I never get tired of hearing those stories of Victory how people bring these things to the Lord and they pray and they seek God and and so many times they see the victory that this family has had and this family goes to Stone County. I get to go there fairly often and I am shocked it how many people are coming to that little building every single weekend. Thank you for giving thank you for sacrificing so we can reach people all over South Mississippi now, we're in a brand new series called Victory and today I want to kick that off by talking about how you can have victory over Temptation. Now, let me ask you how many of you have ever been tempted. Would you raise your hand ever been tempted?

Okay, the others of you he's already got you because the reality is we all face Temptation James says it this way that we are tempted when we're drawn away by our own evil desires that us And he has more to say about that when it you know is conceived it gives birth and gives birth to death and I guess conceived in sin against birth to death. And the reality is there's Temptation out there. Okay, we get that. Okay everything out. There you see is tempting but there's a lot going on also in here.

Now this past week, it's funny when I preach on things how face the issue that I'm preaching on and I got it one morning this week and man. I had these random thoughts. I hadn't had in years. And they were in my head and like I felt them you're right when I got out of bed. I mean they were right there and and I had this moment where I could kind of Chase those thoughts down a rabbit hole or I could say no, that's not that's not true.

Those aren't thoughts. I'm gonna let in my head. I'm not gonna let build a nest in my head and it's one of those mornings. I said no. And it was amazing the victory I had with regard to those thoughts because that's where Temptations starts in your head.

Okay in your thoughts and it leads to appetites and an appetites are not they're not bad. Okay, because God has given you different appetites that are good. I'll give you one, you know easy example when it's food. How many of you love food you have an appetite for food you want to eat right? Give us this day our Chick-fil-A.

You know, I mean, that's just I pray that every day, you know, it's God's, you know chicken and it was Manna and the Old Testament and and so we have these appetites and for love and acceptance and pleasure and all these things are they're given by God for his glory and our good the problem is these appetites can't are distorted by sin. And whenever you allow an appetite to begin to be your functional savior, you begin to go down a slippery path where your appetites are really what the Bible calls idols. Now this can be anything this can this can be sex. Of course. This can be be money.

This can be a job. This can be winds on your football team. I know that some of you are like me, I love Athletics and and my sister text me this morning, Alabama, if you know this they're in the the sweet 16 and and they happen to win big last night and there's a guy in her Town two blocks over. This is true story. Okay only in Alabama and after every win he has a canon in his backyard and he pulls it and shoots the cannon.

So the 11:30 last night there were cannons going off in north, Alabama in Florence, Alabama. And that is a disordered desire. Even if you're an Alabama fan. And the reality is we have to learn how to develop a way to overcome the appetites. We have that get out of control.

Because your appetites aren't going away. See, that's the thing. You know you think is you get older I bet Jeff is you it's your age. You probably don't have temptations. I mean you're too old to be tempted.

No. No they increase. And it has to do with how you handle the the appetite that you have or it will begin to handle you. Know stop and think because I want to make this real and I I don't want you to feel judged but I want you to think about this because we're going to end up at a place at the end. So no matter what you're feeling.

Okay? There's hope okay. There's Victory that's the idea behind the series. But how many of you know people who've given up on their families because of an appetite. How many of you have known grandparents that died early because of an appetite?

How many of you know people that have lost their jobs because of an appetite that was just totally out of control. See when you flirt with her you're playing with fire. So today I want to show you a story. It's one of the most powerful stories about appetites found in the Bible and several thousand years ago, but it's but it's his current is this moment? Because all of us have some kind of Desire that if it gets out of control will ruin our future that's what's so hard with younger people, you know, and now everybody's a lot, you know, younger than me when I tell them like what you do today will show up in your future.

Like what you think I know I'm young. I got this I got this. No, you ain't got this because whatever you're doing today will show up in your future. So I'm gonna give you a great gift to to talk about how you can handle those desires so that you can have a total fulfillment in a relationship with God and enjoy the desire. She's giving me so here we are Genesis chapter 25, if you have the app, you can look at it look on the screen and you may not know the history here.

But Abraham Father Abraham had many sons Nissan father and and Isaac is one of those and his wife is Rebecca. They had twins Jacob and Esau. You may remember that they jostled in the womb and there was two great Nations. And in Esau was the firstborn and Jacob what was trying to grab his heel and he was called the trickster. It's what his name means and Esau was a man of the field.

He loved to be outside. He loved to hunt. He loved to fish. He had a ferocious appet. Which and Jacob loved to be at home and there's nothing wrong with that?

Okay, he was good at cooking. He was good at cleaning. He was good at all the things at the house. He just loved staying near the tents and then they have an experience when they're a little bit older and it's telling with regard to appetites that can get out of control. Okay.

So Genesis chapter 25 beginning with verse 27 And the boys grew up in Esau became a skillful Hunter a man of the Open Country while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. And Isaac who had a taste for a while game loved Esau but Rebecca loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking some Stewie saw came in from the Open Country and he was famished. He was starving to death. And he said to Jacob quick.

Let me have some of this red stew I am famous. That's why it's also called Eden which means red and Jacob replied for sell me your Birthright. He's the firstborn. He has the birthright. He has the Legacy he gets a double portion of all the inheritance and Esau says look, I'm about to die.

I mean, what good is a Birthright to me? I am starving to death. I could have food right now, but Jacob said swear to me first, so he swore to him an oath selling his Birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave me saw some bread and lentil stew and he ate any drank and he got up and left so Esau obviously he despised his Birthright. Now when I read that you think that's a crazy thing I've ever heard of.

I mean, I would never do that. I mean I would never come in and like being real hungry, you know a real thirsty and say hey I got to have like something drink right now. If I drink right now, I'm gonna die in your sibling who's been waiting to take advantage of you says, okay, if you'll give me the keys to the car, okay, if you'll do this, okay, if you'll do that and then all of a sudden, you know, you're upside down. See here or the thing about appetites. They whisper to you and say right now never later.

Ain't that funny? I mean, you know that I mean, I'm right there with you said well you how do you know that because I'm a human. Because I have a body. Because I have a mind because I live in a broken world. And here's the thing man.

I have that all the time. Like I'll be scrolling on my phone minding my own business. Okay. I'll be strong enough Facebook. Yeah, look at pictures y'all.

Oh, we're in whatever. I mean wherever and I'm sitting at home, and I'm mad but here I'm in all of a sudden. There'll be like a woman like doing like this and I'm going whoa what happened to that tiktok? Chinese what is going on with that? I mean, there's always this this hey, there's no.

Big deal It's no big deal. And you know what they do with algorithms when you click on something or you look at it for a second that all of a sudden they start feeding that desire. Isn't that crazy that that's how the world does like like if you say hey I want I want some of this thing. Okay, you want the whole thing? Okay, let's go.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

Let's go. And here we are. We're like, hey, hey, you know and you said well if I know if I don't get a date I'm gonna die. If I don't get a date to prom I'm gonna die. If I don't get that raise, I'm just going to die.

If we're not together, I'm just going to die. And the reality you're not going to die. But your appetized they always wish for yeah, you're gonna die. If you don't you're gonna die, if you know that you're gonna die. If you don't drink that you're gonna die if you don't fit and you're gonna die.

And how many of you have known people like that that they're like hey, if I don't get this I'm gonna die and they got that and they didn't die. But man it really hurt them. See you may not know this. This is really good. I'm so glad we have so many students here.

I love students. I love them. And I found out this week. I forgot about this that they're prefrontal cortex on a young man. You may not know this.

It doesn't like reasoning and how this is going to work out long term. It doesn't mature until they're 25 years of age. Now for some people it's 65. Okay. I got a couple of buddies like they're through something years old.

But but that 25 years of age. For lad ies 22 But I began thinking about this like it's been spring break for a month. I mean, we've got such a great deal now with our school system. We have spring break for a whole month. You get two weeks here.

The school gets two weeks there. Let's go get two weeks there probably go get three weeks over there and then what could go wrong? Spring break 18 19 and 20 year old boys. Okay Noob, dude, no front, you know. You know what?

I'm talking about break. Oh, give me a show you before you and then you got you got you got 19 20 year old girls. Okay, they're pretty phone cortex. They still cook and so they're drinking and they got them on their bathing suits what could go wrong? What's got real on spring break?

Didn't it? Tell you like? I thought it was gonna just come to spring break. I mean, I'm here my Mother Teresa. I mean, what you doing?

That's the way that works. It's how we're designed. That during a time where maybe you have the least amount of understanding of how your decisions are going to affect you long-term. You're making decisions in the past that will follow you into the future. His second thing about appetites appetites trade the future for the present.

They say go ahead it. Young you're old. There's a whole nother side when you get old people people my agent older a lot. People are old to me. They say oh, well, you're old you deserve it.

You know you go. I mean if Love and You Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right don't make me sing it don't you you're making me do that. Now. I'm trying not to do that. And I'm reading the lyrics and how that works out with people like like if loving this Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right.

Then all of a sudden there's abandonment. All of a sudden there's Brokenness. Of a sudden there's addiction. He said why are you doing this? So heavy during spring break?

Why can't you do like something happy like God wants you to be well, and he wants you to be rich. Because what I do. Is to deal with Brokenness all the time. And I'm not mad about it. I'm thankful that I get to be there for people that are broken.

But I want so badly to say hey. In the middle of the Brokenness right here, what you do right here will have something to do with your future don't sell your future for a bowl of stew. Here's third thing appetites must be ruled or they will rule you. In that the truth I mean if we don't find some mechanism in in order to rule the appetites and desires that come to us, they'll be disordered desires. And if we don't find a way when those Temptations come man, we will run into so many bad decisions.

Here's the Esau. Okay, and Jacob's doing the same thing. He gets caught up with later on but here's Esau and he's selling his Birthright for a bonus to you. He realizes his parents don't want him to marry this girl. So he makes two of them.

He says oh, I'll show you man. That's over. I may I'm there two of these women and then he begins to plot to kill his brother. See, that's what it looks like when you're ruled by Obsession and compulsion and greed and appetite. Do you know anybody like that?

I mean don't look you know, just don't just it's a rhetorical question. Do you know anybody that says hey, you know what? I'm doing now, man. I have the right to be happy. Here's the problem the habits and actions you set into motion as a frontal lobe zombie Will Follow You into your future.

That's that's my quote. I can't get everybody else. I just recorded that. And and this is mainly Ministry. Where we say to young people and I love our students.

Oh gosh. I love them so much. And and I listen, you know to the messages that Jordan and all of our student ministers in our kxp and and they're saying here's the way God is designed this. Here's the way God wants you to move forward. Here's the things you need to know and I'm wondering if they're like Okay.

Okay, then they go do whatever what they want to do. See there comes a time where you have to stick the knife in disordered desires. Or you say I'm not going to let that continue. This is making me feel so bad. This is making me feel so dirty.

This would make me feel so ashamed I want freedom. I want hope I can stick a knife in this. I mean, I mean you see this everywhere now, I got to play my man card real quick. Okay. How many of you watch Outer Banks?

It's okay if you raise your hand like I'm obsessed with it. And Alicia is a set obsessed with it. She's here. She'll buy for that and and I'm watching all these young but it's really for kids like students like 18 20 year olds because you know, they're running and they're never like they never have a home but they always look hot have on clean clothes and so it's really a cool movie and and and I think other night it happened. I'm a spoiler for some of you if you're not watched it if you're not there yet.

But but all the sudden, okay like this one sweet little girl Sarah like like she is committed herself to John B. That they were on the island and John B, and they made it they made like they got married. He said till death do us part and they you know, her lips are about this big and you know the pope and you know, he's trying to get back and okay. So here they are there yellow, okay. I did this real quick.

And so they're talking back and forth and and you know, they're in love and they married now and until she gets back and then she's like had a bad day. Okay, and so then she has this desire. Like I just want to be loved. I just want to be held and and who shows up. Hopper and they hook up.

Not like at this in a picture of our world. I don't know. What is And I'm screaming at the TV. I thought you loved John B. At least just like honey.

It's just a movie. But if you ever wanted to do that with someone say hey, I thought I thought you were all in. But I love him so much. What do you love about him? Ladies on the table story and then I'm gonna kind of zoom in here to how to deal with this.

But if you keep giving the guy you like the dessert. He not gonna stick around for the appetizer. It if you don't learn somewhere in there that the best way for you to live to have great relationships long term is to learn how to handle your emotions so that you don't wind up with topper and then have all these problems with John B where he tries to be like top or up. You got to learn to stick a knife in those things. He got to learn to say hey, this is I'm not selling my soul.

I'm not selling my body for a bowl of stew. Well, let me ask you something. How do you how do you deal? With when your body wants to do something. Your mind knows is wrong.

Deal with that I mean like when you say Hey, you know, I I just feel it's so strongly I feel so so this is so real this is so right. It's in your head's going this ain't right you're saying right. This ain't right. This ain't right. What do you do?

Can I give you three or four things real quick? And if you don't have to write these down you can move on go to spring break, you know, get lit. I don't know but but I think this might help you if you'll write these down number one respect your body. Because it's the only one you're ever going to get. You're not gonna get another body.

See I've kept thinking like when I got older like like I would have a metamorphosis like Benjamin Button and go backwards and be young again and be hanging out with y'all, but they happen and like something wrong with my body. It's broken, but you only gonna get one body. And so this is how you treat it. This is in the first point you learn to halt. You never get too hungry.

Listen, so do you intermittent fasting some of your dieting and all those things? I love that man. I'm so happy for you. But here's the thing when you get really hungry the adrenaline starts flowing in your body and you get angry and you make really bad decisions. Don't get too anxious.

Listen when there's things in your life, man, you're freaking out. It's a freak out moment kind of learn to back up kind of learn to back up. Don't don't make a rash decision in that moment. My friend love is melted, but you can still like the holy spirit will help you don't get too anxious. Don't get too lonely.

Because when you get lonely and a vacuum you get weird don't get too tired. There is nothing wrong with sleeping at night. There is nothing wrong with turning off your phone. There is nothing wrong with taking a nap. With somebody raise their hand because my wife gets onto me for taking it out.

I can't think you're taking it out. I'm so happy to take it out. Would you if it's okay for me to take him out, but you raise your hand. Thank you. Thank you, honey.

You see that all these people so I can take a nap praise God. I'll be better for you the next time I preach number two inspect how you're wired emotionally. All of us have predispositions to stuff. Maybe it's anxiety. Maybe it's addiction.

Maybe it's an attraction. That is ungodly what you agree. Hey, this is not right, but this is how I'm wired. And don't put yourself in positions where man you're going to give in to that. If you come from a long line of people who are addicted and who have alcohol problem and have drug problems and and blah blah blah man.

Don't put your kids in that position because just like Russian Roulette. You never know if they take a drink man, that's going to be the last one for them. It's going to be over I have had kids run to me at the soccer field. I was once Saturday morning. I saw a kid coming who was on a binge he was on he was on a drug bench.

I saw him coming and I thought oh my goodness. He's gonna kill me. He came all the way over. I was coaching my kids soccer. He came all the way over he fell into my arms weeping and said brother Jeff.

I can't stop this. I can't stop it. It's killing me. I'll check today. That's a long time that's happened.

But when you know man, that is a predisposition for you. You're careful about where you go discover. What's wounded you this is the third thing discover what's wounded you in the past or some of you man? You've been broken. You've been shamed.

You've been hurt you've been abandoned. Instead of dealing with that and talking to somebody, you know, you can talk to us. You can talk to your house church. We'll give you a counselor until you open that up and say hey, I need help. You're gonna always do crazy things.

For some of you the way you deal with that you grew up poor. Yeah, everybody people laughed at you. And so now you got a little bit of money you go out and you shop till you drop. I mean when you go out the Dow goes up, I mean we're so excited because the economy is getting better because that's how you shop for some of you it's eating you just eat and eat and eat and eat and eat or so. It's sex But everybody's got something if they don't deal with what's broken inside of them.

Will act out. Because you're only as healthy as your secrets. You see Jeff you have secrets. I'm trying to get rid of them. I got some bad ones.

Matter of fact I told you some of the stuff that's happened to me. You would not believe it. I've been able to tell my wife they'll tell some of my friends be able to tell my counselor. Because I know if I don't do that. I'm going to be broken.

I'm going to be a danger to myself and everybody around me. So how do you exercise your demons and I'm finished? We all have them you know, what is yours? What is your bolus do you? Man, when that you give up everything you got for a bowl of stew.

What is it? Well came across a passage now. I want to read and I'm gonna ask you if you've heard this passage before preach not heard it read but here we go in Matthew chapter 12 this came out and know where God's been speaking me in a different way lately. It's another sermon series about this is what he gave me and he said you need to preach on this. That's fine, but I don't know what it means.

And so I had to study and pray and ask. When an impure Spirit comes out of a person it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says hey, I'll return to the house I left and when it arrives it sounds the house unoccupied. Swept clean and put into order then it goes and takes with it seven other Spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there. In the final condition of that person is worse than the first he says this is how it will be with this wicked generation.

I thought what does that mean? You know what? It means. It means that there are people that there are times when maybe you're struggling with something you're strong with alcohol or sex or food or or bad thoughts or wanting to murder somebody and and you like you haven't experience. Okay, like you go to church you go to a concert and you get really fired up like I can't do that anymore.

You start getting I look these chill bumps. Look these children bones. You got to work harder to pull back her or maybe you have a pregnancy test and it's negative. Oh my goodness. I'm gonna always listen you pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, or are you have something that happens and you get morally reformed?

You sweep the house clean. It's a word for cosmetics. You get a spiritual Botox shot in here. Heart and it's cleaned up. And then you relapse.

Because you didn't feel your life with anything. Good like your faith. And this is what God spoke to me and said about this passage. You know all those things with your health and your emotions and in your trauma and your shame. Who's at the door?

I'd you got ring. It's Jesus. What what's he wanting to do you? He wants to come in. Take over.

I got clean stuff up. Yeah, I do like this my wife she misses, you know, somebody's coming over that stuff in that club. We got one closet. We throw it in there and we hold it, you know foot so we don't pop open kill somebody then we can't get around then within that come in and that causes full of junk. Okay we go.

Hey, hey you doing this always like this. But with Jesus you say hey. I need help. I can't do this. See this mess.

Been like this. And he comes in to your life. And now those little areas that he not already knows about that. He died for gave you power over he comes in and slowly helps you. Begin to order your life.

So that you have the very best life. I've never heard one person filled with Jesus at every regretted being a Believer. Not one. But I've had a lot of believers who? Tried to sweep things clean on their own have been extremely disappointed.

The key to dealing with all these things. In your appetites and desires is to ask him to come and take over your life. Give you new desires. New appetites new dreams and new goals You say but you don't know what all I've done Jeff. I didn't know all this and you don't know what I've done and what's been done to me.

Listen, Jesus did. On the cross. He saw every single thing that would happen to you. And with you he says I give you victory. I might be brand new.

He took all of your hurt pain sin disordered desires and he gave you his righteousness. In his Spirit to live with you. He said about what if I make a mistake, you know what you know what you're going to kind of tell you they're gonna be times you're gonna get with you can be doing something whatever it is. You've been struggling with that boldest you whatever it is. You won't take a sip and then you're gonna come back here, right?

There's no use he goes. Hey, come on. Come on back in here. Come on. Come on.

Listen, I'm with you. I love you. I'll never give up on you. I'm going courage you I can make things brand new. Jesus works man.

That's why I love what I do. Love it. Because there is no other option. So let me ask you and I'm going to pray and give you just a second here to think about your life. Here's the question and you let this kind of sink in between you and the Lord.

What is your bowl is to you? What is it in your life? Some appetite disorder desire that you're willing to give up your future for would you be willing to give that to Jesus? Would you be willing I'd last week I've been struggling with something. It's a Temptation.

It's it's a weakness I have and and minus lust I'll just be honest with you. I'm a type A personality. I'm I'm Esau more he saw than Jacob. And and I went down the altar Hunt Club and I know I think his own went down there I think here. I needed help.

I needed encouragement. I need to be reminded. That I'm loved man. I got it from there and I had I'm gonna tell you, you know, bullish you look good since then. I'm not saying he won't come back.

I'm just saying I gave it up and you can too. I'm gonna pray they're gonna sing they're gonna lead us in worship. Then lights will go down a little bit. We have a cross over there. We have an altar here.

It may be someone in your family someone in your life. When are your friends maybe a stranger? Maybe somebody that needs physical healing? But you just want to stand in the gap. Or you want to give your bowl of souping right on a card you can come take the Lord's Supper get cleaned up.

See God cleaned me up cleansed me up and got out and I want you to take this body and blood of Jesus to give me power and strength, you know, because you're in may not because I'm a super human. Or superhero, but because you are. Let's pray with you bow your heads. Father I I did it I did everything I know to do. I said what I knew to say.

But God the most important thing. Is what you say right now? To the hearts and minds of these people that are loved so much by us and by you God the only shame is keeping a secret. It's not in confessing a secret. You said if we confess our sins?

Will be healed. Will be saved. So move on all of our campuses in power. Heal God take away the The challenges that are being phased God for a moment so that we can see clearly. How to come to you and I pray this in Jesus name amen