The Kingdom Light – Episode 1118
-Begin Transcript –
On today’s program, I’m gonna talk about one of the big challenges as a Christian. We’re still flesh. We have the tendency to fall into old habits. But we often feel we must present ourselves to the world as though we aren’t still dealing with sinful things. So we wear a facade of righteousness rather than being real with people. Our own righteousness is filthy rags, people see through it quickly, and the world calls us hypocrites. Let’s find a better way.
-Show Intro –
Do me a favor: SMASH that LIKE button! If you enjoy the show, please SHARE it to your social media. FOLLOW our Rumble Channel – Rumble.com/GCM, that’s Rumble.com/GCM. Email us at kingdomlight@usa.com, that’s kingdomlight@usa.com. And for links, blogs, transcripts and more, check out our website – TheKingdomLight.com, that’s TheKingdomLight.com.
Last week I said this…
Let’s face it – this world has a sin problem. The enemy dresses it up and makes it very enticing. Even when we know the dangers of letting it into our lives, our flesh still longs to engage in sinful behavior… The struggle to overcome your carnal nature is more than you can handle on your own. You NEED Jesus!
It’s true. The struggle is real. Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean we never have to deal with our own fleshly desires again. No, the enemy will tempt us all the more sometimes to make us stumble so he can discourage us. While it’s true that God gives us the power to resist and overcome sin, it can often be difficult for us to grasp that concept right away. We keep trying to do it under our own strength instead of trusting in His. And we fail. We feel guilty. And the vicious cycle begins again.
Paul talks about this in some detail in the book of Romans, chapter 7. His words may sound very familiar to many of us…
Romans 7:15-23
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Sounds exhausting, right? And it CAN BE! Now I won’t deny that there are many occasions when God just outright delivers people instantly from certain things. Sometimes He does that. But that’s not always the case. Maybe there are some habits that we are more resistant to letting go of, and so He lets us learn lessons the hard way or over a period of time. The process can be long or short, and it’s often due to our own stubbornness.
Too many times, we hang onto certain behaviors – even though they’re bad for us and we know it’s wrong to continue doing them – because we simply enjoy those things too much. It’s like we’re saying, “Jesus, be Lord of my house, except for this room over here – just stay out of there and let it be.” No, we would never say those words to His face, but our actions are louder than words. We can’t live like that. He’s either Lord of all or He isn’t Lord at all.
To some extent, it’s about habits. We are creatures of habit, and it’s easy for us to fall into certain routines and repeated behaviors. The challenge is to practice good habits rather than bad ones. But we must be intentional about it. Even as we do this, we tend to be too reliant upon our own abilities rather than ASKING FOR GOD’S HELP! We are prideful and want to do things our way and all on our own. That’s not how it works.
God knows our weaknesses. He genuinely wants to help us conquer those things. He’s not waiting for us to screw up so He can smite us! But we need to be humble enough to recognize our need of Him. Many times, it’s as simple as saying, “Okay, God, I clearly don’t know what I’m doing here – so would You please help me?” Then let go of the situation and LET HIM show you the way.
Other times, we keep hanging around a group of people that are a bad influence on us. Who you hang with matters. Here’s one of my favorite Bible verses…
1 Corinthians 15:33
Don’t be deceived: Bad company corrupts good character.
Yep. If you spend a lot of time around people who do bad stuff, you’ll end up doing the same bad stuff. We naturally imitate the behavior of others. So maybe you just need to change your social clique. Hang out with Christian friends you can be accountable to. People that will encourage you in the faith AND go fishing or bowling or whatever with you – like a church small group that participates in fun and wholesome activities.
But most importantly, SPEND TIME WITH GOD! I say this all the time, and it’s true every time. Making the effort to talk with God and share your everyday life with Him is vitally important to anyone’s spiritual walk. The more time you spend with Him, the more like Him you will become. You’ll be amazed at how your overall behavior will change. Your interest in those morally questionable activities will fade away when you let Jesus be part of your WHOLE life, not just a couple of hours on Sunday morning.
Yes, we’re human and made of flesh, and that flesh longs to do carnal things. But we’re also spirit, fashioned in the image of God. The battle between our flesh and our spirit can be a very challenging struggle. But when we stop relying on our own strength and start trusting and asking God for help, we can win the fight. Feed your spirit man with scripture, prayer, and by socializing with fellow believers. And allow Christ access to every room of your house – share your whole life with Him every day. Let Him tackle those things you just can’t handle on your own and watch how masterfully He works on your behalf.
And finally, don’t put on a facade around anyone. Be real and genuine. Sometimes that means openly correcting yourself when you say or do something that’s not Christ-like. This happens to me occasionally at work. I catch myself making a joke that’s a bit, let’s say, unnecessarily crude. My spirit puts me in check, and I instantly tell my coworker, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
At least I’ve gotten to the point where I correct myself. Decades ago, my brother and I were working at a restaurant. We were in the back of the kitchen with a friend who wasn’t a Christian, but he knew we were. I made some off-color comment to be funny, and that coworker stared at me. He said, “Dude, is that something a Christian should be saying?” Ouch. In a flash, his words had humbled me, and I had to apologize.
Showing humility indicates to others that you don’t think yourself better than them. They see you’re a real person, just like they are. Being genuine and allowing yourself to be corrected – even by a nonbeliever – creates a positive impact on them. They see you as someone who is just as flawed as them, yet willing to try to be a better person for Christ’s sake. That’s a great witness!
So don’t be too proud to ask God for help with being a better Christian. And be humble enough to accept correction publicly, or even to correct yourself in front of others. This will not only improve your walk with Jesus, but it will make a bold statement that positively influences those around you. When you let them see how much you still need Jesus, they just might realize that they need Him, too!
-End Transcript –
Great Commission Media 