four - relentless mortification (part two)

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Here's a few concrete and practical strategies I've been working to implement in the deliberate killing of sin in my life...

1) Declaring HOLY VIOLENCE against sin in my life.

    

Without this step of understanding and commitment, the rest is for all for naught.  If we do NOT believe our sin to be detestable before a Holy God nor a grave issue in our lives, we're not going to fight it.  Let's face it.  There's a lot to do.  We give up pretty easily.  We're tired people.

    

To be killing sin we must first acknowledge it's gravity and declare a HOLY WAR against sin in our lives.

If sin is seeking to kill and destroy me, why do I think I can come against it with gentleness and good intentions and half-hearted effort? 

If there is a weed in my front yard, and it's hideous, and I want it to die, what must I do?  (This isn't rocket science, I know, but bear with me...)

I must eliminate everything it needs to live.  Rip out it's roots.  Give it no sun.  Make sure it doesn't get any water.  Poison it with pesticides.

I can say every day of my life, "Man, I HATE that stupid weed.  I wish it would die!"  But guess what?  

It's going to keep on thriving UNTIL I KILL IT and remove everything it needs to survive.

The most practical and powerful way to kill sin in our lives is to ask the Holy Spirit to find it (if we aren't already fully aware of it), KILL IT, and remove ALL opportunities for it to grow in the future.  

Kill all temptations.  Rip out every root.  

    

Plucking the thistle off a weed and thinking irritated thoughts has never killed a thing...especially if we keep allowing water to get to it!

2) The Gospel empowers holiness.

It seems too simple, but man alive, there is NOTHING that makes me look more like Christ than the time I spend in His Word each day.  It is HIS WORD that shows me my heart, that shows me my truth, that shows me my shortcomings, that shows me my praise, shows me my value.  It is the Gospel that shows me my sin, and that shows me how to combat it. 

It is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Word that empowers mortification.  That empowers Holy Living. 

There IS NO life free from sin if we're not constantly laying our lives alongside of His Word.  

Everything we need, He is.  And it's in His Word.

Simply BE IN IT.

I heard someone famous respond to some lady on the radio once about this.  (How's that for details?  It was forever ago...sorry :)

    

He was some kind of Bible preacher guy, and she called in and poured through a hundred reasons why she can just never seem to get time in the Word.  She was so busy, she worked all day, single mom. 

     

"I WANT to get up early in the mornings and spend my time with God, but I'm just so tired and there is so much to do and it just never happens.  What should I do?"

     

This preacher guy was typically verbose, so when his response only spanned two words, leaving awkward dead-air silence, the power of what he was trying to communicate hit me full force and has stayed with me since.

"DO IT."

Finally, she tried again, "Well, yes, sir, but I am trying, but it is just so difficult to get up early to..."

"DO IT."

Sometimes, the most powerful life changing truths are the most simple.  If we want a holy life, we need to be in His Word, and if we need to be in His Word?  Let's simply BE.

Make. It. Happen.

3)  The expulsive power of a new affection.

I love this.

Reorientation of our wills.  Setting our hearts on Jesus, and letting Him DO what He does best...CHANGE things.

The most beautiful example of this that I have heard comes from Greek mythology (though Stan K. has a great example using Starbucks he just shared with me last week :)

You know about Ulysses, and you've probably heard of those deadly but gorgeous bird-women known as Sirens.  Their song was so beautiful that they would use it to lure captivated sailors into sharp rocks and certain death.  Ulysses, always finding ways to work around the gods and the "rules" of his day, came up with a plan.  Upon setting home from war, he had his men tie him to the mast.  Then, he had everyone else onboard plug up their ears with wax.

please excuse the nudity, but this is such a powerful image!

As they approached the sirens, only Ulysses could hear their enthralling song, but he listened to every note unable to approach follow them.

This image shows so passionately Ulysses trick.  He got to hear their song AND didn't get killed....but he was bound, wasn't he.  Tortured by temptation and the inability to satisfy his desire to follow.  His men, deaf and afraid.

This often seems to be our approach to sin these days.  Walk near it, dance by it, stick our toes in the water, ask our friends and God to "tie our hands"... all the while trying to be sure that it doesn't actually KILL us.  Is plugging our ears and tying our hands one way to resist sin?  I suppose so.  

But not to fight it.  And NOT to be FREE.

Which is why I love the subsequent story of Jason.  Jason also had to pass by the deadly, beautiful sirens, but he took a different approach all together.  

Along with him he brought Orpheus, a musician so talented that it was said that when he played, the mountains would move from their places, wild beasts would be tamed.

No ropes.  No wax.

As Jason and his men began to hear the sirens beautiful tune, Orpheus began to play.  

And his tune was indescribably beautiful and sweet.

Jason and the Argonuats, entirely free, were entirely unmoved by the sirens song, because Orphes' melody was far more sweet.  It was so sweet that they had no DESIRE for the sirens.  The wicked women out to kill could not touch him, because on his boat, Jason had something far better.  The siren's power was broken.  They were powerless.

The Bible gives us a better way to fight temptation than to tie our hands and plug our ears....

The expulsive power of a NEW affection to BREAK sin's grasp.

By setting our hearts on Jesus, we can be captivated by a sweeter, more satisfying, LIFE-GIVING song!  

He can change everything!  He can change our tastes.  He can change our preferences.  He can change our ways.  

Instead of just avoiding temptation, we can fight and kill sin in our lives by fixing our lives firmly on the Rock, allowing His life-song for us to transform.

We can be triumphant, because of HIS song.  Because we have something far better in our hearts and lives than what the world and sin have to offer.  Far sweeter.  

The expulsive (processes of forcing out) power of a new affection.  PRAISE THE LORD.  He will do that for us.  He will BE that for us, if we ask him to journey with us.

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The cross itself shows us not only the nature of mortification (slow, gradual and painful) and the power of mortification, but also the means.  Faith and love.  To kill sin, we must exercise them both.

Recognize what is at stake.  Declare Holy War.  Be in His Word continually.  Commit to the expulsive power of a new affection.  Set our hearts firmly and continually on Jesus. Take Courage!

Come, let us slay sin,

For Christ was slain.

Come, let us bury all our pride,

For Christ was buried.

Come, let us rise to newness of life,

For Christ has risen.

--Spurgeon

Always.