Michigan Virtual Camp Meeting 2020: Forward to the Finish

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Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Habits that Last

Vicki Griffin

01 The Addicted and Learning Brain: Keys to Freedom

It's just a joy to be here and to be able to share with you today.

I've been looking forward to this time and I believe that the topic that we will be looking at together will be worth the time that we spend together.

But before we begin, I'd like to open with prayer.

Father in heaven, thank you that we can have this time together.

The hour is urgent, the need is great, the time is now.

And so I pray that you would be with me, be with the hearers as we explore this most important topic that involves life, health, and vitality in this world and the world to come.

Well, today we're here to talk about living free, finding freedom from habits that hurt.

And you know, I will tell you that I've been doing this work for many, many years now.

I have the privilege of running obesity, diabetes programs, addiction, depression programs, lifestyle programs, and I have yet to meet that person that says, you know, I just think I'm gonna I want to fail everything on my list today.

No 1 gets out of bed in the morning and says, I just want to flat out fail.

I'm going to speak to you today from my heart as well as from my head.

You know, it's 1 thing to achieve a goal, and it's another thing to progress in that goal and to maintain it over time.

And so we're going to be looking this week in this series of meetings at Habits That Last, Living Free.

And by the way, if you go to our website, lifestylematters.com, not only do we have materials and resources, free videos, PowerPoints, English and Spanish on 26 wellness topics that are free and downloadable, videos that you can watch.

We also have resources that are deeply discounted, including this series that you can use in your home, your neighborhood, your church, your community, or your office.

So my work is to provide materials and tools for you.

So as we begin the program today, I would like to say that Addiction is an incredibly prevalent problem in our society today at many levels, and yet we are designed by God to form habits.

Habits are actually our friends when they're good ones.

In fact, Albert Hubbard said that habits are the great economizer of energy.

So when we learn something new and it becomes automatic, it becomes a routine, that's a good thing because it pushes that information, that route down to what is called a subcortical level, and then it frees up headspace for learning new things, meeting new challenges, and more creative ways to live.

But in an addiction, when we are completely just drilled down on that 1 thing.

There's only 1 thing that has our attention.

He said that certain habits of men are like luxurious vines.

They destroy the trees that they decorate.

So as we look back, trying to turn this back, habits are routines that help us to repeat safe and effective behaviors and build consistency and security into our lives.

We are really made to be creatures of habit and routine.

But addictions are like these wicked viruses that we've been dealing with lately in our world wide really.

They actually take you where you don't want to go.

They keep you there longer than you want to stay, and the price is a lot costlier than we ever anticipated.

Now let's talk about for a moment what this series is going to be about.

Today we're going to take a look at the big picture of addiction, because if we could not escape and rebound and recover and renew and restore from addictions, why have this meeting?

This is my passion, is seeing people recover from the deepest depths of sorrow, pain, and brokenness.

God has engineered you for renewal, restoration, and recovery.

So the roots of addiction, they are deep and they are tangled.

We can't be simplistic in our understanding of this.

So, what might start as a curiosity or even a crutch, very soon becomes a conditioned response and then a compulsion, then a heavy chain that we can't break free.

But the question that we're addressing today is Can the power of an addiction be broken?

How is it that we are engineered to move forward and stay forward even when we have been broken, either through environmental factors?

You know, you did not ask to be born where you were, or you didn't ask to have those people do those things to you that had authority over you when you were young.

You didn't ask for the genetic deck that you were dealt.

And we make choices that are very troublesome and get us into a lot of trouble.

The Bible talks about being ignorantly alienated from the life of God.

So the addicted brain is fighting hard, but we need to learn how to fight smart.

And that's what this whole week is going to be about.

Today we're taking a fly over the forest, we're taking a look at the big principles that are involved in addiction, and we're going to be hearing a story of an incredible recovery from the depths of sorrow and brokenness.

So the question is, Can the power of an addiction be broken?

Is it possible to get free and live free?

In this series, we're gonna discover that every human being is designed to recover at lost ground.

God wants to give back to you what sin has broken and taken away.

The Bible talks about the responsibility of being a parent.

It talks about the 10 Commandments and how the sins of the fathers are visited to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

And that is not God putting a curse on ignorant people who are already out of the way, who are already exposed to error and problems and sin in the vicissitudes of this wayward world.

That's not what that's talking about, but it is a warning that just what the Bible says is that 1 sinner can destroy much good, and we certainly see that in our world today.

You know, It wouldn't be sin if it didn't hurt innocent people.

But in Deuteronomy 7, verse 9, it says that Christ came to show mercy to a thousand generations.

So addictions are strong, but the power and the weapons to overcome them are even stronger.

The addicted brain is not doing that thing to feel good in a full-blown addiction.

They're now doing that thing to keep from feeling bad, and that's a big difference.

So addictions are about broken connections in the brain, with each other, with life principles, and most importantly, with God.

And so healing takes place at many levels.

It's a healing of our character, our conduct, and the connections that God designed us to enjoy over time.

So when we think of classic addiction, we think of substances or process addictions.

So most, when we talk about addictions, we think about things like alcohol, nicotine, or drugs.

But according to Howard Schaeffer and many others from the Division of Addictions at Harvard University, Drug use is not a necessary and sufficient cause of addiction.

There are people who are nodding their heads, yes, I understand that.

In fact, it may be that food is 1 of the most basic addictions, unhealthy food, maybe the substance in a substance addiction that we call overeating.

It is improper to consider drugs as the necessary precondition for addiction.

So what would be some examples of some non-substance addictions?

Well, if we look at the definition, it's going to help us in that regard.

It includes persistent compulsive behavior that is harmful or destructive, characterized by an inability to stop.

Romans chapter 7, Paul describes this so well.

He says, the things that I want to do, I don't do.

The things that I don't want to do, that's what I do.

Romans 7, Paul is describing the human condition before the renewing power of Jesus Christ and how we all share this inclination to drift in the wrong direction or plunge, take your pick.

I work a lot with obesity and chronic disease and people understand that they are really addicted to these various foods.

They understand it's hurting them, but the power to stop, the ability to plan a changed life, it takes a strategy.

He wants to connect with us, but he also has a plan.

So some examples are food addiction, pornography, gambling, shopping.

She's well known in the field of addiction medicine, and she is speaking from the Institute of Drug Abuse, she says, once a person has experienced addiction, changes have take place in the brain that involve multiple circuits.

If you think you have an addiction, It's very important to work with your healthcare provider because in at least 75 to 80 percent of cases of serious addiction, there are what are called comorbid or coexisting conditions that need to be dealt with and addressed, especially if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, if you are on a substance and you are looking at some serious withdrawal, if you're on multiple medications.

This is something that needs to be addressed with a healthcare professional.

What I'm presenting this week is a lifestyle program, a comprehensive mind-body-spirit lifestyle program.

02 Your Internal Environment

Today's topic, I believe, will be worth the time that we invest in it.

Today, we're talking about the attitude factor.

It's almost like trying to hug an octopus, because we are living in such a time of extremes.

We are seeing that this pandemic, this viral pandemic, has magnified every crisis.

And so what we're seeing in society today in domestic situations is a dramatic increase in addictions, in abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse, people being trapped, children trapped in abuse.

So as I share this topic about attitude today and the development of Christian character, let's not confuse that with situations where deliverance is necessary and even required.

I remember when I was a social worker in Riverside, California, they had to open up a domestic abuse department just for men who were being abused.

And that hasn't been discussed very much, but it is a worldwide problem.

And so let's put this over here, let's put the advertisers over here who would have us to believe that if you don't have their toaster or their vacuum cleaner, you are deprived.

So we're pushing all of this aside, and we want to learn how to grow in grace and in character, forward to the finish, instead of stuck in the muck.

And as we begin, I would like to pray that God will bless this presentation and bless my speaking and your hearing, because this is a consolidation of information that I would like to say I just read all these books and got all of this information, but it's really the good book that has brought this to light to me and at certain points in this presentation It's going to feel very much like an unauthorized biography But you know we have these hearts that need to be renewed by Jesus Christ, and it is a journey So let's pray as we embark on this discussion today.

Father in heaven, thank you so much that we come to you for light.

This is the light that lights every man that comes into the world.

You would have us to have life and have it more abundantly and this is an inside job that we're talking about today.

And so we thank you, we praise you, be with me and the hearers, I pray in Jesus name, amen.

As we begin today, I would like to share a statement that I carry with me in my Bible.

It says, The forgiveness of sins is not the sole result of the death of Jesus.

He made the infinite sacrifice, not only that sin might be removed, but that human nature might be restored.

We're talking about addictions and habits this week.

So that human nature might be restored, re-beautified, reconstructed from its ruins and made fit for the presence of God.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is new.

First the seed, then the bud, then the full bloom.

That's encouraging to me today, and I know that it must be encouraging to you as well.

And so today, we're talking about creation living your internal environment.

So let's review the freedom keys that we have, we are building our whole construct around these freedom keys.

We looked at the big picture and the principles of the addicted and learning brain.

Today, we're looking at freedom keys, and that includes creating an environment, the internal environment of what your outlook is.

The internal environment, how would you define it?

Your internal environment is your basic outlook, attitude, and orientation towards life.

I've read that about 60% of what we think and do is just automatic.

And part of the blessing of the Christian worldview and really getting into the Bible is it begins to retool our orientation, our worldview, and our attitude in life.

It affects how you handle problems, people, and personal growth.

You know, our thoughts are the raw materials for our actions, and attitude shapes our thoughts, often more than circumstances.

And so your internal environment is your outlook, your external environment is what you surround yourself with, creating a lifestyle, that's what we're going to be talking about tomorrow, that brain-body link, creating connections with God and others, and then situational awareness.

So your internal environment is all about overcoming a negative mindset and cultivating thankfulness.

This is a major key to moving forward, to getting free and moving forward.

So when it talks about mindset, what does that mean?

Well, some authors have discussed a fixed versus a learning mindset, and a fixed mindset basically says that my qualities and characteristics are set in stone, unchangeable, this is the way I was born, this is what my environment has done to me, this is my genetics, and therefore I am trapped in this and there is no way to change or to be different.

The learning mindset says, even though I was born with certain qualities or characteristics, even though I'm from this circumstance or that situation, even though I've made these choices or those choices, that everyone can learn, grow, and change.

Which 1 sounds like a more biblical mindset?

If the great master teacher has said to you and I, cease to do evil, learn to do well, and Jesus himself says, learn of me, then the learning mindset is the mindset that will get us somewhere.

The fixed mindset is much more concerned with, how will I look, than what can I learn?

So every challenge, every obstacle, every problem, the first failure in a diet spells disaster, the first failure on a test means you're not going to make it in life, the first problem in a marriage means it must not have been made in heaven because there are challenges and problems.

But just the fact that something is hard does not mean that God isn't in it.

So a change in attitude and outlook actually changes the way we think about things and the way we act upon those new thoughts.

So attitudes drive behavior, and behavior becomes habits.

I'll never forget when I was doing this seminar many years ago, when we first began our Living Free series, the first edition of it, there was a fellow sitting in the front row.

He had drug addiction that he was dealing with, and many other challenges and problems.

And as he sat and he listened to the fixed versus the learning mindset, the fixed mindset has no recipe for solving problems.

They don't know how to deal with failure.

And he sat there with tears streaming down his face.

And after the meeting, he said, this is the root of every failure in my life.

It's been the way I have seen myself and life.

And he actually had a very perfectionistic attitude that made it difficult for him to deal with failure, problems, and mistakes.

But when you sign up for the School of Christ, he's going to show you your weak spots.

And so we have to reconcile that we're either going to have a learner mindset or a fixed mindset, which is really difficult.

Parents can unintentionally foster this mindset.

If their child does well on a test, they can say, oh, you're a genius, you're an Einstein, or if they do a little art project, you're a Picasso, it's natural, it's supposed to be easy.

And we've seen athletic champions who have this fixed mindset and there are examples in the book that I read on this by Dr.

Carol Dweck, the name of the book is Mindset, of jumping up and down, breaking their tennis rackets.

Because if you're a natural, it should be easy.

And so the learner mindset says, you've worked hard.

And so overcoming a negative mindset and cultivating thankfulness, that's a whole different category that we're going to talk about today.

So it involves refusing self-pity, focusing on solutions instead of problems, not that we ignore them, but we use our headspace, our mental energy to focus on how can I improve this situation, what is the path?

03 Lifestyle Links for Living Free

Thank you so much, Pastor Bryce, for that wonderful introduction.

This is our third session of Living Free, Finding Freedom from Habits That Hurt, also called habits that last.

And it's a joy to spend this time together.

Our first meeting we took a fly over the forest and we looked how how our brains are constantly remodeling themselves according to what we learn and that we're actually engineered to be able to move forward.

Engineered for renewal, recovery, and restoration.

Yesterday's meeting, we talked about the internal environment of our attitude, our mindset, our worldview, and how those things, those inner workings are actually the raw material for our actions.

And so today, we're going to continue and we are now going to take a look at our external environment and creation living and take a look at the brain-body connections because the Lord wants our hearts, he wants our heads, and then he will shape our habits.

So as we begin, let's bow our heads for prayer.

Father in heaven, thank you, Lord, that we can have this wonderful time together as just believers, as family.

There are probably people who are questioning, who are in challenges, who maybe don't believe in a higher power, in a God, in a Savior.

And I pray that as we come together and reason you would enlighten our hearts and mostly give us hope.

Hope in our heartaches, hope in our habits, hope in our hindrances, and hope for heaven because that's where our citizenship must be.

We thank you, we praise you, in Jesus' name, amen.

So today we're talking about living free, your external environment.

We're talking about, yesterday we talked about creating an environment, your internal environment, of how we think.

Your external environment is your surroundings and creating a lifestyle.

We're talking about creating connections with God and with others.

Your internal environment is how we think.

Our external environment is what our surroundings are because our surroundings are gonna call us in a direction.

So it's very important if you've been challenged with addictions or you simply want to move forward in your most important goals that you remove triggers that would pull you in a wrong direction.

I'll never forget, years ago, my husband and I were called to a certain city to do some health meetings, some diabetes meetings.

We stayed in the home of an overworked oncologist.

She had habits that were really hurting her mentally and physically.

And her whole house, every dish, every decoration was candy.

And on her refrigerator, there was a picture of a woman with her hair sticking out, a cartoon, and her eyes were like whirly gigs, and underneath it said, I have 1 nerve left, and you are about to get on it.

Well, we tiptoed through that house all that weekend.

And so today, we're gonna take a look at some of these connections, but our external environment is so important.

As a person who struggled and suffered with bulimia for 20 years, from age 11 to age 33, I'm quite old now.

I've been many years away from that, but there are still to this day foods and things that I can't just put in my house because I'll be thinking about it.

And here's how you know if you have an addiction, a food addiction or an addiction to something that may be harmless in itself, but not around you and not in your house.

So here's how you can tell what needs to stay out of your house, whether it's chips, chops, or lollipops.

If you bring that thing into the house, you know where it is, you know how many are in the package, you know who's eating it, and you're mad at your husband if he eats the last 1.

So remove those triggers, replace with positives.

This is really important to have things around your home that call you in the direction that you want to go, that God wants you to go, He has put the inclination in your heart, but now you have to follow through with vigilance and recapture the joy of purpose-filled living.

When you get up in the morning, make that bed.

If everything else in your day goes wrong, your bed is made.

You're going to get up, dress up and show up for the day.

You have lessons to learn, new heights to gain and new victories to be won.

Practice not only makes perfect, it makes progress.

And that's such an important thing, to have a mindset of progress.

Okay, yesterday, you know, I messed up in this area.

I did not need to eat a whole sleeve of Oreos.

You know, I fell into the self-pity trap.

But today, dear God, you've taught me something and I'm gonna turn that mistake into a victory.

The Bible says, ponder the path of your feet.

But you know, I have learned while I do that, I have to set my affections and my focus on things above.

Because if I were to get lost in my own little world of every single thing that needs correcting, I could get pretty discouraged.

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Series

Habits that Last

05 Habits that Last

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Parts

01 The Addicted and Learning Brain: Keys to Freedom

49m

02 Your Internal Environment

51m

03 Lifestyle Links for Living Free

51m

04 Situational Awareness - Have You Lost It?

51m

05 Habits that Last

54m

Sound Doctrine