Overcoming Self – Conclusion

This brings us to the conclusion of our discussion on “Overcoming Self.”  Today we will see how we can walk in victory over the flesh when we apply God’s full-proof methods that He has provided for us.  The following is taken from my book, Victory Over Backsliding. 

   Victory Over the Flesh

Throughout our life we will battle with self or the “flesh.”  But as the Lord has overcome our other two foes, the world and Satan, He has also overcome the flesh.  We find this in the following two verses:

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-  Romans 6:6 NIV

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  Gal. 2:20 

This is indeed good news.  Although we may struggle with many temptations and trials, we are free from giving in to the many ungodly demands of the flesh.  But in order to enjoy our freedom, we must submit ourselves to the Lord continuously.   We have many besetting struggles with the flesh, but we can overcome evil desires by instead fulfilling the desires of the Spirit.  

   This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  Galatians 5:16  

Similar to the way we overcome evil with good, in order to overcome the flesh, we walk in the Spirit.  This means we no longer have lordship over our own lives, but will have given over every aspect to the Lord.  One of the most important reasons to submit everything to the Lord is that until we do, Satan can have a hey-day with us.  We will be open to every kind of attack he will try and throw at us.  What he does is use our power to choose, like he did to Eve, and then entice us to be disobedient.  This way, he will win and we’ll live defeated until we repent and submit it completely over to the Lord.

 

Victory over the flesh is an ongoing battle, so we must be consistent in our efforts to not allow self to rule.  We dethrone self by daily submitting ourselves to the Lordship of Christ in all things, then trust Him and obey Him.  We need to stop relying on ourselves and looking to self or the things of this world for answers.  God has many solutions for every problem and situation we encounter in life.  If we diligently submit our lives over to Him on a daily basis, we will see a marked growth in our walk and with God’s power working in our lives, we’ll be able to stand against our own flesh in the battle against backsliding.  

Taken from Victory Over Backsliding, by Linda McBurney-Gunhouse, Creative Focus Publishing, p. 77-78, 2007.

I hope you have been blessed by this chapter on how to overcome self.  I encourage you to read my entire ebook, Victory Over Backsliding.  Written under inspiration and backed by years of research, and filled with countless applicable Scriptures, it will enrich your life and set you on a path closer to God.    

May God richly bless you as you put into practice the powerful principles of God’s unchanging Word. 

Overcoming Self – Part 10

As we continue our discussion in overcoming self, we have come to the second last part of our discussion.  It is something we all struggle with, and that is loneliness.  This is taken from my book, Victory Over Backsliding. 

Note:  I have included a couple of Scriptures that are in the endnotes rather than having to look them up.

Loneliness & The Lack of Fellowship

Another important area where we can slip into a backslidden life is loneliness.  When we are lonely we tend to turn to other people and the world instead of God. Loneliness can be a potentially weak area for single Christians who want to marry but have not yet found their mate.  It could equally apply to separated, divorced and widowed people who want and need someone to fill the loneliness.  Loneliness is a very real and painful situation for scores of people in our world today.  It is a malady that is often overlooked in the church, yet in my own experience and in others I have met and befriended, it has been the downfall of many well-meaning and sincere Christians.  If we are struggling with loneliness and are considering friendships and fellowship outside of the church, it is necessary to look at other problems this will create.

Compromising Relationships

            Teenagers have the greatest difficulty with this one.  They want to please their peers and not appear as an outsider, so they do what everyone else is doing.  But for all of us at any time in our lives, loneliness and the need for companionship can lead us into compromising relationships.  So great can be the pain of it that a person is preoccupied with nothing else than finding a way out of it.  When a Christian fails to find meaningful relationships with other Christians they often end up in the wrong kind of relationships.  We know we have compromised when we have gone beyond a caring friendship with unbelievers and now partake in their world of sin.  This could mean platonic friends that we choose to spend time with who have no conscience regarding sin and may encourage us to drink, party and engage in sexual sins.  Or it could mean that a single Christian is dating a non- Christian.

          Why is it wrong to have intimate relationships with non-Christians?  The danger of is that we begin to become like them and our Christian values and morals become so obscured that they nearly cease to exist.  We may fool ourselves into thinking initially that we can "win" them over to the Lord, but unless we are very strong and solid in our walk, chances are we will begin to partake of their lifestyle and our witness will become completely ineffective.  Scripture is clear:

         

            Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?  2 Corinthians 6:14

Many backslidden (and not backslidden) Christians have married an unbeliever and experience tremendous conflict over spiritual issues.  This escalates if children are involved.  These are relationships that simply cannot prosper.

God's Answer to Loneliness

            Many single people think that if they just found the right one, then they will no longer feel lonely.  But, they would soon find out that another person is not intended to fill the loneliness.  Only God can ultimately alleviate the pain of loneliness.[1]  Everyone else may forsake us, but God never will.  Even if we have lost our spouse, parents, family or friends, God is able to comfort and befriend us and meet our every need accordingly (see Phil. 4:19).

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

           

          Loneliness can drive us away from God and into the wrong kind of fellowship with the world, or it can drive us right into the arms of a loving God who understands.  He will always provide a way of escape and give us grace to help in time of need (see Hebrews 4:16).

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

That way of escape may be His call for us to serve others and/or His provision of friendship through our extended family in the church (see Hebrews 10:25).

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Taken from Victory Over Backsliding, by Linda McBurney-Gunhouse, Creative Focus Publishing, p. 75-77, 2007.

In the final blog, we’ll discover the way to ultimate victory that God has provided for us to overcome self.

---

[1]  A couple of wonderful assurances regarding God’s relationship to us is found in Prov. 18:24b and Heb. 13:5b.

Overcoming Self – Part 9

In today’s blog, we’re going to continue the second part from yesterday’s blog on Persecution, and that is the topic of Rejection.  This is taken from my book, Victory Over Backsliding. 

Note:  I have written out the verses that are included in the footnotes.

The Pain of Rejection 

Many new Christians do not understand the tremendously high cost of following Christ.  They are not prepared for the often negative response of family and friends.  It is especially difficult for a person who becomes a Christian and the rest of his family and friends remain unsaved.  In some countries new Christians are permanently renounced and can no longer remain a member of their family or society.  Some couples marry when they are both unsaved and then one of them becomes a Christian and is rejected by their mate.  The possibility of rejection is a fact of life when we live and work in a godless world filled with unbelievers who are opposed to God and are convicted and troubled just by our presence (see 2 Cor. 2:14b-16a).

2Co 2:14  and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

2Co 2:16  To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.

          We had better be prepared to possibly lose our family, our friends, our job and our status in society if we are serious followers of Christ (see Matthew 10:37-39, 19:29).

Mat 10:37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Interestingly, it is often backslidden Christians who return to God after they have married an unbeliever or after they have befriended many unsaved friends, who suffer the greatest rejection.  We may pay a very high price when we take a stand for the Lord.  If we are not strong, we may continue to believe in Jesus, but openly deny Him.  Like Peter, who felt embarrassed and ashamed that he was recognized as a disciple of Jesus, we may shrink away from sharing our faith for the same reason (see Matthew 26:69-75). 

Mat 26:69  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.

Mat 26:70  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

Mat 26:71  And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.

Mat 26:72  And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.

Mat 26:73  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.

Mat 26:74  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

Mat 26:75  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Christianity is not very popular in our secular world and people do not want to hear about the gospel because their deeds are evil.  They would rather their sins remain hidden.  But one day all these hidden things will be revealed (see Mark 4:22). 

Mar 4:22  For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

Can we afford to hold back the truth or do we love God and others enough to be willing to take the pain of rejection and suffer for the sake of Christ (see 2 Cor. 4:3-4)?

2Co 4:3  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Taken from Victory Over Backsliding, by Linda McBurney-Gunhouse, Creative Focus Publishing, p. 74-75, 2007.

In the next blog, we’ll discuss a common problem today that many suffer with and that is loneliness.  We’ll see what can happen when we lack the safety and support network of good sound Christian fellowship and friendships.