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Featured What sin(s) is the most difficult for you to kick?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by righteousdude2, Jan 3, 2014.

?
  1. Impure thoughts [not necessarily sexual in nature]

    8 vote(s)
    53.3%
  2. Spiritualism, astrology (that is, encouraging the activity of demons)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. Anger, bitterness

    8 vote(s)
    53.3%
  4. Drunkenness and wild parties

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  5. Envy, or coveting.

    3 vote(s)
    20.0%
  6. Idols [making money, job, nice things, fame, intellectual more important than God or tohers]

    3 vote(s)
    20.0%
  7. Pride and bragging

    3 vote(s)
    20.0%
  8. Lust for phsycial as well as non physical things

    6 vote(s)
    40.0%
  9. Gossip, lies, and exaggeration of truth

    5 vote(s)
    33.3%
  10. Fornication, adultery with same sex or in natural form [it is all sexual sin]

    3 vote(s)
    20.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Psalm 130:3 If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

    HankD​
     
  2. HAMel

    HAMel Well-Known Member
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    I've been thinking about this thread title since it first appeared.

    What sin(s) is the most difficult for you to kick?

    I offer up the following. Understand now that I'm no preacher and never graduated Yale with honors..., never been on a missionary trip to East Africa etc., but on occasion have felt that I've contributed some to the furthering of the Lord. But then I read..., Ephesians 3:20.
    For my critics..., my source is the KJB.

    20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

    ...according to the power that works in us.

    How many of us charge ahead, as I have done on occasion, under the impression and of the opinion we're really doing something for God? In short we "ain't" done nothing but make fools out of ourselves. (Remember, no Yale degree)

    Thinking we are important in God's sight is a sin that all of us fall victim to. Pride. Can any of you identify with the sin of pride in your cozy world?

    I've many sins.
     
  3. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    You mean that you have yet to attain that 'sinless perfection state" that some posting over in others christian board seem to adhere to?
     
  4. salzer mtn

    salzer mtn Well-Known Member

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    When they lay this body in the grave I will be free from sin, but in Christ I am free indeed.
     
  5. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    hopefully, we would all here experience the glorified state soon, for even now come Lord Jesus!
     
  6. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    Your question was: What sin(s) is the most difficult for you to kick?

    The way the question is worded makes me think that you are trying to "kick" sin in your life by direct effort - focusing on a specific sin and using willpower to stop. That is the way of the Pharisee (not a put-down) and is doomed to failure. The problem with the Pharisees is that they were focused on the sins instead of focusing on becoming the type of person who does not normally commit sin. Another way of putting it is that they were focused eliminating the bad fruit in their life (produced because they were bad trees) by hiding it or removing it, instead of becoming good trees that naturally produce good fruit. Furthermore, if you manage to stop acting on certain sinful impulses, you are probably still committing them in your heart (lust -> adultery for instance) and are primed to fall into acts of sin given the right circumstances.

    You cannot truly make significant progress in sanctification by direct effort against specific sins. You both lack the ability to do it and God's grace (which enables true change) wants deeper transformation than that, so you must do it by entering into the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus (aka, "the kingdom of God").

    The method of transformation is engagement in Christian disciplines. You don't have to do all of them, but only those that are beneficial to you. Christian disciplines are not righteousness, they are not magic, they are not law - they are simply wisdom that you can see demonstrated in the life of Jesus and His followers. You do not engage in the disciplines to become good at them, but to disrupt your natural way of living enough to make space within your will and habits for God's grace to more easily work in your life in a transformative way.

    Here are three illustrations regarding how disciplines work (from a human perspective):

    First illustration: Years ago when I was working at a school, I was asked to monitor a teen girl who was training to see if she could get good enough at pole vaulting to try out for the Olympic team - and if nothing else, earn a college scholarship. (Her parents were concerned that she was training by herself at the school stadium and didn't want he to be alone it she injured herself or a stranger somehow approached.) I thought it was going to be interesting, but it was actually rather boring - but extremely instructive. She already knew how to pole vault and was pretty good at it, but she did very little vaulting for many weeks. The first week she spent her time carefully running down the track carrying the pole. She measured her steps and had tape on the track and concentrated on stepping in just the right place, running at exactly the right speed with the proper gait. The next week, she did the same thing with the exception of dropping the end of the pole to the ground at the right spot. This was a little more difficult, so she spent even more time rehearsing it over and over. The next week she actually vaulted, but without a bar to vault over. She practiced propelling herself into the air and landing properly on the mat. She did this for several weeks until she gained quite a bit of height and had her form down the way she wanted it. Finally, she placed the bar on the uprights and gradually raised it over the course of a couple of months to see how high she could get. She had improved dramatically by breaking down the elements of pole vaulting and concentrating on each element. She did not make the Olympic team, but she did earn a scholarship and was a star athlete in college. By breaking things down to their basic elements, she was able to eventually do what she could not do by direct effort.

    Second illustration: You can't speak a language unknown to you by direct effort (unless God is doing something very unusual in your life). You can try all your like, but the best you will do is repeat a few words or phrases you may have heard. The way you learn a language is by studying words and sentence structure and then practicing - simple sentences first and then more complex sentences later. You are going to sound foolish to those who already know the language (you will talk with the vocabulary and (in)ability of a small child), but you will never gain mastery of the language until you set aside your fear of looking foolish. An even better way to develop mastery is to immerse yourself in situations where you MUST use your language skills in order to communicate by living in a place where the language is spoken. This will engage your mind and your subconscious language abilities in a way that will force you use everything you know just to get through your day. You will also pick up assistance from others as you listen to the way they say things. Eventually, you will gain a level of mastery over the language.

    Third illustration: I lift weights and ride an exercise bike, not because I want to get good at lifting weights (I actually find it very boring) or riding a stationary bike in my utility room (even more boring). I do those things in order to maintain some control over my weight and to keep a little bit of muscle tone as I age. Unless I consistently engage in these disciplines, my weight will continue to spiral out-of-control and my muscles will atrophy because I get very little exercise at my desk job. I cannot, by direct effort, will myself to have a healthy body, but I must engage my body in certain disciplines in order to maintain it. This is not legalism, but wisdom.

    In the same way, the disciplines function by breaking down the elements of life (especially the stages of temptation), refocusing your heart and mind toward others, and pushing us into meaningful engagement with the fellowship of the church where others are hopefully pursuing transformation. We learn from each other as we follow Christ and are transforming individually and corporately.
     
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