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You and I have an enemy within us. Our flesh fights against us and leads us into sin. We must kill it! This book can help. The Christian life is about becoming more like Jesus Christ everyday. Jesus was perfect, righteous and holy. He never sinned. We on the other hand sin often. The Christian life is a an ongoing battle against sin. We put off the old and put on the new. Christian maturity is about the process of putting sin to death and striving for holiness. The war will last the rest of our earthly days, but we are not fighting it alone. We have been given the Spirit of God Himself. He is at work within us. He is also given us a weapon for the fight which is the Word of God. Sadly many Christians neglect the power and weapon that is available to them. Probably the most helpful writing on the topic was penned about 300 years ago by John Owen. His works Indwelling Sin, The Mortification of Sin and Treatise on Temptation have become Christian classics. They are a very challenging read and have been recently combined and updated into more modern English under the title Overcoming Sin and Temptation. Owen's writings are a boot camp that will prepare you to fight sin. To make this treasure of wisdom even more accessible an author has done a modern rewriting and abbreviation of Owen's books. The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard is a little book that I believe every Christian should read. It is filled with practical ways to gain victory over the sin that so easily entangles us. I have read this short book many times and keep coming back to it because I have found it extremely helpful in my own fight against sin and is a practical guide to introduce others to the raging battle. It is an easy read, but it is about a difficult fight. I want to strongly encourage you to prayerfully read through this book. Better yet, find someone to read it with. Look up every scripture referenced and think deeply on the implications of each text. It will do you good. The following are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

"In your struggle against sin, never forget your duty—but neither forget the power of the Spirit. The killing of the flesh is your duty, but His work."

"There is no spiritual duty, nothing godly you can set yourself to, in which you won’t feel the wind of sin’s resistance in your face."

"The law of sin and the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2) in us are mortal enemies. If we are not spiritually wise in managing our souls, how can we help making a wreck of ourselves? But many people live in darkness and ignorance about their own hearts. They keep careful track of how their investments are doing on Wall Street and get frequent checkups at the doctor; they watch what they eat and work out at the gym three or four times a week to keep their bodies finely tuned. But how many people give the least thought to their souls? If it is important to watch over and care for our bodies and investments, which will soon die and rot, how much more important is it for us to guard our immortal souls?"

"If sin only came to visit now and then, like an unwelcome in-law, we could get a lot of godliness done while it was away. If it were like an army that struck, then pulled back for a time, we could refresh ourselves and fortify our defenses during the calm. But the flesh is a relentless homebody and assailant. Wherever you go, whatever you do, the law of sin is with you step for step—in the best you do, in the worst you do. Sin isn’t just a permanent houseguest; it’s a meddlesome wretch. It’s always poking its nose in, looking over your shoulder, whispering in your ear."

"Never think for a minute that the war against sin is over in this life. There isn’t even a cease-fire. Many generals have been surprised because they were careless after a victory. Countless believers have been ambushed on the heels of a giant step forward in faith. David, for example, lived a long life of devotion and duty to God, and saw mercy on mercy from God’s hands; then sin tip-toed up behind him in the dark and stabbed him in the back... Sin can be like trick birthday candles: you blow them out and smile, thinking you have your wish; then your jaw drops as they burst into flames."

"The more you discover the power of indwelling sin, the less you will suffer its effects. Because the better you know it, the more you will hate it; and to the length that you abhor it—and no farther—you will grasp for grace against it."

"As endless and complicated as this war is, believers rush in with confidence: the Holy Spirit takes the horror out of the horror show. We don’t know our hearts, but he does (Psalm 139). He is a blazing torch we carry into the haunted house, and he ferrets out the monsters. He leads us into a closet under the stairs and uncovers a seething hatred. He shines under the bed and exposes a sniveling lust. No sin escapes his searching eye."

"The deceiver disguises what is undesirable and harmful (the hook in the fishing lure, for example) beneath what he thinks we want (a brightly colored fly, if you’re a fish). He hides from our minds the painful consequences we ought to consider (if you bite the hook, you’ll be captured, cleaned, and cooked), so that we make a false judgment... When the flesh deceives you, you will sin."

"Joseph’s mind was protected by two thoughts: the vileness of sin (“How then could I do such a wicked thing?”) and God’s grace and goodness (“How then could I sin against God?”). Because his mind was prepared for action (1 Peter 1:13–16), he could see through the deceit of the flesh and resist temptation."

"Besides belittling sin, the flesh uses its wiles to drive every thought of God from our minds by filling the mind with thoughts of the world. The flesh knows a mind cannot be fixed on both God and earthly things (Col 3:2; 1 John 2:15). The main ploy of the flesh is to slip worldliness into the mind under the guise of necessity."

"Our mind must stay fixed on God, especially on his grace and goodness toward us. His love propels, fuels, drives us to obey. It is the fountain of our obedience, and our highest motive to finding out what pleases the Lord and doing it."

"The flesh weakens conviction against sin by separating the remedy of grace from the design of grace. The Scriptures teach nothing more clearly than that God’s design in showing mercy is to make us holy people... The flesh works to make you forget the design (that you are saved to be holy) and think only of the remedy (if you sin you’ll be forgiven). The flesh preaches half a gospel (a twisted gospel) to us: “Go ahead and indulge—it’s already paid for.” Those who fall prey to such deception are evidently many, since the Scriptures go to such lengths to condemn it (Rom 3:5–8; 6:1–4; Jude 4)... If your mind sees the gospel only as a source of pardon from sin, and not also as the source of deliverance from the power of sin, you will be more easily attracted by the pleasures of sin, convinced that any threats of danger have been carried away in Christ."

"The deceitfulness of the flesh says, “You ought to pray, so pray; you ought to tithe, so tithe; now you’ve done your duty, so go and do what you want."

"The flesh wants to fix your imagination on something that will lead you into the clutches of sin. It wants you to dwell on and savor those tantalizing possibilities, until you can’t stop thinking about them, until you start plotting and scheming ways to make the fantasy a reality. This is why Paul warns us not even to “think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Rom 13:14)."

"Think greatly of God’s greatness. Thoughts that reach up toward the excellency of God’s majesty are beautiful and delicious to the soul, but they come with unpleasant side effects. Even a hint of his greatness shows us up as grasshoppers, dust, and “less than nothing” in comparison (Isaiah 40:12–25). No one wants to go out of his way to feel small, weak, and defiled; but this strong medicine gives us hope against sin. In this humiliation our sin withers."

"Will you give your hours to fantasizing about and dwelling on and longing for the vile things that nailed the Lover of your soul to the cursed tree? Set your heart on heavenly things! How often do you fantasize about the resurrection? Reigning with Christ forever? Joining your voice in worship to the saints in heaven?"

"In every individual sinful thought, word, action, or feeling, God’s grace fights against the will’s consent. Just as the flesh resists every spiritual act, the Spirit resists every sin. The wisdom of the believer is to learn to listen to the voice of the Spirit’s resistance, no matter how faintly it may echo in the conscience. The folly of the believer is to ignore that voice repeatedly, until he becomes nearly deaf to it. This is greasing the tracks for sin.""

"The Great Physician has warned us. Killing the flesh is expensive (it will cost us much work and time, though aided by the Spirit), but the alternative is spiritual death. Those who refuse to put the flesh to death are willing to live according to the flesh. This is consent to sin. So it is not necessary to plan to murder or lust or steal or lie in order to give your consent to sin. All you have to do is willingly neglect the means God has given to put an end to sin."

"All the deception and temptation of the flesh has one intent: to convince the mind that this sinful act is somehow “good” for the soul so that you hunger for it, and your will chooses it. The ways the flesh does this are countless."

"Your mind can only protect against the deceit of the flesh if you are cross-eyed. That is, you can only keep the rottenness of sin and the kindness of God in mind if you fix your eyes on the cross. What shows God’s hatred of sin more than the cross?"

"If you don’t imbed it in your mind that prayer and meditation are indispensable, and seek God’s grace every day to resist the sluggishness of your body, you will hit the snooze button all morning rather than kneel before the throne."

"Do you work hard to get a glimpse of the glory of God each day as you approach him? ... The Scriptures are our only infallible guide for filling our minds and hearts with thoughts of God."

 

 

The Hope of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians by Sam Storms is an interesting hybrid of a daily devotional and a commentary.  He walks through every verse of the book of Colossians, but he does it and bite size meditations perfect for someone to start their day thinking deeply about the truth of the Word of God.  The title Hope of Glory is drawn from the text of Colossians itself as is most of the book. Storms is not trying to be exceptionally creative but rather simply helping the reader to understand the Scripture. He provides an excellent help to a careful reading of Colossians. It is stylisticly simple yet theologicaly substantial.  I regularly read commentaries and enjoy having studied theologians walking me through the text, but often they can get rather technical and sometimes chase rabbit trails, or use unnecessarily large words.  This book does get technical at some points and even makes reference to the Greek a couple times, but always in a well explained little chunk and only to make the text even more clear. The 100 daily meditations on the other hand are a breath of fresh air. They can each be read in ten minutes or less so that even the busiest person can take time to read them. The result is a reliable guide to walk you through the entire book of Colossians slowly as you read each of the manageable meditations that encourage and instruct.  This is a great resource for anyone wanting to dig into the Word of God.

I loved reading Sam Crabtree’s Practicing Affirmation and found it to be one of the most practical books I have read in the long time. It's one of those books I'm sure to reread again and again. He convincingly argues for the necessity of praising others in a way that glorifies God while being careful not to flatter or build up pride. His convincing arguments are clearly from the Scripture.  I came across this book while trying to understand the fine line between speaking words that build up and flattering others. I see value in giving compliments, but I've certainly seen how complements can go to people's heads.  I remember listening to a highly acclaimed speaker at a photography conference.  He was giving detailed instructions on how to flatter people, so that they look better in pictures, but I could not help but see how this pride producing speech was sinful.  Sure I want people to look their best in my pictures of them but I'm not willing to flatter in order to make that happen. In Ephesians 4:29 Paul writes, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." I want to speak words that build up and encourage,  yet I must be very careful because I certainly don't want to build up pride.

Another obstacle is my own pride. Praising others does not come easily to human nature; we like to receive praise, but not to give it. Criticizing comes much easier because we are by nature full of  arrogant self praise and sinfully feel more comfortable looking down on people.  I realized I needed lots of biblical examples to help me find the right balance so that I might appropriately give more positive, affirming, and encouraging words that gives grace to these who hear me. And being novices at this, we also need lots of hand-holding and step-by-step guidance on how to do this in a helpful and God-honoring way. Thankfully, Sam Crabtree’s book is full of both theological warrant and practical instruction.  What he is arguing for is God-centered affirmations.

There is a danger of taking glory away from God by praising mere human beings.  People do it all the time when they fail to give God the praise that He is due.  Evolution attempts to steal God's glory,  much of psychology attempts to steal God's glory, the cultural elite and decidedly secular in our society give God no credit at all and sadly each one of us fail to praise God as much as we ought. Crabtree begins by demonstrating that God is glorified when we affirm the work He has done and is doing in others. In fact, he argues for the profound fact that if we fail to do so, we risk robbing God of praise by not recognizing His work in His people. We keep God at the center of our affirmations by following the biblical pattern of saying, “I thank God for you…” This way, the person is encouraged and God gets the glory.

“But what about unbelievers? Should we praise them for doing good things?” After a helpful exposition of common grace, Crabtree says, “Yes, we should!” but only if it’s regularly set in a wider Law and Gospel context that stirs the unbeliever to seek the only one who is good, that is God (Matthew 19:17). He persuasively argues that honest affirmations even of slow progress can strengthen relationships, open the door to further change, and help evangelism.

Now I don’t want you to get the impression that the book is arguing that we should only say nice things all the time. He is not saying that we should never criticize, but that criticism should come from a life overflowing with affirmation. He addresses the issue of if and how to criticize and I especially enjoyed his critique of the “sandwich method” the correction strategy that puts every criticism between two slices of praise. Crabtree calls that “a baloney sandwich” and offers some more appetizing alternatives. His main point is that our corrections will have no effect if there is no deep, wide, and long context of encouragement and affirmation. He gives many examples from his life to illustrate and enforce the principles, making it much easier to see how this should all look in our own lives and callings.  I certainly see  that I need to grow in this area but I'm thankful that this book has shown me how to do it well.  I praise God for this book and love how He is glorified in it.

My main take away from the book is that God is glorified when I point out His work in others. If we practice affirmation, everyone in our life will benefit and God will be praised. It’s a win-win situation.  Lord help us!

I've read several books by Paul David Tripp and every time I both love it and hate it simultaneously.  I hate it because it is so convicting and shows me my sin and I love it because when I see my sin for what it is I can start to kill it. Tripp thinks deeply about the practical matters of life and how the Bible affects ordinary mundane moments.  I recently read Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp an unsurprisingly I have to give it a high recommendation.  Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book.  I believe they will give you a taste of why this book is worth reading.

"Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just make your relationships better overnight? We often think that if God really cared for us, he would make our relationships easier. In reality, a difficult relationship is a mark of his love and care. We would prefer that God would just change the relationship, but he won’t be content until the relationship changes us too. This is how God created relationships to function. What happens in the messiness of relationships is that our hearts are revealed, our weaknesses are exposed, and we start coming to the end of ourselves. Only when this happens do we reach out for the help God alone can provide. Weak and needy people finding their hope in Christ’s grace are what mark a mature relationship."

"I confess your sins to myself with bitterness. I can’t believe she did that to me!  I confess your sins to another person in gossip. “Let me tell you what she did to me!”  I confess your sins to God, seeking vengeance. “God, when are you going to do something to the person who hurt me?”  I confess your sins to you in anger. “How dare you do such a thing to me?”

"We would easily settle for our own definition of personal happiness when God’s purpose is nothing short of conforming us to the image of Christ!"

"Humility enables us to see our own sin before we focus on the sin and weaknesses of another. Do you hold others to a higher standard than you do yourself? A gentle person is not weak, but someone who uses his strength to empower others. A gentle person can use strength without damaging those he is trying to help. Do people regularly feel bruised in their relationship with you? A patient person is someone who places the needs of others higher than, or at the same level as, his own. He doesn’t come with a self-centered agenda. A forbearing person is someone who does all this even when provoked. In other words, people who are patient and forbearing are humble and gentle even when they are provoked or when the investment they have made in a relationship turns sour."

"The highest joys of relationship grow in the soil of the deepest struggles. Struggles are not obstacles, but instruments in God’s hands. Every struggle is an opportunity to experience God’s grace yourself and give it to the other person."

"God will take us where we have not planned to go in order to produce in us what we could not achieve on our own. He will lead us through the hardships so that we will become more and more like Him."

The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? by John F. MacArthur is a thorough and refreshing look at how the Bible teaches that truly trusting in Jesus means following him as Lord and Savior.  We don't really trust Him if we don't trust Him enough to obey His commands.  MacArthur goes through passage after passage to demonstrate the overwhelming fact that Christianity is not just a ticket to heaven, but rather a radical life change in which we submit to Lord Jesus each day.  We cannot have Jesus as our Savior if will not repent and have Him as our Lord.

"Matthew 4:17 records the dawning of Christ’s public ministry: “From that time [the imprisonment of John the Baptist] Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’"

"Repentance is not a one-time act. The repentance that takes place at conversion begins a progressive, lifelong process of confession (1 John 1:9). This active, continuous attitude of repentance produces the poverty of spirit, mourning, and meekness Jesus spoke of in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3 – 6). It is a mark of every true believer."

"“You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). Note three elements of repentance: a turning to God, a turning from evil, and the intent to serve God. No change of mind can be called true repentance if it does not include all three elements."

"When Peter gave the gospel invitation at Pentecost, in the first public evangelism of the postresurrection era, repentance was at the heart of it: “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). No message that eliminates repentance can properly be called the gospel, for sinners cannot come to Jesus Christ apart from a radical change of heart, mind, and will."

"He is Lord, and those who refuse Him as Lord cannot use Him as Savior. Everyone who receives Him must surrender to His authority, for to say we receive Christ when in fact we reject His right to reign over us is utter absurdity. It is a futile attempt to hold on to sin with one hand and take Jesus with the other. What kind of salvation is it if we are left in bondage to sin?"

The Gospel According to Jesus is a great resource to help you think deeply about how the Gospel changes lives.  It is a must read for the serious student of the Word.

Delighting in the Law of the Lord: God's Alternative to Legalism and Moralism by Jerram Barrs made me think. Here are just a few quotes from the book.

"We need to put away from our thoughts any notion that the law was given as a means to earn fellowship with God. This was never the purpose of the law. The law was given to those aware of their constant need for mercy and pardon."

"In Lutheranism the primary place of the law is to bring conviction of sin; and some in the Reformed churches are deeply influenced by this view and seem to forget that the primary use of the law is to instruct us in the character of God and in his design for our lives as his creatures and beloved children."

"Follow the lead of those Christians, from whatever tradition, who read Psalms 1, 19, and 119, and who, because they live by the Word, take delight in reading the law, in meditating on its precepts, and in seeing them as beautiful and liberating, and who then give their lives to following the requirements of the law every day in their homes, in their workplaces, and in all their relationships. Above all, we will not go wrong if we see the law as rooted in the loveliness of God’s character, for the more we love the Lord himself, the more we will love his commandments. Such an approach will enable us to see the law as a friend and as a comforting guide and benevolent teacher—even when the law is convicting us of sin and leading us to Christ for forgiveness."

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl is a very helpful book for engaging with those who disagree with you. It's focused on speaking with unbelievers who have an entirely different worldview, but the tactics described here are helpful in any disagreement or debate in which you want to stay cool tempered and speak with love and grace. This is one I will certainly reread. Kindle ebook Price: $1.99 (Feb 23-Mar 2)

Wow! Instructing a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp is a practical and Christ centered guide to Biblical parenting. The Tripps rely heavily upon the Word of God as they explain the importance of dealing with the heart issues behind your children's behavior. They take serious the Christian responsibility for parents to disciple their own children. The main thrust of the book is formative instruction where parents train their children in the ways of the Lord. It is a great help! I found this material encouraging and convicting. I highly recommend it!

If you are struggling against pornography or if you want to help others in the fight, then you should read Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert. It Is a great resource. It's filled with sound theology and enough Scripture that anyone who reads it will find it challenging, convicting and helpful. It is a practical guide to growing in purity. I thoroughly appreciated it and know it will be one that I will reread and share with others. What makes it such a great resource is that it starts with the gospel and then from there looks extensively at a variety of weapons that can be used in the fight against lust. Dr. Lamber provides an arsenal to be used in the battle. This book is certainly worth the effort and time it will take to read it. Lambert sets his sights high, “In this book, I want to share with you the amazing depth and effect of Christ’s power to eradicate pornography from your life. Whether you struggle with pornography yourself or are trying to help someone who struggles, I have good news for you: no matter how intense or long-standing the struggle, it is the work of Jesus Christ to set people free from such sin.” Here are some more great quotes from its pages.

"God does not forbid sexual immorality because he wants you to be miserable; God forbids it because sexual immorality leads to brokenness, sadness, emptiness, death, and hell. Righteousness, on the other hand, leads to fullness, joy, peace, and life. According to Jesus, sin is not complicated. There are two simple choices and two guaranteed consequences—the easy path of sexual immorality, which will kill you, and the hard path of radical warfare against it, which will lead you to the fullness of life."

"If you are struggling with pornography, Jesus wants you to understand that you will need to get tough with your sin. You will need to employ radical measures to limit your access and starve your temptation... even people who lack eyes and hands can still lust and sin in their hearts. Jesus is urging something even more radical than a onetime physical amputation. He is telling us that when we are tempted to sin sexually, we must act aggressively—every time we are tempted and in every way required to avoid the sin."

"You will need to employ radical measures in at least three areas. You only look at porn when you have the desire to see it, when you have the time to look at it, and when it is available to you. Nobody looks at pornography without all three of these elements coming together. In your fight to be free from pornography, you must learn to take radical steps to eliminate each one."

"In fighting temptation: outward measures, regardless of how radical they are, can never change your heart. This is why it is critical to employ radical measures in your thought life first. You need more than a change in your circumstances to win the battle; you need a change in your heart."

"Men look at pornography out of an arrogant desire to see women in a way that God does not allow. They show arrogant defiance to God’s commands, rejecting the delight of sexual intimacy in marriage and deciding for themselves what they believe is better."

“Porn is only consumed by thankless people.”

“The logic of lust requires you to be discontent with what you have and pay attention to all the things you don’t have. The logic of thankfulness requires you to focus on what you have already received and to be overcome with thanks. Gratitude is the opposite of greed.“

“If you struggle with porn, one of your greatest needs is to grow in the grace of gratitude. Just because you may never have thought about it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Porn is only consumed by thankless people. The desire for porn is a desire to escape from what the Lord has given you into a fake universe full of things you do not have and will never have. Porn is the trading of gratitude for greed”

“Every greedy glance at pornography is a missed opportunity to be thankful to the Lord and to others for all the good things in your life"

“Lust guarantees that as soon as you possess the object of your longing, you will get a new greedy desire for something more. This explains why marriage isn’t the cure for lust that singles believe it will be. Once a man has a wife, he starts wanting the next thing he does not have. This is the vicious cycle of lust.”

"When you sin, you are the one responsible (Mark 7:21–23). Other people can sin against you, make your life difficult, and entice you to sin, but they can never make you sin. When you sin, it is always your fault, and you should never say or do anything to make it sound like the fault lies elsewhere."

"Worldly sorrow is legitimate sorrow. The issue is not whether a person is sad; instead, it is what they are sad about. The focus of worldly sorrow is the world. People experiencing worldly sorrow are distressed because they are losing (or fear losing) things the world has to offer... Worldly sorrow is sad over losing the things of the world, while the focus of godly sorrow is God himself. Godly sorrow is pained over the break in relationship with God."

"The call to be in Christ is the call to be holy. Christian, hear the Word of God: the impurity of pornography stands in direct opposition to who you are in Christ. The blood of Jesus beckons you to holiness. You are summoned to look like Jesus. Therefore you must flee from living like an unbeliever and inflicting sexual harm on others. You must run passionately away from porn and toward holiness, love, self-control, and grace. The great call of your life is to be holy, as Jesus is holy. Pornography stands firmly opposed to that call. You must run from it and toward Christ."