Fighting the Battle Against Sin

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. https://www.biblegateway.com RSV

   God established protective boundaries for His children because He knows the dangers of disobedience - for both the transgressor and others affeected by the sin. His Word warns us not to give in to temptation but to follow Jesus Christ in a life of sacrifice, which is the only way to true contentment.

  In contrast, the world says satisfaction is found in acquiring goods, wealth, status, and friends. Satan whispers the lie that gratification comes from self-indulgence. His goal of turning us away from God stated with his temptation of Adam and Eve. The Creator had given them access to every tree in the Garden of Eden except one. The first man and woman stepped outside the limit set by the Lord, ate the forbidden fruit, and became separated from Him. Satan used doubt ("Has God said?"), deceit ("You surely will not die"), and self-delusion (You will be like God") to achieve his aim (Gen. 3:1-5). He made rebellion against God - which is the root of all sin - seem very attractive. And the enemy's methods are the same today.

   Clear your mind of any distractions, and allow the Lord to speak to you through His Word. He has much to tell you.

Stanley, Charles F. In Touch: Daily Readings for Devoted Living. February 2016. Atlanta. page 31.

Demolishing Strongholds

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, 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.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Demolishing Strongholds by Marie Malcom Hearn

The forward to Marie’s book was written by Dr. Albert Scardino, [past] Director of Counseling, First Baptist Church of Atlanta.

   Al writes, “Spiritual warfare is real. Satan has a well-organized army and no Christian is exempt from his attacks…(Ephesians 6:10-18)

   On the other hand we know that Satan was defeated at the cross through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ…

   We have found that many people who come to us for counseling are bound up in spiritual strongholds. These strongholds must first be broken before substantial progress can be made in counseling. It is only after a person is released from bondage that they can move forward to freedom in Christ…”

   Marie writes in the preface, “This book is written for Christians who are struggling, puzzled as to why Christianity is not working for them.”

   In Chapter 23, Testing the Spirits, Marie writes, “There are only two supernatural forces in the universe, God and Satan. God does not just ‘have’ power. He is power. Satan is a created being and only has the power that God has allowed him. Spiritual power and spiritual phenomenon have always been a temptation to man. Man has always been fascinated with the supernatural. The natural man likes some ‘feeling’ and ‘manifestations’ to go along with his faith and often falls into the trap of deceiving spirits…”

   (See 1 John 4) “By this you know the spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God…”

   “John is speaking of the spirit. It is the spirit that is to confess the Lord Jesus, not the person themselves to confess.

   Jesus came in the flesh to defeat Satan. Jesus was completely God, yet He was completely man. God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, God is Spirit, and as Spirit He could not die and shed His blood for the redemption of mankind. It was in Jesus’ humanity that He defeated Satan. Jesus never sinned, even one time; therefore He could be the perfect Lamb of God to shed His blood for the redemption of man.

   Jesus never used His authority as God to meet His needs as man. He defeated Satan as man; therefore, spirits will not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh…

   Jesus Christ came in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil and He expects His children to join Him in the battle. Satan has not been completely annihilated, but he has lost his power. He has spiritual lockjaw! His head is crushed. His neck is broken. Satan is not a fierce lion; he is only trying to frighten people with his loud roar. Jesus Christ is the ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah.’

   …Any teacher that is not in harmony with the Word of God is false. The Holy Spirit never denies His Work. If a teacher distorts the Scripture, or adds the thoughts of man to it, it is obviously a lying spirit speaking through the false teacher.

   John gives us another way to discern truth from error. God is a God of love. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. A sincere teacher will love God and love others. A false teacher will not manifest God’s love.

   When our spirit is troubled and disturbed about something that is being taught, we should search the Word, wait before God in prayer, and be careful to avoid a judgmental, critical spirit. Satan can gain ground there also. However, we must be aware that not everything supernatural is from the Holy Spirit.”

   Mrs. Hearn’s book has more material, more pertinent material than can be covered in one page. I would like to end with this quote from Chapter 27, “Although we must never forget that we have an adversary, and always alert to his attacks, our focus must never be on the enemy. Our minds must be stayed on the Lord Jesus Christ. However, we must understand our adversary’s schemes and methods of attack in order to maintain our freedom over him.”

Freedom in Christ

What keeps Christians from being free?

Brokenness-haven’t come to the end of self and still have some confidence in their own resources and abilities. A good indication of this is when they say, “Tell me what to do!”

Unforgiveness-#1 way Satan robs us of our freedom. Most people have some unresolved anger. Forgiveness is God’s only way to deal with it. Unforgiveness=bondage (Eph. 4:26, 27).

Do Not Accept Themselves Just The Way They Are-Need to realize that God accepts them just the way they are, forgive themselves, and accept themselves.

Trying to Get Feelings to Line Up with the Truth-Which will never happen because freedom is experienced when we live by faith in the truth, regardless of our feelings.

Fail to Distinguish between Flesh and the Real You-The flesh constantly wars against the Spirit, but that is NOT who we are-we are not addicts, perfectionists, anorexics, etc.

An Inadequate Understanding of Grace-Do not know they are dead to the law, and everything is permissible, and are still trying to perform and measure up to get their acceptance and worth.

Wrong Concept of God-Don’t know that God accepts them as they are and has not changed as a result of their sin.

Never Appropriated Their True Identity in Christ-It is must information to them and/or they are still holding on to a false identity in the flesh. We always act consistently with how we perceive ourselves.

Have Not Learned to resist Satan-Do not understand spiritual warfare and that Satan was defeated at the cross, and we have authority over him and the demonic.

Have not Learned to Discipline Their Minds-No consistent victory unless we take every thought captive and renew our minds by thinking on what is true, noble, pure, right, etc.

Could this be you or someone you know looking for answers?

Would you like to learn more about:

v  The problem of strongholds

v  God’s solution to strongholds

v  Freedom from the past

v  The lies that keep us in bondage

v  The truth that sets and keeps us free

v  The price of freedom

Would you like to find freedom in you life from issues such as:

v  Addiction & Codependency

v  Anger & Bitterness

v  Perfectionism & Workaholism

v  Low Self-esteem

v  Eating Disorders, Gambling, and Other Compulsive Behaviors

v  Depression & Irrational Fears

v  Sex Addiction & Pornography

v  Stress & Anxiety

v  Strongholds

v  Habitual Sins\Negative Thoughts

v  Broken Relationships

Material gleaned from Freedom From Addiction Workshop by Mike and Julia Quarles. www.ficm.org

What keeps Christians from being free?

Brokenness-haven’t come to the end of self and still have some confidence in their own resources and abilities. A good indication of this is when they say, “Tell me what to do!”

Unforgiveness-#1 way Satan robs us of our freedom. Most people have some unresolved anger. Forgiveness is God’s only way to deal with it. Unforgiveness=bondage (Eph. 4:26, 27).

Do Not Accept Themselves Just The Way They Are-Need to realize that God accepts them just the way they are, forgive themselves, and accept themselves.

Trying to Get Feelings to Line Up with the Truth-Which will never happen because freedom is experienced when we live by faith in the truth, regardless of our feelings.

Fail to Distinguish between Flesh and the Real You-The flesh constantly wars against the Spirit, but that is NOT who we are-we are not addicts, perfectionists, anorexics, etc.

An Inadequate Understanding of Grace-Do not know they are dead to the law, and everything is permissible, and are still trying to perform and measure up to get their acceptance and worth.

Wrong Concept of God-Don’t know that God accepts them as they are and has not changed as a result of their sin.

Never Appropriated Their True Identity in Christ-It is must information to them and/or they are still holding on to a false identity in the flesh. We always act consistently with how we perceive ourselves.

Have Not Learned to resist Satan-Do not understand spiritual warfare and that Satan was defeated at the cross, and we have authority over him and the demonic.

Have not Learned to Discipline Their Minds-No consistent victory unless we take every thought captive and renew our minds by thinking on what is true, noble, pure, right, etc.

Could this be you or someone you know looking for answers?

Would you like to learn more about:

v  The problem of strongholds

v  God’s solution to strongholds

v  Freedom from the past

v  The lies that keep us in bondage

v  The truth that sets and keeps us free

v  The price of freedom

Would you like to find freedom in you life from issues such as:

v  Addiction & Codependency

v  Anger & Bitterness

v  Perfectionism & Workaholism

v  Low Self-esteem

v  Eating Disorders, Gambling, and Other Compulsive Behaviors

v  Depression & Irrational Fears

v  Sex Addiction & Pornography

v  Stress & Anxiety

v  Strongholds

v  Habitual Sins\Negative Thoughts

v  Broken Relationships

Material gleaned from FreedomFrom Addiction Workshop by Mike and Julia Quarles.

Jesus Christ sets us free from sin

All sin is rebellion against God, but because of Jesus Christ, we can be set free from its entanglement.

  “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

  What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 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 you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

Romans 6:11-18

  There is a sure way to deal with sin and that is by applying God’s Word to whatever temptation you are facing. If not dealt with, temptation will turn into sin, and sin will gain a stronghold in your life. From that point, it will permeate all you do.

  People like to think that sin only affects them. For example, they deny the seriousness of adultery by thinking it won’t hurt anyone else, but it always does!

  Sin destroys families, friendships, but most of all, it destroys our fellowship with God. The aftershock of David’s sin with Bathsheba was felt throughout his family and kingdom. It weakened his ability to rule Israel and cost him the respect of family and countrymen. However, the most dramatic result of his sin was how it clouded his fellowship with the Lord.

  In Psalm 51, David prayed this prayer to God: “Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge” (v.4).

  When we cry out to the Lord, He provides the strength and power we need to deal with our sin. He forgives and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. While there are consequences to sin, God will not caste us away. We may have to endure sorrow and embarrassment, but He will walk beside us and strengthen us in our walk with Him.

In Touch June 2001, page 35, June 29

Justification

“…know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:16-20

Perhaps, you thought you had conquered every sinful impulse. That was, until temptation or a new set of trails brought to light some area of your life that you thought had been conquered. This is when you wondered, “How could this happen? I am supposed to be free from sin.”

Oswald Chambers explains, “The Savior has set us free from sin, but this is the freedom that comes from being set free from myself by the Son. It is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20 when he said, ‘I have been crucified with Christ.’ His individuality had been broken and his spirit had been united with his Lord; not just merged into Him, but made one with Him.”

If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then you are one with Him. His likeness and holiness are present within your life. However, there remains within you a sin nature that must be surrendered to God.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

The gift of freedom that Jesus gives requires faith. We must believe that He can root out the strongholds within our hearts and that He continuously works to make us free from all sin and bondage. Our responsibility is to say no to sin and yes to God as we trust Him to provide the all-encompassing liberty that our souls crave.

In Touch July 2001, page 22, July 3

God's truth: What we have learned wrongly can be relearned rightly!

 “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 

2 Corinthians 11:3

“Ed Silvoso defines a stronghold as “a mind-set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable what is known to be contrary to the will of God.” How are these destructive strongholds established in our minds? Usually, they are the result of subtle steps that lead us away from God’s plan for our lives…

Satan is the father of lies, and he will work on our minds to destroy our concept of God and our understanding of who we are as His children. People in bondage don’t know who they are in Christ… Remember, Satan can’t do anything about our position in Christ, but if he can get us to believe it isn’t true, we will live as though it isn’t true, even though it is.

Can strongholds of bondage in the mind be broken? Yes! If our minds have been programmed wrongly, they can be reprogrammed. If we learned something the wrong way, we can learn it the right way. Will this take time? Yes, it will take the rest of our lives to renew our minds and to develop our character. But nothing you do will prove more rewarding.

ü  What mental strongholds in your mind are keeping you from being free in Christ?

ü  What tempting or accusing thoughts does Satan give you to trigger your life-controlling problem?

ü  Does he accuse you about how bad you are and beat you down?

ü  Does he remind you of past failures? Does he tell you that God has given up on you?

ü  Does he tell you that it’s hopeless, that you will never be free?

ü  What does your life-controlling problem do for you that nothing else has been able to do?

ü  How can you exchange the lies for the truth?”

One Day at a Time Mike & Julia Quarles pp 353-356, Ed Silvoso, “Setting Your Church Free” conference, March 1994, Minneapolis, MN.