Be Prepared - #208

You can be free! You can be pure! You can be godly! All you have to do is choose daily to lift up your soul to God, trust fully in Him, dethrone King Me and set your focus on the lordship and leadership of God in your everyday life; and continuously ask Him to show you His ways—then walk in it. When you do, you will experience God’s richest blessings in your life like none you could ever imagine, guaranteed.

Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at  http://www.thepuritycoach.com

Transcript

As you daily pursue godliness, the issue is not your temptations. The problem is not your sinful desires. That is not what needs to change. It is your heart—your worship disorder. You live in victory over and freedom from sin by daily reading, studying, meditating upon, and applying God’s Holy Word to your heart, your mind, your daily choices, and behaviors.

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. A powerful weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity and godliness. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #208 entitled “Be Prepared.”

“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT)

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:22 NLT)

This is precisely why every episode of this Point of Purity Podcast is predominantly focused upon Scripture. I don’t want you trying to learn Twelve Steps, or Eight Keys, or Five Principles to Genuine Godliness. I don’t want you thinking there is some greater, more effective method out there for dethroning King Me and experiencing genuine heart-change other than filling your mind with the Word of God and daily choosing to walk in obedience to the God of the Word. There is not.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8 NLT)

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show path to take.” (Proverbs 3:6 NLT)

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)

As you daily pursue godliness, the issue is not your temptations. The problem is not your sinful habits. That is not what needs to change. It is your heart—your worship disorder. God’s Spirit - through God’s Word - reveals God’s will in your life. You live in victory over and freedom from sin by daily reading, studying, meditating upon, and applying God’s Holy Word to your heart, your mind, your daily choices, and behaviors.

Deuteronomy 11:28 says “you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.” I believe I am fairly safe in saying you would rather not be cursed by God, correct? To avoid that, you must daily choose to dethrone King Me. You must not turn aside from God’s way to go another way, chasing after another god—to go after things that will pleasure King Me.

Beware of those sinful passions screaming in your ear, “Please me! Satisfy me! Surrender to me and I’ll make you feel good. I’ll ease your stress and relieve your boredom, and I’ll remove your frustration.” Oh, my friends, don’t listen to them. Don’t let yourself cave under the pressure. Cry out to God “Show me your way,” and when He does, because He will, you must choose to walk in it no matter the cost.

“Only be very careful to observe the commandment ... to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5 ESV)

“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:17 NIV’84)

Can you hear the ache in God’s heart for you? Can you hear His discouragement, not with you but with your sinful, King Me choices? “If only you had paid attention to my commands.”

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV)

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3 ESV)

Here is the exciting thing: you can choose right now to lift up your soul to your heavenly Father. You can choose right now to surrender your sinful desires and passions to your Creator and choose right now to fully trust that He not only knows what’s best for you but has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV’84).

“There is hope for your future, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:17 ESV).

You can be free! You can be pure! You can be godly! All you have to do is choose daily to lift up your soul to God (Psalm 25:1), trust fully in Him (Psalm 25:2), dethrone King Me and set your focus on the lordship and leadership of God in your everyday life (Psalm 25:3); and continuously ask Him to show you His ways—then walk in it (Psalm 25:4-5). When you do that, you will experience God’s richest blessings in your life like none you could ever imagine, guaranteed.

As we choose daily to lift up our soul to God and fully trust Him, we must also cry, “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.” (Psalm 25:4 NLT) Think about this: inherent within the request to “show me your ways” is a willingness to go the way God shows you. Don’t ask Him to show you His way if you are not willing and ready to make the necessary sacrifices and adjustments in your life to actually go the way He shows you.

This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16 NIV’84)

“You shall walk in all the way which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you.” (Deuteronomy 5:33a NASB’95)

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2 NLT)

After asking God to “show me your ways” the psalmist then adds, “teach me your paths” (Psalm 25:4). Are you teachable? What does it mean to be teachable?

By asking God to teach him, David was acknowledging his inexperience, his lack of understanding, his inability to navigate through life in a way that consistently and continuously honored and glorified God. He was expressing his need for and dependency upon God to provide instruction on how to continuously lift up his soul and fully trust his Creator for everything, on a daily basis.

In Job 34:32 we see Job crying out to God, asking Him to “teach me what I do not see.” I strongly submit that should be your daily prayer to God: Oh Father, I am struggling with knowing how to navigate this path of godliness. Please “teach me what I do not see.”

To that request God answers, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8 ESV) Isn’t that fantastic? God will not let you flounder. He stands ready to help you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 ESV).

To be taught, there must first be an openness and a willingness to learn. There must be a humble admission that “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to do it. I need help.” Followed by a solid determination to apply what you are being taught; to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only (see James 1:22-25 and compare it with Matthew 7:24-27).

Up till now you have focused predominantly on your way versus God’s way. You have chosen to walk your own path instead of following Him down His. You have periodically tried to combat your sinful habits in your own way instead conquering them through His. This is why you continuously fail and fall. This is why you need God to teach you His path.

You have already been provided with instruction on how to walk His path. God says, “I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of righteousness” (Proverbs 4:11 ESV). And how has He done this? “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)

When you turn to King Me for answers, when you depend on your own ability to fight the beast, you “have turned to [God your] back and not [your] face. And though [God has] taught [you] persistently, [you] have not listened to receive instruction” (Jeremiah 32:33 ESV). In Psalm 50:17 God says you have flippantly cast His words behind you. Don’t miss this point. Don’t let it slip past you. Focus your attention upon this and let it speak into your chest. King Me is not God. King Me cannot ever be God. King Me does not know what’s best for you, but God does. Turning your back on God is easy, but the consequences will always be hard.

When you turn away from God, “your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21 ESV). Think about what God is saying here. I used to think he was creating a word picture of a loving Father standing behind his son with hands on the boy’s shoulders “steering” him either to the left or to the right whispering in his ear “this is the way.” I have come to the realization I was quite wrong.

Scripture is clear that the Lord is our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1). Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27 ESV) 

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)

“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.” (Isaiah 45:2 NASB’95)

As God goes before you, you are to be behind Him, following Him, focused upon Him. 

Jesus spoke to them saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV)

“It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.” (Deuteronomy 13:4 NIV’84)

“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” (John 12:26 ESV)

If you are daily choosing to follow Christ, allowing Him to truly show you His ways and teach you His paths, His voice will not be “behind you” but in front of you. If you are hearing His voice “behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’” that means you have gone off “to the right or to the left” on your own, choosing instead to turn your back on God in pursuit of what King Me wants. The exciting thing is that God will not let you meander off the path for very long. Instead, He will say to you, “This is the way. Walk in it.”

OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode as we look forward to continuing this study.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com

One of these powerful resources we are making available to you is my book called “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory.” You see, saying “No” to temptation and choosing to live an upright and godly life is a daily decision you must make. Every time you are faced with a temptation, you are also faced with a decision: Do I give in, or do I stand firm in my faith and fight it? Do I yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit and live to glorify God, or do I focus on King Me and give in to my fleshly desires?

This book “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory” presents, in a very clear and practical way, how to live a life that is holy and pure, how to say no to sin and live by the Spirit in a way that glorifies your creator, your Savior, your Heavenly Father. So, head on over to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “Overcoming Temptation: 4 Steps to Spiritual Victory.” today.

And if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!

So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.