Too often I find myself coming to God in desperate prayer as a last resort. In my heart I know It's because I feel confident in my ability to get things done and the root of this attitude is pride (not the gracious hard working attitude from 1 Corinthians 15:10). Proverbs 16:18 famously states, "Pride comes before a fall". Earlier this year I attempted to host "Compassion Sunday" at my church and failed, they sent a detailed survey and as I answered the questions I realized it was my failure to ask God first for everything that needed to happen. It brought me back to the teaching I received in the BSF Leadership retreat this year in Milwaukee. To cure pride in my heart I need to humbly come to the Lord. I need to Trust God's scalpel in true repentance to him.
Christians have an ongoing struggle against sin that is frustrating
- Temptation has a cure: Jesus said in Matthew 26:41; Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. Could be important as it's also in Luke 22:46 and Mark 14:38 adds "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
- FBI: Prayer should be Frequent, Brief and Intense (Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5:16-18)
- Stop, Drop and Roll: Temptation can feel like a fire starting in our soul, when I was kid I was taught to memorize this in order to put the fire out. From a prayer perspective it's helpful reminder to Stop what your doing and pray (drop), then move (roll).
- Sin held back from God, deceives us: James 1:12-16 reminds us God doesn't temp us, rather we are tempted by our own desire, then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin fully grown brings death. He ends this teaching with the warning, "Do not be deceived"
- The heart is deceitful and desperately sick, only Lord God can search and examine it accurately (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
- By faith we humbly ask God to heal us AND he saves us. Read Jeremiah 17:14 Notice he says, "if you heal me Lord, I will be truly healed, if you save me, I will be truly saved". That's the kind of "all in" faith that God requires, not an experimental, half-hearted faith (James 1:5-8). When we come to God we must believe he exists and rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:1,6).
- Stand against the devil but run from sexual temptation: I was listening to OnePlace.com yesterday and heart Jeff Schreve say regarding sexual immorality in the church, "we are to stand firm against the devil (James 4:7) and his schemes (Ephesians 6:11) but when it comes to sexual temptation we are the ones who must run (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
- Ding Dong - Run Away! Genesis 39:7,12 tells us when your in a situation that you know is leading to sexual temptation, run away - even leaving behind your valuables, get out of there!
- We Stand firm to protect, defend and speak truth: The devil's schemes are to lie, steal and destroy to harm what God loves more than the heaven's and earth he created, mankind (John 10:10). Jesus came not to condemn the people but to save them (John 3:16-21).
- Grace is the Power to overcome sin: Romans 6:12-14 teaches us that we are not to let sin reign in our body, making us obey its passions. Instead of presenting ourselves to sin as tools of unrighteousness we should present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness. Sin will have no dominion over you when you submit yourself under God's grace. Notice the "will have no dominion over you", shows the active responsible part you and I have to be active in Grace. Grace isn't about God doing everything for us, Grace is the unmerited favor of God in our lives "to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purposes" (Philippians 2:13)
- Romans 12:3 - By Grace, we know not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought but with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given us.
- John Bevere's book Relentless is all about making God's Grace abound in you, his preaching is awesome - see it here
- Ask help from others to Pray Graciously: To clear your conscience, that you can live honorably in everything you do. "Now may the God of Peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. "(Hebrews 13:18-21)
Rend your heart not your garments (Joel 2:12-13)
- Return to God with all your heart: I love seeing this simple truth across the Bible, Deuteronomy 4:29, promises that while you are sinful, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone—gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will search again for the Lord your God. And if you search for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.
- The Diagnosis: We are brokenhearted and need God to show us this truth we can't see without him (Proverbs 21:2; Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 34:18).
- Total Heart Replacement: What Jesus described in John 3:3, is what Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 36:26 and what the Psalmist prayed for in Psalm 51:10. This is the begining of Jesus' teaching of the sermon on the mount or the beatitudes that even non-christians argue, saying "Jesus is a good teacher". In Matthew 5:8 Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
- Fasting, weeping and mourning: Our part in the process of repentance is to stop our routine to see what God wants to show us, this is the spiritual discipline of fasting. Jesus expects us to fast ("and when you fast...", Matthew 6:16-18).
- People haven't understood acceptable fasting: Isaiah 58:3-7 teaches that fasting that God wants is to loose the bonds of the wickedness, undo the straps of the yoke, let the oppressed go free and break every yoke. To share your bread with the hungry, bring homeless and poor into your house. To cover the naked people you see. When Jesus fasted he experienced Satanic opposition (after he was baptized and received the Holy Spirit), Matthew 4:4 shows that Jesus lived by "every word that comes from the mouth of God". Fasting is not about routine like the religious people did (Luke 18:12)
- Fasting is self-deprivation on behalf of others: Psalm 35:13, "they were sick, I afflicted myself", Acts 13:2-3,14:23 - Prayer and fasting to commit ministers and elders to the Lord, Ezra 8:21-23, Joel 1:14 to humble ourselves before our God, seek from him community needs, not from others. 1 Corinthians 9:27, to keep my body under control.
- Weeping and mourning is the fuel for good preaching: This gets the heart of 'why do we preach'. Jesus wept when Lazarous was dead so that the Jews would see how he loved him (John 11:35-26,1-44). Jesus approaching Jerusalem saw the city and wept over it (Luke 19:41). How often have you wept on your way to minister to others? Rend your heart!
- Know God's grace, compassion and loving-kindness
- The Gospel!: I love Titus, specifically Titus 2:11-3:15 God’s grace and mercy revealed in Jesus Christ is the basis of redeemed, changed lives where once bad people can now do good.
- Come near to God, he will come near to you: Do it with the purpose to purify your heart (James 4:8), do it right now, while He may be found, to forsake your wicked way - return to the Lord and he will have compassion on you - abundantly pardon you (Isaiah 55:6-7)
- Confidence in Jesus: Hebrews 4:15-16 basically says, Jesus totally 'gets us', so come to him for help in your time of need. Do it by the Holy Spirit, through faith in Him (Ephesians 2:18; 3:12), we experience the these truths when we simply come to him - we say confidently 'The Lord is my helper' (Hebrews 13:6).
- Be Honest: The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18)
God’s word cuts us open and exposes our sin and encourages repentance (Heb 4:12)
- Personal response is required: years ago many people in the US would smoke cigarettes, then it was outlawed in public places because of the harmful effects on individuals and people around them. The government spent money on "quit smoking" advertising, one commercial showed a guy sitting in the living room with his daughter playing on the floor and while smoking he said, "I know it's bad for me" then another younger guy would say, "I'll quit, maybe". I was a smoker and I know it's hard to stop, while your a smoker. I've quit smoking several times for a day, a week, a few months, a year and finally I realized that if I have a single cigarette - it's back to square one again. So the point is, it's easier to be 100% committed than it is to have to make a new decision every day or every situation or moment. I'm not having a cigarette in any situation - not while golfing, or watching a sunset in the Caribbean or even if it's the end of the world. So make a decision and let it be 100%, go under the knife and let God perform the total heart replacement, get into God's word and join with other Christians who will come along side you. Do it right now, in Jesus Name.
http://biblehub.com/proverbs/16-18.htm
https://www.bsfinternational.org/
http://www.openbible.info/topics/temptation
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/from-his-heart/listen/tolerating-sexual-immorality-535598.html
http://biblehub.com/philippians/2-13.htm
http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/17-9.htm
http://www.openbible.info/topics/faith
http://biblehub.com/joel/2-12.htm
http://www.openbible.info/topics/heart
http://www.openbible.info/topics/fasting
http://biblehub.com/john/11-35.htm
Throne of Grace: http://biblehub.com/hebrews/4-16.htm
