(I originally wrote this post for Ask God Today, and Brenda has graciously let me repost it here!)

Every person, every Christ-follower struggles with sin—whether we recognize it or not. While we tend to think of sin as being hideous and repulsive, which it is, it often masquerades as beauty and light and goodness as shown in 2 Corinthians 11:14. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” If it feels good, looks good, smells good, it must be good, we reason.

What is clear about sin is that it is instigated by the devil (I John 3:8). God warns us, as he did Cain in Genesis 4:7, “But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

That sounds direct enough, so why do so many believers become entangled in sin? Well, Satan knows our flaws and finagles circumstances targeted to our weak areas. Let’s consider four specific ways Christ followers can get bogged down in sin.

1. Busyness is the Bane of our Society

Throughout the Bible, God points out the importance of His children spending time with Him. Jesus modeled this for us. Mark 1:35 says that “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Author Bob Sorge calls prayer “the constant calibration of the soul.”

I love this word picture “calibration of the soul.”

When we pray, God holistically fine tunes us—our souls, our spirits, our minds, and our bodies. He adjusts our thinking to His. Immanuel prayer calls this “thought rhyming.” Surely if Jesus, who was also divine, needed this time, how much more do we? Yet many of us start our days without the calibration of our souls. Why is that?

Frankly, many of us are just too busy. We’re consumed with family and job responsibilities or mesmerized by entertainment. We simply don’t set aside the time. The other day I got up early because I had several pressing deadlines. I remember thinking to myself as I was getting ready to write a post on praying, “I don’t have time for my quiet time today; I better just get started writing!” What is wrong with that attitude? I certainly needed a recalibration at that point!

When we don’t sit at Jesus’ feet on a regular basis, our souls shrivel up and

the lure of the world pulls us away from the call of the Word. We are vulnerable to temptations and attacks because we don’t have our armor on.

2. Natural Weaknesses

Another reason Christians fall into sin is because of our inherent weaknesses. Just as we each have gifts and strengths, we also have character flaws. In her study Armor of God, Priscilla Shirer tells us we would be wise to know our weaknesses and our strengths, because Satan will attack us in both of these areas.

We need to identify our weaknesses so that we are alert to this area of attack. An area of weakness in my life has been fear, and it took several years for God to heal this. Still today, I keep a close watch on this area in my life.

3. Oppression from the Enemy

Thirdly, if we don’t overcome our weaknesses, they can turn into strongholds, a prison inside of us that keeps others from being able to reach us.

Strongholds don’t develop overnight, but rather over time, from allowing wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong living to go unchecked. The Holy Spirit will always warn us, but we have the choice of whom we listen to. Strongholds that aren’t uprooted can turn into oppression, a state where our mind and emotions are tormented relentlessly by the enemy.

4. Pride Goeth Before a Fall

Finally, many Christians also fall into sin because of pride. We think “I’ve got this; I can handle this temptation,” when instead we should do as 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth.” Did you notice that God did not say “Stay and fight the temptations of youth (or middle age or old age)”? We are to FLEE from temptations.

Our pride tells us to stay and beat it, but God knows that temptation is dangerous. Do not knowingly put yourself in the path of temptation, and if you find yourself there, get out of Dodge as fast as you can before it gets you. Do not try to rationalize sin. Over the years, the news has spotlighted many Christians who thought they were immune to the lure of sin and paid for it with their ministries, their witnesses, and their families. Don’t be the next one.

Any one of these four situations can cause a believer to wind up in serious sin. But I’d also like to consider one other special circumstance.

A Word About Suffering

A trauma in our lives can leave us vulnerable to falling into sin if we don’t suffer in the right way. This may sound crazy, but there is a healthy way and an unhealthy way to walk through a tragedy in our lives. In the book Joyful Journey Listening to Immanuel, the four authors discuss how “any life event that leads us to feeling alone without help can be experienced as traumatic.” We may believe that God has abandoned us, even though the Bible says He has not.

In his study of the brain, Dr. Karl Lehman states that there are pain-processing pathways in our brains that our traumas need to process through in order for complete healing to occur. God needs to take us through these. If we don’t allow Him to, unresolved pain in our lives causes us to search for relief—often in destructive, addictive ways. I discovered this firsthand while walking through the death of my second child. The first few months I was a mess. I couldn’t eat or sleep, was angry, fought with my husband, and was a lost soul. Finally, I joined a Bible Study Fellowship class and that was the beginning of my healing process.

While, I can’t fully address all the information here (the above book is short and well worth the read), it’s important to suffer well without being estranged from God. A few ways we can reignite our “Relational Circuits” with God in the midst of tragedy is through the practice of interactive gratitude, thought rhyming, and practicing appreciation. The book addresses all of these things in depth.

Summary

We have seen how not spending time with God, natural weaknesses, oppression, pride, and suffering can derail Christ-followers and cause us to fall into deep sin.

The good news is that all of these things are choices we make. (While we don’t choose suffering, we can choose how we respond to it.) God has called us to holiness, and we can choose to live and walk that path. “For we are not controlled by the sinful nature but by the Spirit.” Romans 8:9.

Christ has not been stingy with us. In fact, Ephesians 1:3 tells us that He has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm (think about that for a few minutes) to help us in life, which means He has certainly blessed us with the ability to overcome sin.

Action Steps To Be a Sin Overcomer

1. Make time for Jesus. We’ve already seen the damage that not spending time with Him can cause. Write down a specific goal: I will spend 10 minutes reading the Bible each day. I will learn Interactive Gratitude and practice it four times a weak. I will pray for 15 minutes, and so on. Your goal should be measurable. All of these things will give you an immune booster shot to sin.
2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you don’t already know, ask God and a trusted friend to show you what your weaknesses are. Bill Hybels calls weaknesses we aren’t aware of yet our “blind spots.” Write these down in a journal. Then ask God to help devise a plan to shore these up and write down the plan. Consider counseling, mentoring, a Bible study group, an accountability partner, whatever it takes; put in the work to overcome your weaknesses and always be alert in these areas to attacks. Realize Satan will also attack us where we are strong. So identify your strengths and write these down too and be alert to attacks.
3. Practice taking every thought captive to Christ. Do not let strongholds form in your mind. Write down and memorize Bible verses that speak to your areas of attack. Actually speak God’s truth over your life, your family, and your ministry. God’s word is alive and active and sharper than a two-edged sword. It is much stronger than the enemy, and it will protect your mind.

Step up, believer, and stand firm in the faith. God is faithful to finish what He has started in you.

What are your thoughts? Please share any ideas you have on overcoming sin.

 

To Do-ers List Bible Study: Back to School, Obey the Rules

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey — whether slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Roman 6:16

Slave to Fear

When I was a little girl, I was embarrassed by something that happened in church one Sunday. It wasn’t a big deal, but in my mind, I blew it up to big proportions until I feared that it would happen again. The fear grew out of control until I dreaded going to church. Unfortunately, fear became my go-to emotion in my life. When I finally conquered the fear from the original occurrence, another one quickly replaced it. The process of how I dealt with difficulties in my life was broken, and it was making me a slave to fear, which is actually a sin!

Call It What It Is

I did not realize that this now-established pattern in my life was a sin. And I certainly didn’t realize that I was “obeying” it, but I was. It controlled many aspects of my life because I would go to great lengths to avoid the thing that created fear. And this was ever changing, ever growing; the talons of fear were firmly clasped around my throat, strangling the life out of me.

It wasn’t until I gave my life to Christ that I learned to be obedient to Him and the truth of His word, and that is what bought me my freedom. It was a slow process because I had years of learned wrong behaviors. But as the Holy Spirit got a hold of my life, I switched my allegiance to the Life Giver, and He set me free.

How did He do this? Here’s some of the things that helped.

• Attending church and absorbing the sermons
• Reading the Bible for myself
• Memorizing scripture that applied to my situation and repeating them aloud many times, speaking them into the situation
• Praying and identifying another trusted person to pray for me
• Changing my thinking from focusing on lies to truth
• Listening to biblical teaching on fear
• Talking to those wiser than me

One thing I realized was that

As we have already mentioned previously in this study, spending time with Jesus studying his word are crucial elements to becoming doers of the word. Mary told me about a little book called A Gospel Primer for Christians, Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love by Milton Vincent that really helps the reader to rehearse who you are in Christ and the righteousness that is now yours. It may help you to firmly plant these truths in your mind and heart too. Here is a link to it on CBD. (OnlyByPrayer is an affiliate of CBD, so if you purchase this book from this link, we will receive a small profit from that).

A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love By Milton Vincent / Focus PublishingTo the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome” (Romans 1:15). Evidently, Christians need to hear the gospel even after conversion. A Gospel Primer for Christians is designed to do just that. Use this book to preach the gospel to yourself on a daily basis, and be amazed at the difference it can make in your life!

For Today

Today let’s identify if there are any areas of our lives where we are not obeying Jesus. Is there something that you need to let go of or give up? Is there an area that you’ve been trying to retain control of? Perhaps you’re not even aware of it, as I was not. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to identify it and for the grace to hand it over. Then come up with a plan of how you will walk in freedom. List one or two things that you can do today to work for or maintain your freedom by obeying Jesus’ rules.

School is in session. Obey the rules!

Previous Sessions of To Do-ers List, Back to School:

Day 1: New Clothes

Day 2: The Book

Day 3: Pack a Lunch

Day 4: Listen to The Teacher

Day 5: Study!

To Do-ers List: Back to School, Listen to the Teacher

When I was in sixth grade, my best friend, Dawn and I had the great fortune to sit next to each other in class. While we were happy about it, our teacher, Mr. Herrmann, was probably not so thrilled. Dawn and I always had plenty to talk about, and on this particular day we chose to discuss our latest plans while he was trying to teach. We definitely did not listen to the teacher.

After several warning glances, Mr. Herrmann ran out of patience and called us out in front of the class. Usually not one to get in trouble, I was mortified and upset that I had disobeyed the teacher. My punishment was to write my spelling words 30 times each to be turned in the next day. Embarrassed, Dawn and I closed our mouths and listened.

That little story may be one reason why I identify so well with Martha in today’s scripture. Martha gets a call out of her own, and I can just imagine that she might have been keeping up a constant stream of chatter, too, while Jesus was trying to teach.

Listen to the Teacher

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman name Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.'” Luke 10:38-42 NKJ

The Teacher Comes to Town

Martha was excited to have Jesus in town. She invited Him to her home and was preparing a meal for all the guests. While Martha was cooking, Jesus was talking. And when He talked, people listened. They were compelled to listen. Everyone, it seems, except Martha.

Here’s how I imagine it went: Mary starts out in the kitchen helping Martha, with Martha giving the directions.

“Mary, take this tray out to the guests, and then come right back so that you can help me with the next course. I’ll need you to … ”

As Mary escapes the kitchen, Martha is still chattering and rehearsing to herself about what needs to be done next so that everything is perfect for Jesus.

Mary sets the tray down and magnetized by Jesus’ voice, she stops…listens…and sits. Pretty soon she can’t help herself and inches closer and closer until she is right at Jesus’s feet, hanging on his every word, eyes locked on his face.

In the meantime, Martha’s frustration is growing by the second. She waves her arms, trying to get Mary’s attention.

“Psst! Mary, Maary! Psst! Come here.” Realizing that is useless because Mary can’t see her, Martha’s patience boils over, and she approaches Jesus with her plea.

Martha’s Come-to-Jesus Meetin’

I can just see Martha’s and every other eye in the room turn to look at Mary to get her comeuppence when Jesus surprises them by patiently and lovingly pointing out Martha’s fault. And ours. We are worried and troubled about many things. Instead, we need to figure out what our “one thing” priorities are, and that involves spending time listening to our Savior. Mary chose wisely. It was Martha who needed a readjustment.

For Today:

Of course we realize that tasks need to get done at home and at work. That wasn’t Jesus’ point. The point is that He needs to be our first priority in life, and we have to figure out what that looks like for the season of life we are in.

Write in your app or in your notes what you want your time with Jesus to look like. Pray about this and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Be realistic. If you have small children, are a caretaker, or have a job with immediate demands, keep that in mind. The important thing is that your are connecting with Jesus on a regular basis. Be as specific as you can. “I want to focus on prayer for 15 minutes.” “I will do the Armor of God study by Priscilla Shirer.” I want to incorporate 10 minutes of silence and solitude into my prayer time.” Pick one way that you will listen to the Teacher Jesus and incorporate that into your life moving forward.

Previous Sessions of To Do-ers List, Back to School:

Day 1: New Clothes

Day 2: The Book

Day 3: Pack a Lunch

Mark and I turned the corner in downtown Westfield on our way to a restaurant when it caught my eye. In  a skinny crack of the sidewalk amidst a sea of concrete bloomed a velvety fuchsia petunia. Beauty stood out in the midst of the sparse environment.

Now I love flowers. Whether it’s a beautifully tended garden, a colorful display of potted flowers, vining plants creeping up a trellis, or a wild riot of wildflowers, I’m always looking, smelling, touching, admiring. But I didn’t expect to see one here.

And I realized that’s what life should be like.

We spend too much time waiting for the perfect setting before we bloom. We think when I have….when I get…then I’ll really do what I’m supposed to do. I’m always waiting for something to happen before I take action.

• An updated house worthy of HGTV before I invite the neighbors over.
• A promotion at my job before I start giving to charity.
• A visible position at church before I start volunteering.
• A perfect family before I let anyone get close.

We’ve got it all wrong.

When we live in the cracks and broken places of life and bloom there for Jesus, our fragrance of him beautifies and permeates the neighborhood.

We are where we are for a reason. It’s time that we become like the fuchsia petunia and bloom right in the midst of the cracks of our lives. It’s then that we’ll see our true beauty, our true purpose emerge, as Jesus transforms us and those around us.

Are you putting off blooming today because you’re waiting for the next best thing to happen? Take your struggle to Jesus and ask Him to help you start living now.

Whether it feels like it or not where you live, summer has arrived in full force. In July we usually enjoy long, hot days with lots of sunshine. Summer evenings are illuminated by thousands of lightning bugs, and crickets and cicadas serenade us with a chorus of songs.

Thanks for taking some time to pray with Only By Prayer this month.

1. Independence Day, July 4 — In 1776, the American colonies won their independence from Great Britain, and we have enjoyed the privileges of a free nation ever since. As we consider the persecution that many are suffering around the world for personally held beliefs, our freedom is not to be taken lightly. In recent years, controversies regarding race, sexual orientation, religion, and politics have made us seem anything but the United States of America. We can pray for Americans to seek God and His plans for their lives and our nation.

Resources:

Intercessors for America

Verse: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for the freedom we have enjoyed for many years in America. We never want to take these for granted. May we keep a spirit of thankfulness ever before us. Many times, however, we have abused these freedoms and made ourselves an offense to You by our sin. We ask for Your forgiveness. May Americans repent and turn to You, seeking Your plans for us as individuals and for our nation as a whole. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

2. Mission Trips — Churches frequently schedule mission trips during the summer months when individuals and families may have a bit more time to devote to this commitment. Let’s pray that God prepares the hearts of all those involved. This can be a life-changing experience for both those going and those who are on the receiving end of the mission’s work.

Resources:

Avoiding Pitfalls of Short-term Mission Trips

Verse: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 NIV

Prayer: Lord, may the short-termers’ first thought be of preparing their hearts before You and seeking Your plans for the trip. We ask that those going would be aware of cultural customs so as not to offend anyone and would be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We pray for safety and good health while traveling. For those whom the trip is planned, we pray for salvation, healing, and growth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

3. Ebola — Although it’s been out of the news lately, Ebola continues to be a problem in certain parts of the world. Liberia, which the World Health Organization declared clear of Ebola in May 2015, has just confirmed two new cases. Neighboring countries Sierra Leone and Guinea are still reporting several cases every week. Let’s pray that this disease can be wiped out and that another widespread outbreak does not occur.

Resources:

News Story

Verse: Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits — who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:3 NIV

Prayer: Lord, we pray that the scourge of Ebola would be wiped off the earth. We ask for healing for those who are suffering from this illness. We pray it will not spread any more. We pray it will not cross the boundaries of cities and countries. We ask a hedge of protection around those who have contact with Ebola patients. Please give the doctors and health care workers wisdom as they treat those infected. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

4. Shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston – Nine people were killed at this black church when a lone, white gunman opened fire after a prayer meeting that he attended. Since then, three arson fires have been set at predominately black churches in the South. These tragedies should spur us on to pray against racism in the United States. We have always been a melting pot of different races and cultures; rather than letting that divide us, let’s be a force for prayer that can overcome prejudice and hate.

Resources:

Prayer Against Racism and Prejudice

Verse: A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34.

Prayer: Jesus, out of a heart filled with love, You died so that we might all have eternal life. When You look at us,You see your children. Help us to remember we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. May our hearts cultivate a spirit of love. We ask for healing at Emanuel Church and for the friends and families of those murdered.  We pray for these other churches that were victims of arson. We pray that hearts of stone and hatred would be changed by your unfailing, color-blind love. May your church be leading the charge of changed hearts. Amen.

5. The Feast of Mary and Martha of Bethany, July 29 — This church feast day celebrates the story of Mary and Martha offering hospitality to Jesus as He was visiting and teaching at their home. We can cull many lessons from this vignette of Jesus’ life. First of all, we can see the importance of offering hospitality and sharing our home with others, just as Mary and Martha did. Perhaps even more, we see the importance of priorities and how we spend our time as we study Jesus’ words to the worried Martha.

Resources:

She Sat by Mary Kane

Mary and Martha at Lectionary.com

Verses: Now as Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Prayer: Jesus, we ask for the trait of hospitality that Mary and Martha demonstrated. Help us to freely share our homes and resources as they did. And we pray for the focus that Mary had on what is important — You. May we set our eyes on You as she did; align our priorities with Yours. Amen.

Thank you for praying with us this month, and be sure to add other requests in the comment section.

Pray on!

Day 10:Abundant Life

 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10