Christian Living

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What hinders a Christian in their walk with God and how can they address these issues for their spiritual betterment?
●How Do I Address My Weaknesses?

CHAPTER 4

HOW DO I ADDRESS MY WEAKNESSES?

I believe that this is one of the most neglected topics in the church today. Many churches will present their standard teachings on forgiveness, eternal security, predestination, the offices of the church, giving financially, etc. along with encouraging the assembly to
get more involved in church activities so that they might be examples of Christ-likeness to others. They claim that evidencing Christ-likeness is determined by focusing on changing one’s behavior. If a Christian tries as hard as they can to: not commit certain overt sins; obey the teachings of the church; doing good for others, then they say this is the evidence of godliness. This does sound right, doesn’t it?

Is this the protocol that Christians are to follow?

Let’s go to Romans 3.

All Have Sinned
Rom 3:23
All of us are born with a sin nature and as such the human race does nothing except commit sin23 thus falling short to the likeness of God that each man is intended to bear.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What characterizes the sin nature?

Onward to Gal. 5.

The Flesh
Gal 5:24
This sin nature (the flesh) has affections [innate forces resident in the evil nature; propensities (a natural inclination or tendency24)] and lusts (forces reaching out to find expression in the gratification of these desires; to the goings forth of the soul towards objects which it is wrong to pursue25).

…the flesh with the affections and lusts lusts

How can these affections and lusts be subdued?

Please go to 2 Cor 5:17.

Old Things Are Passed Away
2 Cor 5:17
When a person repents (a change of mind about their sin; the denial of ourselves; the displeasing of ourselves) to God the Father and believes in Christ they become a new creature (creation). Old things (the things that characterized the pre-Christian life) are passed away (come to an end; finished and gone); all things are become new (previously non-existent, begin to be far different from what they were before26).

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What this verse appears to be saying is that when a person repents to God the Father and believes in Christ their sin nature is no more; and their new life, their life in Christ, is now characterized by that which is previously non-existent.

Is it true that when we repent and believe that our sin nature is no more, having been eradicated (removed)?

Let’s take a look at another verse that might provide us with more clarity on this.

Please go to the Book of Galatians.

And They That Are Christ's Have Crucified The Flesh
Gal 5:24
Through our belief in Christ, being now as those who are his, as He died to sin once on the cross, so we were identified with Him in his death at this point of time in the past, which resulted in the breaking of the power of the sinful nature over the life. This victory over sin which the Lord Jesus procured for us at the Cross, is made actual and operative in our lives as we yield to the Holy Spirit and trust Him for that victory27.
Thus the Holy Spirit has a twofold ministry in the saint, that of making actually operative in the life of the Christian, the victory over sin which the Lord Jesus procured for us at the Cross, and that of producing in the Christian's experience, His fruit. But this He is only able to do in a full and rich measure as the saint puts himself definitely under subjection to the Spirit28.

Our sin nature is not eradicated (removed) when we repented to God the Father and believed in Christ. However, at salvation we receive another member of the trinity, that being the person of the Holy Spirit, who comes inside our body to indwell thus providing us with a new divine nature.

The question is, how does a Christian put themselves under subjection to the Spirit so that they are no longer under the power of the sin nature with its affections (innate forces resident in the evil nature; propensities (a natural inclination or tendency29) and lusts (to the goings forth of the soul towards objects which it is wrong to pursue)?

This is the dilemma for many churches that have the indwelling Holy Spirit residing in its members. Preaching the Gospel; having evidence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, providing teachings on various biblical topics; along with a yearning for the Spirit’s presence is the modus operandi. This sounds right.
However, upon further investigation of the teachings of the church two things stand out.
In some cases there is a tendency to stress belief in the many doctrines of the church whose content is derived from the some of the Gospels, the Book of Acts, the epistles, and the Book of Revelation without any teachings on how to address the weaknesses of one’s flesh.

In other cases, doctrinal teachings are mixed, meaning that Old Testament theology is blended with New Testament theology. Adherence to obey certain aspects of the Mosaic Law is what is constituted as obedience to God. Fasting, tithing, observing certain days and weeks, and obedience to attending worship service, bible study, conferences, etc. where the message of following the example of Christ as relating to these ceremonial observances is repeated over and over. Along with this there are presented the New Testament doctrinal teachings that the assembly is asked to believe.

This doesn’t mean that in either case that the Holy Spirit is not yearned for.
This doesn’t mean that in either case that the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up.
What it means is that the assembly is impacted by God during worship service, but is unable to address personal weaknesses of the flesh throughout the remainder of the week.
Why is this the case, because they haven’t learned how?

They believe that following Christ’s example has to do with changing one’s behavior by obeying the tenets of the Mosaic Law or by trying to imitate his life.

I would beg to differ with this approach and say that exhibiting Christ’s example in a believer’s life occurs only when they are walking in the Spirit.

How does a Christian walk in the Spirit?

Please go to the Book of Ephesians.

Put Off…The Old Man…And Be Renewed
Eph 4:22-23
We are to put off those former habits that are a result of us being dominated by the totally depraved nature, whose lusts are excited by deceit, i.e. by deceitful influences seducing to sin, and be renewed in mind, i.e. to be spiritually transformed, to take on a new mind.
This renewal of the mind occurs by means of the word of God, and the unification of the Holy Spirit with our human spirit. Through Christ, once and for all, we have been given a new position in His new creation, but day-by-day, we must by faith appropriate what He has given us. As the mind understands the truth of God's Word, it is gradually transformed by the Spirit, and this renewal leads to a changed life. Physically, you are what you eat, but spiritually, you are what you think31.

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
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So if we want to be in subjection to the Spirit we need to put off the thoughts of the old man and put on the thoughts of the new man.

Let me give you an example.

Over the past couple of years since my retirement I have been working, albeit limitedly, with a friend doing odd construction jobs. Some of these jobs were for pay while others were for charity. Recently I noticed that my friend was no longer calling me to assist him. He apparently had secured the services of two other men, one of whom was a fellow believer, who I had introduced to him when there was a need for one extra person to assist in moving a huge refrigerator in a prior job.
As I began to think about this I became upset thinking, why was I no longer getting called? Why did I introduce my friend to him in the first place? This is the natural way that an unbeliever would think about this situation. But I’m not an unbeliever. However, I was thinking like one.
The first thing I needed to do, which I did, was recognize that this thinking is fleshly, self-centered.
The next thing that I needed to do was confess my attitude as sin to God the Father.
My attitude toward my friend was that he was being inconsiderate. My attitude toward my fellow believer was that he took work away from me that I should have had at least first crack at.
Situations like this bring us awareness as to whether our thoughts are fleshly or spiritual.
While the manner in which my friend chose to use certain people to work on certain construction jobs might be considered inconsiderate, I can’t say for sure that he was being inconsiderate.

I have a responsibility to think with the mind of Christ in response to both my friends’ decision to hire who he chooses along with the decision of my fellow believer to accept the work that he was offered.

So how do I obtain victory over this wrong mental attitude that I was harboring?

Well as stated previously I needed to recognize that my thinking was fleshly and confess it to God the Father as sin.
If this was how it ended however, then there really wouldn’t be any victory.

Here is what I mean. During a time of war it is essential to both combatants that they take territory away from their enemy. If one side defeats his enemy in a nearby territory, but doesn’t go forward and occupy the ground, then more of the enemy forces will eventually come back in and re-secure the stronghold.
This holds true as well in the spiritual realm. Acknowledging and confessing doesn’t secure the victory. We need to go in and take over the land.

How is this accomplished in the spiritual realm?

This is accomplished by going to God the Father in prayer and asking him for guidance in receiving a verse or verses that would provide for me the spiritual perspective that I needed to start thinking with in my mind.

With this in mind let’s first go to 1 Cor 13.

Believeth All Things
1 Corinthians 13:7
The word “believeth” according to the Koine Greeh means to: believe the best of every person; will credit no evil on any, but on the most positive evidence.
So this word is telling me that I am to believe the best of my friend and my fellow believer and not credit them with any evil unless there is clear evidence of such.

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

I will memorize and meditate upon this section of the verse “believeth all things” along with the related meaning of the word “believeth”- will credit no evil on any, but on the most positive evidence.

By applying God’s word I now have obtained the victory in this skirmish.

How many believers are continually defeated in the skirmishes of life because their church doesn’t provide teachings that will help them address their weakness of thought?

Day after day they recognize that their thoughts are wrong and they admit so to God, but victory is never in their grasp.

Would you like one more example?

Please open your bible to Heb 13a.

Be Content With Such Things As Ye Have.
Heb. 13:5a
I have owned a taxi business where I live for over seven years. During this past season I noticed a fellow taxi owner not sharing his calls with the entire fleet of thirty two cabs. Instead he was calling taxis in his inner circle. I on the other hand was putting any extra calls that I got on the radio so that any (the closest empty) cab could take the call. I was upset that this taxi was not sharing like I was.
He had every right to run his taxi business the way he chose. But by me dwelling on these thoughts toward him, this caused my behavior to be critical and divisive. My payback was to try to figure out how to bypass him when I would put my extra calls on the radio. Finally I realized that this way of thinking was not spiritual, but natural (carnal). I needed to be able to somehow get out of this toxic mental preoccupation.
As I thought about my mental state I realized that I was not being content with the situation at hand. I confessed this sin of discontentment to God the Father and realized that I needed his divine perspective. This perspective is found in the following verse.

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:…

This verse is saying, let your conversation (the disposition of the heart) be without covetousness (monetary greed; love of money), and be content (be happy; be satisfied; depending on God’s providence) with what God has given us.

Part of this verse “be content with such things as ye have” needs to be memorized and meditated upon along with the definition of the word “content”- be satisfied with what God has given us..

As we begin to learn, appropriate, memorize, and meditate on God’s word in relation to the trials of life this verse will begin to become more and more relevant in our life.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:32

And by the way what about the Holy Spirit, what is his response when we choose to put on the new man, the new mind?

We will close this chapter by going to 1 Jn 2.

But Whoso Keepeth His Word 1 Jn 2:5

If any believer keeps (watchful care; keeps on continually keeping) God’s word (all that he has made known to us as his will in regard to our conduct) then in him in reality will the love of God, which is produced in the believer yielded to the Holy Spirit32,
be perfected (shown exemplified by him; manifested in him).

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

The Holy Spirit fills us with his spiritual qualities of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, when we continually keep on keeping God’s word in our mind and respond with this mental attitude toward the circumstances that occur around us with divine perspective.

The next roadblock that we will look at can haunt a believer until they go home to be with the Lord. What is it you ask? Let’s go onward to the next chapter.

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