In Galatians 5 Paul teaches us that if we walk in the Spirit then we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. That is really an amazing statement. He does not say that if we walk in the Spirit we might not fulfill the desires of the flesh. He says we will not like the two are mutually exclusive. Not like walking and chewing gum at the same time. Some talented people are able to do that.
In other words you cannot be doing one and at the same time be doing the other. If you are in Columbus Ohio and are driving to New York you cannot be getting closer to New York and at the same time be getting closer to Los Angeles. If you are climbing a ladder you cannot be going up and going down at the same time. You have to stop one in order to start the other. So if we are doing one the other is not happening.
The amazing this is that if that is true then when we are walking in the Spirit then we will not be able to sin sexually. If we are sinning sexually we cannot be walking in the Spirit. It is a matter of control. Either we are being controlled by the Spirit or we are being controlled by the flesh. The passages goes on to say that they battle against each other. So I guess the key question is; "How do I walk in the Spirit and make that a 24/7 deal in my life?
I believe walking in the Spirit involves at least 4 things. First, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us as commanded in Ephesians 5:18. The verb there tells us that we are to ask to be filled and continue to ask for that filling day by day. It should be the normal and regular thing we do everyday.
Second, we need to repent of any sin we have committed and not try to keep things hidden from God and others. We need to confess our sins on a daily basis and not allow any of them to go un-confessed and hidden.
Third, we need to be led by the Spirit. This means as we are going through our day we are listening to Him and seeking his guidance moment by moment. He rarely yells at us or sends lightening bolts to keep us in line. He whispers and gently nudges us in the right direction. When we fail to obey because of our rebelliousness our heart harden a little more and we become a little more deaf to his whisperings.
Fourth, we need to keep in step with the Spirit. For a couple of years in my childhood we lived on the parade field at the Naval Academy in Annapolis MD. Often on one day a week the midshipmen would be out there practicing marching in formation so that when parade day came they were not stumbling all over each other with their rifles and sharp bayonets wrecking havoc on those pretty uniforms. Keeping everyone in step to work and a keen awareness on those in front of you and beside you. If we are being led by the Spirit and are keeping in step with Him then we are walking in the Spirit and we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.
You have your marching orders ... so keep in step.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Helmet of Salvation
I was teaching last night through the Full Armor of God from Ephesians 6:10-18 at 180 and we looked at the Helmet of Salvation. Paul is teaching us that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principles and powers of darkness. To defeat this enemy, that is more powerful than we are, we must use the equipment that God has given us. If we fight this battle apart from God's armor or just try to ignore it we will always be defeated.
So he lists 6 pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would have worn in battle. Each piece of armor is attached to a biblical truth that we need to have in our lives. For example the belt of truth is not a literal belt we wear. But when are tell the truth and learn and obey the truth from the Bible we are protecting ourselves against the lies and deceit that comes from our world, our flesh and the devil. If I am lying to myself and to others then I will lose the protecting power of truth and will suffer the consequences.
So last night we were on the Helmet of Salvation. The piece of armor that protects the head would seem to be vital to one in a battle. The need to protect our thoughts and our minds is absolutely essential if we are going to defeat our enemy and stay pure. I do not know of anyone who commits sexual sin that does not utilize their mind. That is why the bible tells us to take every thought captive. Controlling our mind and thoughts is like diligently weeding the garden for every seed that takes root in there is going to produce something either for good or bad.
So what protects our minds is salvation. First, that means you are saved by having received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. That is the most essential step for anyone to take. Secondly, I think it means gaining a full understanding your salvation.
Your salvation is huge. It is not just some event that happened when you prayed to ask Jesus into your heart. It is an event that exceeded the span of time. It started before the creation of the world when God chose you to be adopted as one of His children. (Ephesians 1:4-5) It was implemented the day you trusted in Christ and became justified before God by the finished work of Christ on the cross. From that point on we are shielded by God's power until the day we die and go to heaven. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Then we are glorified with new bodies that will never sin or decay and will live forever. That is your salvation from a time line aspect. It began before the universe was created in the mind of God and extends forever into the future.
Knowing and praying through that with prayers of thanksgiving on a daily basis will help protect your thoughts from believing the lies Satan tries to tell you. Like...
- You have really blown it this time
- There is no more forgiveness for you
- You are a complete phony and God is finished with you
What was interesting for me last night was that God put together a couple of thoughts from Romans 6 and 7 with the idea of my helmet of salvation. I pose the question; "What if you do not correctly believe in the biblical concept of salvation, if there are errors in your belief system in regards to salvation ... how will that impact your ability to walk in purity?"
Bear with me this gets a little complicated. In Romans 6 Paul teaches us that we have been set free from the power of our sin nature and we are free to choose who will be our master. We are free to choose Christ as our master and experience life or sin to be our master again and experience death. Pretty clear and simple teaching. We give power back to sin by choosing to give into our sinful desires that come from the sin nature, or flesh. That flesh, or sin nature, remains in us even after we have received Christ.
In Romans 7 Paul adds the role of the law to the equation. He teaches us that the law and our sin nature work together. Once we decide to try and keep that law in order to have a relationship with God we have entered into a works oriented relationship and salvation becomes a result of my work instead of God's grace. If we base our relationship with God on works we fail every time because the law activates the flesh into action to the battle, that we will lose, is on ... and we, like always lose that battle and eventually end up sinning again.
So if my understanding about my salvation is that my relationship with God is based upon my ability to obey the law then as soon as I decide to obey the law and not sin sexually then the sinful sexual desires in my flesh comes alive and throws a constant barrage against me until I fall.
Now I am not saying that we do not need to obey God relative to staying sexually pure. What I am saying is that our relationship with God, whether we are saved or not is not based on our purity and obedience. Our salvation is based on the Grace of God and the finished work of Christ alone. It is not of works at all. My eternal relationship with God does not hang in the balance of whether or not I obey Him. It is permanent and forever.
What happens when I choose to sin is that my relationship with God remains but now our interaction within that relationship changes. First, I will suffer the consequences of my sin, which are destructive to me and others around me and I will receive the discipline from my heavenly Father which will not be pleasant. He disciplines me because I am His child and He loves me.
As a father my relationship with my kids is not based on their obedience. They are and will remain my kids no matter if they decide to hate me, move away, change their name and never speak to me again. They are still my kids and that they cannot change. They were born into our family. God has caused us to be born into His family and we are his children and that relationship is forever.
Now lets put it all together. If I have a faulty view of my salvation. If I begin to believe that my salvation is based on my obedience to God then my salvation has become based on works. If I enter that arena then I will strive to keep the commands of Scripture and according to Romans 7 the law will activate the flesh and I will end up doing what I do not want to do and go back to being the wretched man that I am.
So a faulty view of my salvation has left me vulnerable to attack from my spiritual enemy and my flesh. If you believe that you can lose your salvation it is going to impact your ability to walk in the grace of God. You will live in fear and continue to fall to the desires of your flesh. Believing that your are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone allows us to experience the freedom we have from the controlling power of our flesh through Christ's work on the cross and free to choose Him instead of sin. I am then obeying Him and His will for purity out of love and the desire to please Him who gave his all for me instead of out of fear that I might lose my relationship with God.
So what do you believe about your Salvation? If you will study and discover what the biblical truth is about your salvation you will be putting on the Helmet of Salvation and will be able to stand strong against your enemy.
Stand Strong!
So he lists 6 pieces of armor that a Roman soldier would have worn in battle. Each piece of armor is attached to a biblical truth that we need to have in our lives. For example the belt of truth is not a literal belt we wear. But when are tell the truth and learn and obey the truth from the Bible we are protecting ourselves against the lies and deceit that comes from our world, our flesh and the devil. If I am lying to myself and to others then I will lose the protecting power of truth and will suffer the consequences.
So last night we were on the Helmet of Salvation. The piece of armor that protects the head would seem to be vital to one in a battle. The need to protect our thoughts and our minds is absolutely essential if we are going to defeat our enemy and stay pure. I do not know of anyone who commits sexual sin that does not utilize their mind. That is why the bible tells us to take every thought captive. Controlling our mind and thoughts is like diligently weeding the garden for every seed that takes root in there is going to produce something either for good or bad.
So what protects our minds is salvation. First, that means you are saved by having received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. That is the most essential step for anyone to take. Secondly, I think it means gaining a full understanding your salvation.
Your salvation is huge. It is not just some event that happened when you prayed to ask Jesus into your heart. It is an event that exceeded the span of time. It started before the creation of the world when God chose you to be adopted as one of His children. (Ephesians 1:4-5) It was implemented the day you trusted in Christ and became justified before God by the finished work of Christ on the cross. From that point on we are shielded by God's power until the day we die and go to heaven. (1 Peter 1:3-5) Then we are glorified with new bodies that will never sin or decay and will live forever. That is your salvation from a time line aspect. It began before the universe was created in the mind of God and extends forever into the future.
Knowing and praying through that with prayers of thanksgiving on a daily basis will help protect your thoughts from believing the lies Satan tries to tell you. Like...
- You have really blown it this time
- There is no more forgiveness for you
- You are a complete phony and God is finished with you
What was interesting for me last night was that God put together a couple of thoughts from Romans 6 and 7 with the idea of my helmet of salvation. I pose the question; "What if you do not correctly believe in the biblical concept of salvation, if there are errors in your belief system in regards to salvation ... how will that impact your ability to walk in purity?"
Bear with me this gets a little complicated. In Romans 6 Paul teaches us that we have been set free from the power of our sin nature and we are free to choose who will be our master. We are free to choose Christ as our master and experience life or sin to be our master again and experience death. Pretty clear and simple teaching. We give power back to sin by choosing to give into our sinful desires that come from the sin nature, or flesh. That flesh, or sin nature, remains in us even after we have received Christ.
In Romans 7 Paul adds the role of the law to the equation. He teaches us that the law and our sin nature work together. Once we decide to try and keep that law in order to have a relationship with God we have entered into a works oriented relationship and salvation becomes a result of my work instead of God's grace. If we base our relationship with God on works we fail every time because the law activates the flesh into action to the battle, that we will lose, is on ... and we, like always lose that battle and eventually end up sinning again.
So if my understanding about my salvation is that my relationship with God is based upon my ability to obey the law then as soon as I decide to obey the law and not sin sexually then the sinful sexual desires in my flesh comes alive and throws a constant barrage against me until I fall.
Now I am not saying that we do not need to obey God relative to staying sexually pure. What I am saying is that our relationship with God, whether we are saved or not is not based on our purity and obedience. Our salvation is based on the Grace of God and the finished work of Christ alone. It is not of works at all. My eternal relationship with God does not hang in the balance of whether or not I obey Him. It is permanent and forever.
What happens when I choose to sin is that my relationship with God remains but now our interaction within that relationship changes. First, I will suffer the consequences of my sin, which are destructive to me and others around me and I will receive the discipline from my heavenly Father which will not be pleasant. He disciplines me because I am His child and He loves me.
As a father my relationship with my kids is not based on their obedience. They are and will remain my kids no matter if they decide to hate me, move away, change their name and never speak to me again. They are still my kids and that they cannot change. They were born into our family. God has caused us to be born into His family and we are his children and that relationship is forever.
Now lets put it all together. If I have a faulty view of my salvation. If I begin to believe that my salvation is based on my obedience to God then my salvation has become based on works. If I enter that arena then I will strive to keep the commands of Scripture and according to Romans 7 the law will activate the flesh and I will end up doing what I do not want to do and go back to being the wretched man that I am.
So a faulty view of my salvation has left me vulnerable to attack from my spiritual enemy and my flesh. If you believe that you can lose your salvation it is going to impact your ability to walk in the grace of God. You will live in fear and continue to fall to the desires of your flesh. Believing that your are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone allows us to experience the freedom we have from the controlling power of our flesh through Christ's work on the cross and free to choose Him instead of sin. I am then obeying Him and His will for purity out of love and the desire to please Him who gave his all for me instead of out of fear that I might lose my relationship with God.
So what do you believe about your Salvation? If you will study and discover what the biblical truth is about your salvation you will be putting on the Helmet of Salvation and will be able to stand strong against your enemy.
Stand Strong!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Embracing Jesus
Scripture clearly teaches that as believers we now have a choice. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been set free from the monopoly our sin nature had on us and we can choose to either allow sin or Jesus be our master. It is a choice we need to make at the beginning of everyday and reinforce multiple times a day with each temptation that comes our way. (See Romans 6)
However, I find that early in the recovery process people do not understand this. For years, maybe even decades, when they have tried to stop embracing sin they try to do so by embracing not sinning. They try with all their might and great sincerity to not sin. The 12 Step programs call this white knuckling it.
However, here is the thing ... you cannot embrace not sinning. Not sinning is a choice you make not an entity you can embrace. Many people who sincerely want to stop go weeks and maybe even months but eventually fall back into sin.
What happens is that they make it through the withdrawal period, which may take up to 6 months and then the painful issues of their lives, that they have been medicating with sex, rise to the surface and for the first time in a long time they really feel the pain. Embracing not sinning can do nothing for you at this point. You need something or someone who can help you deal with those issues and heal those wounds.
For recovery to happen we must stop embracing sin and embrace Jesus. He is real. He has the power to heal. He has been tempted in all ways even as we are tempted yet without sin. He and He alone has the power to heal you and take you further in your recovery. So stop trying to white knuckle it by embracing not sinning - embrace Jesus everyday and at every moment in every day.
However, I find that early in the recovery process people do not understand this. For years, maybe even decades, when they have tried to stop embracing sin they try to do so by embracing not sinning. They try with all their might and great sincerity to not sin. The 12 Step programs call this white knuckling it.
However, here is the thing ... you cannot embrace not sinning. Not sinning is a choice you make not an entity you can embrace. Many people who sincerely want to stop go weeks and maybe even months but eventually fall back into sin.
What happens is that they make it through the withdrawal period, which may take up to 6 months and then the painful issues of their lives, that they have been medicating with sex, rise to the surface and for the first time in a long time they really feel the pain. Embracing not sinning can do nothing for you at this point. You need something or someone who can help you deal with those issues and heal those wounds.
For recovery to happen we must stop embracing sin and embrace Jesus. He is real. He has the power to heal. He has been tempted in all ways even as we are tempted yet without sin. He and He alone has the power to heal you and take you further in your recovery. So stop trying to white knuckle it by embracing not sinning - embrace Jesus everyday and at every moment in every day.
Monday, May 31, 2010
One Day at a Time
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)
These words were spoken by Jesus and are part of what is called the Sermon on the Mount. From this part of the sermon Jesus is teaching us to live one day at a time. That concept is found in all 12 Step literature and is an essential concept to our recovery. In fact for the addict first coming out of sexual addiction it might need to be living one hour at a time.
To view our recovery and the time it takes as a whole can be overwhelming. For me it has been 4 years and 8 months. At this point I have a long history of sobriety and the pull of sexual sin is only an occasional struggle. Not so in the beginning. After the stage of remorse and confession there was a lull in temptation and in my depression sexually acting out was the last thing I wanted to do. However, as time passed the struggle returned with a fury as I was trying to go through withdrawal.
If I had thought...wow just 36 more months of this and I will feel free...I would have never believed I could go that long withstanding the barrage of sexual temptations. The good news is I did not have to. I just needed to deal with my addiction one day at a time...and sometimes one moment at a time. If I can get through the next 5 minutes I can make it through the hour then the next and eventually the day.
Often the issue comes down to how do I get through the next 5 minutes? The wrong choice is to bear down and white knuckle it in your own strength. How many times has that failed. For me it was countless. There are only two ways of getting through the next five minutes of a serious temptation.
1. Call out to Jesus - Jesus through the Holy Spirit has the power to help us defeat temptation. His first answer to you will be simple - "Flee!!!" Do whatever you need to do to get out of the place or situation that is tempting you. You might be in your car outside of an adult bookstore praying please Jesus give me the power to not go in there. And He is saying just start your car and drive away you bonehead!
2. Call your Sponsor of accountability partner. Why do you think God invented cell phones? Whip that baby out and call for help. Early in my recovery we called these fire drills. We called each other on a daily basis just to develop the habit of calling. Is anything on fire? Make the call and keep calling until you reach someone who can pray with you.
I have been in recovery for almost 1700 days and the value of living one day at a time has been crucial for my recovery. More on this later...
These words were spoken by Jesus and are part of what is called the Sermon on the Mount. From this part of the sermon Jesus is teaching us to live one day at a time. That concept is found in all 12 Step literature and is an essential concept to our recovery. In fact for the addict first coming out of sexual addiction it might need to be living one hour at a time.
To view our recovery and the time it takes as a whole can be overwhelming. For me it has been 4 years and 8 months. At this point I have a long history of sobriety and the pull of sexual sin is only an occasional struggle. Not so in the beginning. After the stage of remorse and confession there was a lull in temptation and in my depression sexually acting out was the last thing I wanted to do. However, as time passed the struggle returned with a fury as I was trying to go through withdrawal.
If I had thought...wow just 36 more months of this and I will feel free...I would have never believed I could go that long withstanding the barrage of sexual temptations. The good news is I did not have to. I just needed to deal with my addiction one day at a time...and sometimes one moment at a time. If I can get through the next 5 minutes I can make it through the hour then the next and eventually the day.
Often the issue comes down to how do I get through the next 5 minutes? The wrong choice is to bear down and white knuckle it in your own strength. How many times has that failed. For me it was countless. There are only two ways of getting through the next five minutes of a serious temptation.
1. Call out to Jesus - Jesus through the Holy Spirit has the power to help us defeat temptation. His first answer to you will be simple - "Flee!!!" Do whatever you need to do to get out of the place or situation that is tempting you. You might be in your car outside of an adult bookstore praying please Jesus give me the power to not go in there. And He is saying just start your car and drive away you bonehead!
2. Call your Sponsor of accountability partner. Why do you think God invented cell phones? Whip that baby out and call for help. Early in my recovery we called these fire drills. We called each other on a daily basis just to develop the habit of calling. Is anything on fire? Make the call and keep calling until you reach someone who can pray with you.
I have been in recovery for almost 1700 days and the value of living one day at a time has been crucial for my recovery. More on this later...
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