Tag: Discipleship

False Desires

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

In Christ, we become new creations, called and able to reject false desires. 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(II Corinthians 5:17)

In Christ, God has made you new.  Your old sinful way of life is gone.  You have a new life in Christ, so you don’t have to follow false and deceptive desires.  His Holy Spirit enables you to reject fleshly desires (Galatians 5:16).  His grace trains you to reject worldly passions and live a self-controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:11-12).  In Christ, you can overcome.

Indeed, He calls and enables all of us to reject deceptive desires like lust, coveting, greed, gluttony, and selfishness.  He calls and enables all of us to reject false feelings of hopelessness, despair, and worry.  He calls and enables all of us to reject wrong self-perceptions of superiority, self-righteousness, and worthlessness. 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:2)

Instead of conforming to the false desires of our world, we are to renew our minds with God’s truth that we might discern what is good and follow that. 

Rejecting false desires isn’t easy.  God never said it would be.  Indeed He tells us that it is a war:

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
(I Peter 2:11)

These false desires are at war with you to destroy you.  We must fight.  But God not only calls us, but also enables us, to reject false desires.  May we live in His strength!

Introducing OT Journey 2.0

On By BrianIn OT Journey 2.0

I am excited to introduce you to OT Journey 2.0 this summer. Bible Journey studies and reflections have been on this site for quite a while. This summer I am launching OT Journey 2.0 which is a reworking and revising of that earlier material. It is designed to help you take a group through the entire Old Testament (except Psalms) chapter by chapter in three years (150 lessons). You can find all the details for this new study (as well as the older one) on the Bible Journey page here. I plan to start posting studies next week. It would make a great study to start this Fall with your Sunday School class or small group Bible study.

Sermon Songs: Hebrews 5:11-6:3

On By BrianIn Hebrews Hymns

Grow up, and listen more carefully
The basic truths of the gospel learn
Commit to know the Word more fully
Follow the good way and evil spurn

Chorus
Fast, Fast, Hold fast
Hold fast to Jesus the Better One
Near, Near, Draw Near
Draw near to God through His only Son

Grow up and basic truths understand
Call others to repent and believe
Gather with God’s people in the land
Press on in hope, God’s warning receive
(Repeat Chorus)

Grow up and no longer be lazy
Push to know Jesus better each day
Follow Him, move toward maturity
For His grace and growth now plead and pray
(Repeat Chorus)

© 2023 Brian J. Mikul

(Sing to tune of “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”)

Our Prevailing Purpose

On By BrianIn PASSION Reflections

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. 
– I John 2:1a (ESV)

John is the patriarch of the church, the last remaining apostle.  He writes to the church with the affection of a father for his little children, and he has a purpose in his writing – that we may not sin.

Is that your purpose?  To not sin? 

Is that your goal?  Your desire?  Your ambition?  To not sin?  To stop sinning?

Our world, of course, has other goals: to be comfortable, to be healthy, to be happy.  And comfort, health, and happiness are wonderful blessings.  I like those things too, but they are not our purpose, our goal.

Our purpose here is that we would not sin.

Is that your purpose? 

When you are uncomfortable, is your prevailing purpose to pursue comfort, or to not sin in your discomfort?

When you are unhealthy, is your prevailing purpose to get healthy, or to not sin in your unhealthiness?

When you are unhappy, is your prevailing purpose to get happy, or to not sin in your unhappiness?

Our trials and struggles are not an excuse for sin, but rather opportunities to overcome temptation and not sin.

Is that your goal in whatever you face today? 

Is that your prevailing purpose? 

Devoted Goals

On By BrianIn Habit Miscellaneous, Holidays

This past Fall our church looked at five habit of growth to which we should be devoted. Then during advent, we looked at being devoted to the gospel. Below is my attempt to pull it all together with the goal of applying our study to our lives during the coming year. I believe these would be good questions for any Christian to ponder as we look at a new year, a new month, and a new week.

Annual Goals (Review at least monthly)

Gospel: What habit will I begin this year to better remember, focus on, and live out the hope, peace, joy, and love found in Jesus?

Worship: What habit will I begin to better prepare my heart to come into God’s presence for corporate worship each Sunday? 

Prayer: What is one way I would like to grow in prayer this year? 

Word: What portion of Scripture (Old Testament, New Testament, Book(s) of the Bible, etc.) will I commit to read and meditate on throughout this year? 

Fellowship: In what ways will I partner with my church family this year in serving, giving, and prayer?

Outreach: What habit will I begin to become more watchful for opportunities to share the gospel this year? What will I do to become better prepared to share the gospel this year?  Who might I specifically pray for to receive salvation this year?

What might distract me from these goals, and how can I overcome that?
How can I live out these goals as expressions of love instead of pride?

Monthly Goals (Review at least weekly)

Gospel: What might I do to better grasp some aspect of the gospel this month, and let that aspect of the gospel better grasp me?

Worship: Is there an area in my life that I need to start submitting to God this month, and what will I do about it?

Prayer: What promise or attribute of God will I incorporate into my prayers this month?

Word: What passage of Scripture will I memorize this month?

Fellowship: What practical need in my church family will I seek to help with this month?  Who can I get together with this month around a meal?

Outreach: What practical need do I see in my workplace, neighborhood, or community that I could seek to meet this month?  How might God lead me to help with this month’s church outreach activity and/or outreach/missions project? How do I specifically need to pray for my missionaries this month? 

Weekly Goals (Review daily)

Gospel: What aspect of the gospel from my Bible reading or Sunday’s sermon will I meditate on this week?

Worship: In the midst of my current trials and temptations, what attribute of God or aspect of the gospel will I cling to this week to tune my heart to praise Him? 

Prayer: Who and what do I specifically need to pray for this week?

Word: What Biblical truth from my personal reading or Sunday’s sermon do I need to very specifically apply to my life this week?

Fellowship: Who in my church family might God be leading me to care for and/or seek to encourage this week, and how will I do it?

Outreach: How might I better shine as a light with integrity, hope, and love this week? What is one way I might purposefully seek to share the gospel this week?

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

The Many Ways God Changes Us – David Powlison (Crossway)
We live with a God who has many, many, many ways of meeting us, and it’s good to become aware of them all.

I Am the Center of the Universe – Jared Wilson
Either I am the center of the universe and you all don’t know, or — I am not the center of the universe and I am upset that you all know.

Get Outside Yourself in Suffering – Stacy Reaoch (DG)
As Christians we’re not exempt from serving others because we’re going through a difficult season of life, but instead we’re called to lift our eyes heavenward and trust our sovereign God to give us the needed grace to keep going.

A Spiritual Barometer Check – Jason Helopoulos (TCC)
One of the easiest ways to assess ourselves is to examine our love for all the saints. Do I love God’s people more today? If so, it is assuredly true that I also love Christ more. It is a good barometer of our spiritual health. One that I must seek to employ regularly for it does not lie. If I love God, I will love His people.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your Lord and local church!

Reflections on Judges 13-16

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage today focuses on Samson.  He was a man used mightily by God despite his many moral flaws.  Note:

  • Disobedience – The list of Samson’s sins is long. God told Israel not to intermarry with the inhabitants of the land, but Samson did anyway.  As a Nazirite, he was not to go near a dead body (Numbers 6), yet he scraped honey from the carcass of a lion and ate it.  He slept with a prostitute.  He acts out of anger and vengefulness.  He often seems to have a complete disregard for the commands of God.  What about you?
  • Wisdom – Samson often seems to lack in wisdom. He fails to see the potential problems of marrying a Philistine.  He foolishly tells his wife the riddle.  Later, he foolishly tells Delilah the secret of his strength.  Are you making wise choices?
  • Faith – Despite his failings, Hebrews 11 includes him as an example of faith. Samson apparently trusted God to help him as he fought the Philistines.  He looked to God to help him bring the house down upon the Philistines even though it meant his own death.  Are you walking by faith?
  • God’s Sovereignty – Samson’s life points clearly to the truth that God can make use of even our shortcomings for his purposes. Though it was wrong for Samson to marry a Philistine, God used it as an opportunity for Samson to fight them (see 14:4).  God used Samson flaws and all, and he can use us flaws and all.  That is not an excuse for us to be complacent – who knows how much more God might have used Samson if he had been given over completely to God.  But it should encourage us to know that God can bring good even out of our moral failures, and that God can use imperfect people like us.