Week 4
January 27, 2024

You Cannot Stay Mentally And Spiritually Strong
While Giving Other People Control Of How You
Think, Feel, And Behave

Elisha and Jezebel

Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.
1 Kings 18:23-24

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.
1 Kings 18:26

And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
1 Kings 18:27

And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
1 Kings 19:1-2

And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
1 Kings 19:3-4

Great Men and Women of God
Will Sometimes Give Their Power Away

Jesus Never Allowed Others To Control
What He Thought, Said, Or Did

Boundaries
Anytime You Don’t Set Healthy Emotional And Physical Boundaries
For Yourself, You Risk Giving Away Your Power To Others

Feelings Associated With Giving Your Power Away
We Feel Deeply Offended By Any Criticism Or Negative Feedback
We Believe Others Make Us Feel Angry
Our Day Depends On How Others Behave
We Spend A Lot Of Time Complaining About Circumstances And People
We Hold A Grudge

Your Internal Battle:
You Depend On Others To Regulate Your Feelings
You Let Others Define Your Self-Worth
You Become Highly Sensitive To Criticism
You Always Believe You’re a Victim Of Your Circumstances
You Say “Yes” On The Outside But “No” On The Inside
You Avoid Facing The Real Problem: Feeling Helpless
You Give Up And Lose Sight Of Your Goals

Every Time You Avoid Saying “No” To Something You Don’t Want To Do,
You Give Away Your Power

Every Time You Don’t Like The Way Someone Treats You, And Yet You Don’t Stand Up For Yourself, You Give Your Power Away

Every Time You Hold A Grudge Against Someone, You Give Your Power Away

Every Time Someone Rents Space In Your Head For Free, You Give Your Power Away

1. Own Your Own Life
100% Ownership

I’m Happy/ I’m Mad
Because I Choose To Be

I’m Peaceful/ I’m Full of Turmoil
Because I Choose To Be

I Am Content/ I Am Not Content
Because I Choose To Be

Not Perfection, Just Progress

2. Remind Yourself, You Have A Choice

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
Deuteronomy 30:19

Remind yourself that you have a choice in every single thing you do, think, and feel.

3. No One Defines Me Except God

A Believer Will Never Allow ONE PERSON’S Opinion To Define Them

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
What Does God Say?

4. Always Strive For Unconditional Forgiveness

“When we hate our enemies, we are giving them power over us: power over our sleep, our appetites, our blood pressure, our health, and our happiness.”
Dale Carnegie

Waiting To Forgive People Until They Say They’re Sorry
Gives Them Control Over Your Life

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness Is:

A Decision – Forgive
A Process – Forgiven
A Path of Progress, Not Perfection- Forgiveness