Let’s Get Ready to Rumble (victory over sin series)
Round 1:
Spiritual Discipline
Welcome to our “Victory Over Sin” series, where you will learn practical tools to help you crucify your flesh, tame your carnal desires and defeat the devil. Over the next three weeks, I am praying you grow stronger in your faith and realize Living a Beautifully Simple life in Jesus does take some work, but victory is possible.
Last week, I discussed the growing problem of ignoring those little sins in our lives, down playing the seriousness of the consequences and refusing to kill the things that actually wish harm to us. Sin is not your buddy, pal or pet. When fully grown, it brings with it death. (James 1:15) If you missed that discussion, click the image below and you can go back and read “It’s Not That Bad”.
So, how do we start getting our flesh under control, and walk in total freedom through Christ Jesus? So glad you asked. In part one of our three part series, we are going to explore the concept of discipline and how this is a vital weapon in our battle against the darkness.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Spiritual training is not an option for the Christ follower. If you wish to be like Jesus, then you must learn, study and understand Who He is, in order to imitate Him to a broken, lost world.
A large part of discipline in any area of your life, walks hand in hand with self control. If you eat too much, you will gain unwanted weight. Consume too much sugar, and you win the prize of diabetes. Scroll on your phone most of the day and you will rot your brain. (Not really… but yeah-kind of)
The opposite can also be true. You work extra hard, show up and prove yourself dependable, you land that promotion at work. Take time to hit the gym each day, and you drop those extra pounds. Spend quality time with your family, and you develop beautiful memories and lasting relationships.
I just gave you examples where a lack of disciple with your eating and screen time can be terrible and even harmful for you; while in contrast, focused effort in your life can lead to tremendous rewards.
The same principles apply in your spiritual life. You must be diligent in practicing your faith, not just pulling it out on Sundays and then tucking it away the rest of the week. Set aside purposeful time to train, as Timothy suggests in his epistle. The harder you work on it, the greater the fruit you will bear, and the easier it will be to squash those nagging temptations that come at you from all directions. Before they can take root, take hold and take control, you will be equipped to destroy them.
The Necessity of Bible Study
Joshua 1:8
“This Book of Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
I heard women’s ministry teacher and author Beth Moore say one time, “It was the Son of God that saved my soul, and the Word of God that saved my mind!” No truer words have been spoken, and the same can be said of myself.
The Living Word of scriptures, have the power to unravel all the lies and deception we believed, before we came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Once you move from death to life, you have to rewire and retrain your brain to think new thoughts, and create new habits.
If you truly want to defeat the enemy, you need to know his plans, his schemes and his motives. Guess what, the devil’s whole playbook is written within the pages of your Bible. And if you still don’t believe scripture has the power to defeat the darkness and keep it away in your life, better take a few master, class lessons from our Lord, Himself.
We see in Luke 4:1-13, where Jesus has fasted for 40 days and nights in preparation for His earthly ministry. At His weakest moment, Satan comes to tempt, derail and distract the Lord with every shiny object in his arsenal of deception. How does our Lord respond to such offers? By rebuking the devil with scripture. Not once, not twice, but three times.
I’m confident, if the God of the universe used revelations found within the scrolls of the prophets to defeat His tempter, how much more should we?
Now, hear me out dear friends. I’m not talking about you reading your “Verse of the Day” inspirational quote and calling it good. That’s not a bad thing, but if that is all you do- it’s like showing up starving to an all you can eat buffet, but only getting a small side salad. You can get away with that in the short term, but ultimately you will become malnourished and sick.
Get in the disciplined habit of studying through a book of the Bible. This may look like reading one chapter per day or even just a couple of verses per day, as you seek to understand what the scriptures are saying.
Don’t gloss over concepts you don’t understand. Look up commentary from trusted pastors to gain their insights on the scriptures in question.
Use a bible that has a concordance, which will cross reference other scriptures that have that same main idea in them. This will allow you to read several different passages, across multiple books, and gain a better understanding of what the Holy Spirit is trying to say.
Reach out to your elders for clarification on complex topics and subjects. The Lord has set men in your life to help shepherd your life for a reason. Tap into their wisdom and knowledge regarding the scriptures.
Determine a set time each day, and stick to your plan. (aka discipline) I have never been a stickler about the time of day one should study. I have heard some pastors and teachers almost rebuke their flock for not having their quiet time first thing in the morning. While it is wise to get your day started right, this is also legalistic, and I disagree. I had a season in my life where mornings worked great. Then I became a stay at home momma, and my kids woke up too early for me to continue that time of day, so I moved it to the evenings after all the littles were in bed. It doesn’t matter when, it only matters that you do!
Dig into the Word, and you will find treasures more valuable than any precious metals or gems this earth could offer. You will also discover strength, peace, wisdom, understanding, truth, clarity, hope, salvation, restoration, freedom and so much more. You will learn to recognize the sin in your life that needs to die, and build a strong stockpile of weapons to fight the principalities of our day that seek to destroy you.
But, maybe one of the greatest benefits you will receive is growing in your knowledge of Who Jesus is, and who you are in Him. That is the most beautiful revelation you will ever experience.
The Practice of Prayer
Matthew 6:5-6
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Once you begin your discipline of studying your Bible, you will quickly see that all four of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) record multiple times when Jesus slipped away from the crowds and the disciples to be alone with the Father in prayer.
As a matter of fact, out of everything the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, prayer was the only request we have recorded in the scriptures. (Luke 11:1-4) Why? Because they recognized the power it gave Him. He was rock solid, under control, had all the right answers at all the right times and kicked the devil’s teeth in on multiple occasions.
They wanted what He had, and so should we!
Prayer is one of those topics that is always at the back of the Christ follower’s brain. They know they should be doing it, but how? When? How long? What do I say? Do I stand? Kneel? It’s ok- breathe! Let’s try to keep this simple.
Find a quiet place in your house, or on your property grounds, where you can focus on the Lord and have limited distractions. The least amount of shiny objects to pull your attention, the better.
Cannot pray for more than a few minutes and then your brain starts to roll through the list of chores you need to get done for the day? You’re in good company! This is a very common problem I have heard from many people. One solution I found to combat when my mind begins to wonder over the river and through the woods, is to begin praying out loud. This causes your brain to force its attention to what is being heard with the ear, so it can process and decode. It begins to function, as it was designed and thus you regain your focus.
Create a prayer journal. Want to know a fun fact? I obviously love to write, but I don’t have a prayer journal… I know, make it make sense. But, for some people, this is a great way to connect with the Lord and get their thoughts, fears, requests, praises and all other communication out and up. I have a dear friend who writes her prayers in black ink, and then when they are answered, she goes back and writes the responses in red. (The blood of Christ!)
Give yourself grace. I remember the busy mom stage. My prayer time was rolling down the highway in my SUV, in-between errands, dance, soccer and the never ending list of chores. The important thing here, is to develop the discipline of praying without ceasing as we read in Thessalonians. This means your first go to when something happens, isn’t your bestie. Not even your spouse. It should be God. Lord Jesus, did you just see that? or Father, I’m feeling anxious right now, please cover me. or Guess what Lord! This is developing relationship, which is the blood line of defeating the enemy.
Prayer is communion and fellowship. It is the communication which sets your heart free, trains you to know the voice of the Lord above all others and reminds you of your constant need of the Savior. When you know the Good Shepherd, you can discern the wolfs which come in sheep’s clothing.
The Weapon of Fasting
Matthew 6:16-18
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others, but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
I’m sure bible study and prayer were very obvious spiritual disciplines to you, but what about fasting? How often do you fast in your faith walk? If this is not a practice in your life, you need to begin to include it.
In the scripture above, those are the words of Jesus. Did you notice what He said? “And whenyou fast” Christ assumes you will perform this discipline at some point in your christian walk, so it sounds like to me, we should not make this optional.
The practice of denying your flesh of something it desires, is a great way to quiet the voices of temptation that scream at you most of the time. Are you going through a rough season with many struggles and hardships? I suggest you fast. Feeling lost without direction or purpose? Fast and seek His will. Is the devil weighting down on your shoulders? Crucifying your flesh by denying it of a pleasure, and remind it there is a new Master in charge of your life now.
A food fast is the most common and biblical form of this discipline. You can refuse your body your most favorite meal of the day, or skip all meals and only consume liquids. Perhaps you have a serious sweet tooth, so you refrain from dessert. All of these are examples of an acceptable food fast. Please remember, if you have certain medical conditions, make sure to fast in wisdom and/or consult your doctor, so as not to risk putting your health or life in danger.
If you do have a medical condition which does not allow for a fast from food, then what is pulling your attention away from the face of Jesus? TV shows? Netflix? Social Media? TikTok? Busy work schedules? Whatever it may be, identify those things in your life that are sucking your time and interfering with your relationship with Christ. Change your schedule, shut off the TV and put down your phone.
Fasting should be done off and on throughout the year. Most people are doing some form of fasting right now due to the Easter season, which is great, but if that is the only time you fast, I think you are missing the point. We are born naturally selfish people, so once per year to deny the lusts of the flesh are not enough to keep temptation and struggles at bay.
Telling yourself NO, is a habit which will give you such freedom and victory over sin. If you can grab ahold of this concept, anytime a thought pops in your head to do something you know you shouldn’t, you are ready with the gift of, NO! This is such a powerful weapon, and one that is overlooked far too often. I encourage you to begin the discipline within your life. This is one that has been on my heart a lot this year to increase in my own life.
I was one of those who normally only fasted during Easter season and then occasionally maybe during the year, but I wasn’t consistent. The Lord has really spoken to me this year about increasing this practice, and I challenge you to do the same. I have already seen and felt a shift in my faith walk, since applying this in a more constant way.
The ultimate point of a fast, is to draw us back to our first Love. To regain our focus, and remember all our hope rests on Christ alone; therefore, He deserves our whole heart and attention. It helps us identify idols that have been constructed in our souls, that must be torn down. And again, if Jesus did it, well… need I say more?
In review, our salvation requires work and action. It’s called sanctification and it’s a life, long journey. Sanctification is the process of getting all the old junk, habits, thoughts, actions, desires and motives out, and putting on the new robes of righteousness that are washed by the blood of the Lamb. You will walk different, talk different and look different in those robes… at least, you should.
Discipline yourself and create new habits of getting into your Word often, praying at all times and fasting from the things that pull your heart and attention away from your Savior and do not reflect the image of Jesus.
Also, please remember, Jesus is not asking us to do anything He, Himself did not do. We see multiple examples of Christ actively working out all of these disciplines while on Earth. In Jewish custom, to be a disciple of a Rabbi, meant you did everything exactly like they did.
Where do you need to work on becoming more like your Rabbi?