that's got all these weeds and thorn bushes embedded in the soil. So now you're planting good seed, but it's going to get choked out. That's that's the imagery. But all too quickly, the message is crowded out. But what is it crowded out by in us, in the soil of our hearts? Number one, worries of this life. What else? Doesn't say we get the wealth. It just says we're lured by the wealth and the desire for what? Other things. [00:57:36] (28 seconds)  #DontLetWorriesChoke

For some people have deliberately violated their what? Their consciences. And as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. It's just Paul's way of saying, they've defected. They've walked away from Christ. They they've de churched themselves. But it started with violating their consciences. Sometimes, we will get into these little doctrinal ruts. We we think that, okay, since Jesus, you know, has forgiven all my sins, it doesn't really matter if I sin. [01:06:20] (32 seconds)  #ProtectYourConscience

Disciplines that lead to development. I know you hate that word. Right? That that that's the the clunker right there. It should say easy breezy that leads to development. I'm sorry. It's just not the way life works. Development always, know, involves discipline. I I have to focus. I have to make effort. I have to work at some I know some of you embrace this kind of a let go and let god stuff. I don't know where you get that from. It's not in the bible. Maybe it's your version of bible, but it's not in the real Bible. [01:18:27] (32 seconds)  #DisciplineForGrowth

Third principle, a passionate pursuit. If we're if we're not gonna be defectors, if we're not gonna be de churchers, we need something that that sets our soul on fire, that motivates us, energizes us every day, every circumstance, every season in life. Listen to the words of the apostle Paul. He says, all I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become, what does it say, like him. Even in his death, I I do not claim that I've already succeeded or have already become perfect. [01:29:24] (31 seconds)  #PassionForChrist