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Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the
same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human
desires, but rather for the will of God.
- 1 Peter 4:1-2 NIV
In these verses, the apostle Peter urges us to follow Christ's example in
choosing to suffer, rather than fail to please God. Peter says that when
we suffer in our bodies (or our "flesh"), sin loses its power over us.
He's speaking of dying to our own will and submitting to God's. If I told
you that you could be free from your sinful habits if you suffered for a
while first, would you do it? Aren't you already suffering, while you're
at the mercy of your destructive behavior?
Let me share with you some things I've learned from undergoing this process
of breaking free from a sinful habit or behavior. First, agree with God
that you are sinning, because we have a tendency to lie to ourselves in
order to continue our ungodly behavior. Then, repent with all your heart
and ask for God's forgiveness every time you commit the sin. I find that
this reinforces my shame over the offense, and helps me to build up a holy
determination which eventually enables me to break free. Call out to God
and ask for His help. Sometimes I've done this many times a day, often
with tears. Ask God what your part is in the process. Then take one or
two steps to prove to God that you're serious about quitting. Keep your
focus on Him. This is one of the most important steps to freedom. Every
time your focus starts to shift to whatever tempts you, immediately bring
it back to God, His will and His Word. "The weapons we fight with are not
the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought
to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV) When we're
tempted to sin, our minds will often try to come up with reasons to justify
our sinful behavior. If we don't reject these thoughts immediately, we
will act on them. We will never be able to control our behavior if we
don't control our thoughts. It takes practice, but with God's help, it can
be done. "Remember that the temptations that come into your life are not
different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep
the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it.
When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give
in to it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT) God has promised us a way out of
every temptation. Look for it. Sometimes your escape will involve
avoiding certain people, places or things. Remember that every time you
resist temptation, sin's hold on you grows weaker, and it becomes easier
for you to resist the next time. The only way we can fail in this process
is to quit and give up. Instead, let's adopt the attitude of the apostle
Paul when he said, "By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this,
but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to
Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back"! (Philippians
3:13-14 The Message Bible)
Prayer: Lord, I ask that You bring to light the sins You want me to deal with at
this time. Teach me how to die to my own will and to live according to
Yours. Remind me that it's not always Satan tempting me, but it's often my
own evil desires. (James 1:14) Thank You that "I can do everything God
asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power"!
(Philippians 4:13 TLB)
- J. M. Farro
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