Daniel Fast Day 8
FRUITFULNESS
Become A Killer - Part 2
Colossians 3:5-9(NLT) “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”
The ugly list that Paul gives us must be completely eradicated. We are in a war for our souls and all lust, sexual immorality, impurity, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language, and lying must be put to death! We must have nothing to do with these kinds of behaviors. How do we become deadly assassins, the killers of sin? Jesus told us that we have a heart problem. Matthew 15:19-20a(CEV) “Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. These are what make you unclean.”
We need a change of heart to become victorious over the impulses of our sinful natures. Too many of us follow our heart instead of leading it. There’s an old saying that goes something along these lines; “The heart wants, what the heart wants…” implying that we have no choice but to do what our hearts want to do. Absolute nonsense, hogwash, poppycock, balderdash, rubbish, don’t believe that for a moment! It is nothing but sin wrapped in a deceptive warfare tactic, and if you fall for it, you will be toast! It’s sin trying to take ground. We belong to Christ Jesus and this is the kind of warriors we are: Galatians 5:24(NLT) “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”
That’s how we wage war. We crucify that which is contrary to our new nature in Christ Jesus. Last time I checked, when someone gets crucified, they die. How do we carry this out? By not allowing any part of us to be used as an instrument of evil, but we completely surrender to God. We give ourselves to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, not our own evil desires. Romans 6:12-13(NLT) “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So, use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
We wage war by renewing our minds with the Word of God so that we are battle ready. We let the Holy Spirit take the lead, and ask Him to empower us with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion. We don’t diminish the potential of our own susceptibility to sin by saying things like “It’s no big deal. Everyone does it. I can handle it. Is it really sin? This is just who I am. God understands…” We refuse to tolerate sin in any way. Whatever causes us to stumble we identify, remove and avoid. We don’t place ourselves in compromising situations or allow ourselves to be exposed in the areas we know we are struggling. We resist with the power of the Holy Spirit and complete submission through obedience to God’s Word.
The greatest key to overcoming sin and temptation is to keep our eyes on Jesus. How do we do that? As Christ’s followers we desire to live in truth and holiness so, we remind ourselves, daily, what Jesus did for us so that we can overcome sin. Good Friday is not the only day we should think about what Jesus did for us on the cross. We should live through the power of the cross and the reality of the Resurrection every day. We should celebrate Easter every day, not just one day a year! Read and reread what Jesus did for us in the Gospels. Read the story of betrayal, denial, false accusations, and greed. Read about the brutality of the Roman soldiers, the mocking of the religious leaders, and the sneering of the crowds. Read about the scourging, the beating, the whipping, the nails, and the crown of thorns driven into His head. See Him carrying the cross and witness His blood flowing freely. Then remind yourself, “He did that so that sin and death will lose its power over me!” As Jesus was nailed to the cross, so were our sinful natures nailed to the cross. Sin lost its power over us on the cross and our freedom was proclaimed! Romans 6:6-8(NLT) “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.”
That will give you more than a simple spiritual platitude, it will release the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit in your life to obliterate sin and give you the spiritual stamina to overcome. Every time you are tempted to sin, think of what Jesus suffered through the hands of evil men. Every time sin allures you with an appeal to your sinful desires, remind yourself what Jesus suffered. Remind yourself that you have a huge crowd of faithful men and women that have fought this fight, ran this race, and obtained the victory, and they are in the grandstands cheering you on!
Hebrews 12:1-4(TLB) “Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God. If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood.”
This is a spiritual war we are in but we are already victorious! We just have to remind ourselves that we have to enforce our sinful nature’s defeat. Keep dead things dead! See yourself not as a struggling sinner, but as an overcoming saint! The choice is yours, be an assassin of sin or a capitulator to your sinful nature. You are a stone-cold killer, and sin does not stand a chance for survival. Your weapons are not carnal, neither are they weak. Your weapons are mighty in God, so pull down, rip out, and take no prisoners! You are a killer and sin doesn’t stand a chance…Jesus says so!
Titus 2:12-14(NLT) “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
Prayer and Reflection:
Father, thank You for bringing me into Your kingdom. Thank You for transferring me from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Your dear Son. I am reminded today of what Jesus did for me, how He suffered on my behalf to rescue me from the prison of sin and from the power of death. Holy Spirit, let me live with a daily knowledge that I have been crucified with Christ. Remind me that my old self has been crucified with Christ. That it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
My freedom cost You Your life, so let my life reflect Your character and Your nature. Help me to cultivate an awareness of Your presence. Let my life reflect that I am aware You are with me, and let it especially show in how I treat others. Forgive me where I have sinned and give me a clear picture of Jesus. I pray also for my fellow believers. Help us not to be deceived by sin and not to be taken captive by our own devices. Thank You Jesus, for freedom for us all. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Become A Killer - Part 2
Colossians 3:5-9(NLT) “So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.”
The ugly list that Paul gives us must be completely eradicated. We are in a war for our souls and all lust, sexual immorality, impurity, evil desires, greed, anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, dirty language, and lying must be put to death! We must have nothing to do with these kinds of behaviors. How do we become deadly assassins, the killers of sin? Jesus told us that we have a heart problem. Matthew 15:19-20a(CEV) “Out of your heart come evil thoughts, murder, unfaithfulness in marriage, vulgar deeds, stealing, telling lies, and insulting others. These are what make you unclean.”
We need a change of heart to become victorious over the impulses of our sinful natures. Too many of us follow our heart instead of leading it. There’s an old saying that goes something along these lines; “The heart wants, what the heart wants…” implying that we have no choice but to do what our hearts want to do. Absolute nonsense, hogwash, poppycock, balderdash, rubbish, don’t believe that for a moment! It is nothing but sin wrapped in a deceptive warfare tactic, and if you fall for it, you will be toast! It’s sin trying to take ground. We belong to Christ Jesus and this is the kind of warriors we are: Galatians 5:24(NLT) “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”
That’s how we wage war. We crucify that which is contrary to our new nature in Christ Jesus. Last time I checked, when someone gets crucified, they die. How do we carry this out? By not allowing any part of us to be used as an instrument of evil, but we completely surrender to God. We give ourselves to the Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, not our own evil desires. Romans 6:12-13(NLT) “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So, use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
We wage war by renewing our minds with the Word of God so that we are battle ready. We let the Holy Spirit take the lead, and ask Him to empower us with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion. We don’t diminish the potential of our own susceptibility to sin by saying things like “It’s no big deal. Everyone does it. I can handle it. Is it really sin? This is just who I am. God understands…” We refuse to tolerate sin in any way. Whatever causes us to stumble we identify, remove and avoid. We don’t place ourselves in compromising situations or allow ourselves to be exposed in the areas we know we are struggling. We resist with the power of the Holy Spirit and complete submission through obedience to God’s Word.
The greatest key to overcoming sin and temptation is to keep our eyes on Jesus. How do we do that? As Christ’s followers we desire to live in truth and holiness so, we remind ourselves, daily, what Jesus did for us so that we can overcome sin. Good Friday is not the only day we should think about what Jesus did for us on the cross. We should live through the power of the cross and the reality of the Resurrection every day. We should celebrate Easter every day, not just one day a year! Read and reread what Jesus did for us in the Gospels. Read the story of betrayal, denial, false accusations, and greed. Read about the brutality of the Roman soldiers, the mocking of the religious leaders, and the sneering of the crowds. Read about the scourging, the beating, the whipping, the nails, and the crown of thorns driven into His head. See Him carrying the cross and witness His blood flowing freely. Then remind yourself, “He did that so that sin and death will lose its power over me!” As Jesus was nailed to the cross, so were our sinful natures nailed to the cross. Sin lost its power over us on the cross and our freedom was proclaimed! Romans 6:6-8(NLT) “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.”
That will give you more than a simple spiritual platitude, it will release the dynamic working of the Holy Spirit in your life to obliterate sin and give you the spiritual stamina to overcome. Every time you are tempted to sin, think of what Jesus suffered through the hands of evil men. Every time sin allures you with an appeal to your sinful desires, remind yourself what Jesus suffered. Remind yourself that you have a huge crowd of faithful men and women that have fought this fight, ran this race, and obtained the victory, and they are in the grandstands cheering you on!
Hebrews 12:1-4(TLB) “Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God. If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood.”
This is a spiritual war we are in but we are already victorious! We just have to remind ourselves that we have to enforce our sinful nature’s defeat. Keep dead things dead! See yourself not as a struggling sinner, but as an overcoming saint! The choice is yours, be an assassin of sin or a capitulator to your sinful nature. You are a stone-cold killer, and sin does not stand a chance for survival. Your weapons are not carnal, neither are they weak. Your weapons are mighty in God, so pull down, rip out, and take no prisoners! You are a killer and sin doesn’t stand a chance…Jesus says so!
Titus 2:12-14(NLT) “And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
Prayer and Reflection:
- “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Hebrews 12:1(MSG) Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.” What kind of spiritual fat do you need to get rid of? What extra spiritual weight are you carrying around?
- What parasitic sins are you carrying that you see as normal behavior? Will you allow the Holy Spirit to do a thorough inventory so that He may cleanse you?
- How actively do you remind yourself of what Jesus did for you on the cross?
- Do you live your life with an awareness of God’s presence? How can you practically remind yourself that the Holy Spirit is always present?
- When you berate someone, cuss someone out, lie to someone, or gossip about someone, Jesus is present. How would your behavior change in the words you speak and the actions you take when you remind yourself that Jesus is always present?
Father, thank You for bringing me into Your kingdom. Thank You for transferring me from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Your dear Son. I am reminded today of what Jesus did for me, how He suffered on my behalf to rescue me from the prison of sin and from the power of death. Holy Spirit, let me live with a daily knowledge that I have been crucified with Christ. Remind me that my old self has been crucified with Christ. That it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.
My freedom cost You Your life, so let my life reflect Your character and Your nature. Help me to cultivate an awareness of Your presence. Let my life reflect that I am aware You are with me, and let it especially show in how I treat others. Forgive me where I have sinned and give me a clear picture of Jesus. I pray also for my fellow believers. Help us not to be deceived by sin and not to be taken captive by our own devices. Thank You Jesus, for freedom for us all. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Posted in Daniel Fast 2024