welcome to episode 2. in this season of therapy and theology where we are talking about self-awareness in the last episode we really answered the question or we tackled the question why do I do what I don’t want to do and this episode today is a great follow-up it’s what’s really driving this behavior in other words what’s the thing underneath the thing and that really means what’s my motivation because I’ve found so many times it’s not necessarily the thing that we’re dealing with it’s really about the thing driving the thing so we
want to ask the question what is the real motivation so today of course I have with me Dr Joel munamale and Jim Kress I am really excited about today’s episode and I would like to kick off reading a couple of Bible verses so the first verse that I want to read is from James 1 verses 14 through 15 but each person is tempted when they are dragged Away by their own evil desire and enticed verse 15 then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death and then I want to read one other
verse and it’s James chapter 4 starting in verse 1. what causes fights and quarrels among you don’t they come from your desires that battle within you you desire but you do not have so you kill you covet but you cannot get what you want so you quarrel and fight you do not have because you do not ask God when you ask you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives that you may spend what you get on your pleasures so the reason that I wanted to start off with those Bible verses is because I think it’s time for me to get honest I
think it’s time for all of us to get honest what’s the thing really driving the thing that I don’t want to keep doing and yet I do keep doing it and in the season on in this whole series on becoming more self-aware I think it’s really important for us to look at what our motivations really are asking the question what is my ultimate motivation and I’ll answer that question for me My ultimate motivation is life not death and so I think these verses are so important because it says desire gives birth to sin and sin gives birth to
death and so I have to pay attention to my desires my motives my my motivations because my ultimate desire is I want life I want a life that honors God I want a life that truly loves people and a life that is fulfilling and purposeful so if that is my ultimate desire then my motivations have to line up with that desire so that it will take me to the life that I really want otherwise I could spend my life on Cheap Thrills temporary pleasure people pleasing just so that I get what I want and focusing on me myself my wants my desires and
basically if I do that if I live a life that is opposite of what God wants for me it’s pointing my life in the direction of a very unfulfilling life a deaf Life by the way imagine at the end of that that we all know and you all know as you’re listening or watching so what does it profit Lisa or Joel or gym if we gain the entire world what we think would be life or safety or autonomy or what have you what is going to profit Us in the moment the ROI there the return on our investment if we were to gain our entire world but in the end
lose our own soul and let’s use that word suke there my very self of who I Lose Myself pursuing these other Pleasures pursuing these other paths that are not paths for me in in my desire on a daily basis borrowing from Paul and Galatians I really want to walk not live parapateo is the Greek word there’s you know I want to walk by the means and the agency of the Holy Spirit and not in the means and agency of the flesh some days I’m going to be in the flesh means where I live at times but my goal my vision is Lord what would you
have me do and how to be walking your path and walking in the spirit not in the flesh yeah the preposition pair is actually beside or a long side so that pear potato is you’re walking alongside with god with the love Spirit um I want to at least it’s okay if I do a little bit of theological commentary on what you said please do because I think it’s so good and I never thought about it this way so I’m like scrambling writing down notes right here um you said your goal is life right not death so um let’s think about it this way what
