Getting ready for battle

I started reading the book, "Overcoming Sin and Temptation," by John Owen. It's 3 books he wrote, all complied into one. Since it's difficult to read, it will probably take me a long time to read it! I have to look up a lot of words through google since he uses big words or words we don't use anymore, and also look up bible verses he references but doesn't directly use. But here are some good points so far...

"Be killing sin or it will be killing you."

"Your being dead with Christ virtually, your being quickened with him, will not excuse you from this work." (Dying with him and being raised again through baptism and committing your life to Him and thinking you don't have to do anything after that)

"He that stands still and allows his enemies to double blows upon him without resistance will undoubtedly be conquered by the issue. If sin be subtle, watchful, strong, and always at work in the business of killing our souls, and we be slothful, negligent, foolish, in proceeding to the ruin thereof, can we expect a good outcome? There is not a day but sin foils or is foiled, prevails or is prevailed on; and it will be so while we live in this world."

"The root of an unmortified course is the digestion of sin without bitterness in the heart. When a man has confirmed his imagination to such an apprehension of grace and mercy as to be able, without bitterness, to swallow and digest daily sins, that man is at the very brink of turning the grace of God into lasciviousness and being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

"An unmortified course has an evil influence on them in that it hardens them... They have zeal for religion; but it is accompanied with lack of forbearance and universal righteousness... They separate from the world, but live wholly to themselves, taking no care to exercise loving kindness in the earth; or they talk spiritually, and live vainly; mention communion with God, and are every way conformed to the world; boasting of forgiveness of sin, and never forgiving others."



He references SO many scriptures all the way through his writings, but sometimes only the reference so I would go look it up. It came up with verses about how we should throw off what is hindering us so that we can run the race with endurance, not giving up on doing good because in time we will reap what we sow, "let us work towards compete holiness because we fear God..." and more. Owen reminds us that "it is our participation of the divine nature that gives us an escape from the pollutions that are in the world..."
I think it's so true that you are either being "beat up" by sin, or you're fighting against it. Some nights I have been trying to go to sleep and start thinking things I shouldn't, and whether it be a spiraling thought of worry, depression, jealousy, lust, or anything else, I suddenly can't sleep or go to sleep and have bad dreams. When those nights come, or sometimes even during the day, I repeat this verse over and over in my head:

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praise worthy - think about such things. (Phil 4:8)

I remember it so well because I knew it as a song when I was a kid. But now I use it to repeat it over and over again, and I imagine angels standing around me waving their swords when I say those words, the spiritual battle that is coming at me. The bible says to put on the full armor of God, and the bible is an important part of that ensemble!

But sometimes it isn't just a battle in your head. Sometimes it comes out as actions. I think the lies that come up in my head that justify things is, "Well it doesn't matter that this is bad because other people have done way worse, and they're on a good track now / they're forgiven / everybody sins so it's not like I can just never sin again." But thinking that means I'm not fighting against it. Then comes the "well then why should I even have to fight that hard against it?" But as Owen reminds me in his book, sins don't just stay stagnant. They get worse. They can become "soul-destroying sins." It can affect others. It can put you WAY off course. It is a slap in the face to Jesus who died on the cross for you to say, "Oh well... thanks for getting me into heaven, but on the way there I'm just going to do my own thing." To not fight against sin is to not know God. And to not know God means you actually aren't saved / going to heaven, and you have missed the whole point. But oh, the lies and justifications we start to believe, little by little until they are big and we didn't even know it.

As to what this "fight" looks like... I'm not 100% sure yet. I'm reading this book to find out. There are things in my life that I have taken too lightly, and some may not "look" bad in the eyes of others, but they really are. And some just flat out are. Looking at things in life and thinking, "There's just no way I will ever be over this... this could be something in my life for my entire life," is depressing. But that doesn't mean you just give in.

Freedom of religion????

America has freedom of religion... just kidding, if you don't agree with the government or the majority, then you're going to pay for it. Suckers.

But should we be surprised? Nope. So much of the world is persecuted for being Christians, from beatings to death, from jail to a million other punishments. While the US prides itself on it's freedom - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of whatever, the line is becoming so thin that I'm losing sight of it.

The Duggars (19 and Counting - a show on TLC) stated that they believe that marriage should only between a woman and a man. After 9 seasons of showing how they live their lives as Christians, people are mad and saying they're against gays. Here's the deal - you can still LOVE people who are gay, I do, but not agree with gay marriage. Why? Because of the bible. Because for Christians, the bible is true. All of it. And if you haven't read the verses about gays being incorrect in the bible, then please look it up before arguing about it.  No, it's not just in the old testament, it's in the new testament as well. There are things in the old testament that are changed when Jesus comes - for example, women were stoned for being adulterers in the old testament sometimes, but in the new testament Jesus said, "Let the one who has no sin throw the first stone."

Anyways, disagreeing with being gay as being a good thing does not mean you're making fun of or treating those people badly! I don't agree with people working on Sundays because one of the 10 Commandments is, "Keep the Sabbath holy," and how you should take that day to rest. But I'm not going around being rude to everybody who works on Sundays. I understand that not everybody is a Christian and not everybody is going to believe in the same things as me, but should I be fired because of that, or have a lower pay because I don't agree with working on Sundays? No.

Beyond the Duggars show being petitioned to be cancelled, the government has decided to step in and force churches to marry gays, and if they don't they get sued, or they fire the pastor and put in a new pastor who agrees with that. Churches trying to get out of denominations who are ok with gay marriages lose their churches or pay a big fee to get out. Oh, and we have freedom of religion? I'm sorry, that doesn't look like freedom to believe in the bible to me. It looks like the world saying, "If you don't agree with us, you're going to get some trouble." And I'm sure things will increasingly get worse for people standing up for what they believe in.

I believe in Jesus Christ being the Son of God, the ONLY way to heaven. I believe that Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit make the trinity - they are three in one. I believe that no other Gods exist, and all other religions are made up. I believe that gay marriage is wrong. I believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman, and further than that, that it's also wrong for them to date / kiss / etc. I believe that you shouldn't work on Sunday because that day should be kept holy, stated in the 10 commandments. I believe that heaven and hell are both real... and people are going to both. I believe that there are some people who say they are "Christians" but don't actually know God - they think that because they believe God exists that they're a Christian and that they are saved, but they are not. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." - James 2:19. Even demons believe that God exists, but they do not love Him and know Him! I believe that Jesus died on the cross for all my sins, and then rose again 3 days later so that we could go to heaven.

And when people start to say, "We don't agree with that. Sorry, you can't believe that either," it doesn't surprise me because the bible tells us that there will be persecution, and we will suffer just like Jesus did. But through it all, He is worth it. Because He's real. Because He is greater than everything in this world. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28.

I heard every word.

Nine days of praying the exact same thing is kind of...weird. I say the exact same words. I listen. And then I go on. But, it's important. I've prayed for it over time, for a long time, but this time I'm praying every day until God does something or He speaks to me clearly. Some things are worth praying for every single day. Finally I can say that I'm praying about it more than I'm talking about it to other people. And I think talking to other people about things can be therapeutic, or they can have good advice or be able to pray for you better as well, but sometimes only God can change things and talking to Him is more important than talking to other people about it.

If there were a scale in heaven that measured what we prayed for, the amount of time spent on it, it would be interesting to see in heaven. God would stand beside us and say, "Well, I know this was important to you, but you didn't really pray much about it. I had things to tell you about it, but you weren't really able to listen." I hear people say how some people don't receive because they don't ask, or they ask too small, but I am not one of those people. I ask for big things, important things, impossible things. I pray big. I don't generally fit under the category of "didn't receive because didn't ask."

"And this you prayed for a lot. I heard every word, I saw every tear. I was working and making things happen that you didn't even know about. Just because you didn't see it, didn't mean I wasn't answering your prayers, or making things happen behind the scenes so that I could eventually give you what you so desired. You may think those prayers were wasted, but no prayer was wasted." I can imagine saying that, and I can't imagine the joy we will feel when He shows us what our prayers did! Not only for ourselves, but for others, in spiritual warfare, in the Kingdom of God.

Take My Life and Let It Be

Take My Life and Let It Be

(Hymn, also sung by Chris Tomlin)

 

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.