WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:03.950 Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton, 00:00:04.129 --> 00:00:07.269 the official podcast of Cross Christian Fellowship, 00:00:07.290 --> 00:00:10.769 Route 66, in the heart of Albuquerque, New Mexico, 00:00:10.990 --> 00:00:14.150 where Burton is the lead pastor. We're glad you're 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:17.570 here. Hey everybody, welcome to the sanctuary. 00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:20.699 It's great to have you with us. This episode 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:24.239 is actually a fallback episode. As you recall, 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:27.399 over the summer and everything, we were upgrading 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:30.800 our technology. We were installing a new computer, 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:33.479 some other new stuff. We ran into a bunch of 00:00:33.479 --> 00:00:36.320 issues because our old one just crashed on us. 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:40.399 And for whatever reason, a lot of our stuff, 00:00:40.579 --> 00:00:42.619 whether it was streaming live and the audio wasn't 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:45.380 there or it just wouldn't go live at all, or 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:49.049 a number of other issues. There were a handful 00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:51.750 of messages that just did not get out there. 00:00:52.350 --> 00:00:55.490 And finally, I've had some time. I'm getting 00:00:55.490 --> 00:00:57.750 around, so I'm going through and I'm recording 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:00.750 them now just for you so that you can still hear 00:01:00.750 --> 00:01:02.890 those messages that everybody else got to hear 00:01:02.890 --> 00:01:08.659 live there in the sanctuary. And much like the 00:01:08.659 --> 00:01:13.480 last episode that was released, I might go down 00:01:13.480 --> 00:01:14.900 some rabbit trails that weren't there before, 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:17.480 so you might be getting something new. Let's 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:20.400 face it, this is me, and that's what I do. I'm 00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:22.140 not the only one. There's lots of pastors out 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:25.379 there who do it. I'm going to say I probably 00:01:25.379 --> 00:01:27.420 learned it from some of the best of them, like 00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:30.260 Pastor Marcus McClain out there. He's the first 00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:33.480 one to admit, even when I was going through seminary, 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:36.420 that, hey, rabbit trails are going to happen. 00:01:36.659 --> 00:01:39.760 So with that said, I'm going to hop into this 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.579 one. As many of you know, over the summer, I 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:46.430 went on a missions trip. to Cherokee, North Carolina. 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:49.150 It was pretty cool. I went out with Pastor Mark 00:01:49.150 --> 00:01:53.870 and Chaplain Jacob from down south in the Rio 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:56.349 communities and everything, and it was really 00:01:56.349 --> 00:01:59.870 good. We met a lot of great people. More importantly, 00:01:59.969 --> 00:02:02.629 we were involved in ministering to the community 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:05.170 there, talking to people, praying with people. 00:02:05.930 --> 00:02:08.150 you know, and families. We were giving out clothing 00:02:08.150 --> 00:02:11.710 to children. We had a little block party. We 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:13.969 had free food for everybody, all sorts of stuff, 00:02:14.050 --> 00:02:16.949 you know, Bibles, various resources, you know, 00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:19.090 for people to come out, have a good time, and 00:02:19.090 --> 00:02:21.750 just, you know, it was a blessing. It was a blessing 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:23.969 for them. It was a blessing for us, you know, 00:02:23.969 --> 00:02:27.830 and it just, it really reminded me of just how 00:02:27.830 --> 00:02:31.569 important it is that we support missions and 00:02:31.569 --> 00:02:34.639 missionaries. So, you know, please, you know, 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.979 pray. And if you find in your heart to give to 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:41.159 these people, please do. If you're not sure of 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:44.680 some legit ones or, you know, or anything, reach 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:48.979 out, you know, or hit us up on social media because 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:51.580 there are some out there that are absolutely 00:02:51.580 --> 00:02:54.099 wonderful. You know, I know the people personally, 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:57.699 so I definitely recommend them. You know, and 00:02:57.699 --> 00:03:00.340 so we're going to go from there. Now, during 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:04.610 this trip, I met a new friend and right after 00:03:04.610 --> 00:03:09.050 we all went our different ways, he messaged me 00:03:09.050 --> 00:03:13.849 with a great question. And it's our topic for 00:03:13.849 --> 00:03:18.949 today. And that question was, what is spiritual 00:03:18.949 --> 00:03:22.830 debris? Well, let's start with the definition 00:03:22.830 --> 00:03:26.550 of debris. Looking it up, it's defined as follows. 00:03:27.469 --> 00:03:31.129 Debris. Scattered pieces of waste or remains. 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:34.909 Loose natural material consisting especially 00:03:34.909 --> 00:03:40.550 of broken pieces of rock. Okay, cool. So that's 00:03:40.550 --> 00:03:44.969 our definition. How can it present itself spiritually? 00:03:47.330 --> 00:03:52.370 Well, in a number of ways, really. Isolation. 00:03:52.590 --> 00:03:57.210 Self -doubt. impatience, anxiety, self -sabotage. 00:03:57.349 --> 00:04:01.370 And these are just a few of the many ways that 00:04:01.370 --> 00:04:05.629 it can manifest. If we turn to 2 Corinthians 00:04:05.629 --> 00:04:11.729 3, verses 1 -3, so that's 2 Corinthians 3, verses 00:04:11.729 --> 00:04:25.600 1 -3, the word says, letters of commendation 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:29.920 from you. You are our epistle written in our 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:35.240 hearts, known and read by all men. Clearly you 00:04:35.240 --> 00:04:41.379 are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:43.959 not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:46.759 God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:55.459 of flesh. That is of the heart. Now, just looking 00:04:55.459 --> 00:04:57.160 at the first part of this really sums it up. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:05:02.139 Spiritual debris lands in our path with the Lord 00:05:02.139 --> 00:05:07.240 to take our focus off of Him. It's there to steer 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:10.980 us away from Him. It's made of those things that 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:15.019 interfere with our relationship with Jesus Christ. 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:20.589 Some of our greatest leaders in Scripture have 00:05:20.589 --> 00:05:23.410 shown the debris in their lives. Look at Moses 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.189 in Exodus chapter 4. So in Exodus chapter 4, 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:29.829 specifically verses 10 through 13, scripture 00:05:29.829 --> 00:05:35.509 records, Then Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, 00:05:35.629 --> 00:05:41.149 I am not eloquent, neither before nor since you 00:05:41.149 --> 00:05:44.829 have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of 00:05:44.829 --> 00:05:48.870 speech and slow of tongue. So the Lord said to 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:55.769 him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the 00:05:55.769 --> 00:06:01.509 mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have 00:06:01.509 --> 00:06:07.889 not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will 00:06:07.889 --> 00:06:10.750 be with your mouth and teach you what you shall 00:06:10.750 --> 00:06:16.189 say. But he said, O my Lord, please send by the 00:06:16.189 --> 00:06:20.889 hand of whomever else you may send. See, God 00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:25.470 was trying to send him on a mission. But Moses' 00:06:25.709 --> 00:06:28.189 problem, he's filled with self -doubt and letting 00:06:28.189 --> 00:06:30.290 his negative thoughts and his negative self -image 00:06:30.290 --> 00:06:33.209 take a hold of him to the point that he's listening 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:36.189 to the world more than he's listening to God. 00:06:36.250 --> 00:06:39.250 He's actually arguing with God. We see it right 00:06:39.250 --> 00:06:42.509 here. He's arguing with him. He's like a kid 00:06:42.509 --> 00:06:46.569 arguing with a parent. It's not fair. He's caught 00:06:46.569 --> 00:06:49.850 up in his emotions. He's scared. And even though 00:06:49.850 --> 00:06:53.110 God is counter -punching him at every turn, he 00:06:53.110 --> 00:06:57.529 just won't go. He's being stubborn. He's hard 00:06:57.529 --> 00:07:01.089 -headed like most of us. Every single one of 00:07:01.089 --> 00:07:02.990 us has been at some point and still are at some 00:07:02.990 --> 00:07:06.509 things, right? We become stubborn. Why? Because 00:07:06.509 --> 00:07:10.930 we let the sin of pride into us and we just won't 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:16.449 let go. Sometimes this is disguised as, well, 00:07:16.509 --> 00:07:19.569 that's just the way we've always done it. It's 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:23.110 a failure to adapt is what it is. It's complacency 00:07:23.110 --> 00:07:26.670 in our lives. We just keep treading water and 00:07:26.670 --> 00:07:31.930 waiting for the tide to go back out to sea. However, 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:35.209 what we don't realize is that when that tide 00:07:35.209 --> 00:07:38.329 goes back out to sea, it's going to take us with 00:07:38.329 --> 00:07:43.420 it. So instead of adapting, to what's around 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:49.139 us, we become spiritually complacent and we stop 00:07:49.139 --> 00:07:54.199 growing in our relationship with God. Oh, I'm 00:07:54.199 --> 00:07:59.980 good. I'm saved. Right? We get to that point 00:07:59.980 --> 00:08:03.639 where we believe the lie that we're good enough. 00:08:04.339 --> 00:08:09.319 We stop looking for ways to grow spiritually. 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:17.899 Right? Matthew 7, verse 16, the word says, you 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:23.199 will know them by their fruits. When we become 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.480 spiritually stagnant, we don't produce any fruit. 00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:31.139 We just don't. Do you know what grows in stagnant 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:37.299 water? Mold and parasites. That's it. You can't 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:39.779 drink it. Nothing good comes from it. It has 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:41.919 to go through a purification process, right? 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:44.039 There has to be something there to filter out 00:08:44.039 --> 00:08:49.039 all this garbage, all this gunk, right? So you 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:52.080 see, God is warning us all. He's warning each 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:54.000 and every single one of us. And he's been warning 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:57.659 us since the very beginning that we need to change 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:00.710 the way that we're living. or else. That's why 00:09:00.710 --> 00:09:03.590 I hate that song. It's real popular out there 00:09:03.590 --> 00:09:06.690 right now. It's like, oh, God says I'm good as 00:09:06.690 --> 00:09:08.870 I am. No, you're not. It defeats the whole purpose 00:09:08.870 --> 00:09:11.230 of Jesus having to come for us. He's been saying 00:09:11.230 --> 00:09:12.870 we have to change from the very, very start. 00:09:13.710 --> 00:09:17.889 You know, like he said, he's been warning us 00:09:17.889 --> 00:09:20.690 from the beginning that we need to change or 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.350 else. But just like Cain, who killed his brother 00:09:24.350 --> 00:09:28.970 Abel, we hold on to the grudges, and the wrongdoings 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:32.710 of our past, right? All that just bleh that's 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:35.389 inside of us. We become bitter against God. We 00:09:35.389 --> 00:09:38.029 become hardened against God. And more debris 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:41.549 starts to enter our lives because of it. And 00:09:41.549 --> 00:09:46.649 it comes in the forms of hatred, jealousy, malice. 00:09:47.169 --> 00:09:50.269 We buy into that mentality of, oh, if it feels 00:09:50.269 --> 00:09:53.570 good, do it. And we become entitled to believe 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:55.669 that God owes us something instead of it being 00:09:55.669 --> 00:09:58.019 the other way around. That's the problem with 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:00.659 prosperity theology. It's that way of thinking 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:04.019 that God owes you something. Some people think 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:05.740 that they can act like a little brat and just 00:10:05.740 --> 00:10:10.059 demand things because someone lied to them and 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:13.360 said that they can do that and that God will 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:18.059 give that to them. No! No, he won't! God will 00:10:18.059 --> 00:10:20.200 not give you the things that you're not meant 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:23.120 to have. God will not give you the things that 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:26.860 are not... part of His will for you. God will 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:30.360 not give you things that will hurt you or condemn 00:10:30.360 --> 00:10:33.419 you. You know, it's like a parent handing a loaded 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:35.320 gun to their kid and telling them, hey, look 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:38.360 down the barrel and pull the trigger. And then 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:41.340 expect nothing but good things to come from it. 00:10:42.299 --> 00:10:44.519 I can tell you, nothing good is going to come 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.440 from pulling that trigger. To think otherwise 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:50.220 is just stupid, right? It is absolutely stupid. 00:10:50.419 --> 00:10:52.039 I don't think I had to even hammer that home. 00:10:52.120 --> 00:10:54.240 We should all know this at this point. You know, 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:55.840 matter of fact, let me demonstrate this another 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:01.059 way. Okay? Start off with a few supplies. You're 00:11:01.059 --> 00:11:01.840 going to go and you're going to get yourself 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:08.600 a big container, right? Big bucket. And in this, 00:11:08.639 --> 00:11:11.399 you're also going to get yourself a cup of oxygen. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.679 You're going to get yourself two cups of hydrogen. 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.879 And then you're going to get yourself an electrical 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:22.379 Now, we have our supplies, right? We've got our 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:23.759 container, we've got our oxygen, we've got our 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:25.799 hydrogen, we have an electrical current. All 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:29.860 of these things in and of themselves, right, 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:31.759 completely separate from each other, are good 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:36.639 and fine as they are. If they were people, we 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:40.259 could say that they could live a good life of 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:42.220 serving the Lord, maybe find their way to heaven, 00:11:42.320 --> 00:11:48.149 right? Next, You take that oxygen. You take that 00:11:48.149 --> 00:11:49.750 hydrogen. And you put them in that container. 00:11:50.870 --> 00:11:52.610 They're going to commingle a little bit. That's 00:11:52.610 --> 00:11:55.169 about it. Nothing exciting. Not a big deal, right? 00:11:55.809 --> 00:11:59.570 However, then you take that electrical current 00:11:59.570 --> 00:12:02.570 that's been sitting off to the side. And you 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:05.409 toss that in the container. And what happens? 00:12:06.549 --> 00:12:09.809 Boom! There's an explosion! There's a big flash! 00:12:09.889 --> 00:12:13.620 Things get exciting! For a brief moment, it's 00:12:13.620 --> 00:12:17.159 absolute chaos. It's absolute pandemonium. It's 00:12:17.159 --> 00:12:21.299 exciting, right? Someone might even end up hurt 00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:25.639 or dead. And that's us getting into the world. 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:29.720 That's us believing the lies. That's us tripping 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:32.820 over the debris instead of listening to God and 00:12:32.820 --> 00:12:37.600 changing our course in life. And it's all fleeting. 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:40.629 It's done and just a... Flash in the pan, right? 00:12:40.669 --> 00:12:45.549 A brief moment. Philippians chapter four, verse 00:12:45.549 --> 00:12:48.350 13, the word says, I can do all things through 00:12:48.350 --> 00:12:52.110 Christ who strengthens me. It's a pretty popular 00:12:52.110 --> 00:12:54.370 verse. We've all heard that, right? Some of us 00:12:54.370 --> 00:12:56.889 wear it a lot or have it like in our bios or 00:12:56.889 --> 00:12:58.990 whatever. Matter of fact, one of the rings I'm 00:12:58.990 --> 00:13:00.769 frequently seen wearing, it's like a little spinner 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:02.389 ring and it has a cross on it and it also has 00:13:02.389 --> 00:13:07.539 that. It says Philippians 4 .13, right? So we're 00:13:07.539 --> 00:13:09.799 all familiar with it, but I digress. So let's 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:11.480 take all those same supplies. We've got our container. 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:13.779 We've got our oxygen. We have the hydrogen. We 00:13:13.779 --> 00:13:18.019 have the electrical charge. And now let's do 00:13:18.019 --> 00:13:24.220 it carefully with God. With God. As my grandpa 00:13:24.220 --> 00:13:27.360 Flick would say, there's nothing so important 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:31.279 you can't take the time to do it right. So you 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:34.179 set the container down. And you fill it up with 00:13:34.179 --> 00:13:37.139 that cup of oxygen. And you fill it a little 00:13:37.139 --> 00:13:39.580 bit more with those two cups of hydrogen. And 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:45.960 then carefully, very, very carefully, the safest 00:13:45.960 --> 00:13:49.679 way you can, you start to add that electrical 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:54.700 current into the mix. What happens this time? 00:13:55.940 --> 00:13:58.759 All of those elements, they start to mix and 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:05.200 they combine to become water. An essential element 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:09.820 of life. In various places, the word talks about 00:14:09.820 --> 00:14:14.240 living water. It especially stands out when we 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:17.200 look at the book of John, chapter 4, and learn 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:21.120 about the woman at the well. Right? Matter of 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:24.600 fact, if we turn to Revelation 21, verse 6, the 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:29.460 word says, Revelation 21, verse 6, He said to 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:34.330 me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, 00:14:34.429 --> 00:14:37.710 the beginning and the end. I will give of the 00:14:37.710 --> 00:14:42.450 fountain of the water of life freely to him who 00:14:42.450 --> 00:14:48.149 thirsts. Jesus. Jesus is the living water. Jesus 00:14:48.149 --> 00:14:51.870 will guide us through life. Now, water can sometimes 00:14:51.870 --> 00:14:55.470 get a little turbulent. Those rapids and those 00:14:55.470 --> 00:14:58.889 white waters, right? Waterfalls. When we plummet 00:14:58.889 --> 00:15:03.379 for a moment. However, When we look to Jesus 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:08.460 as our navigator in life, when we trust in him 00:15:08.460 --> 00:15:12.559 as our good shepherd, we know we'll get through 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.240 that water just fine. We'll be guided through 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:18.059 that minefield of debris and we'll come out the 00:15:18.059 --> 00:15:22.379 other side very well. We need to trust in the 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:26.000 master who walked on water and called out to 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.500 Peter to join him on it in Matthew 14 verse 31. 00:15:30.299 --> 00:15:33.240 Which says, And immediately Jesus stretched out 00:15:33.240 --> 00:15:37.360 his hand and caught him and said to him, O you 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:43.679 of little faith, why did you doubt? That spiritual 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:46.940 debris wouldn't have done anything had Peter 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:51.399 just listened to Jesus and kept his eyes on Jesus 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:55.519 and trusted in Jesus. In the strength of Christ, 00:15:55.740 --> 00:16:00.720 he would have overcome it all and kept on. Stop 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:05.440 letting the world, stop letting the enemy trip 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:09.899 you up with trivial things. Don't let him add 00:16:09.899 --> 00:16:12.340 the electrical current to your life that makes 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:17.659 things go BOOM! Instead, trust in Jesus and let 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:23.559 him be the charge and the change in your life. 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:30.029 Let us pray. Almighty God, we thank you. We thank 00:16:30.029 --> 00:16:33.070 you for reminding us how to deal with the debris 00:16:33.070 --> 00:16:36.450 that comes before us in our lives. We ask for 00:16:36.450 --> 00:16:40.850 your guidance as we surrender ourselves to you. 00:16:42.230 --> 00:16:45.649 We ask that you reveal how we take all that you've 00:16:45.649 --> 00:16:48.850 spoken to us and apply it in our lives so that 00:16:48.850 --> 00:16:54.429 we don't add chaos to it. Help us, especially 00:16:54.429 --> 00:16:58.100 in those moments When we can't help ourselves, 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:03.340 let us be a reflection of all that you've done 00:17:03.340 --> 00:17:05.960 for us and all that you do. Let us be that beacon 00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:09.119 that points the way to you and your kingdom. 00:17:11.619 --> 00:17:14.720 Allow us to look to you and follow your lead 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:18.279 to overcome that debris in our life and through 00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:23.019 your strength. Amen. Remember, you are loved 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:28.369 and you are. Blessed. Now go and be the church. 00:17:30.869 --> 00:17:33.910 Thank you for joining us at Healing Scars with 00:17:33.910 --> 00:17:36.750 Pastor Burton. If this message spoke to you, 00:17:36.769 --> 00:17:39.009 or if you would like to help us reach more people, 00:17:39.210 --> 00:17:52.819 please like, review, and share our podcast. Until 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:55.440 next time, take care and God bless.