Week 5 – IN HOT PURSUIT

We’re in Week 5 of “In Hot Pursuit” (a 6-week study), and we’ve looked at various aspects of running this race with endurance for Christ. Throughout, we have touched on ways in which our thoughts affect our race, but it’s so important that that will be our full focus this week.

The daily race we run is mostly mental.  I don’t think that’s overstated.  We are with ourselves more than a spouse, child, parent, co-worker, or friend.  We live in our minds—thinking, processing, planning, dreaming . . . worrying, wrestling, doubting, fearing.  And wherever we are in our heart and mind, from there our actions follow.  That’s why this Proverb tells us, and I love the Amplified version:

“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23

Jesus also made clear that actions follow that which is within:

“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Matthew 12:34

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”  Matthew 15:19

Stop and think:  Have you ever taken an action that you didn’t first contemplate?  Ever found your feet heading down a path that your mind never considered?  Ever told a lie you didn’t first hatch in your brain?

If the issues of our lives—of this race—come from the heart, we have to make sure that what goes into the heart and mind is the right stuff.

We are not bystanders in our thought life.  Much of what goes into our hearts and minds is under our control.  The mistake we make is in thinking it won’t matter.  We have to stand guard.

Here are some ways in which we can stand guard and take control of our thought life:

Guard what you watch and listen to.  This is not about laying down rules.  It’s about being real as we run this race.  It matters what you watch and what you listen to.  Some of our single sisters have said they don’t listen to certain love songs because of the thoughts that come to mind.  That’s wisdom.  That’s standing guard.  Some married sisters don’t listen to certain songs because it reminds them of an old boyfriend . . . a road they don’t need to venture down in this race.  Same with television and movies.  If you know there will be a lot of sensual or other action that will cause you to stumble rather than run with endurance, why give it entry into your mind?  Those are thoughts you will only end up wrestling with and trying to kick out later.  Better to keep them out from the beginning.

Guard what you read.  A couple of weeks ago, a fellow Christian author posted a top ten list of African-American books for 2011.  I don’t consider myself naïve, but I was shocked when I saw that two or three of them were erotica.  These “bestsellers” are guaranteed to fill your thoughts with what is perverse and unholy, and they are guaranteed to negatively affect your race.  If you are trying to run in hot pursuit and dabble in these books, throw them out or delete them from your e-reader.  Now.

But it doesn’t have to be that extreme.  We need to make wise choices in all that we read, even the political stuff.  This is the season when Facebook and Twitter explode with political posts.  But if filling up on politics causes you to rant and otherwise act ugly toward people on the other end of your politics, how will you walk in love with them as you run your race?  In this race, we are more Christian than Democrat or Republican.  Guard your heart against anything that will take you off course.

Guard your interactions.  If you have a friend who always questions what God calls you to do—which leaves you doubting God by the end of the conversation—refrain from sharing such things with that friend.  If Facebook and Twitter fill your mind with distractions when you need to focus on your race, stand guard with respect to your time there.  And if you know you have no business chatting with that guy on Facebook, turn off the chat feature.  Otherwise, he’ll be turning over and over in your thoughts . . . a distraction at best, which could lead to worse.

Guard against intruders.  Some thoughts come courtesy of the enemy, as he fires his darts into our minds.  We need to be ever alert, ready to take captive those “intruders” . . . even the feel-good tempting ones.  The minute we recognize that we are dwelling on something that’s not of God, we need to cast it out and replace it with what is of God.

God has given us the thought-path for this race.  He says, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”  Philippians 4:8

Do you tend to be a bystander in your thought life?  Or do you actively guard the input and activity of your heart and mind?

Week 4 – IN HOT PURSUIT

In the very first lesson I said I’m not a runner.  To me, it’s just hard.  If you show me a track and tell me to run a mile, I’ll convince myself in the first lap that I won’t make it.  If you tell me to do it on mountainous terrain, forget it.  I won’t even try.

Running on a track in the spiritual sense can be hard too.  We’ve been talking about it throughout this study.  It requires daily discipline to stay filled with the Word of God, to cling to Jesus, to pray, to focus our hearts and minds on what’s good, right, and true, and so on.

So what happens when we turn a corner and that flat track suddenly shifts to a sharp incline?  What happens when we’re staring at a hill or mountain, jogging in place, wondering, “What now?  Am I supposed to climb this?”  In the last lesson, I said Keep Moving.  But sometimes that motion requires strength we’ve never needed—strength we’ve never had.  When we need to be our strongest, the temptation is almost as strong to give up.

In this race, we must learn to endure in the face of difficulty.  Giving up cannot be an option.

This is not an “if.”  We will encounter difficulty.  There will be rough terrain.  Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).  The question becomes—how do we endure?  What do we need to tackle that mountain?  JOY!

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

Did you note the promises in those verses?  We will encounter trials.  Those trials will produce endurance.  And endurance will make us perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  It’s that first part that is crucial for us to learn in this race—considering it pure joy.

Stop and think:  Do you ever feel joyful when you encounter a trial?  Does it even come to mind that you should be joyful?

I’ve always thought it was next to impossible, one of those lofty goals I’ll never actually experience in this fallen, grumble-prone flesh.  But I just saw something in a whole new way . . . and almost leapt out of my chair.  “Joy” and “endurance” are also found in the verses that deal with running this race—and look who also had to find joy as He endured an unbelievable trial:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

As we encounter trials in this race, we don’t have to find joy in the trial itself.  Joy comes in looking beyond the trial to what God has promised.  Joy strengthens us to endure the trial.

I love that we are running in hot pursuit of One who understands better than we ever could what it means to endure.  He has already gone before us.  He has already suffered.  He has already given us the victory.  And He invites us to fix our eyes on Him, with assurance that He who started our race of faith will also finish it.  In that truth alone is a promise that brings great JOY.

Joy is more than a good mood.  “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).  It’s what empowers us to endure.

Read these verses to reinforce your joy in the midst of a trial:

Romans 8:28

Romans 5:3-5

Romans 15:13

Galatians 5:22-23

What am I thankful for this week?  JOY!  I love that it’s not based on my circumstances. Because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, I can choose to walk with joy always, and be strengthened.  With joy, I can face that mountain.  What are you thankful for?  And are you choosing joy today?

Week 4 – IN HOT PURSUIT

As we run in hot pursuit, I’m struck by a particular dynamic of this race.  There’s always something behind and something ahead, and we’re in the middle.  Remember the verses that serve as the basis of this study?

“…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on . . .”  Philippians 3:13-14

That word “press” is the same Greek word that’s translated “pursue” in the following verses:

“But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11

“Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace . . . ” 2 Timothy 2:22

In all three verses, there’s something behind us that we need to move away from, and something ahead that we need to pursue.

Stop and think:  What if you stop moving?  What if you don’t pursue anything?  Will what’s behind stop pursuing you?

If we are not actively pursuing the positive, we will be overtaken by the negative.

It’s the same principle as putting off the old self and putting on the new self.  We have to do something, or the old will creep back in.  We have to renew our minds (Ephesians 4:22-24).  And it’s a continual process.  We don’t move away from the old in a day and call it done.  We keep moving.  We may not be scaling a mountain every day, but even if there are days we slow to a crawl, we keep choosing to press.

Stop and think:  If you’re not choosing to dwell on what’s right and true, how long does it take before the negative begins to fill up the space?  If you’re not choosing to give thanks, how long does it take before you’re grumbling?  If you’re not choosing to believe, how long before you doubt?

The Christian race is about constant movement toward the highest of virtues, and that movement requires effort.  We’re told to pursue godliness above.  Second Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness”—yet, it also says, “through the true knowledge of Him who called us . . .”  We have to apply ourselves to gaining knowledge (renewing our minds) in order to grow in godliness.  A few verses down, we see more of those qualities above, which I’ve highlighted:

“Now for this very reason, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 1:5-8

If we needed more confirmation of what it means to be in hot pursuit, these verses give it to us.  We have to “apply all diligence.”  And since these virtues are to be ever increasing, that diligent effort is ongoing.  This is a serious race.  And this is the race we’re called to.  If we keep moving—keep pressing and pursuing—we will walk in victory, to the glory of God.

Re-read and meditate on these verses that are mentioned above:

1 Timothy 6:11

2 Timothy 2:22

Ephesians 4:20-24

2 Peter 1:2-8

What do you do on the days you grow weary of the race?  How do you keep yourself moving? Do you have an action plan?

Week 4 – IN HOT PURSUIT

I am desperate.  It hit me sometime last week as I played Shekinah Glory’s How Deeply I Need You for about the eighth time that morning.  I needed all of my thoughts to be consumed with Him.  I needed my mind filled with the truth that I needed Him.  I needed to enter into a place of worship and praise that shut out every other thing that sought to compete with Him.  I needed to sit in the presence of the One who would keep me focused and centered, because much as I was trying, I kept veering off course.  And that song is one of my go-to songs when I’m desperate for the Lord.

I’ve been noticing that desperation a lot lately.  Maybe you have too.  As we run in hot pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness, the areas in which we fall short may seem magnified.  Our sights are set on light and truth, on glory and majesty, on holiness and perfection.  We can’t help but see the things in us that don’t measure up, and those things may be suddenly glowing like neon lights.  Before, we were convicted when we spoke a harsh word to someone; now just the thought is convicting.  That book, CD, or television program that brought enjoyment now raises a question—“Is this helping or hindering my pursuit?”  Not having the faith to trust that God can move in the life of our children, our marriage, or in our employment situation might’ve been the status quo before.  Now we’re being nudged to step out and believe, and it’s scary.

These are signs of growth.  We want to become more and more sensitive to the nudging, promptings, and convictions of the Holy Spirit.  We want to sense holy displeasure at the slightest movement toward sin.  But at the same time, we have to guard against discouragement.  We have to guard against the enemy’s whispers that we’ll never get it right.  There you go again.  You’ll never be able to run the race without stumbling.  You can’t get through a single day with a right attitude.  And you’ll never have faith to believe for anything. Who are you kidding?  You don’t have what it takes.

Stop and think:  Since you’ve started this study, have you been more aware of thoughts, attitudes, and actions that aren’t Christlike?  Have you heard the whispers of the enemy?  Have you wondered whether you can really run in hot pursuit?

How do we keep running in hot pursuit and keep reaching forward, even as we grow more and more aware that we have a long way to go before we’re where we need to be?

As we run in hot pursuit, we must stay desperate—desperate for Jesus and His abiding presence.  By clinging to Him, we have all we need to keep pressing.

We can’t run this race on our own.  We can’t fix all the shortcomings we see in ourselves.  We can’t order our thoughts and our steps and our lives in a fashion that pleases God.   We can’t get through a single hour, let alone a single day, week, or month trying to “get it right.”  We can’t do anything worthy without Jesus.  Jesus said:

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

David knew what it was like to be desperate.  In Psalm 63:1, he said:

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

We will never be where we need to be—conformed to the likeness of Jesus—this side of heaven.  And it’s actually a good thing to be ever aware of it.  It means we’re not deceived.  If we’re comparing ourselves to others around us, we might get a false sense of ourselves, even a pride in ourselves.  Keeping our focus on Jesus keeps us humble.  When we’re humble, God gives us grace (James 4:6).

Staying desperate keeps us before the throne, painfully aware that we need the Lord . . . and gloriously aware that He is there, ready to supply all we need.

Read these verses:

Psalm 63

Psalm 42

John 15:1-11

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

James 4:6-10

1 Thessalonians 5:6-18

What do you think of being desperate for Jesus?  Does that seem weird to you?  Do you consider yourself desperate for Him?

Our sisters have been posting links to great songs these past three weeks for our “In Hot Pursuit” soundtrack.  I’ve got to add these two:

“Breathe” by Michael W. Smith

“How Deeply I Need You” by Shekinah Glory

Week 3 – IN HOT PURSUIT

He was one of the two spies with extraordinary faith.  If anyone was running “in hot pursuit,” it was Joshua.  He didn’t care what other people thought of him.  When most of the Israelites said they needed to return to Egypt, Joshua was one of the lone voices that said they needed to believe God.  To him, if God had promised the land, it was as good as done.  I can just see him on the spiritual racetrack.  He had seen the land, felt the soil under his feet, tasted of its fruit.  He was ready to break into a sprint and take possession.  Let’s go!

But everything grounded to a halt.  Because of the unbelief of the people, God sentenced an entire generation to die in the wilderness.  As a result, there would be no sprint.  Joshua would have to wait forty years to see the promise fulfilled.  See Numbers 14.

Stop and think:  How does your faith hold up when there’s a setback?  How does it hold up when you have to wait?  Do you begin to doubt as time passes?  Or do you trust?

In this race, we must learn to reach forward in the waiting.  God is still working.  Indeed, He does some of His deepest work within us while we’re waiting.

Joshua not only had to wait, he had to deal with a change in leadership.  For decades, Moses had been the leader, and Joshua his faithful servant.  As a spy, he might’ve envisioned how they would take possession, with Moses leading the charge.  But when the time finally came for the Israelites to enter the land, Moses had died.  God appointed Joshua to lead the people—thousands of them.

Stop and think:  How do you handle change, particularly change that significantly increases your responsibility?  Do you trust that God will equip you with everything you need to handle the change?

Reaching forward is a constant exercise, with every change and every new challenge.  We don’t lose focus or faint.  We keep looking to the One who already knew of the changes and challenges.  We keep the faith.

Joshua had seen firsthand how God had been with Moses, how He had led him and spoken with him.  Maybe he wondered if that was just for Moses, or if God would be with him too.  Although Joshua had tremendous faith, I’m encouraged that God had to reassure even him.  I love that He told Joshua, “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

Read Joshua 1:1-9 to see everything God spoke to Joshua.

Did you see the words that apply to all of us who are in hot pursuit?  We must:

Be strong and Courageous

Meditate on the Word of God

Obey the Word of God

And the promise of God is that we will prosper and have success.  In our own goals and dreams?  In the things that will satisfy self?  No, we died to those.  In this race, we desire to prosper and have success in those things God calls us to do, for His glory.

“Courageous” is an interesting word.  (If you haven’t seen the movie by that name, it was recently released on DVD.  I highly recommend it!)  What does it mean to you to have to be courageous as you run in hot pursuit?

Thankful Friday:  I’m thankful that just as God was with Moses and Joshua, He is with us.  I’m thankful that when I turn to Jesus, needy and desperate—as I did several times this week—He is always there.  What are you thankful for?

Week 3 – In Hot Pursuit

God had been promising this land from the time of Abraham.  He’d given geographical descriptions of its borders.  He’d even said when possession of the land would take place—after the descendants of Abraham had been enslaved for four hundred years in Egypt.

The time had finally come.  God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt by a mighty hand, with signs and wonders.  He had dried up the Red Sea so they could cross.  He had rained down manna from the sky for them to eat as they journeyed in the desert.  Now, He was ready to fulfill the word He had spoken to Abraham and bring them into the Promised Land.

But first, He told Moses to send twelve men to spy out the land.  Moses picked twelve men from each tribe, leaders of their tribes, and sent them on a fact-finding expedition.  The spies were to report on what the land and the people were like, as well as the number of people.  And they were asked to bring back the fruit of the land.

The twelve spies returned saying God had indeed chosen a good land, one flowing with milk and honey.  But ten of the spies gave a “bad report”:

→            “The people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large” (Numbers 13:28).

→            “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us” (Numbers 13:31).

→            “We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33).

The other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, said this:

→            “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).

→            “If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey.  Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey.  Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them” (Numbers 14:8-9).

The people of Israel believed the negative report.  They wept and grumbled against God, asking why He would bring them that far to let them die by the sword.  They even said, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt” (Numbers 14:4).

Fear will cause you to return to what lies behind.

Faith causes you to reach forward to what lies ahead.

Stop and think:  Does your perspective tend to mirror that of the ten spies?  Do you focus on people and circumstances when God calls you to do something?  Do you focus on yourself and whether you can do it?  Or does your perspective mirror Caleb and Joshua?  Do you keep your focus on God and what He is able to do? Do you believe what He has promised?

In order to run in hot pursuit, you must believe that there is nothing to fear.

You must be fully persuaded that what God has purposed, He can and will bring to pass. 

You must believe.

God was not pleased with the ten spies’ negative report and the people’s lack of faith.  He asked Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me?  And how long will they not believe Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?” (Numbers 14:11)  Because they would not believe God, He sentenced them to die in the wilderness.  None of them saw the Promised Land.  Only Joshua and Caleb—the ones who reached forward to what lay ahead—entered the land.

[To read the entire account regarding the spies and God’s judgment, read Numbers 13 and 14:1-38.]

Read these verses to reinforce your faith in who God is and what He is able to do:

Genesis 18:11-14

Isaiah 40:12

Isaiah 43:10-13

Isaiah 46:9-11

Jeremiah 32:27

Daniel 4:34-35

Ephesians 3:20-21

Has fear ever caused you to want to turn back from what God has called you to do?  Right now, do you have the faith to reach forward to what lies ahead?  Are your sights set on the Lord?  Do you believe?

Week 3 – In Hot Pursuit

She was forced to make a pivotal choice.  Ruth had never known the true God.  She’d grown up in Moab, a longtime enemy and neighbor of Israel.  When a famine hit the land of Israel, Elimelech, his wife, Naomi, and their two sons moved from Bethlehem to Moab.  Ruth married one son, and Orpah, another Moabite woman, married the other. But Elimelech and his sons died a few years later, and Naomi prepared to return to Bethlehem.  She urged her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab where they could find another husband.  Orpah decided to stay.  But Ruth refused, telling her mother-in-law:

“Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge.  Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.” Ruth 1:16

Talk about leaving what’s behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead!  And she did so by faith.  Ruth had never lived in the land of Israel.  She didn’t know what to expect or whether they would even receive her.  Yet, she refused to cling to the familiar, to what made sense, to the opinion or example of others, to culture, or to tradition.  She was willing to die to it all.  She knew that nothing compared to pursuing the true God.  And by the way, her faith was rewarded.  She married Boaz and became the great-grandmother of King David, and one of only a handful of women named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5).

We have checked our hearts, thrown off the weight and sin, and forgotten what lies behind.  Now we’re reaching forward.

But reaching forward requires effort, faith, and focus.  What keeps us focused?  What keeps us straining every muscle to grasp what lies ahead with everything in us?

We must be fully persuaded that nothing that lies behind could ever compare to what lies ahead.

The Bible is filled with people of faith who were so persuaded.  Abram left his people and his land to follow a life of faith in the true God.  Moses left the pleasures and idolatries of Egypt, where he’d been raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, “choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God” (Hebrews 11:25).  Esther left her cushy quarters in the king’s palace and risked her life in order to save the people of God.  And on and on it goes . . .

What about the apostle Paul?  He’s the one who penned the verses that inspired this study:

“…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Read Philippians 3:1-7 to see what he left behind.  But what was he reaching toward?  Why was he willing to count his stature and his accomplishments—indeed everything—as loss?

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord . . .” Philippians 3:8

Stop and think:  Is that your mindset?  Do you count your accomplishments and other “gains” as loss compared to knowing Christ?  What about earthly identities and associations, dreams and goals, manmade beliefs and traditions?  Are you willing to die to those things and have them renewed in Christ?

Look up these verses:

John 3:30

John 12:24-25

Galatians 2:20

Ephesians 4:22-32

Colossians 3:1-11

We have to reckon this hot pursuit of Christ as infinitely better than anything on earth we could think to pursue.  And the good news is—it is.  Jesus is the Word who was in the beginning (John 1:1).  “All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3)—and this includes things “visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Colossians 1:16).  All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him (Colossians 2:3).  He was raised from the dead and seated at the Father’s right hand “in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21).  And as believers, we have been raised up and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).  In Him we are made complete (Colossians 2:10).

Tell me who or what could compare with Jesus.

Tell me who or what could compare with our pursuit of Him.

Does any aspect of us compare with Jesus?  Are we okay with Him dwelling only partially within, so we can cling to pieces of self?  Or are we willing to die daily to self so that Christ may dwell fully?  If Jesus, our eternal and all-powerful Savior, grants us the privilege of knowing Him—of abiding with, experiencing, befriending, and loving Him—do we not believe it’s worth the effort to do so?

As always, let’s have real talk about how to run this race….

Week 2 – In Hot Pursuit

We’ve covered some heavy subject matter this week on the blog.  Our sisters have shared from their very souls about past and even ongoing struggles with sexual sin.  And we’ve heard glorious testimonies of the power of God to deliver from sin and set us on a righteous path.  I know I’m not alone in thanking God for the courage of so many in telling their stories.  We will never know the number of people who have read the blog and been helped as they’ve realized they are not alone.  I praise God for changing the direction this week.  He knew.

But as I rejoice over the work God has surely done this week in countless hearts, I am also mindful that the enemy is not happy about it.  His work will be to try to set us off course, turn us back, intensify the struggle, and weigh us down afresh.  And his fingerprints have already been spotted.  Here are some comments from blog sisters this week:

“ . . . I feel the heaviness TRYING to come on due to the topic at hand today.”

“ . . . as we are sharing about our struggles and past or current sin/temptations, we need to draw even closer and dig even deeper into prayer and time with God. The enemy will use what God has intended for good to try to draw us back into his nonsense. I know because after I wrote the post above last week, the enemy came creeping around trying to tell me that surely I must miss the sin and wasn’t it fun . . .”

“And as if on cue, I got a text from an ex trying to pull me back in with ‘you were on my mind today, I was thinking of you.’”

We’re not surprised, for the Bible tells us, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  But praise God that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

As we prepare to move forward with the study next week, we’re pausing today to stand in the gap for one another.  If you have identified anything this week or last for which you need prayer so you can run in hot pursuit for Christ, post your prayer request.  You can be as specific or as vague as you like.  You can simply say, “Pray for me,” and we’ll lift you up because God knows the issue exactly.

And as prayer requests are posted, I’m asking those who are willing to stop by and pray for whomever the Spirit leads you to pray.  You don’t have to post a reply to the prayer request.  But if the Spirit leads you to speak a word or prayer in reply, you know we’re all about that too.  We should also lift up the group collectively for protection and strength, for discernment, and for whatever else the Lord puts on your heart.

What am I thankful for this week?  I said it above, and I’ll say it again—I’m thankful for all of you!  I’m thankful to be in fellowship here with real sisters who are willing to share how their imperfect pasts have been redeemed by a perfect Savior.  I’m blessed to be on this journey with you.  What are you thankful for?

Week 2 – In Hot Pursuit

He stayed home when he should’ve been leading his troops in battle.  That was the first wrong move, not being where he should’ve been.  Instead of intense fighting on the battlefield—instead of running his race—King David was idling on the sidelines, walking along the rooftop . . . and then, gazing at a beautiful woman bathing.

What did he do next?  This is, after all, the man who famously trusted God when all Israel feared, who killed Goliath after letting him know, “the battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:46-47).  This is the man who refused to kill King Saul, though Saul was seeking to kill him—whose conscience was so tender that it bothered him just to cut off the edge of Saul’s robe (1 Samuel 24:4-6).

So when the battle raged in David’s flesh, did he look to God to fight it?  When he learned that the woman was married to his own soldier, was his conscience tender?  Did he flee immorality as Joseph did with Potiphar’s wife?

No.  King David sent for the woman, Bathsheba, and slept with her.  And when she became pregnant and he couldn’t cover the sin, he compounded it by having her husband, Uriah, killed in battle.  He then took her as his own wife, and she bore him a son.

Perhaps at this point they appeared to be the picture-perfect family—the King, his beautiful wife, and their newborn.  Since several months had passed, maybe there would be no repercussion for sin.  But God is not mocked.  He saw it all, and “the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27).  God confronted David through His prophet, Nathan.  I’m struck by the clear heart of God in these words:

“Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight?” 2 Samuel 12:9

“. . .you have despised Me . . .” 2 Samuel 12:10

Stop and think:  Have we focused so much on the grace of God that we’ve forgotten His view of sin?  Can you imagine God feeling that you have despised Him because of your sin?

David’s heart turned when he heard God’s words.  He said, “I have sinned against the LORD,” and immediately, the prophet conveyed this gracious message:   “The LORD also has taken away your sin . . .” (2 Sam. 12:13).  David was forgiven, but he and his family suffered severe consequences for years to come.

Read 2 Samuel 11 and 2 Samuel 12:1-25 for more detail of the above account.

Interestingly, it was King Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, who later shared God’s wisdom and strong caution about the “adulteress.”  Read Proverbs 5:1-23 and Proverbs 7:7-27.

Stop and think:  How does adultery appear at first?  What is its end?

If you’re on the path that leads to adultery, get off now.  Flee.  It is a path that leads to death.  If you’re in an adulterous affair, get out now.

It’s not easy to throw aside the weight of sexual sin.  Comments from this week and last have been illuminating as blog sisters have openly shared the difficulty of breaking free.  One sister described sexual sin as being under the influence.  There’s no 12-step program, but as always, the Bible lights the way:

1. Read Psalm 51 (penned by David after his adultery).  Own the sin as David did.  Ask the Lord to give you a godly sorrow that leads to repentance.  Pray as David did that God would create in you a clean heart.
2. Flee—cut ties, giving no opportunity for your flesh to creep back;
3. Confess your sin to someone you trust and ask for prayer and accountability;
4. Immerse yourself in the Word daily; carry verses with you on post-it notes or index cards; get aggressive with renewing your mind.

God forgives, heals, and restores those who have been entangled in adultery.  Faithful and Cherished dealt with this important truth.  (The video on my Home page with Da’ T.R.U.T.H. and his wife are a beautiful example of such healing and restoration.)  If you’ve repented and turned from that sin, don’t allow the enemy to weigh you down in shame.  Run the race with endurance and don’t look back. 

Single women:  I’ve focused thus far on adultery, but sex between singles is sin as well.  In our day, celibacy is seen as weird.  Tim Tebow has been openly mocked for his conviction to abstain.  But the Word of God requires no less.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6.

If you are single and having sex, you are not in hot pursuit of Christ.

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to lay aside the weight and the sin so we can then “run with endurance.”  Again, it’s not easy, especially if that’s the lifestyle you’ve been living.  But God doesn’t issue commands in the hope that we’ll muster up the strength to obey them.  If you’re a believer, He has given you His Spirit to empower you to run with supernatural strength.  So throw off that weight and run with power.

There’s so much more I could say, but I know we will go wider and deeper in the comment section as we’ve been doing.  I’m already praying for God to minister to us there.  So let’s continue the dialogue.

Week 2 – In Hot Pursuit

I thought I had God’s direction for Week 2.  I had begun studying and taking notes; but on Sunday, God hit me with something different.  And as I prayed, I got nothing but confirmation.  So I continued praying . . . that God would do the work in our hearts that He desires to do.

Last week we dealt with the need to throw off every weight and sin so we can run this race with endurance.  This week we’re taking it deeper.  We’re delving into the pervasive weight of sexual temptation.  It’s not something that primarily plagues non-believers . . . or men . . . or Christians who aren’t serious about their walk.  In fact, temptation targets people like you and me, people who are serious and have a heart to run in hot pursuit of Christ.

As a result of writing Faithful, I have read countless messages and have had countless private conversations with Christian women—single and married—who have dealt with sexual temptation.  But I rarely see it discussed openly, particularly among married women.  It’s understandable.  Who wants to talk about being tempted?  Instead, the discussion happens after someone has fallen, when we wonder what happened.  Maybe they had no one safe to talk to when temptation came strong.  Maybe they feared being judged.  And we know that when we’re alone with our hidden thoughts, the enemy has a field day.  If we want to run this race with everything in us, we need to understand that temptation is real, that no one is immune, and that we have to be aggressive about throwing off that weight before it gives birth to sin.

Let’s be clear:  temptation is not sin.  The One whom we love and pursue—Jesus—was Himself tempted.

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”  Hebrews 2:18

Read Matthew 4:1-11 or Luke 4:1-13 (parallel accounts) to re-familiarize yourself with the devil’s temptation of Jesus.

If Jesus Himself was tempted, why are we, as Christian women, slow or unwilling to admit when we are tempted?

Stop and think:  Do you and your trusted girlfriends admit when you are tempted and hold one another accountable?  Would you admit a problem with pornography (yes, women can be tempted by pornography)?  If you’re single and have been tempted to sleep with a single man, did you confide in a friend?  Did you admit where your thoughts were taking you?  If you’re married and another man said or did something that made your heart flutter, did you talk to a friend?  To God?  What about when the flutter led to recurring thoughts of this man . . . to phone calls and texts . . . to lunch?  If you’re single and a married man approached you, ask yourself these same questions.

Sexual temptation is a dangerous weight because unlike fears, anxieties, and the like, it feels good.  It may even seem to alleviate problems like loneliness, insecurity, or a season of marital difficulty.  And not only does it feel good, it deceives you into thinking it’s not really a weight.  Things will never go too far.  He’s just a friend.  Everything is under control.  Yet, you can’t wait until your husband leaves the room so you can chat with the other man on Facebook.  And all the while, the enemy is quietly handcuffing you into bondage so you can’t run with endurance for Christ.

We have to be real as we run in hot pursuit.  We have to be willing to admit what’s in our hearts—to God, to ourselves, and to trusted souls who will hold us accountable.  We have to refuse to allow the enemy to shame us for thoughts he put in our heads, and be quick to say, “This is not my thought, and I’m taking it captive unto the obedience of Christ.  I’m no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness.”  We have to recognize when we’re in a battle, pray, and flee:

“Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Matthew 26:41 

Read these verses that convey the heart of God on this issue:

I Corinthians 6:18-20

2 Timothy 2:22

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6

Matthew 5:27-30

James 1:13-15 

This is a deep, full, and far-reaching subject, and I’ve only touched the surface.  But I’m hoping it opens up discussion.  I understand the blog family might not be quick to chime in on this one.  But I pray we can have a real conversation that will help some of our sisters to throw off this weight while it’s still at the point of temptation.  What about when sexual temptation has led to sin?  Next time . . .