1st Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” When we are right with God we have protection against the devil. When we do what satan wants us to do our protection breaks down. If lust is putting you at risk, it is wise to increase your protection with scripture. I often recommend praying for 20 minutes per day over verses about lust. These verses increase our wisdom, increase our knowledge and help us fight the devil. In my 21-day plan, this praying is very important, but I feel like many people don't think they can do everything in the 21-day plan every day. But even if you have zero confidence in quitting, and even if you struggle left and right to do everything in it, it is still wise to pray for 20 minutes daily over 3 verses about lust. Why? Read the verse again. I am a fully qualified expert in doing things that allowed the devil to completely shred me, sift me, and almost destroy me. Here I usually say “Learn from my stupidity.” But in this case, I did learn, I have turned to scripture, and it has turned out very well. Second, today consider making a commitment to God. If our commitment includes “No limits, no distractions, just a full dedication to doing His will. Then the devil can roar all he wants, but in that scenario, his power fades and fades. Finally, I am just like you. I knew I could never quit. But one day I did commit. That day was almost two years ago. Try it, you will like it. This article was partially inspired by an awesome video by Sadie Robertson.
We either seek pleasure or purpose. When we always seek pleasure, we discover that worldly pleasures are always a grand illusion. If we insist on a pursuit of pleasure we become forced to make God "small" in our lives, and joy becomes a grand illusion. Second, in 2023 there is a massive shortage of people fulfilling their God given purpose. Because of this, blessing, and joy grow and grow for people who always strive to do God's will. Third, reject the grand illusion by striving to learn daily habits that lead to living right. Reject the grand illusion by focusing day and night on trying to find out what God wants you to do. Finally, the person who prays for a block of time about purpose, (it also helps to read the Purpose Driven Life), is much more likely to quit. Why, because they are busier, they now have a goal, they have less time to get into trouble, and God looks favorably on people who are willing to fill the massive shortage of people fulfilling their purpose. The grand illusion leads to emptiness. Living God's ways leads to contentment.
Yesterday, I was on vacation, and through a series of unfortunate events, I was left stranded at the beach in western Michigan. Several people were supposed to go to the beach, but then at the last minute, they had to do other things first. The plan was that they would meet up with me about 90 minutes later. The beach was spectacular, 15 boats were anchored offshore, and people were playing spike ball and many other games. Then I noticed that 3 hours had passed, then 30 more minutes. I did not have my phone with me. Then I started getting worried, or angry, or both, not realizing whether they tried to meet me and missed me, or whether they just didn't care. As the day started getting bleak I remembered all of the articles I had written over the last ten days about obeying the Bible's command to rejoice in all things. So I started to rejoice by praying, "Father, I thank you that I am stranded here, I will not lose my joy." Well... for my first 4-5 prayers I felt nothing, but I kept praying it more and more. Then I remembered that one of my goals this week was to increase in love. So I also prayed about increasing in love. But the truth was, I was getting stressed, annoyed, tired, and at the 4-hour mark, wondering if there had been a severe car crash or something. In situations like this satan always attacks. I had been turning from staring at all of the spectacular females on the beach all day. But once I started letting things like anger and fear in, my temptation ramped way up. Now I was starting to struggle to turn away. Then it hit me, this is one of the many reasons that the Bible commands us to rejoice. I started to pray that prayer more fervently, and started to pray more about turning from lust. As I continued to fight and pray I started to have a strong awareness that God was there, just the way He says that He is always there. But then, abruptly, my party pulled up and my challenge on the beach was over. A couple of people had tried to meet up with me earlier, and they misheard where I said I would be. Second, one note: many reading this are in a place where the beach is completely off-limits at this point in your recovery. That is smart. Stay away from the beach until you have an established habit of turning from lust. Finally, this experience showed how important prayer and rejoicing in all things are. More proof that what the Bible says can help us massively in life. For the full article click.
We need to know exactly what we are working on to conquer lust, today, this week, and this month. To start, it is vital to form a habit of spending a block of time at this site "every" day. Consider setting a time and setting an alarm every day until you make it into a habit. Second, work on the #1 thing you need to change for the month as often as possible. You can copy and paste any of my articles into a Word file or Google doc so that you have a huge # of tips to fight against the #1 thing that causes you to fall. Third, think about the 10 issues that cause you to fall or get down. Things like anger, depression, bad TV habits, people problems, or hopelessness. Take extra notes when you read articles that are about things that often affect you. Fourth, solve today's problems if possible. Today I am not content with anything. So, I have already prayed a dozen times: "Father, help me to be content." I will probably pray it another dozen times. To solve today's problems try putting your issue in the search. So for today, I could put "content, or contentment" in the search at this site. That technique often works, but if it doesn't you can put your issue in a Google search. They certainly have a lot of advice for many problems. One can also put "content, Christian." Then Google will bring up articles on both subjects so that you will get more information that is Bible oriented. Every day, at the same time, consider working on changes you need to make for today and for this month. It will give you the skills you need to succeed. For the full article click.
Today I watched "Jesus Revolution" on Netflix. It is my new favorite Christian movie. It is set in the early 70s and the theme of it is that people are searching for something real. Searching for a real answer. For the hippies of that generation, finally, someone started telling them about Jesus. But, often people are told to quit drugs, and they are not told what to do. Second, like the people in the movie, my dad was always filled with joy and he always told me to pray to care about souls. Tip #1 If you want a real answer to the questions in life consider praying: "Father, help me to hate sin, and help me to care about souls." "Father, take away this spirit of lust and show me how to find joy." Every prayer needs to be 100% sincere, but with these prayers it is easy. How many hundreds of times do we need to pray about these complicated topics in order to make progress? For me, it was a lot of times. Third, the leaders and preachers in Jesus Revolution were highly focused on helping people and saving souls. In my life, every time I am around people who are striving to help others and be in God's will... I am always impressed with their high level of joy. Fourth, I went to several Christian camps as a kid and about half of the time, I felt like certain Christians were living in their own personal Garden of Eden. Plus, my dad was like that, and I had two aunts and one uncle like that. These people inspired me to go to war with sin and pray prayers like the ones above, endlessly. This month, strive to make changes in your life so that you get at least a glimpse of your own personal Garden of Eden. It can happen. For the full article click.
John 8:31 Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; 32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Thomasnelsonbibles.com noted: “Words the Bible uses besides “abide” (1 John 2:14) include “meditate” (Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8), “dwell” (Colossians 3:16), “bind” (Deuteronomy 6:7), “receive” and “search” (Acts 17:11), “hide” (Ps. 119:11), and, “hold fast” (1 Corinthians 15:2).” We start to abide in God's Word by reading His Word daily. It is a vital daily habit for quitting. Second, we meditate on His Word. Today I meditated on Bible verses about strength and love. I have several one-page printouts of key topics that I keep with my Bible. Third, we dwell on certain passages to achieve goals. I have spent a lot of time dwelling on Psalm One. It tells us how to start being blessed. I have dwelled on a lot of passages that tell us what we need to do to be blessed. Fourth, to bind is to make a full obligation to do things God's way. This full commitment leads to freedom. Fifth, to receive and search. We commit to solving today's problems (and everyday problems) by searching for Spiritual answers. We search here at this site, we search for Bible verses on the problem, and, we search at Google. For example, if anger is today's issue, you can search in Google, “anger, Christian.” You will get a bunch of ideas about how to solve “Today's” problem in a Godly way. Or better yet, search “verses, anger.” Sixth, we hide God's Word in our hearts by memorizing key passages. I can quote a bunch of the verses about lust. Seventh, we hold fast to vital verses when temptation overwhelms us. When you “always” abide in the Word, you will “always” make progress. Make the Bible your consistent guide. It always leads to freedom.
Romans 12:9 ESV Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” How many times can you pray sincerely: “Father, help me to abhor evil, and fill me with Your love?” But what if you pray this a dozen times and still love your sin? In that case, read several scriptures about the results of lust, and then pray the prayer about 100 times more. Second, consider praying: “Father, take away this spirit of lust. I believe what the Bible says about its destruction.” Bibletools.org noted: “Human nature sees sin as an alluring and appealing possibility. We must come to see it as a pernicious, persistent, and destructive enemy that desires to leave us without hope and to inflict us with as much pain as possible along life's path. To hate it, we need to see why we must come to respect its power, so we can be motivated to fight it with every fiber of our being." Consider praying: “Father, show me the full destruction of lust.” Third, think often about, and believe what the Bible says about lust. It will fill you with wisdom in that area. Fourth, study key scriptures like the one above as many times as possible. Today, start making it a habit to pray about fighting lust tooth and nail. It is a key to starting to find light and joy. For the full article click.
I have edited day one of my 21-day program to include picking a prayer to focus on each day. Second, have a verse or two out of the verses for quitting that really resonates with you. Mine are: Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! Galatians 5:16 ESV But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Gotquestions.org noted: “A “walk” in the Bible is often a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey, and we are to walk it—we are to make consistent forward progress. The biblical norm for all believers is that they walk in the Spirit: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25, KJV; cf. Romans 8:14). In other words, the Spirit gave us life in the new birth (John 3:6), and we must continue to live, day by day, in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit means that we yield to His control, we follow His lead, and we allow Him to exert His influence over us. To walk in the Spirit is the opposite of resisting Him or grieving Him (Ephesians 4:30). “ I want the light of the Spirit in me morning, noon, and night. The more I fight to make this happen, the more He fights to help make it happen. And when He fights to make it happen, good things happen. For the full article click.
Praying always is an important piece of the armor of God. Praying without ceasing means we pray often, and repeatedly. But, our prayer must be thoughtful. If we are always praying: “Father, take away this spirit of lust and fill me with Your love” we need to see that we are making “some progress.” For example, Jonny prays this prayer all the time, but he is not very good at “Turning from lust.” So in this case he should first pray, “Father, help me to turn instantly from lust.” He should be planning and thinking about turning. He should read and memorize articles about turning. He should consider praying this prayer often until he has made it a habit to turn from lust. Second, I was always intimidated by the “Pray without ceasing” quote from the Bible. But nobody else is doing it perfectly, me neither. But we can all do better, and our lives will be better if we pray more. Third, it is important to make progress on “some” sin with prayer. While we should pray always to fight lust, if it is a deep rooted sin, quick progress through prayer will be hard. So, at the same time go to war with some other sin like anger, covetousness, or pride. For me, pride runs in my family, but when I attack it with prayer, it starts to disappear. It is encouraging to see some success in some ways. Fourth, pray about kindness, teachability, hope, courage, love, helping others, being a Christian with a good witness, purity, and obedience. Then confess your sins. Then practice praising the Lord, and giving thanks aways. Then pray for wisdom and direction. Then pray that God's will be done (often). Fifth, learning to pray about a bunch of things starts to help you stop thinking about lust all the time. Feel free to print this out (or any of my articles on prayer). Sixth, if a lustful thought starts, say, "Help me Lord," then start praying about one of these things. Finally, pray about everything. My dad did that and then he accepted that God knew what was best for him, and he always kept his joy. Secrets to happiness. For the full article click.
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” People habitually overestimate the pleasure of sin and underestimate living in the light. But if we memorize verse six, we start to reverse that wrong thinking. We start to be inspired to go to war with lust and sin. Gotquestions.org wrote: “In the New Testament, “walking in the light” is directly related to following Jesus, who said, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). Consider praying: “Father, show me how to follow You.” Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” To walk in the Light, make God's Word a priority with daily Bible reading, memorization, and a focus on the verses you need to overcome sin. ActiveChristianity.org noted: “To walk in the light is to bring my life into alignment with the Word of God – that the Word becomes my life. That nothing that I do is in conflict with the Word of God.” It is hard work to walk in the Light. But once we commit to that life we finally begin to stop overestimating the pleasure of sin and underestimating the greatness of letting Jesus' light shine through us. ActiveChristianity.org continued: “Darkness is sin. The light is truth. It shows me where there is still sin in my flesh. My job then is to love the truth: to acknowledge that there is sin in my life that needs to be cleansed out. Then the Word of God comes to me with the way that it should be and I choose God’s Word over my own desires in the time of temptation. Then the Word becomes life in me.” Once that happens, we start to live a great life filled with Light.
Today, my daily Bible reading was 1st John 3. This chapter features some of the hardest verses in the Bible. If you don't want harsh verses, stop here. 1st John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” Rich Tidwell said, “Sins in this regard mean you just don't repent, and you keep on doing it. You don't ever dive into the Bible to learn how to get out of your addiction. You just say “sorry God” and keep on doing your addiction.” 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” In this verse, his “Seed” refers to the Bible. Why do I recommend 3 new verses for quitting every day in my 21-day program? So that “His Seed” will remain in you. If you get His Seed in you enough you can stop sinning. You can stop P. How much is enough? If you have a 29-year addiction you need to pound a lot of scripture in to pound that lust out. But as you pound that lust out you will see glimpses of joy. Rich Tidwell said, “I refuse to excuse my sin. I hate my sin. I repent of my sin.” Rich Tidwell has chosen a life that allows no openings. One that leads to joy. We can do that also. For the full article click.
Yesterday I was very tired and struggling. Instead of looking up Bible verses to learn from my situation, I watched TV. Please learn from my stupidity. Psalm 34:17-20 ESV When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” One thing I did do right was I was focusing on turning from sin, and I kept trying to pray. Those things did help, but what if I had studied the above verse for 10 minutes and prayed over it? This great verse is a reminder of the benefits for those striving to live right. The Lord hears and delivers them. The Lord is near to them. This is info I could have used yesterday. Romans 15:13 ESV May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Again, should have read this verse about 5 times. 2 Corinthians 4:8 ESV We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair.” If I had studied the above 2 verses, I think this one would have given me the faith to have had a better day. Psalm 23:1-6 ESV A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...” Often, we are quick to punt (give up) when life gets tough. Instead, dig into the power of scripture by using the exact verses you need to get through what is knocking you down. Today I searched “verses despair” and got these great verses. Make it a habit to “Always think about how scripture can help you solve today's challenges.” It is a key to quitting.
I believed for a very long time that I could not quit. Part of the challenge was “I was never taught to fight temptation using Jesus model.” I was taught to pray, pray, and pray. Of course, prayer is vital to prepare for temptation, but without using scripture to fight off direct temptation, quitting may take years, or never happen. But with scripture, we can fight off direct temptation. This fact tells us “We never have to give in.” We can always fight off temptation with key verses. So is prayer less important? No! It is vital to spend a block of time in prayer. It also lowers temptation to learn short lust-fighting prayers that you can pray throughout the day. We must substitute lustful thoughts with prayers whenever bad thoughts start popping up. Second, if we don't prepare properly for temptation with prayer, we may not bother to fight direct temptation with key verses. In that case, you lose before you even have a chance to fight. But if we prepare for temptation thoroughly, with prayer, and then fight direct temptation with key verses, the battle will be won. Never say, “I can't quit.” Instead, say, “I didn't do what I needed to do to quit.” Just as importantly, we “must” believe that God wants to do something great through us. Consider praying: “Father, do You want to do something great through me?” If you don't believe this, pray this prayer twice daily until He shows you that He wants to do something great through you. But do realize, He will only do something small through you first while you are cleaning up your act. But if you keep at it, your life will become great.
Wikihow wrote: “Build a support network for yourself. Overcoming your addiction will be easier if you have lots of support. Surround yourself with friends and loved ones who will be there for you.” Consider praying: “Father, help me to turn from lust, and fill me with Your love.” There are two reasons to increase in love. First, the Bible says to do that. Second, when we increase in love the support network (that we need) will be stronger for us. Wikihow added: “Additionally, join a support group to help you get through the tough times and celebrate your successes. To give yourself the best chances, start seeing a therapist or counselor who can help you create a treatment plan and work through the issues that led to your addiction. Choose a support group that shares your core beliefs. Some programs are based around religion, so you might prefer a group that speaks to your beliefs.” Even in my tiny town, one can see a Christian counselor at a reasonable price. If that is not available see if you can find a pastor or a priest. Second, realize who can help you. Many of us have a family member or friend who could give us all kinds of advice about quitting habits. Even if you can't tell them what you are quitting, just tell them you keep slipping into bad habits. Who knows, they may, or may not have advice, but they may be willing to do “activities” with you. We need alternative activities. If you always slip up when you get bored tell your support network that. Then they will better know how to support you. Third, be highly intentional in setting up time to spend with family and friends. If you are lonely pray every day about “trying” to be intentional in spending time with people. My brother is single and he “always” tries to make friends with a bunch of people. He is grumpy and opinionated, but sooner or later, he makes friends. Keep trying! Last, pick a new activity and try it every day this week for 10 minutes. Keep trying things until you find activities that you enjoy doing. Note: always make your new activity a Spiritual experience. You are not doing that activity for a 5-star thrilling experience. You are doing it to try to implement activities that are pleasing to God. To find activities that will distract you. To form habits of “clean” activities. So pray a prayer before you start. Say “Praise the Lord” after you wreck a pop song while trying to learn how to play the guitar. Act like David from the Bible when you try new things. He would probably do a little dance for God before he would start a new woodworking hobby. Finally, realize that doing the new activity is the win. Finding something you really love at some point is better, but one way or the other... celebrate the win. You did an alternative activity. You are starting to do things God's way. For the full article click.
We need to believe that we can have joy. If we don't, we will never be motivated enough to change our thinking. First of all, it is best to stop thinking that money, success, stuff, or any other worldly thing will bring joy. I had money, success, and all that other junk at a very young age. It never led to joy. The wisest man to ever live (Solomon) said that all that stuff is vanity. He said chasing it is like chasing the wind. If you believe that worldly things will be something great, you will not often set an hourly alarm so that you can remember to pray or to quote a quitting statement. So, today, decide whether you believe what Solomon said in the Bible (that all these things are vanity). If you believe him, make it an hourly focus to reset your thinking. Now, you may think that you will be 2% worse at your job if you do this. I don't agree. If you please God, you are much more likely to be promoted than to be 2% worse because of spending time renewing your mind. God always blesses people (sooner or later) who do things His way. This week, have your list of prayers and statements ready. Then start off every hour with a goal and a prayer. That is a key to quitting and it is the start to finding joy. For the full article click.
Please note: This article contains hard verses. If that is not what you want please stop here. Today I am adding three verses from Matthew 7 to now be the last 3 verses in my verses for quitting. I will also edit my 21-day program to recognize that. Today I watched a sermon where he went on and on about this passage: "Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ This passage talks about those who want to "Enter the kingdom of heaven." We must stop practicing lawlessness." To do this we increase our war against sin and increase our passion to do God's will. I am adding these verses to the 21-day program because many start to struggle with motivation if they have a slip-up or two during the program. But these verses may have the highest motivational content in the whole Bible. If you read them often you will increase your war on sin often. Love God, hate sin, and find joy. For the full article click.
The challenge, when you have a severe addiction, is... you sometimes have no idea what is going on. You find a great article, you did everything it said... for a while, and 2 days, or 5 days later, down you go. What went wrong? Was the article no good? When this happens, pull the article back up, repent fully of your lust, and consider praying: “Father, is this article a great one for me, or is there a better one.” Then just start praying over the article and focus on it. Then at some point, you will start to realize: A, this was a great article, and it is great for you, you just have to execute on new days the same way you made it work for the days it worked. Or B, it is a good article, but it does not really solve your problem of _________ (fill in the blank, with something that often sinks you). Or C, it was a great article, and you also need to study a bunch of other things in order to quit. The main point is... God tells us a thousand times to quit, and we act like He won't give us any guidance when we are straining to quit. And I know why we think that. In the past, I lived in my rebellious ways and I only rarely had prayers answered. But now that I am going to war with sin, I have more prayers answered, and I do get guidance. Key point: When you are doing exactly what God wants you to do, ask Him for some guidance about which articles to study and pray over. We need that guidance because sometimes studying 17 articles hard is what is needed to quit. If that is the case... you need to figure out which 17 it is, fast. Finally, consider reading old articles and praying over them. Ask God to show you which ones are key articles for you. Then “keep trying” to build the habits from those articles to build your foundation. Don't give up on solid techniques for quitting based on bad results. Keep asking God what to work on no matter what. If you keep praying about it... someday you will have a great idea of how to quit. For the full article click.
Say often regarding quitting: I will never give up. None of us has ever fallen when we “Refused to give up.” Second, say what the most important 3 things in your life are. Often our trials are not about these things. So when trials hit, give thanks often for the important things that you do have. Plus, the Bible does tell us to make giving thanks a habit. 1 Peter 5:10 ESV And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” There is power in often reading a verse like this one when trials hit. 1 Peter 4:12-13 ESV Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you “Share Christ's sufferings,” that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” Make it a habit to rejoice as you “Share Christ's sufferings.” Pray, “Father, I rejoice because my car is broken, my website is broken, fill in the blank with what is causing the trial. You may have to rejoice about 10 times before the realization of what it means is. If we are about to get a big raise at work, we look forward to the test because we are thinking about what comes in the future. When we go through a Christian trial and rejoice in it, we may very well see huge progress in the war against lust. For the full article click.
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” This passage is so far out of the realm of today's church that merely mentioning it may cause the internet to shut down. This passage is about what Christians do. Since the church (in America) rarely talks about this, today I will print it out. Why does the church not tell Christians what the Bible says they are supposed to do? Because, if they talk about these verses, then they might have to mention the bad things that happen to people who don't do these things. Note: I am afraid to mention them as well. You will have to look up Matthew 25 verses 41-44 yourself if you want to avoid that trouble. Second, my joy has increased a lot since I went to war with sin, and started helping others. I believed God, and He was right. Now my goal is to study this passage, believe God again, and see if doing these things produces even more joy and satisfaction. Note: These are grade-A quitting activities... they allow the Holy Spirit to flow right through us.
I bought a used top-quality (A2000) baseball glove from my buddy. It was not very well broken in, but I knew that over time I could break it in and make it a good glove. I used it in every warm-up to every game, I put glove oil on it all the time, but it was still too tough to be flexible enough to use in a game. It is now over 2 decades later, and it is still too tough to be used in a competitive game. That must have been some tough cow. Second, I have a window that is the opposite of the glove. One day it was stuck. I pushed up on the windowsill with all my strength. The glass broke. Often life punches us in the jaw. In boxing, if a fighter has a “glass jaw” it means they get knocked down fast. For people fighting addiction, if our reaction to life punching us, is to break. Then, we will always struggle. We need to react to life punching us the way my leather glove reacts. Over my whole life, that glove has stayed tough and resilient. Consider praying: “Father, help me to react to life's problems like leather, tough, and resilient.” James 1:2-8 ESV Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Increase your toughness by counting it all joy when life punches you in the face. When my new worker crashed my other website this week I prayed: “Father, I rejoice that my website has crashed.” I had to pray it 5 times before I really started to shake it off. Finally, our weapons for fighting when life runs us over #1 Rejoice. #2 Give thanks. #3 Pray often about reacting like “leather” when life punches you in the face. We must endure trials, pressures, and blows in life. Always be ready, always have a plan. Be like leather.
