Are You Prepared? - #247

Are you focused throughout the day on preparing your mind for the battle? What does that even look like? How do I do that?

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

Transcript

1 Peter 1:13 commands “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” How are you doing with that? Are you focused throughout the day on preparing your mind for the battle? What does that even look like? How do I do that? 

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 #247 entitled “Are You Prepared?” 

For many Christians, Sunday is a day meant to focus all of our attention on God—a day of worship. We go to church, greet each other with a warm smile, sing worship songs as a congregation, open our Bibles and listen to the preacher deliver his well-prepared sermon, then cordially shake his hand on the way out the door. But did we really worship? Did we truly honor God from our hearts, or did we simply play “church”? Are you a one-day, only-on-Sunday Christian?

Unfortunately, many of us sit in the service and go through the motions while feeling numb and empty inside. Why? Could it be we are in church for the wrong reason? You see, we should never go to church TO worship God. Hear me out please. Yes, we worship God while we’re at church, but we should never go to church because that’s where we worship. 

We are to worship God everywhere and anywhere we are – every day, all day. So, when we walk into church on a Sunday morning, we are not going TO worship, rather we are bringing our worship with us.

The real question here is, whom have you been worshipping during the week? In fact, I challenge you – right here and right now – to think about your activities over the last few days – and then answer this question: Whom (or what) have I been worshiping all week long? Be honest now. Be truthful with yourself here. Whom (or what) have you been worshiping all week this week? What about last week? And the week before?

Let me take a couple of moments here to just read to you some verses from Scripture about the topic of “worship.”

·      “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

·      “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!” (Psalm 95:6)

·      “And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” (Luke 4:8)

·      “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)

·      And Psalm 96:9 says, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.”

It is impossible to walk in the doors of the church building and spiritually flip a switch from worshipping King Me all week long, to instantly worshipping God on Sunday. Whomever you are worshipping during the week is whom you will worship during the Sunday service. Here’s my point: We must be focused on God not just on Sundays but all during the week—not just when we’re on the battlefield fighting temptation, but when we’re in our La-Z-Boy enjoying some down time, as well.

Have you ever stopped to consider what things around you, in your daily surroundings, impact and influence what and how you think? I ask this because, what you think strongly determines what you do. Your thoughts steer your behavior. But don’t take my word for it.

Listen to this command from God, given to us in Proverbs 4:23. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This is powerful enough that it bears repeating. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)

God says the most important thing (above all else) is to guard your heart. Let me repeat that slowly. The—most—important—thing is to guard your heart. Nothing is more important than this one thing. Guarding your heart must always take highest priority in your life.

OK: so, what exactly is my “heart” and how do I guard it? In the Hebrew – the language Proverbs 4:23 was written in, the word “heart” is the Hebrew word leb (Leh-bay), and it refers to the place where all of your thinking and decision-making occurs. It’s the home of all your knowledge and understanding. It’s your mind.

God says the most important thing you must do at all times is guard your heart – protect your mind. Why? Because it (your mind) is the wellspring of life. That word “wellspring” refers to the primary source of something. It is the outpouring—the result.

IOW: The primary source of everything you say and do is your mind. What you think will become what you say. What you think will become what you do. The reason you say the things you say and do the things you do is because of what’s in your heart. This is why it is of highest priority that you guard your heart. Guard your heart and you will guard your behavior, because what you think will become what you do.

This is also why Satan’s #1 goal is to influence your thinking, that way he can impact your living. 

Just like the wells in ancient times could be tainted, affecting the community water source and thereby impacting people’s health, so also can allowing sinful thoughts will pollute your entire life. If you are going to glorify God in all you say and do, everything you allow yourself to see and hear must also glorify God. Since your mind is the place where your behavior begins, it benefits you greatly to have a prepared mind.

To truly worship God and fully live FOR Christ, you must daily “Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:13)

To help you think through this verse and understand what Peter is telling us to do, think about this: When you are preparing for something, what are you doing? (e.g., preparing a meal or preparing for battle) Answer: you’re getting ready. Something is about to happen and so you are putting into place everything you will need to accomplish the task. You are preparing

·      According to 1 Peter 1:13, what are you supposed to prepare? Answer: my mind. 

·      According to 1 Peter 1:13, what are you supposed to prepare your mind for? Answer: action. 

·      What is the “action” you are to prepare for? Answer: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 tells us that “though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Ephesians 6:12 warns that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” 

In other words, the “action” we are to prepare our minds for is the attack of the enemy upon our spiritual well-being. And as we have already seen, his primary target is your mind. Listen, Satan knows that if he can impress your thinking, he’ll be able to impact your living. What you think becomes what you do. This is why it is so vitally important that you “above all else” set a continuous guard around your thought-life. 

Be very intentional, be acutely aware of your surroundings and the impact, the influence those things / those conversations / those images / that person / that movie or television show / that language around the workplace can have upon your thinking!

Jesus tells us that “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (Matthew 6:22-23a)

Think about what Jesus is saying here. Your eyes are like a lamp. Think of a “lamp” as a flashlight shining in the pitch-black of night. Only, instead of that beam of light shining “out” from your eyes, it’s actually shining inward - to your soul. That “light” (the things you see - the things you choose to look at) they are a strong influence on what you think, which directly impacts what you do.

Think of it this way: it would be rather silly of me to look to the left and yet walk to the right (while still looking left). I would eventually run into things and stub my toe, or something much worse. I will always walk where my eyes are looking. Why? Because what I see is going to influence what I do.

I have a question for you here: What happens to your choices when the majority of the things you allow your eyes to see and ears to hear each day are sinful and ungodly?

Jesus is telling us that the things we see have a powerful influence on the things we do. If our eyes are good, if they are focused on things that will glorify God, then our actions and behavior will also glorify Him. However, if we allow our eyes to continuously view things that are ungodly, those things will wear us down and our lifestyle will eventually reflect that choice.

I like to put it this way: What the eye sees, the “I” does.

Every moment of every day you are faced with choices about what you’re going to permit yourself to see. And with every choice there is a consequence.

Are you going to choose to see only those things that encourage you to live a godly life, or will you allow yourself to view the things that may tempt you to indulge in the lusts of the flesh? What you see influences what you think, which in turn directly impacts what you do. Let me repeat, what the eye sees greatly impacts what the “I” does.

Daily, you make decisions about what you will watch, read, or even listen to. Most of the time you aren’t conscious of those decisions, but you are making them. Paul challenges us to “be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17) Make the right choices.

In a moment I’m going to wrap up today’s podcast – but I want to make sure you understand that God has a will for you regarding what you should see and what you shouldn’t? He has given you His Holy Word (the Bible) to shine a light on the path He wants you to walk. David declares “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)  “The unfolding of (God’s) words gives light.” (Psalm 119:130) And in Psalm 19:8 he writes, “the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” We should daily be asking God to “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” (Psalm 43:3) Why? Because God’s Word is “a lamp shining in a dark place.” (2 Peter 1:19)

OK, I’m going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. 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.

I know I mentioned this to you in last week’s episode, but let me remind you that one of these powerful resources I want to make 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.” or just look up my name, Steve Etner, and purchase your copy of any of my books today. 

Before I wrap up this week’s episode, I have a request of you. If you’re a subscriber to this podcast, then you know that I very rarely mention this. So, please understand that the fact that I am talking about this indicates its vital importance.

Our time here on earth is running out – of that I am most certain. All too soon God’s trumpet is going to sound, and our Heavenly Father is going to call His children home. And as His child, I feel the irresistible urge, the undeniable draw to make these last days ones that are completely and unreservedly focused on glorifying God in every aspect of my life. I am firmly persuaded that God has given me a very specific focus – a for-the-rest-of-my-life assignment.

In Acts 20:22, 24 the Apostle Paul says  “I am bound by the Spirit ... I don’t know what awaits me, But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” … 

For me, I am bound by the Spirit to the task of pointing men and women toward the power of Christ and the impact that God’s Word can have in their everyday lives. I am compelled to show them from Scripture how to live in victory and freedom.  

I don’t know how many more years God is going to give me – but I am committed to dedicating every one of those years to this ministry ... and I’m asking for your help.

If you share our desire to see men walk in godliness, integrity and live in purity – I am personally inviting you to join our team of ministry partners! Through your financial gifts – The Pure Man Ministry is able to pour into the hearts of both men and women, investing in their lives, their marriages, their homes and even their churches - training them from God's Word how they can live free from addiction to porn, lust and masturbation ... all to the glory of God.

Without compromise The Pure Man Ministry shows men and women how to have a continuous relationship with Jesus that is real and personal. To that end we are asking for your financial assistance to partner with us in providing hope and helping men win their personal battles. 

Your gifts to this ministry are deeply appreciated - and are tax deductible!

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 Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry – reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.