How much sin do you think God is ‘good with’ to remain in our lives? Do you think He rates or classifies them...sort of like ‘don’t be sexually immoral’ but I understand the need to gossip and put people in their place at times’? You tell me: What was Paul communicating when he spoke more than once of the concern of just a ‘little leaven remaining in the loaf’? (Gal. 5:9).
Sin spreads. Period. He wants it ALL out. When reading Deut. 5-12, how many of the wicked nations did God suggest were allowed to remain on the land? NONE! He wanted them ALL off, otherwise, they would be ‘irritants in their eyes and thorns in their sides and would harass you in the land where you dwell.” (Num. 33:55) They would also lead their children astray.
Let me put it this way...you fall asleep on your sofa for a relaxing afternoon nap. As your eyes begin to peel open...you notice some slight movement on your abdomen. In that moment, you count six live scorpions resting on your body between your chest and your knees. Doing your best not to hyperventilate or have a heart attack, you whisper fiercely for your husband to come remove them. He grabs some thick gloves and goes to work disposing quickly of four of them. Then his phone goes off and he reads some incoming text message and gets distracted with that. As he starts to leave the room...with you there immobilized in fear still, you inquire through clenched teeth and fiery eyes as to where he thinks he is going? Are you good...with his casual response of: “Chill babe, I got rid of four them!”?
Do you think it’s possible we do that with God? “I’m not as bad as I use to be. God understand I have areas of weakness and such...after all, I’m not perfect”. Ever wonder why we feel compelled to remind folks of that fact? Yet...I’m still looking for that verse where Jesus teaches us to ‘try to do better and be the best you can’. I’ve not found it yet. But Matt. 5:48 will get your attention: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect!” I know, that one gets us all riled up. But He said it, so let’s not reject it and maybe try to understand it.
God came to purify...our hearts. Completely. To perfect us in His love. This walk of faith and obedience is the process of sanctification - the removing of all the vile deeds of our sinful nature from our hearts. Putting to death the old man, is another way of describing it (Col. 3:5). Sanctification, or being made pure, is not an option for super charged believers. It is the will of God for all to be sanctified. (1 Thess. 4:3) This is what the Holy Spirit does as we abide in/with Jesus. As we abide in Him, there is a growing awareness of His presence and His peace. If you are not walking in His peace, that is an indicator that something is amiss. The only way He can increase in our lives is if we ...decrease. ‘We’ = our old sinful man/nature. (John 3:30)
Let’s go back to the book of James 1 where I left off yesterday. I made the case that when we truly turn back to God with ALL our heart, He takes us in...loves us...and surrounds us with His peace. We are admonished to let the peace of God rule in our hearts and as long as our mind is fixed on Him, we can walk in perfect peace. But that does not exempt your heart from being tested. James explains in those first few verses that this is part of the process of being ‘perfected’ where we are made ‘perfect and complete, lacking nothing.’ (4) Now look at verse 12- “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Endures temptation? Wait...what...we have to do what before we get some crown? And it’s promised to those who ‘love Him’? (John 14:15) Oh...this is the opportunity we get to prove we love God more than the sin of ...pride...lust...irritation...anger...impatience...etc. When God points out an area in your heart that needs to go, IF you love Him, you will confess and turn from it in your heart. This is NOT about trying harder to do better. Because this is how grace operates in our lives...He gives you the power to endure and overcome. It is Him doing this. I used the example of overcoming a ‘spirit of irritability’ yesterday. The smallest things could occur...go wrong...and just set me off and ruin my morning. It was nothing but the old carnal nature. When the Holy Spirit brought it to my attention, I agreed with Him....repented of it and receive forgiveness and cleansing...as in removal of it.
So then here comes the ‘test’ in vs. 13-15. We are told here that God tempts no one with evil. But He does use the enemy. Was Jesus tempted by Satan? Are we going to walk like Jesus walked? Does God test our hearts? If we truly love Him with all our hearts, we will pass the test. “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.(15). Remember now, repentance evicted the culprit that was the source of my irritability that brought forth ugly fruit previously. We know from Matt. 12:43-45 that when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he will seek re-entry.
So I get up in the morning to put on some coffee and while removing the old filter from the previous day, it slips from my hand and soggy coffee grounds pour over the counter and floor. In that split moment, grace is right there for me to ‘choose’ so that I might ‘stand and resist’ that spirit who wants me to hurl some ugly word out in anger. And grace enables me to choose peace in that moment. I catch my breath...whisper ‘not today devil’ and thank Jesus for peace which immediately comes on me as I resist the devil. I quickly clean the mess up, make a fresh pot and as I’m taking my newly poured cup into the living room to enjoy, I stub my toe on a stool, the coffee sloshes out of my cup and onto the floor and again...I’m being tested. But in that moment ...grace is provided again in that split second if I choose it. (Heb. 2:18; 4:15-16, 1 Pet 5:8-10)
There is something about recognizing what is happening that can strengthen us to see what is going on. (Count it all joy...) Paul said we are not ignorant of the devil’s schemes. And while my ‘old man’ may have wanted to respond in the way he had grown accustom to, I am no longer serving that old nature. And when I resist the devil, I am promised in James 4:7 that he will flee. As I ‘die to irritability, the fruit of gentleness and patience begins to grow. I don’t produce that fruit. Jesus does...as long as I abide in Him. (John 15:4)
Granted, some things are easier to part with, than others...which leads to some serious self-examination. It can quickly become apparent that we hold on to certain ‘pet sins’ that we actually do love. Some folks just love...being miserable...or feeling sorry for themselves, or love entertaining lustful thoughts. There’s a reason those thoughts continuously return to us...they know when they are welcomed.
Let’s talk about our ‘thought life’ given many people think that because they have ‘bad thoughts’, they have sinned. That is not entirely true. It’s what we do with those thoughts that matter. Go back to James 1:14-15. He uses an interesting term here when he explains the process of being ‘enticed’ or tempted. Remember...when we are abiding in Christ, we are surrounded by a hedge of protection...we are walking in peace. The enemy who lurks on the other side like a roaring lion seeking to devour (1 Pet 5:8) can only ‘entice us’ or make an appeal to that old nature of ours he knows so well. Much like fishermen will toss a lure into the water, so does the enemy...hoping for a bite. He usually does this with ‘thoughts’ which would be like a ‘word’ or a ‘seed’. God sows seed and so does the enemy.
So James says when ‘desire is conceived’...we know that a seed is needed for conception, yes? Your mind is the fertile soil and if we are not ‘bringing in to captivity EVERY thought to the obedience of Christ ( 2 Cor 10:5) then that seed or thought can ‘take root’...and grow...and influence to the point it works its way into our heart, and before you know it...it is coming out. We sin. And sin brings death...it brings condemnation and we lose our peace quickly.
Let me be more specific with maybe two common examples most can relate to. Lust and gossip or evil speaking. Those suggestive thoughts and images can come out of nowhere at times. ( I wonder if that is why Paul encouraged us to ‘put on the helmet’ in Eph. 6? You hear something about a person that is not flattering or edifying and not long after, you run in to some friends or get a call and you sense a ‘need’ to share that info with them. If you are abiding in Christ, He will quickly check you on that to remind you that does not need to be shared. IF you repented of this previously (gossiping/evil speaking) , you are being tested to see if you truly love God more than the need to share that info about someone else. Your ‘flesh will suffer’ momentarily as you ‘resist that urge’ and then the enemy flees...and you sense the victory and peace and strength of God whose grace empowered you to stand in that time of testing. The more you prove this, the less you will be tested in that area as you have put that part of your old man...to death.
Same with immoral thoughts and such. I may address this more in detail at a later time, but if you are constantly feeding on TV/Movies/Steaming shows where a constant barrage of tantalizing images and suggestive scenes and talk are the norm...you may as well throw in the towel now. I recently discovered some water damage in our ceiling in the dining room...from a leak in the roof where water was coming in. It is pointless to fix the sheetrock if I’m not willing to first seal up the leak in the roof. Hello?
When we die to something, over time, you will discover those ‘test’ are less frequent. Reminds me of a favorite dining place I had in Dallas that was my ‘go to’ place every time I went in. They closed down a few months back. Broke my heart. But knowing they are closed, I no longer drive by to frequent the place...because...I know...the business died. See you tomorrow.
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