John Piper’s exhortation to constantly make all-out war against temptations that we face, our pride, our fleshly cravings and all-enslaving desires in the sermon featured below definitely spoke to me.
Yes, I am guilty of murmuring and murmuring “oh, how I wish to be free of this” and not do anything concrete about it, much less actually wage war against it!
Perhaps you are a better and more conscientious warrior than I am, but I am sure that there are many like me else we wouldn’t have so much heresy and that many hypocrites in our churches today.
If you are honest about it and have been putting off fighting that giant of a sin — be it pride, sloth, pornography, mean-spiritedness, covetousness, or just about any sin — then I pray you take this as the impetus to begin to make constant war.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
Ephesians 6:13-17
With reference to the alternate title of this post, it has to do with how the sermon was presented.
If you like how it was set to music, then you might also like how other sermons have been treated in the same fashion by the good folks at 10:31 Sermon Jams. Not all of the treatments are good, but there are gems like the one from John Piper I just linked, aptly titled “WAR”.
There’s another site that does the same thing with some of the better sermons called Relevant Revolution. I haven’t gone through much of their treatments yet, but the one I’ve heard — “Go” by Paul Washer — sounds pretty good.
Shalom Aleichem.
Tags: John Piper, Music, Paul Washer, Pornography, Pride, Sermon, Sin, Temptations, War
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Great sermon. I like Piper and Paul Washer.
If we’re going to combat sin and temptation, then we have to get serious about it. It includes prayer but not ONLY prayer. We have to WANT this to stop - we have to be diligent.
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Prov 21:5
An upright man gives thought to his ways. Prov 21:29
Examine yourself by examining a pattern when you sin. What are you doing when you get this temptation? Is there a pattern in your behavior like if you see something on tv, is that when you do “X”? Be aware of what triggers these feelings and your reaction to them.
Are you more likely to do (blank) when you’re alone or with someone? Do you give into peer pressure?
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. Psalm 141:4
Where are you tempted when you sin? Work, home? (try to establish a pattern) Stay away from potentially dangerous situations if you can.
In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them. Prov 22:5
When are you tempted? Try to be aware of the time. (to establish a pattern)
Why are you tempted? Do you try to justify your sin? Does it ‘just happen’ and catch you off guard or do you realize you’re being tempted yet you choose to indulge? It’s real easy for tempting thoughts to find their way into our heads but we have a choice on whether we nurture that feeling or push it away. If you choose to indulge, do you realize that you are rebelling against God?
Find Bible verses that speak to you personally about your particular sin and memorize it. Say them to yourself often and especially before entering into a potentially dangerous situation. Also pray that the Lord help you to guard your mind anything that is not good and pleasing to Him.
Think of how you can help eliminate situations that might lead you into temptation. Perhaps it’s being with a particular person or going to a particular place. If you know what or whom that is, then avoid it if you can. You can’t stop going to work obviously but anything outside of that, you DO have control of.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim 2:22
If you really want to declare war on a particular sin or temptation, you must be aware of everything going on with you and around you so that you can identify your weaknesses. Satan is already aware of these things in you so he’s already got an advantage. One of his strategies is to play on your ignorance. Be in prayer constantly. Sometimes our sin comes so naturally to us that we’re not even aware of it until we’ve done it. It’s like a reflex. But you can ask the Lord to help you see potential danger areas a mile away. Pray for keener vision to see these things before they become problematic. This may sound exhausting to constantly be aware of everything and to pray constantly but no one said it would be easy. You have really WANT this, you have to have a bowed heart to the Lord constantly, and always hold captive your thoughts.
Remember, if you are victorious, Satan will ‘get’ you in another area so be prepared to battle.
Blessings
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Hear, Hear! You hit it right on the nail, Carol. Great practical advice too, I might add. Thank you!
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Great post, Isaiah (as usual)! I think we often don’t think of this topic in serious enough terms. This post certainly brings it into perspective and I think much of being successful with this lies in taking the time to hide God’s word in our hearts through memorization of scripture… such as the passage in Ephesians. Excellent post!
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Thank you, BrotherMark and Michelle.
Michelle: Your point on Ephesians is a good one too. I am reminded of Psalm 119:11
“I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.”Shalom!
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Great post and excellent responses.
Here is a little gem I found a few years back that fits in quite well with this topic… http://www.focusedandfree.com/removing_sin.html
Blessings in Christ,
Karl
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