What is The Relentless Fight?

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you..." - 1 Corinthians 15:1 (ESV)

You've just failed. You're discouraged and feeling guilt and shame wash over you.

As you begin to retrace your steps, you realize (so obviously) how you made the same mistakes and wound up back in the same cesspool of your same besetting sin. So frustrating!

So you resolve to fight... "Yeah, I'm gonna fight. Fight this sin. Fight it HARDER. More accountability, more Scripture, more prayer, more books and sermons and seminars and conferences. More discipline! I'm just too weak, right? Need to be sober-minded, need to be more vigilant, need more boundaries or protection or something."

Let me say this as gently as I can: You're fighting the wrong battle, Christian.

All that guilt, all that shame, all that anger and frustration is motivating you to fight your sin harder. And sure, fighting sin is good, but it is SECONDARY. If you expend your energies fighting your sin, you will wear yourself out. You will lose energy and motivation long before you see your sin dead at your feet. It's immensely difficult to pick the sword back up and run into battle when your guilt and shame and discouragement are so overwhelming.

Here's the primary battle: Fighting to remember the Gospel. 

That is FIRST. That's the most important fight. That's the only one that really matters in the end. The fight to remember the gospel: That's the larger war. Fighting the sin? Heck, that's just the little battle skirmishes here and there. They come, they go. But remembering the GOSPEL is the crucial victory that will turn the tide.

Here's what it practically looks like: Let your guilt DRIVE you to the cross to receive the forgiveness that comes through Christ's blood (Ephesians 1:7). Let your shame DRIVE you to the cross to receive the cleansing and washing that comes through Christ's blood (1 John 1:7, Revelation 7:14). Run back to the HUGE promises that are found in Scripture about your new identity (2 Corinthians 5:17), about your adoption by grace as a son (Ephesians 1:5), about how God WILL bring about your sanctification (Philippians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:24), and about how God's grace super-abounds greater than your sin (Romans 5:20). Repeat these truths back to yourself. Scream them out loud!! Claim them with defiance. Call a brother or sister and beg them to preach the gospel of salvation for sinners to your sinful heart! Pray that God restores to you the joy of your salvation! (Psalm 51:12) Fight this battle relentlessly, with endurance and passion and everything in you. Fight like heaven.

So what is The Relentless Fight? It's the never-ending, hardcore, raging battle for REMEMBERING THE GOSPEL. Once the gospel has been secured, the encouragement and endurance and motivation to keep fighting will return to you, but this time with all the POWER and JOY of the Cross fueling it. It's primarily a fight to believe the gospel. Not to fight the sin. That's why the motto and anthem of The Relentless Fight is: Remember the Gospel, Keep Fighting.

Remember the Gospel brothers and sisters,
The Relentless Fight

You Are A Champion In Christ

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:57 (ESV)

Have you seen the Old Spice commercials on YouTube for their new Champion deodorant and body wash? They're pretty funny. so make sure to check out the video below if you haven't seen them yet.

In the commercials, a puny little guy listens to the deodorant speak to him encouragements and truths about himself. As he listens and repeats these he actually BECOMES what he is speaking. And he grows a beard by the end of swimming a lap. It's hilarious.

But there's a larger spiritual lesson that Old Spice is picturing here very well: We tend to believe what we listen to.

And if we listen to the Scriptures, they will have a profound effect on how we live our lives. In fact, as we listen and repeat God's truth, we will actually BECOME what we are speaking - not because hearing and speaking it has any power - but because what God says IS TRUE, and if we line ourselves up with that truth and live in the truth, it will work! (There's nothing magical about "speaking things into existence", the Bible is not The Secret, c'mon...)

So here's an example:

You're hanging out in your dorm doing some studies late at night, and you're stressing about a few items due that week. Traditionally this has been a difficult time for you, because you're tempted to go to [insert favorite idol here: food, video games, porn, cutting, Facebook, alcohol] as your stress-reliever and comforter. Satan starts telling you that it's no use resisting this temptation, because you're a failure anyway, you're an addict, you're a slave to your sin, and you my-as-well just have a little fun. How do you respond? Speak the truth of God's Word, like Romans 6:6 "We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." You are NOT a slave to sin! You are FREE! As you repeat these truths, you are re-energized in your fight against sin, and call a friend to pray with you....

So here's the application: plug your headphones into the Bible, and start repeating back the truth you're hearing. Renew your mind as Paul says in Romans 12:2. Believe what God says, that "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37), believe that God has set aside our record of debts and taken care of it through the Cross (Colossians 2:14), and believe that God has equipped you with everything you need to fight your sin and live in godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Listen and speak and believe God's truth... and then you will live it.

We are the champions,
The Relentless Fight

PS: The Old Spice ad can be viewed on YouTube below. Enjoy.

Punch Satan in the Face

But He answered, "It is written..." - Matthew 4:4

How do you fight temptation? It seems to come to us when we're weakest. Sure, we talk a good game when we're feeling strong. But when that temptation comes? Same failure. Again.

Jesus gives us a great example in Matthew 4, when Satan comes to Him with three temptations as He's fasting in the wilderness. How does Jesus respond? Three times He says, "It is written" and quotes specific Scripture that counteracts the lie with God's truth. Eventually Satan leaves Him.

Very simply, let's take a lesson from Jesus for when we face temptation. There's two parts to this strategy:

1. Figure out what your specific temptation is. It's not always clear, so think about it and write it down. Maybe ask a friend to help you see what it is. 
2. Research what specific Scripture speaks to that temptation (search on esvonline.org or ask a godly friend who knows the Bible). Think about it. Write those Scriptures down. Memorize them.

As you're thinking through your temptations and your Scriptures, you can pair them up to look like this:

So next time you're tempted? Punch Satan in the face. Quote specific Scripture and make him run. To quote E.V. Hill, "hit 'em!!".

Keep Punching,

The Relentless Fight

Book Review: Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices

Banner of Truth Trust is an organization founded in 1957 committed to re-publishing solid biblical works from the Reformation and Puritan eras of Church history that otherwise would be lost in our feel-good Christian book market of prosperity and humanistic self-improvement. First published in 1652, Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices was written by Thomas Brooks, a classic Puritan preacher known for drawing his illustrations from the Scriptures themselves and classical literature.

Precious Remedies is being highlighted here on The Relentless Fight because of its rock-solid strategies for fighting sin and temptation. Here's a sampling of 3 highlights from the book:

1. Satan Presents the Bait and Hides the Hook - Satan loves to feature and display the promised benefits of sin. "Porn will make you feel good! That chocolate cake will be delicious! Cutting yourself will make the pain go away!" But Satan works overtime to hide the consequences of the sin: addiction, isolation from God, discouragement, condemnation. Says Thomas Brooks, "He promises the soul honor, pleasure, profit, but pays the soul with the greatest contempt, shame, and loss that can be." (page 30) What then is the remedy? SEE the hook! Keep a distance from sin instead of toying with it, and remember that sin starts sweet but turns bitter in the end. Yes, our sin promises great and lofty things, but after we've taken that bite it gives us only sorrow, loss, and death. 
2. You're Not Happy? You Must Not Be a Christian - In this life we have ups and downs. And Satan, like a total jerk, loves to hit us while we're down. One strategy he uses is to convince us in our depressed state that we're not a real Christian, and any joy we used to have is NEVER coming back. It's hopeless. The remedy? Remember that the loss of comfort doesn't mean the loss of GRACE, there are a host of examples in Scripture of God's chosen people suffering deeply (Psalm 88, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10) even Jesus Himself in Matthew 26:36-45! Meditate on the joys that are still yours in the Gospel, and strengthen yourself with perseverance... the end is so near in sight! God will provide the comfort in the end, and will sustain you UNTIL the end.
3. Sin Dies Slowly. So Remember the Gospel and Keep Fighting - Satan loves to bring the simple charge, "You're still struggling with the same sins. Therefore God is not at work and you're still a slave to sin." Yet in God's sovereign wisdom, He is pleased to give sin a death-wound BUT not completely remove its presence from the lives of His saints, "something is still left as a monument of divine grace, and to keep us humble, wakeful, and watchful, and that our armour may be still kept on, and our weapons always in our hands." (page 167) God makes no promise to His people that they are not capable of falling into the same sins again and again in THIS life. Indeed, there is something that He desires to teach us in the midst of our besetting struggle: To keep us humble, to depend more on the Lord, to become disgusted with this fallen world and long for heaven, to better understand the NECESSITY of the Cross, and to have compassion for others who also struggle. How then are we sustained amidst the discouragement of constant battle? We must remember the hope-filled gospel of Christ's promise of "No Condemnation!" (Romans 8:1) and then persevere in our fighting of sin in THIS strength until God ends the fight. 

Want more? Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices can be purchased on Banner of Truth Trust's website, or WTS Books, or Amazon. One note to the reader: It was written 360 years ago, so the English can be a challenge to read. But it's worth it.

Fighting to not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11),
The Relentless Fight

Put OFF/ Put ON

"in reference to your former manner of life... lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit... be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." - Ephesians 4:22-24

For those who are in Christ, they are no longer who they used to be, but have been remade as new creations! Sometimes we fall into the danger of only doing half of this command: put off the old, put on the new.

1. Put OFF the old: Stop looking at porn. Stop overeating. Stop idolizing academics. Stop living in fear. Stop your harsh words. Stop your boasting. Stop your selfishness. These things are killing you!
2. Put ON the new: Start walking in sexual purity and begin to honor your spouse (present or future). Start honoring the Lord with your eating and begin to be thankful. Start exalting Christ as God instead of your grades and begin to work hard as an act of worship to Him. Start living by faith and begin to take bold steps for His kingdom. Start listening and begin to use gentle speech just as God has done with you. Start to boast in the cross and begin to grow in humility. Start to serve others and begin to have a heart of love and sacrifice just as Christ has served His enemies. These things will give you LIFE!

What God calls us to is radical transformation! In the very areas where we have been weak, and wrong, and sinful, He calls us to be strong, be right, and be holy. Imagine the transforming effect this would have on the world, if liars became champions of truth, if adulterers became standards of marital faithfulness, if gossipers became spreaders of encouragement?

But you may respond, "Okay, gotta buck up and get to work. STOP being dumb and evil, START being good and holy. Right, got it." And perhaps you're only seeing the moral command: stop being bad, start being good. What is wrong with that? Simply: we can't do it. The only motivation and empowering that we will have to walk in newness of life is to realize two things: 1. The sin that we are putting off has been REMOVED from us by the death of Christ (nailed to the cross!), and 2. The righteousness that we are putting on has been GIVEN to us by the grace of God (gifted justification!). So the command to put off/put on is really just a command of: LIVE how you really ARE in Christ already.

Here are three questions for your own application: What do you need to put off of your old ways? And secondly: What do you need to start to put on? And always check your motives and heart: Am I being motivated by moral self-improvement and guilt? Or the grace and redemption and FREEDOM of the Cross?

Thankful for God's transforming redemption,

The Relentless Fight

The Vulnerable Lion

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
(1 John 1:7 ESV)

Have you ever experienced this? You're in a small group after church, discussing application of the sermon. It was hard-hitting, and yet nobody is willing to admit that they're really struggling with sin. The air is light and fluffy, shallow almost, but there's an underlying tension of, "I'd be willing to share... but I'm scared."

But then someone, maybe the leader, or maybe just that shy girl who doesn't talk much, opens her mouth. She tentatively shares that she is really struggling, even has some big questions of how this relates to God's sovereignty. She wonders if she's really forgiven, since she keeps failing.

Immediately the air in the room changes! The tension is released and folks start to open up. They struggle too! The conversation buzzes, and different people around the circle begin to encourage one another, correct defeatist thinking, and share their own experiences. Grace is emphasized and the cross is exalted.

Praise God! Wouldn't it be great if this could characterize most of our small groups? Our one-on-ones? Our men's groups? Deep, vulnerable sharing, with the comforts of the gospel. But how can we enjoy this sweet fellowship?

Enjoying this honest grace-filled culture requires a "Vulnerable Lion", a bold forgiven sinner who is willing to be the first to admit, "I've got brokenness. I've got darkness. But I'm trusting in the cross of Christ. (And you can too)." How can you be a vulnerable lion? Perhaps 1 John 1:7 provides the answer, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." That choice to enter the light, to be known, to be exposed is a BIG risk. But because of the gospel, we find two amazing comforts in the light: 1. Jesus' blood COVERS our sin, 2. We GAIN fellowship (not rejection). What glorious promises! And the reason why we, as sinners, are able to be vulnerable lions is because of Jesus. He is the ultimate Vulnerable Lion who had no darkness at all, yet exposed Himself to shame, disgrace, and rejection, so that guilty sinners might be cleansed by His blood and transformed to be vulnerable lions like Him.

Here's the challenge: Be a bold and vulnerable lion. Take that first step to admit your need for the Cross. And it will give LIFE to others.

Praying that you would walk in the light,
The Relentless Fight

#Jesus2012 Let's Make Jesus Famous

#Kony2012 was a viral marketing masterpiece, exploding on the social sphere in mere hours. The YouTube video had over 74 million views in ONE week. Invisible Children accomplished their initial goal, they have made Joseph Kony famous.

But let's think about this in a bigger picture view. Let's say, best case scenario plays out. What happens? We raise huge global awareness, we find him, and we bring him to justice. What happens the next day? 10,000 wicked men and women sprout up to take his place. Same thing with the sex trafficking industry, "If we rescued every victim today, we'd wake up to a demand for 100+ million new slaves tomorrow." It sounds depressing, but the reality is that something is deeply, profoundly wrong with the human race. Our hearts are sick, broken, twisted, and it seems hopeless to stand against the stream of injustice, hatred, and violence that is laying waste to our globe.

Should we give up? No. But perhaps we should shift our gaze and make a distinction between primary and secondary issues. Here's the point of this post: Kony is secondary. All social justice issues are secondary. All humanitarian missions, all awareness campaigns, and even every church pot luck, they're all secondary. The ONE thing that is primary is the fame of Jesus, gloriously displayed in the gospel of Christ crucified for sinners. 

If this glorious gospel takes second place, we LOSE whatever we've placed on the throne where only Jesus belongs. We lose justice. We lose righteousness. We lose HOPE. But if we keep Jesus in the place of primary honor, and labor with our lives to make HIM famous, not giving up the secondary issues but letting them be motivated BY the primary issue, we will win not just the battle for justice with Kony, but the larger war against injustice everywhere. Do you see the difference? Justice for Kony is a fruit that comes from the tree of justice and righteousness that grows out of the gospel.

Our deepest problem is the human heart is sinfully wicked. We have rebelled against our good Creator, and the fallout from that treason has devastated us for centuries. If ignorance and lack of resources are the problem with the human race, then awareness and mobilization is the solution. But if sinful broken relationship with the holy God is the core problem, then the reconciling, forgiving, atoning, sanctifying Cross of Jesus Christ is the core solution. Don't confuse the fruit with the tree. You must go deep enough to fix the real underlying problems.

So for 2012, here's the challenge: Let's make Jesus famous. #Jesus2012. Because here's His best case scenario: We preach the gospel to the ends of the earth and then Jesus comes back! Not only will redemption, reconciliation, mercy, and justice begin to coat this earth in healing WHILE we preach the gospel, but when we accomplish our task, and Jesus is truly famous among every tribe and tongue and nation, then we shall have our Returning King. On that day we will celebrate true and lasting justice, joy, and redemption. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

Making Jesus famous,
The Relentless Fight