God's Direction vs. Instinct
Jude 1:10 sets straight the idea that because it is natural or instinctive that one should do it. I hear that a lot. I hear "it's natural for people to have sex, so have it as often as you like with whomever you like." I think that is a very one-sided view that teeters on a lack of self control and real life consequences for your actions. In this current time, many who wanted to have sex, but didn't want to have a child had to come to a conclusion about keeping or aborting a child they didn't want. It is not of God to do with your body as you wish as what was once your is now under God's direction and is to obey God.
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Take the Steps
When you follow Christ, 2 Peter 1:5-8 shows you how to reflect that decision. If you have faith in Jesus yet have no virtue (high moral standards), isn't that a contradiction? What about the steps of knowledge, self control and steadfastness (fixed focus)? Didn't Jesus have knowledge of the Scriptures? Didn't he exhibit self control and have a fixed focus on doing God's will? Round everything out with godliness, brotherly affection and love and you are in the realm of what it is to be Christlike among those who also striving to do so and those who are on the outside watching. Your journey is your journey and not for comparison, but for you to honor God.
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Instructions for Women
Paul makes sure to tell Titus how to guide and teach not only the men, but the women as well. Truly, it is a way to set followers of Christ apart from those who do not and believe that they should do whatever they want with their lives and bodies. In verses 3-5 Paul writes, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." This puts older women as mentors to younger women. This puts older women as walking, living breathing examples of a Christ following woman who is not slandering others or getting drunk. Paul wants the older women teach the younger ones to love their husbands and children. I know many say that the Bible is a misogynistic piece of writing, but I don't see that the way others do.
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Fruit of the Spirit
How do you know if you are walking in step with the Holy Spirit? Paul first breaks down what is not apart of the spirit in Galatians 5:19-21. He tells them sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these" are all components and examples of what it is to be living in the flesh. But in Galatians 5:22-24 Paul reveals the Fruit of the Spirit. The fruit is love (for God, others and self), peace (with God, others and self), faithfulness (in the Lord and the Word), joy (in that which is righteous), goodness (that which is in accordance with God's will), gentleness (with others), patience, self control and kindness. There are so many possible ways to live, think and operate, but if we are in the spirit, it narrows down those options
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Giving Up Rights
This chapter shows us how Paul is perhaps becoming frustrated to have to keep correcting things that have become excuses for the Corinthians Christians. They saw it as their right to eat meat that had been dedicated to idols, yet Paul says that they only have rights under Christ. He uses himself as an example that he has rights as a human as well, but since he is an apostle of Christ who has seen an accurate vision of Christ (post resurrection) that he submits to Christ rather than human desires and rights (1 Corinthians 9:1-7).
Paul had planted churches and decided to pay his own way through things rather than allow people to say that money was his motivation in the ministry. He points out that he has a right to do so but did not. The point here is that even though he has the right to do something, he chose not to, unlike the Corinthian Christians who had rights and gave into them rather than submit to the will of God (1 Corinthians 9:15).
Paul's final point was that athlete's do things for a prize, at the time it was a wreath. That prize does not last. But we as Christ followers "fight" for a prize that does not perish. that should be our focus on the prize that does not perish (1 Corinthians 9:26-27).
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Facing Temptation
It's tough out there. Temptation is around every corner. You could just be driving to work and listening to the radio and a song could come on and tempt you to do something that is not easy for you to resist. It happens to me, often. It may not be a song, it might be music, a TV show or a movie. Sometimes it is a just a random thought that pops in my head. Just a thought.What I do with that thought is whether I win the battle over the temptation or I lose. The choice is in my control.
In Proverbs 25:28 it says "A man without self control is like a city broken into and left without walls." To me, that is deep. Imagine that the United States of America had literally no defenses set up. No aircraft carriers in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. No Army. No Navy. No Marines. No Air Force. Nothing. NOTHING!!! Do you know how easy it would be for another country to invade us everyday? Well, thankfully we are protected. The government set up years ago (as many governments do) a system of what to do if an invasion attempt was made. They set up defenses far in advance rather than wait until an attack comes. Well, shouldn't we do the same? Our minds must be protected. Our minds must be focused on what is godly. Even if it feels right and natural to us, it doesn't mean that it is (Proverbs 14:12). Check your beliefs against what Scripture says about it. Far in advance, focus on bible verses like the ones highlighted in this paragraph, or check out Romans 6. It outlines how we as Christ followers should be thinking even when in the face of sin and ways that we behaved before we believed in Christ.
Sin pulls us away from God. That plays into what Satan wants. He is not God's friend, but God's enemy. So when it is tempting to cut down someone and curse them out, that plays into Satan's plans for your life. When you are tempted to watch an adult film, or harm your body with drugs, or eat poorly or whatever it is, that pulls you away from being in God's will. What does a life look like when you are out of God's will? Problems, problems and more problems. Relational problems with family and friends. Extreme amounts of stress in trying to deal with everything that is going on. Those things that we did before we were believers need to be dead such as idolatry like your possessions, lust, covetousness, etc (Colossians 3:5-6).
To arm our selves with the army, navy, marines and air force of our spirit and mind, we need to put on the full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). Focusing our minds on what is of God and what is pleasing to Him. We also need to be careful of who we are hanging pout with, I recently reread Proverbs 1:10 which reminded me of a life change I had almost 20 years ago when I was hanging with the wrong crowd. I was hanging with sinners who did not know God and were enticing me to do wrong and I fell for a long time. It took me to be in my 30's before I realized I needed to break away from certain types of people. As I grow in my faith I need to be around those who are Holy Spirit minded and filled and led.
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When You Get Angry
When was the last time you were angry? I don't mean angry that your favorite show got cancelled or your favorite team lost, but angry to the point where you could not sleep. Do you have your answer? Now, I ask you what did you do with that anger? Did you just ignore it like it didn't exist or did you let it explode? Please don't tell me that you went to social media to complain about things that you just need to deal with. But there are much more productive things to do with anger and knowing how to handle it than just ignoring it or letting it consume you. Do you agree?
As we read through Proverbs (which is a great start if you have never read through the Bible), I come across Proverbs 29:11 which let us know that giving full vent to your anger is foolish. It also informs us that self control is what the wise people do. That means when you are angry, don't go punch someone. That means do not go yelling at them. There are time we are angry about how we perceive someone's words rather than what they really mean. I have been guilty of that before and had arguments with people about what they said and how I perceived what they said without actually having a conversation about it. What we need to do is focus on what would actually anger God and seek to be surrounded by the Holy Spirit and walking with the Holy Spirit (more on that later).
We also need to deal with the anger in that moment. I know from personal experience that if I do not deal with that anger, it will stew. That is when the devil take a hold of my thoughts and pulls them away from the Holy Spirit. Then I will keep replaying what was said or done and start trying to connect things and maybe even add an attitude of righteousness on the other person. That is letting bitterness grow. How many times do we get mad at someone and then completely ignore them based on what happened? Deal with the problem. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that we can be angry, but in that anger do not sin. We cannot let the sun go down on our anger. I mean truly, how often do you get mad at someone and talk about it the next day and settle it? I would be willing to assume that not many people confront and deal with issues in the moment. They walk away mad...and got to the passive aggressive Facebook post. Let's stop Facebooking and start facing the problems with the use of the Book (Bible)!!
And when we do respond, do we respond with gentleness, or do we respond with yelling, sarcasm or undercutting people with insults? It is interesting that when we get angry, we throw the ways of Christ (like being loving at all times) out of the window. Then we run those ways over with our car. C'mon people!! Let's start responding in love for others and know that whether we know someone well or not at all, our words reflect our heart and have an impact on other. Respond in love and not in wrath (Proverbs 15:1).
Whether it is anger or sadness or lust and knowing how to deal with these feeling and thoughts when they arise, we must rely on the Holy Spirit. That is God's will for our lives has to be our will. If it is not, then one cannot expect the Holy Spirit to guide them if they have not sought that guidance in the first place. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is the only way to the Father, not one of the ways, THE WAY. He tells us in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. If you are not with the Holy Spirit and you keep having the same problems, then the answer is pretty clear on what needs to happen in your life in order for you to deal with the problems as they arise. Follow Christ and the Holy Spirit will guide you.
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It Is Time for Something Better
Some relationships are a mess. There is constant bickering and long droughts of bitterness. You want to be supported and they want to be right. You love them too much and they don't love you enough. There just doesn't seem to be a future. But I can almost guarantee you there is a disconnect. Staying disconnecting from God is like not recharging your smartphone after using it all day. It will DIE!!! You have to plug back in to reading the word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), yes the Bible. Start with a chapter a day. Read Proverbs. There are 31 chapters. you can read one chapter per day for a month.
We also need to submit to God's will (Psalm 143:10). How do we know what God's will is? If you don't read God's word and let that marinate and you think on it and apply what you read, then it would be hard to know what God wants from us. We are making decisions that are not conducive to our spiritual growth which is affecting our relationships. Before you check everyone else, check yourself. What else could you be doing on your side in the effort of change and relational growth with God in order to have better relationships with others?
Don't forget about prayer. When things go wrong we can find ourselves trying to fix everything and everyone. We feel like we are shaped to help, which can be true, but it is not your responsibility to fix. Our responsibility is to pray and include God (Philippians 4:6). Isn't that part of the reason why there is an issue any way? We try to fix things separate from God. We need to include Him and let Him do his work.
And also there is accountability (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). How can we grow spiritually all by ourselves. If there isn't someone that you can confide in and have walk with you through your life, it makes things that much harder. We need to be able to check in with people and have them check in with us and keep us accountable for what we want to be different in our lives according to God's will. That accountability with another Christ follower and you allows God to be present in the relationship in order to help the other parts of life benefit as well. It isn't easy, but it can be be done.
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