Romans 13:11-14
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep;
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
the night is far spent, the day is at hand.
therefore let us cast off the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armor of light.
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
But put on the Lord Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil it’s lusts.
PLANNING TO SIN:
Provision – means… foreplaning, forethought, premeditated Plan.
Unfortunately a lot of the sin that becomes an issue in our life is the sin that has been preplanned. Of course we can all fall in a rash moment of anger, silliness, say something that offended in the heat of the moment or act in a way that revealed a heart of anger or greed and not a heart given over to love.
These moments I believe are normal and they serve as wake up calls to us, to realise where we need to spend more time with the Lord – so then more and more as we spend more time with Him (mainly through Bible & Prayer) we become more like him – so even during the times of squeezing in our stressful life’s – it is Christ that comes out not flesh.
However, we can become so like Him and yet still wilfully not give an area of our life over to Him. Or see a particular sin or habit – more as a weakness and not as the absolute sin that it is, and forget that a Righteous God cannot abide that persistent neglected even accepted root of sin in our life. We don’t have the same interest to see this sin die. Or we believe it will never go it is just part of who we are.
For men and women these are often different sins and habits, and different life experiences and issues in our life’s growing up will lead to different areas of our life that we excuse and struggle with.
But Christ doesn’t want us to struggle! He died so that we would never have to struggle with the enemy of sin again! He didn’t die just to get us in to Heaven – but also to free us from the bondage of sin. Sin is our enemy!
Imagine a heavy ball & chain that you have dragged for years has been taken away from your foot – it would lead to inexpressible joy, release and gratitude. This is what Jesus wants for us in every area of our life. We can not ‘put up with’ the sin that ensnares us. We may even excuse it as small or not harming others – this may be the case from what we can see – but it is harming you! It is harming our spiritual power and our connection to that source of power – The Lord the Christ!
We all have Christ – but do we daily ‘put him on’.
And when we sin there is often a pre planning going on to allow us or rationalise our doing.
Often the case for men with lust.
We must put on the same mindset that Joseph had in running from the place of temptation.
VICTORY OVER SIN:
We can’t stumble around in neutral we have to make a choice to put on Christ. It is a regular putting on, just once in the morning won’t be enough – it is when the temptation comes.
There must be victory over the temptation – to build that muscle – if you collapse every time – that is all you will ever do and don’t be surprised you have no muscle to fight – but simply a habit of collapsing.
Men often allow themselves to get to this state with pornography and then can feel so spiritually inept in other areas – so they forsake a lot of responsibility to their wife.
With the issue of lust – this will do terrible things for your marriage – as the wife will value and desire her husband even less if he is giving up his spiritual responsibility in the home!
The only solution is running to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness to continue to lead the home even while burdened with temptation. Knowing you are not a hypocrite – but a man refusing to give up.
But we run to Jesus for mercy – knowing that of ourselves we cannot change – it requires a touch from Him to change us.
Though in refusing to follow the path of lust and desire – we do crucify our flesh – we identify with Christ and our spiritual muscles get exercised. Simply as soon as we do this Spiritual POWER not our own or deserved – becomes ours and gives us confidence for the future rounds of battles, the more times we win the more we know in future that the enemy we are fighting is no match for Christ in us.
So next time simply RUN.
What ever it is that is the temptation RUN and get out of there.
Do all you can to stop the simple steps you normally take.
Don’t be alone.
Don’t have the things that tempt you in the home.
Know the times you normally are weak.
Tell your wife or even a friend about these times and get them to call you and pray and speak scriptures over you.
This may seem extreme – but we can not stay in a habit of sin.
When we know we’re stuck in a habit – it is a dangerous place, we have to recognise that the devil could take us out and has us where he wants us.
Don’t give any more of your Spiritual power over. Take it back and live as Jesus intended for us, free from that ongoing sin.
There may be times in the future where there are battles, where there are one off moments of fall, but for the Christian there should never be a lifestyle of repeated sin.
Run from that vomit, run to Christ and to those who could support.
Godly Men University: 