Day 46 Crucify the Sin!

Romans 6:6 (HCSB) For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin,

 

Hallelujah! When we take up the cross, we can know that our old self will be crucified and sin will no longer be our master!

If you are tired of the same old sin getting to you, take up the cross and crucify it! Don’t be enslaved to sin.

Don’t hear me wrong, I did not say it was easy. Crucifixion is painful and difficult. No one goes to the cross easily. But by the power of God we can crucify the sin and live without it!

Praise the Lord!

 

 

Day 45 Take up the Cross

Matthew 16:24-25 (HCSB) ²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it.

 

Denying yourself is a not really a natural thing to do. You have to be pretty intentional to deny yourself.  We have a tendency to allow ourselves much in this life. We usually do not deny ourselves much.

 

Take up his cross. This has been a much misused verse. Taking up the cross has nothing to do with some rheumatoid arthritis and everything to do with the punishment for sin. The cross was the instrument God used for the payment for sin. We are to take this up and realize the sacrifice that was made and accept it and follow Jesus. I have heard it said, “that’s my cross to bear,” as if some outside force has laid something upon us to carry through life. Our cross to bear is the sin we have committed and we take it up only to lay it down at the feet of Jesus.

 

Lose your life in Jesus and you will truly find it!

 

Day 37: Just do it!

Acts 1:8 (HCSB) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

 

Have you committed the sin of NOT telling someone about Jesus? Have you ever had the thought,  “Someone needs to tell them about Jesus:” or “They need Jesus”, but then after the thought never did anything about it?

Have you ever been in a situation where spiritual things were brought up and you avoided the conversation because you “just didn’t know what to say?

Have you ever felt the need to be trained in evangelism but avoided doing it because you thought it would somehow make you “more responsible” if you went through with the training?

 

Remember that training is a good thing, but not necessary. You can tell your story about what Jesus has done for you. You are the best person to tell your story.

 

I am an advocate of “Nike” evangelism. When the Holy Sport prompts you to speak… just do it!

 

Day 36: Sins of Omission

John 15:4-5 (HCSB) ⁴ Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.

 

Spend time abiding in God’s word. As we are in the wake this week of another prominent minister falling into moral failure it might be a good time to consider that it may not just be a sin of commission that happened here, but also a sin or sins of omission.

 

Steve Gallagher of Pure Life Ministries recently wrote on this subject recently in an article featured at the Canadian PromiseKeeper’s web site that deals with this issue.   Steve writes:  “The danger those in ministry face are not the sexual enticements one is assaulted by in the sexualized culture of America but the overwhelming pressure exerted upon them to slack off spiritually.  In Galatians 5—that marvelous chapter that describes the battle between the Spirit-led life and the carnal life—Paul said, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) My testimony is that in all my years of ministering to Christian men who had fallen into sin—including many pastors—I have never found any evidence that would dispute the truth of that statement.  To put it in its most basic terms:  those who walk in the Spirit in their daily lives will find the strength available to withstand temptation when it presents itself; those who walk in the flesh will not.”

OK… walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh… easier said than done, right?  But what warning signs are there that you might be close to a position where you may fall?  From Steve’s experience here are a few things that pastors who’ve fallen have in common.  Steve writes:

1.  Their devotional life has not been properly maintained. A number of years ago I was asked to speak at a pastors’ retreat on the subject, Why Do Our Pastors Keep Falling Into Sin?  One of the things I said to those pastors was that, of all the fallen pastors I had dealt with over the years, I had never once had to minister to a “Mary,” but I had dealt with many “Marthas.” In other words, those who stay at the feet of Christ are not vulnerable to falling into sin.  At Pure Life Ministries, every worker—whether he is ministering to others or simply filling telephone orders—is required to spend at least two hours a day seeking God.  If these lay people can live that way, surely those who are representing the Lord to others should do so as well. 

2.  There is an over-busy life. This is difficult, because ministry can be very demanding.  However, I have found that much of the activity of those who had fallen into sin was not generated by a sincere love for people as much as it was by selfish ambition or fear of man.  The sincere minister will go to God and ask Him to reveal his motives.  “Lord, am I involved in this activity because I truly want to help others or because I am trying to build a bigger church?” Or, “Lord, even if my motives are pure in this, is it your will?” Jesus scolded Martha by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42) Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Beware of the barrenness of a busy life.”

3.  Discouragement, Depression, & Fatigue. Satan often capitalizes upon discouragement to lead a person into sin.  When a believer gets down or gets hurt by others, he becomes more vulnerable to temptation.  Being worn out by ministry is another thing that will weaken a leader’s resolve to live a holy life.  The ministry is both stressful and sedentary by nature.  The combination of these elements often leave a person physically exhausted, which in turn makes him more vulnerable to temptation.

 

So there seems to be both sins of commission ( the sexual sins, the busy-ness, etc) and a sin of omission (failing to have a devotional life) which is choosing not to “abide” as in the verse above. I might also add that the other sin of omission is that of choosing not to seek help when depressed, discouraged or fatigued, We all have times when it is easier to “abide” than others. We all have times of difficulty. We need to take actions to keep abiding.

 

Day 35: More Sins of Commision

 

Revelation 2:14-15 (HCSB) ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the sons of Israel: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵ In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

 

Do not compromise your beliefs. Do not put the opinion of man over that of God. Stand strong in your faith!

 

Romans 14:23 (HCSB) But whoever doubts stands condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith, and everything that is not from faith is sin.

 

What about those issues that are not clearly pointed out in scripture? Is there peace in your heart about the activity you are engaged in? Listen to the still small voice of God.

 

Day 34: Hot buttons

Proverbs 13:11 (HCSB) Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle, but whoever earns it through labor will multiply it.

Do not gamble or support gambling. Vote against all forms of gambling. Gambling is wrong. This is not a political statement, but a spiritual principle. It is poor stewardship of what God has entrusted to you to gamble.

 

Leviticus 19:31 (HCSB) “Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.

Do not dabble in the occult. Don’t take stock in fortune cookies, horoscopes, or any other thing other than God. Put away all such practices even if you are “just doing it for fun.”

 

Day 33: Giving

Malachi 3:8-10 (HCSB) ⁸ “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me!” You ask: “How do we rob You?” “[By not making the payments] of 10 percent and the contributions. ⁹ You are suffering under a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are [still] robbing Me. ¹⁰ Bring the full 10 percent into the storehouse so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this way,” says the Lord of Hosts. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.

 

 

To “rob” is defined as “to deprive unjustly of something belonging to, desired by, or legally due (someone).” We rob God when we do not give Him what is due to him.

 

The tithe is the beginning point of giving. How can I do this? I have bills to pay! I am in financial peril! I certainly do not advocate forgoing your obligations in order to pay tithe, but I do suggest you evaluate ALL that you are spending before claiming you have nothing to give. Also -  don’t not give if you can’t yet give 10 %. Start somewhere!

God gave us everything we have including life itself. It all belongs to Him! Hold it all with an open hand.

 

 

Day 32: Modern Idolatry

Exodus 20:2-3 (HCSB) ² I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. ³ Do not have other gods besides Me.

Matthew 7:24 (HCSB) “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock.

 

Idolatry. When we think it is about worshipping statues, we laugh at those hwo do it. But when we define it properly as putting something -  anything above God -  we cringe.

 

How many times do we place things above God -  material things like cars, money, etc.

How many times do we place entertainment above God -  TV, movies, music.

How about family? God loves the family, but He is supposed to come first.

Church? Do we place too much emphasis on doing for church rather than seeking God?

 

Most of these things are not bad in themselves. God actually uses all these things for His glory. But that’s the point. It’s about His glory. Not about us, about Him.

 

Tear down your idols. Focus on God.

 

Day 31: Our Temple

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (HCSB) ¹⁶ Don’t you know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? ¹⁷ If anyone ruins God’s sanctuary, God will ruin him; for God’s sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.

 

God lives in my body! What a thought! When is the last time I cleaned the temple? Are there things I do that dishonor God in my body? We can all fill in the blank. Maybe it is:

I need to eat less.

I need to eat healthy.

I need to exercise.

I need to stop smoking.

I need to stop drinking alcohol.

I need to correct destructive behaviors.

Etc, etc, etc.

 

Decide now that you are going to start treating your body like it should be treated – as the temple of God!