Contending with the Dark Side

Wednesday evening we began a new Bible study on forgiveness. To guide us in our study, we are using a book written by a friend of mine, Dr. Randall O'Brien, (who graciously provided the books for us). I had read the book several years ago, and was helped and encouraged by it.

The first chapter is "Understanding our Dark Side." By "dark side" Dr. O'Brien is referring to the carnal, sinful nature ingrained in every human being. The Bible calls it our "old man" and we all have one. Even those of us who have been saved still have to deal with the old nature. Even the Apostle Paul recognized he had dark side. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul declares, "This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'—and I am the worst of them all." (NLT) Notice Paul doesn't say, "I USED to be the worst of them all," or "I WAS the worst of them all." He said "I AM the worst of them all" - present tense, active verb.

Paul also reveals his battle with his dark side in Romans 7:15-23. He wanted to do right, but didn't; he didn't want to do wrong, but he did. He even says there was a war going on within him (v.23).

The reality is saved sinners still sin. Though we should sin less, we aren't sinless (only Jesus achieved that status). So what do we do when our dark side flairs up and gets the best of us from time-to-time? How do we contend with our dark side? A few suggestions ...

1. Run to Jesus. Sin has separating effect on our relationship with God and the old man wants to run and hide when we've sinned and messed up. This has been true from the beginning (see Genesis 3). But don't do it; don't run from Jesus, run TO Him. Paul knew this. At the end of the confession of his battle with his dark side, Paul writes - "Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 7:24-25 NLT) Even though his old man was undoubtedly wanting to run and hide like Adam and Eve in the garden, Paul knew that he had an advocate with the Father who had atoned for his sins, and he could run to Jesus knowing that he was forgiven.

The Apostle John writes: "My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins..." (1 John 2:1-2a NLT) Jesus knows we will sin, He's accounted for it and He's already taken care of it. That's not a license to sin (note the first line of the above verse, "I'm writing this to you so that you will not sin"), but it is a recognition that the sovereign Lord of the universe isn't surprised by our sin, and He isn't discouraged by it, because He has already dealt with it. You can run to Him because He loves you, forgives you and restores you.

2. Give yourself some grace. I'm always harder on myself than anyone else. I don't know about you but I tend to dwell on my failures. I can still remember striking out in a Little League baseball game with two outs and two runners on base and the game on the line ... and I still feel bad about it. (I even remember the name of the guy who struck me out ... 44 years ago.) I also tend to dwell on my spiritual failures, and not only do I feel bad about them, I usually beat myself up over them.  I also have an accomplice that helps me with my self-abuse - the devil who is the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:9-11). He likes to help me beat myself up and tries to convince me that God is mad at me, and that I'll never change, and God could never love me or use me. None of that is true, of course, but it hurts.

In times like these when I get down on myself I have to remind myself that I am loved by God. And though He doesn't approve of my sinful behavior, He has already proven His love for me, and He has already forgiven me through His grace (see Romans 5:8). If God has forgiven me, and has shown me grace, I can have grace for myself ... and you can too. There is nothing you have done that would ever cause God to love you less. Your sin is dealt with on the cross and your forgiveness is secured by Christ ... so give yourself some grace. What happened has happened, and there is nothing you can do to change it, but you can move on from it in His grace.

3. Give grace to others also. Everyone has a dark side - that means every person you meet every day has the nature of sin and the potential for their sin to hurt you. When my "old man" slips out and I sin, it doesn't affect just me, it affects those around me as well ... and vice-a-versa. And just as I need grace from God, I need grace from others, and they need grace from me. If we aren't gracious toward others who have a dark side, we haven't fully understood the gospel. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We can love those who hurt us because we have been loved by the One we hurt the most. His grace is sufficient ...

Contending with our dark side is an ongoing war. Through Christ we will overcome and experience ultimate victory over the dark side (ours and THE dark side).  Even if we lose a battle every-once-in-a-while, don't give up, don't give in, and don't stop fighting the good fight of faith and grace. Contend with the dark side knowing that the outcome of victory is already secured.

#ThankfulThursday

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

As Paul is wrapping up his second letter to the church at Thessaloniki, he kind of creates this "punch-list" of things Christians should be doing, or at least that's what it seems like. It could be kind of a check-list that we could run through and check off. But the things he lists can't be done in a short time or even a day - these are lifetime practices. Really what Paul is describing is what should be the default setting for every follower of Christ, but Paul makes the list, because he knows (and God knows) we are a work in progress and need to be reminded and encouraged. 

In the heart of this punch list, Paul gives what I think is the Big Three - Always be joyful, never stop praying, and give thanks in every situation and circumstance. While I think they go together, it is the last one that Paul says is "the will of God in Christ Jesus for you all." They're all important commands, but Paul spotlights giving thanks as God's express will for our lives. 

I'm not sure we value the giving of thanks as God would have us to. As kids, we’re taught that “please,” and “thank you” are magic words— a formula that will compel adults to give us stuff. As an adult who follows Christ, I've treated the giving of thanks as a perfunctory duty, something I generally do before committing the sin of gluttony at the meal table. Even when I would read a "thanksgiving" passage in the Bible, I would just kind of skim over it and not really think about it. I trivialized the word “thanks” so much that it doesn’t stop me when I read it. I don’t think about what it means. 

The Bible makes a big deal about giving thanks. The word or concept is mentioned more than 200 times between the Old and New Testaments. There are several words that are used for giving thanks, but the two big ones are "yadah" in the OT and "eucharisteo" in the NT. 

Yadah is defined as "Acknowledging what is right about God in praise and thanksgiving" (Baker, Word Study Dictionary). In it's earliest form it meant to "throw or cast" with the hand. It came to mean expressing with words and actions, a deep appreciation for God and His goodness. I love the Hebrew definition of thanks because it is totally tied to who God is. The more we learn about God, the more we should praise and glorify Him.

Eucharisteo means "To show oneself grateful, to be thankful, to give thanks..." (Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary). It is formed from two Greek words - eu (good) and charis (grace), so literally it means expressing "good grace" or we could also say, "thanking God for His good grace."

What both of those words mean is is that giving thanks is not just a thought process or attitude, it is an action - we are to GIVE thanks, express our gratitude toward God, not just for what He does for us, but for who He is to us. Giving thanks not only recognizes God's goodness, but it spotlights His greatness of character and being. He is God and there is no other - give Him thanks and praise! 

Take some time to day to express in words, through prayer and maybe even writing, your gratitude to God for who He is and for all He has done for you!

x

Praying for Those We Love

I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. 1 John 3:4 (NLT)

What do you pray most often for those you love?

Prayer is one of the most powerful, thoughtful, loving ways we can show our love for our family and friends, yet I still often struggle to persevere in prayer for others. What some of us (ME) need to hear most is simply a reminder to stop and pray for the ones we love.

And what we pray for them really matters. Unfortunately, we often ask God for less than we should for our family and loved ones. At least I know that I myself have sometimes asked for less than I should. When I pray for those I love, my mind often defaults to practical, earthly concerns and generalized prayers — that God would guard or improve their health and safety, or that he would prosper what they do at work or school, or for whatever other daily or weekly needs that immediately come to mind.

Prayers like these, while good and even important, fall short of the mountain-moving prayers we might pray — prayers like the apostle Paul prayed. Paul most often prayed for the spiritual life and health of those he loved and served with. A brief look at some of Paul's written prayers can help us pray for the spiritual life and health of our loved ones as well. What did Paul pray for those he loved?

1. He prayed that they would be saved

Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. Romans 10:1 (NLT)

Though Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, he dearly loved his Jewish brothers and sisters, and his most important prayer for them was that they would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The most important prayer we can ever pray for those we love is for their salvation. While it is natural for us to want our loved ones to be healthy, happy and successful in this world, the burden of our heart should be for their spiritual lives and their relationship with Christ

We recently started a prayer emphasis at our church called "Who's Your ONE?" that encourages every member to be praying for at least one loved one who is far from God; praying for their salvation, redemption and restoration. I have seven "ONES" that I pray for regularly - some have never been saved, others I believe have been saved, but are living a prodigal life (see Luke Luke 15:11-32) I am praying the Lord reveals Himself to them, and brings them into a right relationship with Him.

2. He prayed they would grow spiritually

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Ephesians 1:15-18 (NLT)

In Ephesians, Paul is writing tho those who are saved. He wasn't satisfied with just the salvation of his friends, he also wanted them to grow in their relationship with God. Paul understood that salvation isn't the end of the process, but the beginning of a great journey of faith. Paul prayed for his friends to know Christ intimately, to grow in their knowledge and love for Him and that they would live in confident hope, knowing they belonged to Christ.

What a glorious prayer to pray for those we love. No success on earth can compare to knowing Christ and growing in our relationship with Him.

3. He prayed that they would grow in love and in Christ-like character

God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.  May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ —for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:8-11 (NLT)

Paul's love for his friends compelled him to pray that they could not only grow in their love and relationship with Christ, but also their love for one another. He prayed that their love would "overflow". That is a beautiful picture of someone who is filled with the Spirit of Christ, and He "spills out" in love for those close by. He also wanted them to understand "what really matters" - it was not their success in business or community activities, but that they would develop and live out Christ-like character before a lost world. This, Paul says, it what will bring much glory and praise to God.

4. He prayed that they would live in God's power by faith in Him

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NLT)

Paul was persistent in praying for his friends and loved ones. He didn't simply pray once and let it go, he kept on praying for them, asking God to do a great work in their lives. Paul prayed they would live a life worthy of God's calling on them, and that they would live in faith, being empowered by God to do everything He was calling them to do. Paul's great desire is that they would live out God's perfect will for their lives, so the end result would be that Jesus Christ would be honored and glorified through them.

Our greatest calling as followers of Christ, is to live lives worthy of His calling, and to live in such a way that He is honored and glorified through us. As Jesus tells us, we are to let our light shine before others so they may see our good works, and glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Should that not also be our prayer for those we love? Their greatest accomplishments in this world will be what brings glory to God and impacts the world for Jesus. Let us pray accordingly.