PC3 Devotions

There are some of you who might feel helpless when it comes to your propensity to freak out. A situation presents itself, and the next thing you know you are flying off the handle. In a split second, your mood and demeanor change. Reality eventually sets in, and you feel defeated. Once again you have given into your impulses, and you wonder if anything will ever change.

Others, instead, excuse their behavior by clamoring on about the way they are wired. Their family acted this way growing up, so it is only natural they would as well.  Regardless of the point of view, both possess the same mindset. It’s those that believe they are utterly helpless in their pursuit of self-control. This runs contradictory to what see in Scripture. Consider these words found in Romans:

Romans 8:9-11

9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 
12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 
13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

According to this passage, what is the key to gaining victory over our impulses? It all hinges on who is in charge. Is your mind set on the flesh or the Spirit?  “If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”  This is simply an act of faith in the depths of our hearts.

Flesh is a condition in which man operates out of his own resources attempting to achieve his own acceptance and/or his own victory. For those that do not know God, the flesh is operating continuously. However, this does not mean that Christians are immune to the pull to walk in the flesh. In a Christian, the flesh is operating whenever the believer is not abiding in Christ and walking by the Spirit.

What is it about the flesh that drives us towards it? If you have been coming to Port City for any length of time, you’ve heard the saying “every longing at its core is a longing for God.” God made each of us with three basic needs: (1) security, (2) significance, and (3) fulfillment/satisfaction. What often gets us is in trouble is how we attempt to obtain these goals and needs. There is part of us that doesn’t trust God can meet those needs, so we take over control and put everything in our hands. Too often we let our circumstances, needs, and feelings dictate our actions.

Most people, even Christians, rarely see the self-centeredness of their flesh. Yet until we understand the total depravity of our flesh, we will never fully appreciate the miracle of our new birth in Christ as God’s new creations and the supernatural life He wants to live through us. The flesh fights for security and to maintain control all while building its identity around temporal things.  We control others to keep them from controlling us.  We control our emotions and try to hide our weaknesses.  We even try to control God by keeping Him at a distance so He won’t mess up our lives, at least until we run out of any other options.

The tension Christians walk in every moment is choosing to walk in what God says about us or what our flesh says about us.  The flesh is what keeps a pure expression of Christ as our new life from coming through our unique personality. We don’t know what to do when we continue to struggle with sin, fail to see growth in our walk with God, or fight to give over control of areas of ours lives to God. This starts a cycle where we begin to not only doubt our identity but also the promises of God.

Many of us have been running on empty for far too long and are desperate to break this cycle. The good news is that Christ’s death and resurrection have defeated the Devil and broken the power of sin that seeks to control our flesh.  Paul says in Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” No longer are you obligated to do whatever your flesh desires. Anger, lust, worry, disdain for others, jealousy, and disappointment no longer have to be your master.

The battle to walk in the flesh or the Spirit is won or lost in the threshold of the mind.  We are told to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). We can be victorious in taking captive every thought because we have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) Victory comes only when we choose, moment by moment by a definite act of our will, to take every thought captive and walk in the Spirit.

Lord, help me to listen.  Allow me to identify the areas where my flesh wants something so badly that my initial reaction is to freak out. Help me to remember the truth that I have no obligation to those thoughts and feelings.  Instead, my body belongs to you, and my life is for you.  This is my obligation. I am obligated to your image, character, and truth.  Help me to live as your child.  Amen.

The Bible is where God reveals His heart to humanity. This is where His story unfolds. Our picture of God must be grounded and framed by scripture. Only when we know the true God will we be able to trust Him with our heart. Take for instance, the attribute of love.

Psalm 90:14 

14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

This attribute often gets distorted not only because of our culture’s water down definition of it, but also due to the fact that we can exhibit this quality to a degree in our own life. Sadly, our picture always leans towards being conditional, with limitations and selfish. On the flip side, God exhibits each quality of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 perfectly. God is perfectly patient and kind. Simply put, God is love. Author and theologian Arthur Pink once said, “The love which one creature has for another is because of something in them; but the love of God is free, spontaneous, uncaused.”

Everything that happens to us, regardless of how it may seem, is filtered through God’s passion for us. He always has our best interest in His heart! Paul says, “I have learned contentment, whether I am well fed, or hungry” (Philippians 4:11-13).

Imagine being able to live life without any fear of what comes your way. There is a definite freedom in that. When we learn about God’s love for us, and begin to trust in it in both the good and bad times, our faith in God deepens.

What if we were able to grasp God’s love for us and our lives became an expression of this understanding? Imagine how drastically this would transform the way we treat our relationships and care for others. What if you could live transparently secure in your standing with God?

Take it a step further. How different would your life look like if you could love people freely because you were no longer looking to others for a love that had eluded you? No longer are you grasping for attention or trying to manipulate others for affection.

If you believe that you are loved freely by God, you will be free to love others. Pause and reflect on the truth found in that last statement. Now, look inwards: Where are the places in your life where you doubt or fail to trust in God’s love? What is causing this doubt?

We live in a God-less culture. Our culture is void of God, therefore, it is void of love. The challenge for each one of us is to see God for who He is, allow Him to introduce Himself to us and reflect His love to others.

 God, thank you for your uninfluenced love. May I trust that I am loved by you, not because of anything I’ve done, but solely due to who you are. I want to live in the freedom of love. Amen.

Having painted a picture of the person you want to be at the end of 2012, your natural tendency will be to haphazardly hang the still-wet canvas on the wall and start along the path of transformation. Yet, this reaction will have you running in a thousand different directions because numerous godly characteristics make up the person you desire to become. By attempting to instill each virtue all at once, the likelihood is you’ll quickly burnout and be frustrated when all of them do not take root.

Instead of letting the wet paint run and blur your vision for change, you must take the time to narrow your focus. When you invest time and energy into developing a certain aspect of yourself, it will positively effect and spill over to other areas of your character.

To help refine your search, today we want you to meditate on a few scriptures that speak of virtues that have the potential to become your One Word. Read the scripture passages found below.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away

Colossians 3:12-17

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

What are some words found in these passages that resonate with you? Why do you seem to be drawn to these words? Don’t rush to pick your One Word. It is critical you trust the process. Study Scripture, pray and seek counsel. Allow God to put your One Word upon your heart.

God, I’m so prone to rush the process. Instead of taking the time necessary to reflect on the work you are doing within me, I set off in a direction and hope I am going the right way. May I seek your face first and foremost. Allow me to quiet my heart in order to hear to your voice. Amen.

If you’ve ever been to a wedding, you’ve heard today’s scripture recited in some form or fashion. A glowing bride and an infatuated groom pledge to love their spouse till death does them part. As they stare into each other’s eyes, they don’t see the imperfections. Loving their spouse seems effortless.

Yet, time moves on and, at times, loving your spouse is challenging. The more we get to know someone the more we find wrong with him or her. This goes back to the 15% principle we learned a few Sundays ago. Rather than focusing on all the things you love about your spouse, our focus tends to gravitate towards the negative aspects of the relationship. Since the marriage relationship is the most intimate, we see the good, bad and ugly of our spouse. Sadly, we lock in on those things we’d change about our spouse.

If our spouse doesn’t act the way we want them to, we get irritated, frustrated, aggravated, and a host of other descriptions. During this moment, do you know what is needed? Quite simply, LOVE. So, we return to that familiar passage found in 1 Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
8 Love never fails.

When our spouse requires patience, we get to love. When we are tempted to be jealous, we get to love. When all we want to do is push buttons, we get to love. When everything in us desires to dredge up the past, we get to love.

This is easier said then done. Remember, what we learned yesterday. Our ability to love our spouse lies in our willingness to embrace Christ’s sacrificial love for us. We don’t have the strength to do it on our own. We must lean on Christ.

We tend to think we’re loving when things go our way, but we get to love when they don’t. Love always endures, trusts, hopes, and endures. Love is defined by the way it finishes: love never fails.

Lord, help me to love. Right now I need to be loved by you in order to have any hope of loving those around me. Help me to realign my view of love with your definition. I confess my shallow view of thinking that love is all about my ways and me when it is all about yours! Amen.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a healthy flirtation with lust. What started as a harmless thought or action often spirals out of control. Yet, we often utilize this ‘flirtation’ lens to view our struggles. It allows us to dismiss our eyes tendency to wander and turn our back to a thought life that gravitates towards twisted desires.

Having set our own comfortable standard for purity, our actions seem “normal” and as result lust continues to go on unchecked and gains a stronger foothold in our lives. Instead of our normal flirtation with lust, scripture paints a picture of a fight for control needing to take place. Consider these words:

1 Corinthians 10:13-14

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 14 So, my dear friends flee from the worship of idols.

Today’s passage in 1 Corinthians stresses the urgency to engage in this battle for our heart and mind. Instead of going back and forth between each camp, we must see giving into our lustful thoughts as treason. Some might believe the war imagery is too extreme, but when you consider marriages, children and our reflection of Christ to the world hang in the balance than the imagery seems fitting and necessary.

History books say most war generals have maneuvers they rely on while engaged in battle. The experienced commanders who often come out victorious are the ones who notice the patterns of their enemy and prepare their war plan accordingly. The same is true in our battle with lust.

The individual who has knowledge of the typical traps set by the devil is the one who avoids stumbling blocks. Re-read today’s scripture and notice two techniques the devil uses in tripping us in controlling our lust:

1. Isolation – If the devil can get someone to believe their struggles with lust and purity are unique, he knows they will continue to hide and fight their battle all alone. Even though places do exist where you are more susceptible to temptation than others, the truth is everyone is tempted by lust. Paul puts it this way by saying the temptation you face is “no different from what others experience.” (v.13)
2.  Helplessness – With the individual’s struggle remaining in the dark, they rely on pure self-will to fend off temptation. This betters the devil’s chances of overpowering the individual and making them feel helpless. They wave the white flag in surrender believing their only option is to give in to the temptation. Paul disagrees with this belief as he says God will “ show you a way you can endure.” Other translations say God provides “a way out.” (v.13) We are not victims, but people who make bad choices and doubt that God truly knows best when it comes to intimacy and sex.

How do we respond when we see these tactics being used against us? We seek strength in community by being transparent about our struggle. We pray for God to provide us with eyes to see the escape route He provides us when facing a test or temptation. Most importantly we follow the wisdom found in Psalm 119:1 by “hiding your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

God, as hard as it is for me to face the truth, I thank you for exposing the dark places of my heart. When it comes to my thought life and protecting my purity, I know there have been times when I have allowed a test to become a temptation and let that temptation linger until I acted upon it and it became sin. There are some sins, which I have got comfortable with and they’ve developed into destructive patterns in my life. Lord, I confess this to you and ask that you cleanse me and make me clean. I am glad I can rest knowing you are faithful in forgiveness even in the midst of my unfaithfulness. Amen.

Aim sets direction and narrows the focus.  This is something we must do in order to bring our bodies into submission for the sake of what God wants to do in our character.  The “character gaps” we discover help us to determine the places where God will get to work in our lives. Consider the words of Paul:

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24  Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.  25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;  27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul speaks to the internal work that must be done in order to pursue the race God has set our before us.  The Bible tells us to run with purpose-”not without aim.” This becomes our win.  When we grow in the areas we lack we are able to celebrate the fact that we are drawing closer to the image of our God. Not only this, but we can rejoice that our hearts are being filled with His love.

Having this perspective gives purpose to the spiritual disciplines. Just as top athletes exercise self-control to gain a medal or a championship, we must discipline ourselves to follow Christ and fix our eyes on Him for the sake of our life here and our life to come. Verse 27 gives us a critical step.  We discipline our bodies to follow and obey so we can find the life God has for us and fulfill the purposes He’s established for us.

Lord, I want to run to win, but first I must define my win. Help me to know my aim!  I want you to change me so I will love the truth, have compassion for others, be bold in my faith, generous with my money, kind to my spouse, possess a vision for my kids and be content with my job. May I be willing to work on whatever part of my life You want to address.  Give me the focus to force clarity and the discipline to stay with it so I might receive the prize You have for me.  Amen.

What would you describe as a “win” when it comes to your experience with the spiritual disciplines?

Coming before God requires a posture of surrender.  As we come before God, we want to acknowledge that our lives are created by Him and made for Him.  The Scriptures declare that in His presence the wisdom of the wise will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 1:19).  This is a sobering reminder.  There is no need to hold on to our own wisdom.  And this is where we find the context for the command to “Fear the Lord.”

Proverbs 3:7-8
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body,
And refreshment to your bones.

As we reflect on this passage, we find a connection between fear and repentance and healing and refreshment.  Let’s look at that list one more time…

Fear and Repentance.
Healing and Refreshment.

We have reflected on Healing and Refreshment and they seem a natural connection.  But fear and repentance do not.

Fear seems to be such an odd way of coming before God.  Our minds carry images of an angry God who is waiting to catch us breaking one of His super strict commands.  We cower in the presence of those we fear.

The Bible gives us a much different picture.  This posture of fear before God is not only the beginning of wisdom, but is also the hatred of evil (Pr. 8:13).  The fear of the Lord provides a strong confidence (Pr. 14:26).  We find safety and instruction (Pr. 15:33).  The fear of the Lord is the way we walk the path of life and is, in fact, a fountain of life (Pr. 19:23 &14:27).

This picture disarms our defenses and draws us towards Him.  We forsake our efforts to explain our circumstances, justify our decisions or define our lives.  And when we lay aside these efforts, we find grace.  St. Augustine refers to this pure fear of the Lord as a “serene fear.”  One that brings such a deep peace (refreshment to our bones)…  Our hearts pound in the presence of such power, but we are in awe and deeply affected by His love.  Fear is what we feel, but it is different.  It is freeing.

Evil becomes hated and our response is to turn.  This is repentance.

We tend to equate repentance with guilt.  We struggle with grace because we don’t feel badly enough.  The call to repent is the merciful invitation to turn.

Turn from evil.  When you are tempted, turn.  In the middle of your sin, turn.  Fear the Lord and turn from evil.  The fear of the Lord is place of grace.  And it is here where our hearts find fullness and freedom.  It doesn’t make sense from our perspective… which is why the first instruction is not to depend on your wisdom, but trust His.

Lord, let me see the fullness of Your Holiness.  If You kept a record of sin, who could stand?  But Your grace brings life in ways that I have yet to imagine.  So instead of trying to figure them out, I will simply receive.  Let the fullness of Your holiness and righteousness cause me to tremble, only to discover the tranquility of ‘serene fear’- that my life is perfectly safe inside of Your love.  Let me walk today in the fear of who You are- not because I am afraid, but because I trust.  I worship You in the stillness of my heart and I pray that I will turn away from evil.  Amen.

As we think our God and His holiness, our tendency is to be intimidated and overwhelmed.  Share how God’s grace gives you confidence to walk with Him.