Life is war 'til the day we die.

I'm writing this to help me organize my thoughts. I'm not writing this to point a finger at anyone but myself. I hope that this encourages you and strengthens you in your walk with God.

In Romans 8:12-17, it talks about killing sin. It says:

"So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

That's a big chunk. Let it sink in for a minute. I'm doing it too.

...

Okay. Verse 12 says that we are not under obligation to the flesh. This means, according to John Piper, that I owe the flesh NOTHING. I have been freed from sin through the death of Christ on the cross, so I owe the flesh absolutely NOTHING! God is the One who freed me. I owe Him EVERYTHING.

How do I do this? I need to make war against my sin. This making war concept is what I am stuck on. The Christian life is not easy. Being a Christian means being in constant battle with sin. Because Jesus Christ died for me on the cross that means that my old nature--sin--is constantly fighting to try and get me back under his power. But my new nature--Christ--is fighting against that sin. My flesh will not quit in this life. It won't get easier, or lighten up. I must constantly be waging war against sin. Life is WAR 'til the day I die.

Am I a Christian? Am I committed to God and this war against sin? According to Romans 8:8, the flesh cannot please God; so, as long as I am giving into the desires of the flesh--sin--I cannot please God. I've got to commit and KILL my sin. It's not a game. This is serious and this is war. I have to KILL my sin if I want to please God. Why is this hard? Because sin is fighting for his reign over me! I can't be lazy, I can't be passive. I have to be ready, prepared with my sword to fight and KILL my sin.

HOW do I kill my sin?

John Piper gave three points in a sermon on killing sin, and I want to share them with you.

Point #1: Set your minds on the things of the Spirit. What are the things of the Spirit?
Point #2: The killing of the flesh is done by the Sword of the Spirit--the Word of God.

Point #3: What do I do to bring out the fighting power of the Spirit? Hear with faith.

Here's how he broke down point #3. This hearing with faith means to listen. It means I must grab hold of truths about God and believe them! I have to cling to the truth in God's Word--truth about God, promises He has made. He uses Galatians 3:5 as this reference. It says:

"So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?"

This takes us all the way back to our salvation. When I was saved I was told to confess with my mouth that Jesus was LORD and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9) The verse right after that states that "for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness..." By simply hearing truths and believing them... THAT leads to righteousness.

He gave some examples:

- When I am afraid, I go to Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God." It's not simply hearing the truth, it is hearing the truth and believing it.

- When I worry, I go to John 14:1: "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." Or I can go to Psalm 62:8: "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."

- When I am angry, I go to Romans 12:17: "Never pay back evil for evil to anyone." Or I go to Proverbs 15:1: "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

- When I am proud, I go to Jeremiah 9:24: "But let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and rightieousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD."

- When I am impatient, I go to Psalm 27:14: "Wait for the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD."

- When I am irritable I remember Psalm 145:8-9: "The LORD is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works." When I am irritable, I need to remember God's attribute of being slow to anger, and good to all. I need to cling to that truth and hold onto it with all of my might!

- Whem I am weary, I go to Psalm 63:8: "My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." Or I go to Psalm 34:18: "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

- When I want to give up, I go to Psalm 34:19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." Or I go to Psalm 37:24: "When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand."

- When I feel overwhelmed at what seems impossible, faith says in Matthew 19:26: "And looking at them Jesus said to them, 'With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." THAT is letting God fight for us. It is us letting go of our control on things and giving God the control. It is giving God the glory because now we know that we can't do it, but God can.

- When I feel alone I go to Hebrews 13:5: "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." We can be content when we feel alone because this promise says that God will never leave us or forsake us. Money and possessions will leave us, but God will be with us always.

These may be redundant Bible verses that you've heard a million times, but stop hearing and listen. Grab on and believe these truths! Kill sin with the sword of the Spirit--God's Word. I need to be proactive in memorizing God's Word. It is a lot easier to fight when you can have your weapon ready at a moment's notice. I need to memorize verses that will help me combat sin. I need to pray and constantly take every thought captive. I have to set my mind on the things of the Spirit (the things above, God's Word, Philippians 4:8).

And I will end this blog with that verse to encourage us in our battle with sin.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." - Philippians 4:8

Wage war on your sin. Fight it to the end with your weapon in hand. Owe NOTHING to the flesh but owe EVERYTHING to God.