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​Articles

Weary?  Don't Drop that Sword!

6/18/2015

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            One of the problems that every one of us faces in life is weariness.  That universal problem is exacerbated even more when we are facing battles in life.  This week I want to encourage you with the actions of a guy with an interesting name – but an awesome example.  He is an example of how we all need to respond to a battle that seems to be more than we can handle – and yet it was meant to be a situation where we watch God bring about a great victory.

             In 2 Samuel we read about a guy named Eleazar the son of Dodo.  He was one of the three greatest of David’s mighty men – and a wonderful example of how to face a battle that brings you to a point of great weariness.  Let’s take a look at Eleazar and see how he responded to weariness in the midst of battle.

“ . . . and after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn.  He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day . . . ” 2 Samuel 23:9-10 (NASB)   

             The first thing we learn from Eleazar is that everyone, even mighty men of God, grow weary in battle.  God did not rebuke him for growing weary in battle.  That is normal – whether it is a physical battle or a spiritual one.  The real issue is what we do when we face that weariness.

             Eleazar was wielding a sword in the battle against the Philistines that day.  Swords are heavy – and when you get weary – you just want to drop your sword.  Whether you completely drop it to the ground – or just drop it and no longer use it, as a weapon in the battle really doesn’t matter.  The worst thing you could do in the midst of a battle is to drop your sword.  Eleazar didn’t drop his sword.  In fact as he fought that day he found that as the battle raged – he clung to the sword that was in his hand.  The word clung means that he held tightly to it.  The imagery of that verse is that he held so tightly to it that it would have been difficult to know where hand ended and sword began.  It was as if he was fused with the sword he drew and held that day.  No matter how weary he was – he clung to the sword and continued to use it to decimate his enemies.  The result that day was a great victory – one that was granted by Jehovah Himself!

             Whether you realize it or not, you face a sword fight every day.  The way to victory in your battles is in fighting with the Word of God, which is referred to in Ephesians 6 as the “Sword of the Spirit.”  The lesson that we need to learn from Eleazar about the use of swords in a time of weariness though, is that we need to cling to our sword until it fuses with us.  Eleazar clung to his sword in the battle with the Philistines – and we need to cling to ours in our battles as well.

             Our problem is that too often we either drop or lay down our swords when we get weary.  Either of those two choices, dropping our sword or laying it down, are horrible options for us.  It is in that moment of weariness that the battle is won or lost.  Consider Jesus, who after 40 days of fasting experienced a weariness that few if any of us will ever know.  Yet it was in that weary condition that the devil himself came and tempted Jesus three times.  Even though weary, Jesus did NOT let go of the sword of the Spirit.  Three times He unsheathed the sword of the Spirit.  Three times he answered the devil’s temptations and lies with the Word of God.  And just like Samuel of old, when faced with the wicked, worldly Agag, He hewed Satan to pieces with that sword.  Every temptation was defeated and the evil one lay slain at His feet.  Was that because He was the Son of God . . . no.  Was that because Jesus had something we don’t have . . . no.  It was simply because Jesus took the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and used it against the enemy.  In His weariness He didn’t drop that sword – He clung to it – fused with it – and one could not determine where His hand ended and the sword began. 

              Oh to have such a strong grasp – to cling to the Word of God.  To do it even more when we get weary.  To cling to the mighty Sword of God until we cannot see the end of us and the beginning of Him in us.  To speak that Word with the same confidence as our Lord – and to hew to pieces every temptation, every lie, every deceitful desire that seeks to lead us astray. 

             The victory in the day of Eleazar was not attributed to him.  You will note in the passage in 2 Samuel that it says clearly that the LORD brought about a great victory that day.  We will not be aware of how awesome we are in that day.  We will be glad that we held fast to the Word of God.  We will be glad that we clung to the sword of the Spirit and used it as God intended. 

            Some may say, “Well, that was another day – a much different time.”  It was a time in the past – but when we see that Jesus used the perfect tense when He quoted God’s Word – we will see that the Word He used is just as strong today as it was in the day He used it.  The Greek, when translated to show the perfect tense, would read this way.  Jesus said, “It stands written, (having been written at a time in the past with the reality that it is still written now, and will be forever written and the same in the future) man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!”  Each time our Lord quoted the Word of God He quoted it in this way.  He used the perfect tense.  That tense emphasizes that the Word God gave at whatever point it was given was just as authoritative in the time Jesus walked the earth – and it speaks with the same authority and power in every generation that will ever exist – and even will have that authority for all eternity.  By the way – that means it has just as much power to hew Satan and his temptations to pieces today. 

             Are you weary?  We all get weary in this life.  Something you might want to know as well is that Satan seems to do his best (or more accurately stated, worst) work when we are weary.  If you are weary – don’t let go of the Word of God!  Don’t lay down your sword – no matter how tired and weary you become.  That Word is your key to victory.  Don’t drop your sword – draw it!  Be ready even in your most weary moment.  And when the evil one shows up, as he will most likely show up in those moments, take that sword and by quoting, holding fast, believing, and becoming fused with (or one with) the Word of God . . . hew him to pieces to the glory of God!  May the Lord put that sword firmly in your hands – may you become more and more skillful in wielding it – and may you enjoy times of worshipping God joyfully for the great victory He gives through it!


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The Need to Strongly Will the Will of God, part 3 - Free to Choose God's Will

6/23/2014

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     May the Lord bless you this week and help you to know that because you are in Christ, you are free to make a choice to strongly will the will of God.

     This week I am going to address a couple of things on a theological level.  That is because it is important for us to understand what is true of us because we are saved.  Something glorious happened to us – on the level of our will – when we came to know Jesus Christ.  Something marvelous happened when we came to life spiritually.  When we did, by the grace of God, there was a freedom given to us on the level of our wills.  Let’s talk about this today.

     Before God saved us we were bound in our sin.  Ephesians 2 tell us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins – we were being driven and controlled by the spirit that is active in the sons of disobedience.  The fact is that we did not have a will free to make whatever choices we wanted.  We were bound in sin and our choices would be consistent with the world system, our own flesh, and the devil.  Until God’s grace came to us by God’s wonderful mercies, we could not choose God’s way. 

     Then came the wonderful day when God drew us to Himself – and we were saved.  On that wonderful day we were not only forgiven of sin – given the righteousness of Christ as a gift – born from above with God’s very life now within us  - but one other glorious thing happened as well.  We were set free from sin’s bondage and could begin to make choices to do God’s will.  What a glorious day it was when we were set free to choose the things of God!

     We can now choose to do the will of God.  That was not true of us before – because of our bondage to sin.  But now we are free to follow the Lord.  Read this wonderful statement in Romans 6:12-14 about this truth.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.   For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

     Look at what Paul says here in Romans 6.  First, we need to see what he says lastly in these verses.  He says that sin is no longer your master because you are now under grace.  Two things to remember here.  The first is that at one time sin was your master.  You couldn’t do these things Paul was commanding you because you were not free.  You had a master – and your master was sin.  BUT . . . now you have been set free to make choices to tell sin to get lost.  You can tell sin that it will not be reigning in your body – and using the members of your body as instruments of unrighteousness.  This is astounding news!

     The second thing to note in this Roman’s passage is the number of times Paul is giving “strong commands” for the believer to make “strong choices.”  He is saying for them to make some strong stands as they make strong choices.

“Stop letting sin reign in your body!” 

“Stop obeying the strong desires of sin!”

“Stop presenting your members to sin!”

“Stop being an instrument of unrighteousness!”

“Start giving yourself to God as one alive from the dead!”

“Start giving your members to God!”

“Start being an instrument of righteousness!”

     Seven strong commands are given – and Paul (and God who is inspiring Him to write this) is expecting believers to obey them.  This means that we CAN obey them now.  That is implicit in the commands themselves. 

     But what I truly want you to get here is how powerful Paul’s statements are!  He is not saying things like, “If you feel like it today – you might want to give it your best shot – you know to maybe give yourself to God.”  He is almost like a spiritual drill sergeant snapping out these commands.  Stop doing this!  Start doing this!  Give yourself to God – give your members to God – be in instrument of righteousness!  If anything, this passage alone should show us that God desires for us to STRONGLY CHOOSE these things.  This is not an exercise for the weak willed or the weak minded.  We are to make very bold choices – not based on our own strength – but based on the facts of what has happened to us because of God’s grace in the gospel. 

     Next week I’ll say more on these commands in Romans 6, but for now I want to admonish you based on what we’ve seen today.  Where are you today?  If you are not willing to make strong choices for God’s will – you are going to be in trouble.  The trouble you will face is from you not being willing to “put your foot down” when it comes to sin – self – Satan – and this present world system.  If you are unwilling to say, “NO – NOT TODAY!  I AM NOT GOING TO GIVE MY BODY TO SIN!  I AM NOT GOING TO CHOOSE TO DISOBEY GOD!  I GIVE MYSELF TO HIM!  I AM GOING TO PLEASE HIM AND BE AN INSTRUMENT OF WHAT IS RIGHT – NOT OF WHAT IS WRONG!  GOD, BY YOUR GRACE I WILL STAND UP – I WILL TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW YOU!  If you are unwilling to use your will to will the will of God – you will flounder, falter, and unfortunately fall.  You truly have a choice!  But, God will not make it for you!  He has freed you to be able to make it!  He has empowered you to be able to make it!  He has and will give you spiritual wisdom and knowledge to know what to do!  But, in the end, He calls you to obey – to choose – and if there is going to be victory and the experience of overcoming sin – YOU MUST CHOOSE!  Choose precious saints of God!  Choose His will – choose His way – and choose to rely on Him totally to empower you as you make it.  Truly, there is no other way.


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Why Does the Holy Spirit Convict Us of Sin?

1/13/2014

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The Worthlessness of Spiritual Self Beat-downs, part 4
Why Does the Holy Spirit Convict Us of Sin?

For several weeks we’ve looked at our natural tendency (at least for some of us) to practice spiritual self beat-downs.  For some reason we do this thinking that God approves or somehow enjoys this process.  The facts as they are related in Scripture, though, do not support this thinking.  In order to make this point I want to ask a very simple question – and then seek to answer it from how God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures.  Here is my question, “Why does God the Spirit convict us of sin?”  And in a follow up question to that one we should ask ourselves what is God wanting to accomplish by doing this.  What exactly is He after or even what is the end-game in conviction?

We all know that we do things wrong.  We sin.  There are times when we sin that we either don’t realize it at the time – or worse – we deceive ourselves that what we did is not that bad.  Whatever the case may be with sin – the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sin.  We’ve seen that very clearly in previous studies.  But what is the Spirit’s goal in bringing conviction.  If we looked at the way that some of us practice a subsequent spiritual self beat-down, we might think that God’s purpose is to bury us under a mountain of guilt.  That guilt is then meant to stimulate a period of condemnation, devastating accusations of every kind, followed by a period of somehow “earning” back our place with God as we seek to do a lot of good things.  Those kind of choices do not deliver us from sin – in fact they usually lock us into more guilt, condemnation, and often a feeling like no matter how many times we confess or do more godly things – we just won’t measure up to what God wants from us. 

What does God want from us!  For those who have gone on one of these extended guilt trips – not enjoying the ride or the sights – we wonder why we have to go.  We also wonder, like the proverbial kid in the back seat, “Are we there yet?”  What might be shocking to learn is that the one driving on these ventures into the darker regions – is not God.  God does NOT want this from us.  He has a purpose in conviction – and extended guilt is not one of them.  You might want to note that I said “extended guilt,” because guilt is part of His purpose in conviction.  Let me explain.

When David confessed his sin with Bathsheba (along with his pitiful attempt at a cover up – which only led to more sin) he used the following phrase in his Psalm 32 confession to God.  “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.  Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.  You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.”  Psalm 32:5-7 (NASB)  Let’s take a look at what we can learn from David.

First, we do see that David admits to his sin.  He said he acknowledged his sin – he didn’t try to hide his iniquity – and he confessed his transgressions to God.  That is pretty thorough on David’s part.  He agreed with God (what acknowledged means) that he missed God’s mark.  When David said this he was stating plainly that God has standards, absolute ones, and that David clearly did not live up to them.  Second of all David admitted that he wasn’t going to hide his iniquity.  This is an interesting phrase.  David had tried to cover up his sin for so long – but now he was saying that he was willing to bring his sin out into the light and deal with it entirely.  The word for sin here is telling too.  David speaks of his “iniquity.”  This word speaks of sin as particularly evil because it means to twist or deliberately pervert something.  Here it refers to perverting and twisting God’s purpose for sex and marriage.  Finally, David said that he confessed his transgressions to God.  The word “confess” means to cast toward and it represents the picture of David casting his sin before God – admitting it and bringing it fully into the light of God’s presence.  He does this with his “transgressions,” which refers to rebellion.  David states that his actions were done in rebellion to God and His ways and Word. 

Once David has confessed his sin, note what he says is God’s response.  “And You forgave the guilt of my sin.”  God desires us to feel guilt over our sin.  The fact is we are guilty!  But once we deal with sin as David did – God forgives the guilt of our sin.  It is comforting to know that the word used for guilt is the same as the word iniquity earlier.  The evilness of our sin is what God forgives and carries away from us.  So, we see that one of the major purposes in God bringing conviction is so that, as we confess it completely, He can take away the feelings of guilt and condemnation. 

David then turns others who will read this and offers godly counsel to them.  He speaks of calling out to God in times of trouble – in times when we feel like we are in a flood of waters – drowning in our guilt and overwhelmed by our sinfulness.  Even in a flood of great waters (read here – our deepest and most devastating moments of sin) God will prevail and will be heard.  If you don’t believe that part you might want to remember the depth of David’s sin – or maybe even Jonah’s (which did involve drowning in literal water as well as great rebellion against God).  His counsel is for us to pray to God – to call out to Him – to come to Him humbly confessing our sin.  Spiritual self beat-downs are useless in these situations.  They will actually keep us from God – as well as keep us drowning in our guilt and self-condemnation.  Go to God is David’s counsel!

David says one more thing here in Psalm 32.  He says that as we come to God in this way, God will surround us with songs of deliverance.  God’s purpose in all this is not a beat-down – but a deliverance.  The conviction of the Holy Spirit will yield songs of deliverance.  There will be an encircling of our lives and hearts with songs that speak of how God delivers and rescues us from sin and from sin’s unkind rule of our lives.

What does God want from us when He convicts us?  He wants us to acknowledge and see our sinful choices as He does.  But then He wants confession of that sin.  Once that is accomplished and we confess our sin, rebellion, and evil – He desires us to KNOW forgiveness and deliverance from that sin.  He wants us surrounded with marvelous songs that tout His grace and His gospel which has won for us such amazing things.  May we learn to receive these things as precious gifts of His grace – not resisting them – but embracing them and rejoicing in our most gracious God and His wonderful love for us.  

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I Just Don't "Feel" Forgiven, part 1

10/8/2012

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What to Do When You Don't Feel Forgiven . . . 

             Have you ever sinned against God, and afterward struggled to receive His forgiveness and restoration afterward?  Let me explain this further for the purpose of this article today.  This is a situation where you sin against God.  Usually this involves a sin which unfortunately you’ve committed before.  That is what makes this so hard.  After you sin, you are convicted of it and confess it to God as sin.  THEN THE BATTLE BEGINS!  The battle is to “feel” forgiven.  You struggle with this for several reasons.  What I want to do for the next several weeks is to look at this battle from a biblical viewpoint.  It is my hope to help us understand that the forgiveness that we long for is not something that is to be felt first.  It is something that is “known” because of facts that have been told to us by our God.  Based upon these facts we can first KNOW that we are forgiven.  The process then works in such a way that our knowing forgiveness will eventually become “feeling forgiven” in the end.  But regardless of whether we feel forgiven or not, we must rest on the fact of our forgiveness based on the justice, righteousness, and grace of God that is freely given to us in Jesus Christ.

 Ours is a “feeling-driven” society.  Far too much of what we embrace is based upon how we feel about it.  I’ve watched people commit marital suicide based upon how they feel about their spouse.  It begins with them not feeling the love any longer.  A popular song by the Righteous Brothers puts it in this “not so righteous” way, “You've lost that lovin' feeling, Whoa, that lovin' feeling, “You've lost that lovin' feeling, Now it's gone...gone...gone...wooooooh.”

As a result of losing that “lovin’ feeling” distance is justified—a lack of communication is embraced—a lack of loving action begins—and further loss of lovin’ feeling is experienced.  The more these emotions are welcomed and considered true—the more distance and foolish behavior becomes normal—the end result is either an affair or divorce.  The wild thing is that the same is too often true in our walk with God.  Consider this: “You’ve lost that forgiven feeling, Whoa, that forgiven feeling, “You’ve lost that forgiven feeling, Now your gone . . . gone . . . gone . . . wooooooh.”

Spiritually, too many have lost that “forgiven” feeling—and in the end they wind up going days, weeks, and some years before they truly return to the Lord.  They believe that this “not quite forgiven” feeling justified distance from God—no communication with Him—choices for ungodly actions—and eventually a fully backslidden, out-of-fellowship condition.  Ever been there?  I know I have in the past.  What changes this “feeling-oriented” forgiveness is basing things NOT on my feelings—but on the fact of what God has said.  I cannot guarantee that this is an easy thing to do—oh, but how it delivers us from a yo-yo like faith and walk with God.  Let’s join together for a few weeks an examine what is means to have a biblically based forgiveness—one that will overrule our emotions and provide stability for our walk with Jesus. 



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The Glorious Move from Romans 7 to Romans 8 Living (part 1)

7/13/2012

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These next several articles are long. They come from a series of things I wrote to a frustrated brother who sought help in an email relationship with me. He does not attend Calvary Chapel, yet his struggle is mirrored in the lives of so many who know the Lord, and yet who fight with sin in their lives. This fight will last all our days - but for many of us it gets very intense when we have an area of our lives where sin just seems to dominate us. Our struggle parallels that of Paul - but for those who want to move on to victory, we need to make the trek from identifying with Romans 7 to experiencing Romans 8. That is what these articles try to do. It is my hope that they are helpful to all those who wrestle with sin in an honest effort to be conformed to our Lord Jesus Christ.


For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.   Romans 7:14-25 

Now, as to the remedy for what you are facing.  You might want to seek that out by reading what comes after Paul's statement about his struggle/battle with sin.  He sees here that this has to come, "through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  But there is more to this - but it is in chapter 8 of Romans.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, " Abba! Father!"   Romans 8:1-15 

There is so much here in chapter 8 . . . let me take the next couple of days and break it down into small, daily, bite-size pieces for you.  Hope this helps!


Lesson #1 - It's the Spirit Who sets you free - Who grants you power to overcome.


Note that Paul says that it is the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" that sets us free from the law of sin and death.  The "law of sin and death" is the old way (never did work) of making and keeping rules.  You have rules about sexual sin - rules about what you look at - rules about the computer - rules about self-gratification - rules, rules, rules.  The problem is that the Law never set any man free from sin.  In fact, Paul tells us earlier in Romans that the Law was given to show us we could never keep the Law - due to sin in our hearts.  Soooo . . . we also won't be set free by just "obeying laws and rules."  What we need is a different power than ourselves.  Our flesh will not submit to God's Law - EVER!
 

So Paul lets us know that we no longer live by the "law of sin and death."  We live by a new law - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.  We live by a different "life" than the one we used to have.  Thanks be to God - He gave us life in Jesus Christ.  The life He gave us?  Christ's own life - which can overcome sin every time!  What we need to develop is a willingness to run to God and to His Spirit in our battles.  You may be able to stop a thought initially - even make it go away temporarily - but you cannot put it to death.  It WILL come back later and bug you, annoy you, and torture your thinking until you give way to it.  Ever try to get a song out of your head - or stop thinking about something by TRYING to stop thinking about it.  Yeah - doesn't work does it.  Neither does fighting sin by trying to stop sinning and thinking about the temptation to sin.  What we need is MORE POWER! We need a different kind of life.


The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus  - is that we turn to Him, to His power, to His life, to think about Him.  This is so different - because our thoughts are no longer about the sin - but about Christ Himself.  The Scriptures say this about this battle, "But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into that same image, from glory to glory - even as unto the image of the Lord." What you look at is truly what you will become. We are no longer looking at sin - but now, by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus - we are looking at Him - at Jesus - and we are being changed into His glory, by His glory, for His glory!

Let me ask you a kind of dumb question. How many times did Jesus lose a battle with sin - hmmmm - NEVER!  So as we turn to Him and His life - we look to that life in us as the power to overcome.  Suddenly it is no longer just us trying to stop sinning - it is the power of the Spirit working in us doing this.  That is why later Paul says this, "but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live."  How are we putting to death the deeds of our body?   BY THE SPIRIT!  

Here is a little homework for tonight.  Take some time to pray - talking to God - and honestly - apologizing to the Holy Spirit (Who by the way IS God - third person of the Trinity). Apologize and confess as sin your actions (sin) that have been for grieving Him. Apologize for putting out His fire with your sin - and trying to do His work in your strength.  Once you've confessed your sin - ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power - so that by His power (rather than yours) you can fight sin.  By the way, when you think of the filling of the Holy Spirit - don't think of it as something filling you up.  The Holy Spirit is a person - not a thing.  Consider His filling - He fills you with His influence and a filling up your life with fellowship!  We speak of spending time with someone - and say at times, "My whole day was filled with time spent with my friend, wife, kids, etc."  We are filled with their presence - with what they say - with great memories - with wisdom as they talk to us - with love as they selflessly give themselves to serve and bless us.  It is the same way as we are being "filled with the Holy Spirit."  Be filled with His presence - with what He says - with great memories of time spent talking with Him and being taught by Him - with wisdom as He teaches you the Word - with love as He selflessly gives you the things of God and serves you and blesses you.  DUDE - SPEND AN HOUR - A WHOLE DAY - A WHOLE WEEKEND TURNING TO HIM AND GETTING FILLED UP WITH ALL HE WANTS TO DO AND SAY TO YOU!  


This is just step one - we will look at more over the next couple of weeks.  For today - get better acquainted with the Spirit - and do some serious damage control in your relationship with Him.  Oh, how He wants to grant you power to fight sin - but in order to do that - you've got to stop thinking you can fight it on your own.


Here is one other thing to do . . . next time you have a temptation to sin - turn to God the Holy Spirit - and fight it WITH HIM!  Ask Him for power to fight - ask Him to teach you what to do - ask Him for the tools to PUT SIN TO DEATH - not just make it go away for a while - or until morning. This will transform your battles with sin - from something you do to something He does within you. This will make the battle more than just "not thinking or doing sin" to "turning to Him, seeing Him, knowing Him, and in the end being transformed to be just like Him by His power and might that powerfully works within you.
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