Rules without relationship eventually lead to rebellion.

Recently the spirit of the Lord has led me to study a portion of scripture which has afforded me many great truths that I desire to share with you.  It is my intention to bring to you a series of blogs where I will break down Romans 14: 1-5 and detail Paul’s instrumental teaching as it pertains to Christian liberty.  I think it will help understand why some Christians only do well in an environment of rules and why others who have such great liberty, may sometimes find themselves struggling to live right while proclaiming they enjoy a “great relationship”.

Because this will be a multi-part blog, I will not spend a lot of time on fancy endings.  We will just end at 700 words or so and pick it up again the next time I write to you.  With that said, it is probable taht no single blog will hold the entire counsel of God.  Please give me the grace in this space to place each truth side by side over the course a few days in order that we may see this truth in it’s entirety for what it should be–illuminating!

In simple terms, there are basically two ways to govern our lives.  We can be lead by the liberty of the Spirit-which is granted to us by the Spirit of God, for we know that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is always liberty. Or we can be kept at bay by rules.  It is not liberty.  It is actually a form of rigidity.

Sometime rules come from the Word of God, and we know that these rules can never be contrary to the leading of the Spirit, for the Holy Spirit would never contradict what the Bible says.  We also have rules placed over us by our God-ordained authority, which again are almost always consistent with the leading of the Spirit.  However, we often find that others who are not directly over us want to place rules over us or feel that we should personally impose more rules upon ourselves.  This is where we must proceed with caution. Why you ask?  Because rigidity without liberty is stupidity!

Don’t get me wrong, rigidity (that is to say rules) is good.  Having boundaries and setting personal standards that we refuse to compromise are integral to our Christian stability, especially when our walk with God may seem dormant or distant.  But they are only beneficial if they are spiritual bumper to keep us IN Christ.

But, again I say, when rigidity infringes upon my Christian liberty it is stupidity.  Jesus Christ came to make us free.  We are to live within boundaries, but when our freedom is dependant upon those boundaries we are bound, not free.  Therefore, it is counterproductive to allow ourselves to be made free by rules that squelch the liberty bestowed upon us by the Spirit of God.  We are to be made free by a relationship that leads us to obey all of His rules out of appreciation and selflessness.  Thus, we must strive to strike a healthy balance between the two.

Romans 14: 1 says, Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.   In this verse, is Paul referring to the faith of justification (believing that Jesus died for your sins), or is he referring to the faith of sanctification (allowing Christ to live his life through you)?  Well, friend, he must be referring to sanctification because the faith of justification is either all or nothing.  You cannot be weak in your salvation!  So Paul must be speaking about those who are weak in their ability to yield to the sanctified Christian life.  Keeping that truth in mind, Paul goes on to tell us that we are to receive those who are weak-those who struggle.  The weak in faith are more often then not those who allow rigidity to dominate over their Christian liberty.  That is to say, they focus on obeying rules and boundaries rather than on the intimacy of their walk and the selfless sacrifice of their personal agenda’s.  This ultimately hinders their relationship with the Lord and limits the liberty and power that is found in the abundant, Spirit-filled life.

Furthermore, Paul tells us to receive these weak, rules dominated people of rigidity, but not to doubtful disputations.  This means that we are to embrace these rigid Christians not for the sake of argument or criticism, but rather to show them something better-a better way!  It is our responsibility to demonstrate, and even teach, the Spirit-filled life of liberality to those “weak in faith” (rigidity dominated Christians).

We that strive to live the liberated Christian life can often learn from those who lean toward rigidity, but we do not stand to gain nearly as much as those whom Romans 14: 1 is referring to.  It is by our influence that the spiritually rigid will ultimately discover the freedom found only through the liberty afforded by the Holy Spirit!

Are rules wrong?  Of course not!  Are rules necessary?  Of course they are!  But rules without relationship eventually lead to rebellion.

Good morning! Freedom is found within boundaries.  Many young people reject the God given boundaries of their upbringing, thinking or feeling as if those restrictions are inhibiting their liberty.  But nothing could be further from the truth!

As a young person, I couldn’t wait to get out of my Christian home, Christian School and that baptist church!  When the day came, I would finally be free from my boundaries, or so I thought.  But we only exchange boundaries with bondage!

Secondly, Freedom is not only found in submission to boundaries, but freedom is also found in submission to authority.  So as we obey God’s boundaries and are guided by His authority we will find restrictions set in our lives by His delegates.  These delegates are people He allows to be in authority over us.  It is our parents, our preachers, our teachers, our EMPLOYERS, and even our government.

Yes, God has ordained and chosen His leadership by OUR placement.  He placed you in your home.  He placed you in your church.  He placed you in that job and He has placed you in the country in which you live.  This was intentional on His part.  You may wish for something different, but it is not the wish of our Lord, at least not at this time.  It is our rejection of His wishes that bring us into bondage.

With this said, God has designed a system of advancing our liberty through a routine of daily dieing on our part.  That is to say a willingness to give our selfish thoughts, wants and feelings over to the thoughts, wants and feelings of our Lord Jesus Christ as led by His Spirit-our Holy Spirit.

The majority of our deaths, that is to say, the sacrificing of our selfishness, will come at the request or behest of our God ordained leadership.  If we are unwilling to accept their role of “boundary placement and enforcement” in our lives, do we really think we will enjoy the liberty that comes from our personal death?

Liberty doesn’t come because we fight to the death.  Liberty comes because we submit to our death!  Today, let us give up on our fight to expand our liberties at home or at church or at work and accept our boundaries, embrace our restrictions, honor our leaders and revere our Savior.  Then we will find great liberty, for we have died that we may enjoy it!

Good Morning!  It is sad, but very true that submission to authority is no more prevalent in Christianity than it is in the secular world.  I know this for I have led and been led in both worlds.  Rebellion towards God’s umbrella of protection (our parents, preachers, teachers, employers and the government) seems to be just as commonplace in our churches as it is a world “that knows no better”.

Of course this is especially true when working with addicted people.  I have never met an addict that does not struggle with rebellion to authority.  Submission, however, is God’s primary prerequisite for advancement in any area of life.

For example, if I want to advance in my spiritual life, it requires only but one thing:  submission to the Holy Spirit.  I have learned through many mistakes that God blesses every single act of submission on our part both individually and collectively.  When we submit, we are blessed.  They go hand in hand.

But many times our submission, which must be internal in nature to gain God’s unmerited favor, gives way to stubborn rebellion when we feel as if our decision makers are actually decision mistakers!

Every leader makes mistakes, for every leader is human.  However, as followers we must realize that we do not need anyone whom God has situated between us and Him as leaders to fully cooperate with God in order for us to gain God’s blessing.  No!  In order to gain God’s blessing I submit to every ordinance of man for His name’s sake, that’s it!  That’s all! And God’s blessing is sure to follow.

Often times, we will meditate on the mistakes of our God ordained leadership and contemplate how our perception of their weaknesses will bring us harm or undue stress and use this contemplation as a justification for at least internal rebellion.

On the outside, we may appear somewhat submissive, but it is obvious to those around us that we are at best divisive or at least disruptive toward our leadership’s leanings.

Whether you are a wife with a stubborn husband as your leader, a church member with a pastor who you feel is making wrong choices with your life, an employee with a hotheaded boss or even fearful of what is taking place with our political leadership of the land, we all have a responsibility to look to the Lord and simply trust and obey.

Recently, I counseled someone who had an upcoming court date for breaking the law.  She wanted help with their court situation but at the same time was asking advice on her marriage because she was upset with her husband for his stubborn refusal to change his leadership style to one that fit her preferences for the family.  After counseling with her for thirty minutes, I realized that she didn’t trust her pastor with her personal problems and was on a three day suspension from her job for punctuality problems.  Suffice it to say I spoke to her about her need to submit to these forms of authority and she became frustrated with me and of course did not take any of the advice that I gave her.

Here is one person, and I meet people like her nearly every single day that in one meeting revealed a rebellion toward the authority of government in breaking the law, her spouse in second guessing his leadership regularly, her pastor in mistrusting his God given role in her life, her employer in disrespecting the workplace rules of order and her teacher in that she heeded none of my counsel, not a word of it!

But to her, it was our fault her life was a mess! She is not going to gain God’s blessing unless it is granted out of sheer mercy from her Maker.  I have learned that true freedom comes from submission to authority.

As a matter of fact the Bible tells us that when our leadership is at its worst that is when our submission should be at it’s best!  For that is when we glorify God the most.
Notice this oft overlooked admonition from the hot headed, opportunistic and presumptuous follower, Peter.  Who after many embarrasing moments of impetuousness, later in life he concluded the following in 1 Peter 2:18:

“Servants (which in modern vernacular is referring to employees), be subject (or submissive) to your masters (which means leaders) with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.”

The word forward means perverted.  That’s not the word pervert, but the word perverted, which means “distorted”.

This is a leader who has a distorted view of his leadership or his followers.  This is a bad leader and Peter learned in life that he and we have an obligation to be submissive to them in a spirit of fear, which means respect.  So that means when we have bad leadership, we should respect them and submit to them.  Even when they are wrong and we are right!  That’s not only God’s plan, its God’s demand!

Peter goes on to point out that if we are good followers of bad leaders we are behaving “thankworthy” or, Christ-like.  But if we are “faulty followers” then we have not suffering in any way when we are treated poorly by our leaders for we probably deserve it!

Let’s look at how this is taught in verses 19-21:

“for this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. . .”

So we see that proper responses TO God ordained leadership is not predicated upon proper responses FROM God ordained leadership.  We need to be GOOD employees AND we need to respond right to BAD employers.  That’s a mighty tall law!  But it is God’s design for submissive mankind.

If we respond right to leadership that might be acting wrong then we will eventually see a blessing come out of a bad situation.  If we just stay put and committed.  Solomon, the wisest man to ever live said this:

“If the spirit (temperament) of the ruler (leader) rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses.” (Ecclesiastes)

What a truth!  If our leadership gets temperamental towards us (deservedly so or undeservedly so) then we just need to stay focused, submissive and Spirit led.  That is our “place” in the God’s chain of command.  If we will do this, it will pacify the the leader from his or our own unintentional offenses.  Even if it is deserved, we are told that the leader will eventually be pacified.  How?  By our proper responses to their improper perceptions, that’s how!

With that said, my life can be broken into three time periods since my salvation at age 8.  From 8-18 I ignored authority and never advanced in my life.  From 18-28 I rebelled against authority and regressed in every area of my life and then from 28 till now, as I have made every effort to remain submissive to authority, every single area of my life has excelled beyond my greatest of hopes and aspirations.

To God be the glory; submission brings great endings to every story!

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington

Check out Bro. Curington’s classic book, Preparing for Peace, at our new RU E-Store for $8.40.
Become a Fan of this book on Facebook! 

Good Morning. The book of John records an equation that answers the question on what it takes for us, or for anyone else for that matter to SEE JESUS.

I don’t know about you, but I need to see Jesus more often than I allow myself that privilege.  In John 12 we see that some Greeks came to worship Jesus and enquired of Philip that he might gain them the necessary access to “see Him”.  When it was requested of Jesus, he agreed the timing was right for Him to “be seen”.  But not in the way they were requesting.  Not just an answered prayer or a healed sickness.  But in a way in which they would make a great sacrifice in order to “see Jesus” and from that point forward Jesus would also be seen IN them!

That is what we all need.  Not only to “see Jesus”, but for Jesus to be seen in us as a result of that sighting.  NO matter how short that sighting may seem, others should benefit from our “sighting of the Savior”.

Remember when Moses saw the image of the Lord in the burning bush?  His countenance was unbearable to behold for it shone “so bright from His light”.  He needed a veil to cover the Shikinah Glory of God!

That image of the Lord is available for us to see.  But, herein is the equation for the “Savior Sighting and our subsequent lighting”:  “The same came therefore to Philip . . . and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus . . . And Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

Jesus was telling Andrew, on Phillip’s behalf, that the timing was perfect for “a Savior Sighting”.  So here is what Jesus required of those looking for a “peek at His Perfection”

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone”.  There will be no “Savior Sighting” without a willingness on our part to die.  But not to die that we may never enjoy our life.  But to die that we may experience His life.

Most of us struggle to remember, if even to recognize that what Christ considers life, many of us consider some sort of death.  When in reality, what we often consider to be life is not even worth dying for!  It’s meaningless.  A corn of wheat will never be useful unless it gives up its desire to remain but a kernel!  It has far more value than its measly existence is realizing.  It can grow into a living organism that will feed many from its fruit, if it will but die.  As a matter of fact Jesus even said “but IF it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

The equation then defines it’s actual calculations in order to experience this death that brings forth much fruit and a subsequent “Savior Sighting”.  “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

We don’t have to give up life.  Life is something we will receive; not lose!  What we have to be willing to give up is THIS life.  This life is OUR life IN THIS WORLD!

When we tell ourselves we need God to adapt to this world and our many needs therein, we will see our “Savior Sightings” will be at a minimum.  But when “our life in this world” is detested, we will see our Savior in a different light.  We will see Him as our true Savior from our miserable life and the giver of His new life.  But this exchanged life does not have to wait till our entrance into Glory.  For His glory has been revealed and is now.  We can have the Christ life right now!  The equation continues as it tells us how to die to this life and to experience the life that IS Christ.

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor (promote).

At the time that Jesus said this to Andrew, he became troubled and asked God to save him from this approaching hour (of His crucifixion).  Jesus then asked that God to be glorified in all He was willing to do on God’s behalf and a voice boomed from heaven and said “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

Jesus calmly replied.  “This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

Herein lies the equation:  Jesus sightings are available for those who die (sacrifice) to the “desires created by this word” that He may plant our dead bodies, water them with His Spirit that they may come alive.  Then the “Son can be seen” and that Savior Sighting will shine upon our new life as we break through the darkness of our death.  And then, as we approach a position where we may be considered a small growing resource for Him, He will painfully prune us that we might be plucked up as fruit for OTHERS!

He said “if any man will serve me, let him follow me?”  “OK, I will follow.  Where you headed?” is my curious response to His request.  “Over there, to die” was his reply!  What we say next determines whether or not we will experience a “Savior Sighting” and see Jesus.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:19-22)

Many an individual has been justified and has undergone a particular sanctification making them prepared and available to be used as the Lord deems necessary.  However, many are prepared and set apart for use, but they sit idly by and remain unused vessels.

Knowing God intimately is the primary way in which we experience our benefits of sanctification. When we are first saved, we become justified and simultaneously sanctified. Sanctified means “set apart.” We are set apart for God’s sacred use.  He dwells within us in the form of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost. We now have the Power within us to be used by Him in miraculous ways, as evidenced in the New Testament. This does not mean, however, that we automatically are enjoying, much less engaging in the benefits of our sanctification.

Remember, the benefit of justification takes place because God knows you, informationally; the benefits of sanctification take place as you know God intimately. You and I must grow in our knowledge (intimacy, not information alone) of God to experience the benefits of His Power in our lives. Let me give you an analogy.

You do not need to know power to use power, but you need to know power to be USED by power. You see, power is the ability to overcome by using a resource. If you were to enter a dark room, your first reaction would be to reach for the power source—the light switch. The light would turn on, and the darkness would be overcome by using the resource of the power supply from the electric company. You used the power; however, the power did not use you. But we must realize that that light switch we would use to eliminate light was made available for our use because someone was used by that source of power for our benefit.

Let me explain. For the power to be available for us to use, someone had to be used by the power source. In order for that light switch to be there, an electrician was used to place it in that position. Thus, the electric company used him to channel the power into a position to overcome darkness. What was the prerequisite for that electrician to be used by the power source? Very simply, he had to understand this power. He had to know this power. He had to understand how this power of electricity works. He had to increase his knowledge of this power until he understood how to best use it for his own benefit and for the benefit of others who could then use it themselves. That is why you must be properly trained in electrical power before you work with it. It is that simple.

Allow us to be challenged to look internally today and ask this question, “Are we being USED by the Power Source?” God may have prepared us specifically for a purpose, but are we just knowledgeable about that purpose and how to make it work, or are we actually working out that purpose He has designed for us?

One fruit of righteousness studied in our Uphold curriculum includes the fruit of Serviceability.  This defined is “when we are agreeable to being durable and moldable that we may become usable.”  Is God using us to fulfill His plan?  Are we of service for Him, or are we found unreliable?  Oh, we may be useful, but we don’t show up for God’s appointments when He can actually use us for His purpose.

My friend, there should exist a hunger in your being to be used of God with full compliance and recognition of God’s program for you.  To simply be used despite self makes one no better than the devil, for even he is used by God.  How important is it for us to desire God’s use of us to heal, make right, restore, unite that which is shattered, deliver captives, open eyes, illuminate reality, dispel mists, empower, enrich, and fulfill.  These are important tasks God needs done, but He desires to use us as vessels to fulfill these.  This is the meaning and purpose for which God desires our life to be directed and for us to be used.  Do not let it be said of you:

I lived for myself, for myself alone,
For myself and none beside,
Just as if Jesus had never lived
And as if he had never died.

Instead, let the inscription on our tombstone read as one unknown saint, “He was used of God.”  Do not let your life slip away without being used and be an awful Christian who is a slothful Christian.  Please learn as a youthful Christian to be a dutiful Christian who is a truthful Christian, for we know that a useful Christian is a fruitful Christian.

Have a wonderful day IN the Lord!
Steven Curington

“There is nothing more attractive to a lost person than someone who LOVES unconditionally, enJOYs life’s adversities, and exhibits PEACE in the face of opposition.”

Today and every day, I am challenged to live the “way of Agape.” This has become my motto for 2010.  What does living the “agape way” mean? The Greek word agape is often translated “love” in the New Testament.  The essence of agape love is a self-sacrifice without expectation of reciprocation.  Agape love is uniquely distinguished by its supernatural nature and its character.

Agape is a love which is of and from God, Whose very nature is Love. The Apostle John declares this in 1 John 4:8, “God is love.” God does not merely love; He is Love.  People argue that our God is also a God of judement and wrath and truth.  And all that is truth.  But God is NOT any of that.  He is a God OF those things, but He IS (present tense indicative) LOVE!  Even when He is exercising wrath, judgment or chastening He is doing it IN love, because He is Love.  God loves because that is His nature and the expression of His being. He loves the unlovable and the unlovely—us! He does not bestow his love on us because we deserve to be loved, but because it is His nature to do so, and He must be true to His nature and character. God’s love is displayed most clearly at the cross, when He showed His love for us even though we were yet sinners.  We are undeserving, but He freely gave His love (His Son).   He paid the ultimate sacrifice for the lost.  He did not love with conditions placed on His love.  It was freely given for all.

This type of love does not come naturally to mankind. Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of producing such a love. If we are to love as God loves, that love—that agape—can only come from its true Source. This is the “the love of God [which] is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” (). It is clear, only God can generate within us the kind of self-sacrificing love proving that we are His children. Because of God’s love toward us, we are now able to love one another; and that love will be a draw for the lost that will then stand in awe of Him.

Today and every day, I am challenged with the diversities of adversities. Adversity comes in the form of affliction intended to drive us toward a deeper walk with Christ and a more conformed image to Christ as weaknesses are revealed.  Life has many adversities, but each is individually crafted by God for our good and His ultimate glory.  Why not rejoice or have repeatable joy in the midst of something that is for our good and God’s glory? Second Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

I can truly say that affliction today is something I look far more forward to because I know the potential results if I respond right to that affliction.  I want more often to have a joy in adversity.  This, too, is something as well that does not come naturally to humans, thus it requires the supernatural work of the Holy Ghost.  In a trial, He can be praised, and the lost will stand amazed.

Today and every day, I am challenged to exercise love, exhibit joy in difficult and finally, to express peace when experiencing blows from those who oppose. This is no troubling matter.  We are exhorted in 2 Timothy 2:2-4, “For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” A clear opportunity to witness for Christ arises when we are able to live quiet and peaceably among the brethren.

There is nothing that will turn a lost person off to Christ quicker than seeing the brethren at ought one with another.  Paul exhorts us in Romans 12:18, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” Now, to what do you believe “as much as lieth in you” refers?  It could be none other than the Holy Ghost who lives within the believer.  He is able to give us the power to live in His love, with joy and peaceably with all men!  Amen!

Why am I challenged daily in these three areas? It is because I see the importance of being proactive when given the chance to be interactive in making Christ attractive.

Sin must gain permission from the soul before the body it can control.  Its point of persuasion begins with concentration.

The word transformation comes from the word metamorphosis. A metamorphosis means a change in form. The transformation, or change in form in our lives, begins with renewing the mind. Paul used the word renewing, which means to make new after destruction or depravity. That is a very accurate description of our minds after the Fall of Man.

As we know, the first outside pressure Eve encountered was the lust of the flesh, which attacks the mind. The decay of her mind began before she reached out and took the fruit. She began to question the validity of God’s words, and the allure of the fruit and the presumed knowledge the tree offered her outweighed the instigations toward obedience in her mind. How do we know this?  Because: Sin must gain permission from the soul before it can engage the body. Its point of entry and persuasion begins in the mind. In the same way, the transforming of our behavior must also begin in the mind.

Perhaps one of the best illustrations is the contrast between two superheroes who were popular when I was young. It is a great visual reminder of how we act and react when faced with adversity. Every week, the first television program began something like this: “David Bruce Banner: doctor, physician. He was searching for hidden strengths that all humans have, when an accidental overdose of gamma radiation altered his body chemistry. Now, whenever David Banner becomes angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs.”

Then, you would see a picture of David Banner trying to change a flat tire in the pouring rain. As he tries to get the tire off, the tire iron slips, and he bangs his knuckles. Suddenly, his eyes change color, his skin turns green, and he transforms into the raging creature known as the Incredible Hulk. Faced with adversity, he lacked the ability to control his reactions. That is the plight of the depraved mind of man. It is so controlled by outside influences that it can change the nicest person into a snarling monster.

There was another superhero who dates back a little further who was very different. Like David Banner, he was calm and mild-mannered on the outside. But Clark Kent never changed his demeanor. No matter how hard things got or how difficult the circumstances he faced were, Clark was always calm, cool, and collected. If a jet plane was spinning out of control toward the Daily Planet where Clark worked, he would just slip into a closet, pull off his suit and in his bright colored leotards, simply fly off as Superman. He would bring the plane under control and return it and all the passengers safely to the ground.

How could Clark Kent remain so calm in any serious situation? Because he knew that he had a hidden power within that began with a capital “S”—just like we do! Our minds can be repaired so that instead of becoming monsters under outside pressure and influence, we respond in great strength through the inward persuasion of another power that begins with a capital “S”—the Holy Spirit!

With our body, our minds can be influenced by the sensual; but with our Spirits, it can be controlled by the Celestial.  Spiritual leading will you leave behind and your life you will find, will be soon be in a bind; if your mind, with sin you dine, as you rewind and remind on things unkind!

The formula used at RUI for gaining and maintaining freedom from habitual sin is found in John 8:31, 32 where Jesus said, “. . .to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Let us be reminded of this simple equation while SIMULTANEOUSLY considering what battle we are currently having in our own life. (If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit there is always a sin of sorts seeking dominion over us.) Step one of our formula for freedom is to believe on Jesus. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him…” The very first key to being made free from our addiction, from the power and penalty of sin, and from the control the devil has on us is to believe on Jesus! Mark 9:23, “Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” John 3:16b, “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you have not taken this first step, then stop taking your twelve steps! They are a waste of time! Step one is to believe on Jesus. When we must believe IN Jesus to be saved and we need to believe ON Jesus to be made free; for the burden of our bondage will need to be placed ON Him, as we learn to trust IN Him.

Step two of our formula for freedom is to continue in His Word. “If ye continue in my word…” Jesus’ Word is the Bible. John 15:7 says, “If ye abide in me, and my word abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” So many of us have gone to the Lord in prayer and said, “Oh, Lord, will You please remove this addiction, this stubborn habit, that I have? Could you please find it in Your heart, Lord, to help me?” But the Bible says that God’s Word must abide in us to have our prayers answered. God’s Word cannot abide in us if we are not spending time in the Word of God. The key is to continue in His Word. The fruit of daily persistence in reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on the Bible will produce spiritual freedom. Our addictions and stubborn habits will eventually be overcome as God’s Word abides in us, and we abide in Him. This means that God’s Word goes in and we yield to it. That is His Word abiding in you and you in Him. That brings victory! Asking, while rejecting our obligation of abiding, will result in us imbibing! You can’t stay clean without the wet wipe of the Word!

Second Timothy 3:14-17 says, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (or, the Bible’s main purpose is) for doctrine (what is right), for reproof (what is not right), for correction (how to get right), for instruction in righteousness (how to stay right): That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” We see that the main purpose for the Word of God is to teach a Christian what is right, what is not right (truth and lies), how to get right and how to stay right. Why does the Lord want to teach us what’s right, what’s not right, how to get right, and how to stay right? So “…that the man of God (or, the Christian) may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (or, thoroughly equipped) unto all good works.”

Step three of our formula for freedom is to be His disciple. “…then are ye my disciples indeed;” (John 8:31) A disciple is a student who follows His leader. This means that as we study under Him, we must also follow Him with our lives. Matthew 16:24-25 is teaching us that if we want to follow Jesus, we must deny our own desires and pick up someone else’s burdens. Pick up someone else’s problems and carry them on our shoulders. We need to die to ourselves and follow Jesus’ perfect example of meeting the needs of a dying world! “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it…” We prefer to focus on our own problems and our own prosperity. But if we do, we will lose both! But “… whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Give your life to serving Jesus, and you will find a life worth living…free from sin’s power. But we have to be willing to sacrifice our preferences, promotions, and possessions for the sins and sakes of others.

Step four of our formula for freedom found in John 8:32 is that we will know Truth. “And ye shall know the Truth…” Second Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” That is the goal of a disciple (or student follower) of Jesus. The more we get to know Jesus, the greater our level of freedom! John 8:32 tells us the result of our belief in Jesus coupled with our willingness to the influence of the Word “…and the truth (Jesus) shall make you free.”

A new child of God can know Jesus, though they won’t know about Jesus very well, at least not at first. However, the more we get to know Him, the more we will also learn about Him and subsequently understand His freedom!

All freedom is found in first believing and subsequently in knowing Jesus. The ability to maintain that freedom over sin comes from maintaining our deep, abiding relationship with Him. When we don’t, we need to regain that deep abiding relationship as soon as sins influence becomes noticeable to us again.

Let freedom reign—simply maintain your gain with a disdain for the way of Cain! 

Overcoming temptation is not simply “resist or it will persist”.
For sometimes, if you resist…it will only persist. .

It is imperative that we, as Christians, realize the importance of the examinations that come with temptations. God allows trials into our lives to “examine” us; thus we can conclude that if God allows it, we should not resist it! There is something, however, that we should resist. Obviously, we should strive to resist the devil. Now the key here is not actually resisting the devil per se, but rather resisting the wrong thinking he seeks to place into our hearts. Furthermore, when I say that we are to resist these bad thoughts, it is important to note that there is just one way to accomplish this, and that is to cast them down.

2Corinthians 10:5

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

If we try to simply resist, or willfully try to not allow them to come into our heads, we will inevitably fail. When we take that approach, our focus actually becomes more intensely placed upon evil things. Wrong thoughts will come into our minds. The only effective measure of protection against damaging thoughts is to cast them out at once because sometimes, if you try to resist, they will only persist!

My friends, do not seek to resist wrong thinking; instead seek to cast down the bad thoughts as soon as they come across your mind. This is the only way to overcome bad thinking. We don’t need to resist; we need to refocus
When we refocus ourselves toward pure thoughts, we will inevitably draw our minds away from thoughts of evil. Again, we can see the doctrine of replacement. If we simply resist bad thoughts but do not refocus ourselves to good thoughts, our minds will be left with a void that will eventually be filled with that wickedness or worse. But if we refocus our thoughts, thus replacing the bad with good, we will move our minds completely away from where the devil would have them to be.
This is exactly what the Scriptures intend for us to do through temptations of examinations. When something bad happens in our life and we get frustrated or discouraged, God wants us to take a look at exactly why we are feeling that way. Why are we discouraged? Why are we frustrated? He wants us to shift our focus away from the evil circumstance and place it back on Him, so that He may reveal Himself for our perfecting.
You see, God has promised us that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) and He has assured us that He will never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised so many great things that it would be impossible to list them all. However, these promises are what God wants us to focus on, not the adverse circumstances that leave us discouraged!
Recall in Philippians 4:8 that Paul gives us a list of things on which we should think. He says that if anything valuable is to come as a result of our lives, then we must think on these things. All of these things are positive, God-honoring, thought triggers. When we refocus our minds, thinking on positive things, the negative that once consumed our minds will grow strangely dim.
I am not promoting the power of positive thinking here. Rather, I am simply pointing out the dangers of negative thinking. You see, negative thinking is nothing but an avenue of weakness that the devil will use to travel into our minds, thus infiltrating our hearts.

Matthew 6:22-23

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness.”

Our Lord is saying that our eyes illuminate our bodies because we focus with our eyes. Now, the word single as it is used here means completely focused. So we see that if our eyes are focused on light––or things and thoughts that God used to shape peace after making light––our whole bodies will be illuminated. To have one’s entire body illuminated means to bring to a state of complete peace in the face of temptation, trials and even tribulation!

Thus, when tempted: resist if you can, persist though it might! But don’t be alarmed when by temptation you are still charmed. It may not be easy…your struggles may seem tragic…but your solution is far from magic! Simply reject the hocus pocus and determine to refocus!