Breaking the Stronghold of Addiction
How Can we Cleanse Our Way?
(Part 4 of 5)
Walking in the Spirit
If you are struggling with temptation and being overcome by it, you are abiding in the flesh. Having a daily devotional does not take you out of the flesh. Setting aside a little quiet time does not take you out of the flesh, in fact, very few Christians ever get out of the flesh but spend their entire lives living as they have always lived and giving a little bit to God as they see fit. Many people look at going to church and an occasional quiet time as if they are doing God a service. Our goal should be to become men or women after God’s own heart. It should be a joy to spend time with God and in His word. If it is not, begin by praying fervently for a heart that desires God and His word. Desiring the things of the Spirit is not natural to our life in the flesh and we need to be drawn to the things of God by the Spirit of God. Spiritual maturity doesn’t just happen, but must be pursued. Very rarely does a Christian wake up with a new desire to seek God without an event in our life that stirs us to begin to seek. Our human nature is accustomed to leading our will and this does not change easily.
We are indebted to Christ and we should not take our salvation lightly. Walking in the Spirit is a complete transformation of your life. You are no longer living for yourself but your entire life is surrendered to Christ and pursuing the things of God. If you choose to die to yourself, your life will be completely changed. In fact, if you die to your flesh and begin walking in the Spirit, you will wonder if you were saved before.
Walking in the Spirit is a daily surrender. Look at this foundational verse in Luke 9:23-24
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
You must daily make the decision to follow Jesus and lay down your life in the flesh. If you live in the flesh, you will lose your life. If you want to truly find life, you must surrender your life in this world to Jesus Christ. Paul said it clearly in Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Unless you die to the flesh, you cannot live to the Spirit. Paul also stated, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). This is a scriptural principle that you must live by to overcome in this life. Each day you must choose to die to yourself and live in the Spirit by faith in Christ. As long as you live for self, the flesh will rule your life. Each day you must choose to submit yourself to Christ and die to the flesh. Sometimes you have to choose to crucify the flesh more than once a day. Each time your flesh rises up and attempts to draw you away from God’s will, you must reject and turn from the desire of sin. Remember, whatever is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). It is up to you to live by faith in every area of your life. If you cannot say, “This is from the Lord” or “This is God’s will for me”, do not act.
It is impossible to grow spiritually without putting the flesh to death. Each time you act, you are either walking in the flesh or walking in the Spirit. The two cannot coexist. One must decrease in order for the other to increase. Let’s look again at Galatians 5:16-17
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
Notice the foundational principle of verse 16; if you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Earlier I stated that you cannot overcome sin by resisting temptation. Here is the answer to resistance. You resist temptation by walking in the Spirit. If you are walking with a Christ centered focus, resistance to temptation is the natural result of your spiritual walk.
The desires of the flesh are contrary to the Spirit and the Spirit’s desire is contrary to the flesh. They cannot agree and will never be unified in any way. If you fulfill the desires of the flesh, you must suppress the Spirit. If you fulfill the call of the Spirit, you will suppress the flesh. This is why men who follow fleshly desires eventually end up going toward trouble as the flesh dominates their life. As you gratify the flesh, you quench the work of the Holy Spirit. God has stated that He will not be mocked; whatever you sow, you will reap. Look at this passage in Galatians 6:7-8
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
If you reject the Spirit, God will allow you to reap corruption. God is more willing to expose hypocrisy than to protect His name. This has always been true. King David had a deep commitment to the Lord and God said that David was a man after His own heart. Even so, when David committed adultery, God did not protect him. Instead God proclaimed that David did this thing in secret but God’s judgment would be exposed before all of Israel. God forgave David for his sins but said that the sword would never depart from his house because he gave an occasion to God’s enemies to blaspheme His name. When we sin and are shamed, it is our actions that have caused God’s name to be mocked, not God who exposes our sin. God gives us a space to repent, but He will not allow hypocrisy to go unchallenged.
Daily Renewal
It is vital that we feed our spiritual lives daily. You cannot grow from yesterday’s study and you cannot sustain your spiritual walk without a daily renewal. We have already looked at Jesus’ command to take up your cross daily and how the apostles reiterated this by saying they died daily. This is foreshadowed in the Old Testament by the manna from heaven. The children of Israel were given manna in the desert with the command to only gather what was needed for the day. The manna would not keep until the next day but had to be gathered new every morning. Everything in the Old Testament foreshadowed the coming Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus is that manna from heaven. Look at the following passages:
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 6:48-51 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
The manna from heaven is a foretelling of Jesus Christ who is the true bread from heaven. Jesus Christ is the manna, the manna is the word, and the word is God. Jesus even taught this when instructing His disciples in prayer. He stated that we should pray, “Give us this day, our daily bread”. He is that bread and like manna, it must be gathered and consumed each day. The bread of God is the word of God. Each day you must gather up the word and consume it. If you do not hunger for the word, pray that God would give you a desire to seek Him and gain a love for the word. Only the Spirit can reveal the things of the Spirit; therefore, God must draw you before you can seek. The flesh will never seek the things of the Spirit. It is ok to seek the word in your learning style. If you are not a reader, you can get greater benefit from listening in audio. Even better, listen to audio while following along in the Bible so you can make notes and stay focused. Read the word each day. Jesus stated that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. You are filled by consuming the word and you must set your heart on and seek the things of God each day. This is one of the great keys to overcoming.
Winning the Battle of the Mind
The battle of the mind is not only lust, but envy, hatred, bitterness, selfishness, pride, covetousness and any other thing that we dwell on that takes our minds out of the spirit. If your thoughts are not of the spirit, it is of the flesh. You have no control over what thoughts pop into your head, but you do have control over what thoughts you entertain or dwell on. God has given every Christian the power to take control over your mind. Look at 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
How do we bring our thoughts captive? First, we can choose whether to take ownership of a thought or not. When an evil thought comes to mind whether it be hatred, lust, greed or any other thought, you can say, “that is not mine” and reject it. If you dwell on it, you have taken ownership. If the thought comes into mind again, reject it again. Do not allow yourself to feel guilty because a thought came to mind; instead reject it and set your thoughts on godly things. An idle mind can be hard to control, so when struggles come, follow the advice of Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.
Next, I want to look at an important passage in Proverbs 4:20-27
20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Jesus warned that sin in the heart defiles a man. We have also looked at Jeremiah 17:9 that warns the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. We have all heard the world’s philosophy to ‘follow your heart’. Anyone who follows their heart is a fool. Your heart is not the guide of your life, rather it is the opposite. You guard your heart, not follow it. God has warned us to use all our diligence to guard our hearts for if our heart becomes corrupted, sin will take over our life. We can see this clearly by looking at those around us. A popular Christian singer a few years ago committed adultery and then said it was the will of God. Since her heart told her she was happy, it was assumed to be affirmation that this was God’s will. This is exactly why God warned us that the heart was deceitful above all things. In our hearts we can justify anything. Feelings are not the measurement of truth, but many will assume that it is and follow their deceitful heart.
How do we guard our heart? We guard our hearts through our mind. The mind is the battleground of spiritual warfare and if we lose the battle of the mind, we also lose the battle for our heart. Your mind has the power to guard your heart and over rule your heart. Sometimes it seems to feel right even when we know an action is wrong. It is this time when our understanding of truth equips us to make wise decisions even though our heart desires to sin. If we guard our heart, the desire for sin is kept in check. If we allow our minds to be filled with temptation, our heart will be in jeopardy. Look at how the Bible explains this in Ephesians 4:17-24
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Do you see the message being taught? Those who lack truth and are lacking in understanding have a darkened mind which causes the blindness of the heart. Since their heart no longer feels conviction, they give themselves wholly to lewdness and ungodliness because their heart approves it. However, you are commanded to renew your mind and put on the new man which is the new creation put within you when you surrender to Christ.
You must daily renew your mind so that you are able to guard your heart. We are warned that those who set their minds on earthly things are enemies of the cross of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:18-19). If you choose to pursue the flesh and its desires, you are fighting against the Holy Spirit and rejecting the new man created within you. You should NEVER crucify the new man, you should continuously crucify the flesh. You have the promise of God that if you follow the Holy Spirit, you will be presented blameless before God; however, this promise is conditional on obedience. Look at Colossians 1:21-23
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight -- 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
To be found blameless, you must hold fast to the Head, which is Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:18-19). If you are moved away from the faith, you are forfeiting the promises of God. Everyone has times in their life when they struggle spiritually. This is not what the Bible is talking about in this passage. Even when we feel distant from God, we still have the power to hold fast to Christ and seek Him through the word. As you grow, you will find that the times of feeling dry are fewer and the time of struggling is shorter.
Many who struggle have come to the point of believing that falling away from God and falling into sin is inevitable. This should not be the case. Indeed, if you apply these principles to your life, you will find that the opposite will become true. In stead of feeling like falling is inevitable, you will come to realize that temptation has lost its grip on you. When temptation calls to you, the Spirit within you will warn you and immediately you will turn from sin, both with your eyes and with your heart. The reason sin is so tempting now is because you have learned to listen to the flesh and it has become strong. As you pour the word into your mind while also eliminating the things that feed the flesh, you will be in tuned and will hear the Spirit and will reject the flesh.
A large part of the battle of your mind is what you put in it. If you pour spiritual things into your mind, you will be sensitive to spiritual things. If you pour sensuality and corruption into your mind, you will be sensitive and focused on corruption. Examine your life and see what you are pouring into your mind. What are the lyrics of the songs you hear? I have seen Christians listening to ungodly songs and heard them say that they only like the beat and don’t listen to the words. Anyone who believes this is living in Jeremiah 17:9, the heart is deceitful above all things. They are deceiving themselves. It is impossible to listen to corrupt lyrics and not take it into your mind and heart.
What about the things you watch on TV? Most people are so desensitized to the filth on TV that they are no longer bothered by the constant sexual messages that are presented to your mind through humor, emotions and other subtle imagery. Most people are unwilling to let go of entertainment because it is so deeply engrained in their lives. We are free to choose what we commit ourselves to. No one is going to try to force you to remove these things from your life, but if you truly want to be holy and pleasing to God, the things that glorify corruption must go. Look at the account of Abraham’s brother, Lot. God delivered him from judgment but he was scarcely saved. Even though he did not participate in the sins of the culture around him, he was still harmed by the exposure. Look at 2 Peter 2:8
(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) --
Consider the difference between Lot and Abraham. Lot was delivered from judgment, but he was not blessed. He lost everything and never inherited any of the promises of God. Abraham separated himself from the culture around him, sought God, walked in faith, received many promises and was blessed throughout his life on earth. If you blend into the culture around you, it will vex your soul. Look at James 1:27
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
True religion from God is good works and separation from the world. The Bible repeats this constantly. We are warned that if we love the world or the things in it, we do not have the love of God (1 John 2:15-16) and we are commanded to come out from among the world and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). You cannot fulfill the things of God by pouring corruption into your mind through music, TV, movies, magazines and other forms of media. I am not saying that all of these things are wrong in themselves, but that we should guard our hearts by carefully screening what we allow to influence our minds. Anything that stirs up the flesh puts our spiritual walk in jeopardy. Do not let anyone cheat you of your reward (Colossians 2:18). Entertainment is for the moment, but the reward is for eternity. The Bible commands us to have a pure mind so that our life is holy. Look at 1 Peter 1:13-16
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
Holiness begins in the mind. Unlike many false religions, God does not want us to disengage our minds but use our minds. The scriptures consistently teach us to be sober minded (1 Thes. 5:6-8, 1 Peter 1:13, Mark 5:15) and we are taught to love God with all our being including our mind (Matthew 22:37-38). How do we gird up the loins of our mind? To understand this term, you must look at the era when this was written. Remember that we are told to run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1). In the ancient days, men wore robes. If you were to run with a long robe, your clothing would often impede your stride because your feet could step on your robe or it be entangled on something in your path. Before running, a man would gird up his loins. This means that he would tie the robes through his belt so that it fit more like a pair of shorts than hanging like a robe. He could then run without hindrance. The Bible is comparing this to the mind. You gird up the loins of your mind by taking the things that impede your stride out of the way. There are three passages that I find helpful to explain how this is accomplished in the mind.
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Colossians 3:2-3 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
2 Corinthians 10:5 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
Philippians 4:8 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.
First, we are commanded not to conform to this world but be transformed by renewing your mind. What conforms us to this world? Anything that sets our minds on the things of the flesh conforms us to this world. Anything that makes us envy, covet, lust, or bitter conforms us to the world. Anything that makes us discontent conforms us to the world. We are renewed through the word of God. Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you”. Psalms says that we are cleansed by taking heed according to the word. The word is the power of renewal. You must spend time in the word each day. I said this earlier but it is worth repeating; if you do not have a hunger and thirst for righteousness, pray earnestly that God would give you a desire to seek Him through the word. Read it and soak it in. Most people have 30 minutes or more to commute to work. If you listen to the word on audio, you could get an hour a day just in the car. Each day take time alone with God and let Him speak to you through the word. After you have completed your daily reading, take a passage of scripture and journal it. Let God speak to you and write down what God shows you through a passage. Do not neglect prayer.
When thoughts arise in your mind and heart, take it captive by bringing it into subjection to Christ and reject any ideas that cause you to depart from obedience to the truth of the word. You must also make a conscious decision to set your mind on the things above and take it off the things of the earth (or flesh). Die to self and set your affections on the things that are spiritual and eternal. When frustration sets in, set your mind on the plan of God and put everything into perspective of God’s hand working all things for your good and to accomplish His will. Frustrations begin to take a back seat when your perspective changes to the loving hand of God. If you are in God’s will, then you can be confident that all things are from His hand. If a problem is from God’s hand, instead of getting angry, we can ask God to reveal to us what He is trying to teach us or accomplish in our life. This will change your perspective away from frustration.
The final passage above reiterates the other passages with a little more clarity. Don’t set your minds on the passing things of this life, but meditate on the good things of God. If you obey this passage, you will inherit the promise of 2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God has given you the power to overcome. You will have a sound mind if you follow the principles of scripture. A sound mind is not overcome by lust. A sound mind is not overcome by greed, anger, frustration, covetousness or any of the other things that plague mankind. You have the power of God to love. You can love God with all your being and love others as yourself. God, through His divine power, has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Set your mind on the things of God and pursue holiness as you seek God with all your heart. You will overcome and you will inherit all the promises of God.
Other passages on the mind that I recommend reading on this subject:
Romans 7:23-24
Romans 8:7
Ephesians 2:3-5
Matthew 22:37-38
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
Go to Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Go to Home Page | Sermons | Feedback | Creation | Humor