So many people long to be a part of something that has meaning. Thankfully, Scripture aligns with this longing, setting us up perfectly to live a meaningful life.
So much has transpired in the past two years. A global pandemic, social justice issues, cultural unrest, and governmental discord, to name a few. Tension has filled all of us. But, I believe many are ready to set some things in order and put the enemy in his place! It’s time to step into meaning and purpose in 2022.
As we come into the first 100 days of 2022, let’s maximize our relationship with God, setting things in motion that will not only change this year but generations to come.
Do you have a sin that you struggle with over and over again?
Offense?
Anger?
Maybe it’s the lack of discipline to control your mouth, and gossip flows freely?
You are not alone if you answered “Yes,” to any of those questions. We all have sins we struggle with repeatedly. Even Paul, a pillar of faith, credited with penning two-thirds of the New Testament, struggled, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” (Romans 7:15 NLT)
Does that describe you sometimes? “I do what I hate.”
Of course, it does. It describes all of us, some of us more often than others. And, the more often it describes us, the more we struggle with shame, condemnation, and guilt. Why? Because of what sin is:
…sin is lawlessness.
- 1 John 3:4 (NKJV)
We sin when we break the law of God. Simply put, that law is found in the Old Testament and prioritized through the Ten Commandments. But, Jesus helps us understand which commandments are the greatest,
Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy mind, and all thy soul.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Simply put, we sin when we do not love God or love people.
We feel shame because as soon as we break the Law of God, the enemy becomes the voice in our head, shaming and condemning us.
What a twisted creature. The enemy wants us to fail God’s law and does everything he can to get us to do so. Then he is there to celebrate our sins and make us feel awful the moment we become a law-breaker. He isolates us from God and then accuses us of distancing ourselves. This cycle repeatedly continues because we continue to do what we hate, sinning against God and His people and allowing the enemy to keep us buried in the conscience of guilt.
How do we break free? How do we overcome self-hate associated with sinfulness? How do we overcome our hurts, habits, and hangups? Why do we keep doing what we do?
First, look at what James said:
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
-James 1:14 (NKJV)
The reason we sin, breaking the law of God, is because every single one of us fights against temptation. Our temptations arise due to our fleshly desires. We want something outside of God’s law and will. These desires that the enemy uses as bait to draw us away from God through acts of temptation always fit into one of three categories:
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. - 1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
1. LUST of the FLESH- I want a feeling that I don’t currently have.
We become sinful with our appetite in all areas of life, from gluttony to adultery. This is why we struggle with addiction. It’s a feeling – the lust of the flesh, the desire of the flesh – that pulls us away from God.
2. LUST of the EYES - I see something more that I want.
This is how we wind up in debt to the point we declare bankruptcy or with more than we can manage. We want everything we see and more too. The enemy keeps pointing out what we don’t have to blind us to the contentment available in what we do have.
3. PRIDE OF LIFE - I deserve something more, and I desire it because I am entitled to it.
We count ourselves worthy and deserving, and we take what we want when we want it. It’s why people cheat, steal, bend the rules and tell white lies. We struggle with a worldly mindset of entitlement that tells us we “deserve something more” than what we are presently getting.
But, there is good news!
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. -1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)
You are not the only one facing these three categories of temptation – everyone faces them! But here’s the good news, there is a way of escape. We just need to learn how to talk like Jesus! To break free of sin and lawlessness and free yourself from temptation and ungodly desires… you are going to have to tell the enemy to get behind you! Learn to talk back to the devil:
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” - Luke 4:8 (NKJV)
You don’t have to live in a perpetual cycle of defeat.
It's time to live a meaningful life, putting Hell in its place. It's time to start walking out the purpose God has for us, and as we come into the first 100 days of 2022, set things in motion that will not only change this year but generations to come. Start telling the enemy to get behind us! Inform the enemy, he can no longer block God’s vision for your life. And, you are going to be hearing more about this in the days and posts to come, but my challenge to you, going into the first 100 days of this new year: Live a more meaningful life by intensifying your pursuit of God through prayer, fasting, and studying God’s Word.
I invite you to view this message in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/HvAtVLLroEM
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