I am sick of falling to the same sinful choices, HELP!

Are you sick of trying to conquer that sinful habit in your life, only to be met once again by bitter defeat? I am. But here is a big part of the problem. Too many of us have been taught that all we need to do in order to overcome that sinful habit in our lives is regular church attendance, or self-discipline, or accountability, or devotions with breakfast, or strong desire, or cold showers, or...ah, never mind, you get the idea. All of those things may be helpful, and do indeed serve a purpose, but they all miss the mark. They all fall short. You know why? Because they all have to do with ME. When I am in trouble, when I am trying to overcome that sin that is just so powerful and pervasive in my life, the last thing I need is more of me. In fact, the Bible is clear, no man goes toe to toe with sin, in his own strength, and survives. We lose. Check out Joseph's example in Genesis 39. You know what he did? He ran. Yeah, so the last thing we need in those moments where we feel our defenses falling and that temptation rushing in like an unstoppable force is more of ME. We need less of me and more of God. That is the only way to experience victory over sin. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16 - "So, I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." You can experience freedom from that sin. You don't have to be it's slave. Paul also wrote in Galatians 5..."It is for freedom that Christ has set us free!" So, how do should I seek to live with less of me and more of God every day and every moment?
1. Confess all known sin to God (1 John 1:9) We can't experience the power of God in our lives if we harbor unconfessed sin...God doesn't play second to anyone or anything.
2. Ask God to fill you  (Luke 11:11-13) He promises He will! Live life under His influence and power, not your own!
3. Believe that He has filled you (Mark 11:24) Live in confidence man! God's power is at work in you! If you ask for something that God is willing and please to give you, He will give it to you. And believe me, He wants you to have His power at work in your life, especially as you desire to overcome your sin!

Be Killing Sin or Sin Will Be Killing You

@desiringgod Desiring God

John Piper: "I don’t wait passively for the miracle of sin-killing to be worked on me, I act the miracle." (blog post) http://dsr.gd/ejgVWy - Follow this link to listen to the audio from this sermon.

 

When it comes to killing my sin I don’t wait for the miracle, I Act the Miracle.
Acting a miracle is different from working a miracle. If Jesus tells a paralyzed man to get up, and he gets up, Jesus works a miracle. But if I am the paralyzed man and Jesus tells me to get up, and I obey and get up, I act the miracle. If I am dead Lazarus and Jesus commands me to get up, and I obey, Jesus works the miracle, I act the miracle.
So when it comes to killing my sin, I don’t wait passively for the miracle of sin-killing to be worked on me, I act the miracle.
For example, Paul says, “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13).

So he tells me to put my sin to death. I should not wait for God to kill it while I remain passive. But he tells me to kill it “by the Spirit." Sin-killing is a miracle of the Spirit. But I do not wait passively, I act the miracle.

Again Paul says, “I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

So Paul works hard to kill the sins of lethargy and distraction in his ministry. “I worked harder than any of them.” But the decisive animation of that work is the grace of God. It is a miracle. But Paul does not wait passively, he acts the miracle.

Or consider Philippians 2:12-13, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13).

Paul commands me to work out my salvation, because God is the one who works this in me. My willing and working is God’s willing and working. It is a miracle. But I do not wait passively, I act the miracle.

I spoke to the Bethlehem College and Seminary Chapel about this crucial act of miraculous sin-killing in my own life. These are lessons I learned afresh on my leave of absence. They feel very fresh, very important and very powerful in my life right now. It is a very personal message.

I invite you to listen or watch “I Act the Miracle.”

Braes 2011 - "Downpour"

"God wants to revive our relationship with Him. Revival is renewed interest after a period of indifference or decline. He wants to wake us up, to refresh our faith, to fire us up again." - James MacDonald

Do you need revival. I do. Does your faith need to be refreshed? Mine does. Do you need to be fired up again? I do. It's not too late to change your plans for this weekend. If you want to join us for this powerful weekend at the Braes, let me know by midnight tonight...we'll make it happen!

Jonathan Ransom (jj_ransom) on Twitter

"With his life Jesus bore your guilt and shame so that in your life you would be defeated by neither." - Paul Tripp

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

It's not about being strong enough, moral enough, or disciplined enough...we need Jesus.

"Today you will be faced with choice points. Will you give way to what Christ has already defeated or will you resist in his power? You are never called to battle with sin in your own strength. The One who defeated sin on the cross now lives inside you!"   -Paul Tripp

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14

Repent & Press On

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:13-14

None of us are perfect. In fact, none of us are even close! Wow, I could tell you some stories. That is exactly why we (especially me) need Jesus. And since none of us are perfect, we all tend to be held back by mistakes and failures from our past. It is easy to be consumed by guilt or fear. But, in this letter Paul is reminding us that we can not allow our present or our future to be sabotaged by the shortcomings of our past. In Christ you are forgiven and you are free from the guilt and shame of your past (yes, that includes yesterday, and last night). Repent and press on. God's grace is always enough. 

 

Fight For Discernment - Sunday, December 5

What is discernment? Literally discernment is the ability to perceive & understand. Discernment is the ability to choose wisely between right and wrong and between better and best! Discernment is one of the skills required to live life well, to be the person God wants you to be, and to be able to successfully follow through with all the responsibilities entrusted you. It is the ability to make great choices and live with confidence. You want some? If you do, you might want to read this blog entry.

Imagine for a moment that God sends a messenger to your house tonight for one very specific reason. He is there to inform you that God has authorized him to give you whatever you ask for. But, you can only make one request. What would you ask for? Would it be knowledge, the perfect guy or girl, money, success, good health, a long life, a perfect family, or how about no more school, ever?

The Bible tells of a time that this actually happened to a young man by the name of Solomon. You may be familiar with what happened. But, even if you are,  I would encourage you to check out how things went down for Solomon. You can read all about it here. 1 Kings 3 It's an awesome story...in fact you might want to read from chapter two through chapter five.

God followed through with His promise to Solomon. In fact, God did far more than just follow through, He exceeded what Solomon asked for in so many ways.

What did Solomon ask for? He asked for wisdom & discernment. Young Solomon knew that if he was going to be the kind of man God wanted him to be, and if we was going to be able to successfully fulfill all the responsibilities that had been entrusted to him, he had to have wisdom & discernment. He also knew that he could not just make himself a wise or discerning person...these things had to come from God. So, Solomon asked and God gave. You know, just like Solomon, we also need wisdom & discernment from God. Have you asked? Are you curious how God wants us to ask, and how He wants us to seek after wisdom and discernment? Check it out here: Path to wisdom & discernment (Proverbs2).

You will notice several important things as you read through1 Kings and Proverbs 2.

1. Solomon was humble enough to recognize he needed God's help and to ask for it. Are you humble enough to recognize you also need God's help? Have you asked for it? God and God alone is the source of all wisdom & discernment. You either get it through relationship with Him (His Word!!) or you don't get it at all.
2. Solomon asked very specifically (He wanted to be godly and be a good king). Have you asked specifically? What do you want wisdom & discernment for? Tell God.
3. Solomon worked to be wise & discerning. You want to know how? Check out Proverbs 2 (linked above). God offers the same thing to us today. Are you willing to work God's way for wisdom and discernment? If you are, He will give them to you. It's a promise.

If you were not at Figh Club on Sunday, you will want to watch the video linked below. It is another great reminder that when you live in a wicked culture like ours you have got to have wisdom & discernment from God if you want to live righteously andexperience God's blessings for obedience.

** Watch This ** You gotta have discernment! (Mark Driscoll)  **Watch This**

Here is our verse for the week: 

 For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 2:6