Flee!!

"Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry."

1 Corinthians 10:14 ESV

Sometimes the Scripture calls us to stand our ground and fight back against the Enemy, like in Ephesians 6:13. But when we are facing temptation, the Scripture doesn't tell us to stand there and take the punches. No, the command is to FLEE. 

Does this strike you as strange? Wouldn't you instead expect the Scripture to say something like, "When you face temptation, just be strong and trust that God will help you fight it." Right? But that's not what the Scripture says. Multiple times we have the command to FLEE. Here are a few examples (emphasis added):

• "Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV
• "So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." - 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV
• "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

Don't be a hero in the fight against temptation. Jesus Himself warned the disciples, "Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) Basically, plead with God to not even allow you to get into tempting situations, because YOU ARE WEAK. You will fall. All you need is a push. Just given the right circumstances....and you'll cave. 

See, there's this prideful streak that we have in our hearts that make us think, "Oh, I'm fine. When temptation comes, I'll just say no, right? I'm a strong person." But biblically, that's just not true. It's like what Gandalf says in the mines of Moria about the Balrog, "This foe is beyond any of you. Run!"

What does it look like to flee? Perhaps the story of Joseph in Genesis 39 is a helpful case study. Potiphar's wife was hitting on Joseph nonstop, trying to get him to sleep with her. Every time Joseph refused, and in Genesis 39:10 it says he wouldn't even be in the same room with her. Finally, she grabs hold of him, basically forcing herself on him. What does he do? RUNS AWAY. Apparently he has a hard time getting away because in the process of getting out of there she manages to rip off some of his clothes. Yikes! Joseph FLED. He got out of there. He knew that temptation was a dangerous foe too strong for him to fight. So he ran. Not as a coward, but as a wise godly man.

So what might be some applications?
What does this look like practically in our lives to obey the Scripture and "flee"?

• When you feel temptation begin to increase and you're alone in your dorm... LEAVE your dorm. Go to the computer lab, the student union building, a friend's room. Anywhere, just leave, now. 
• When you're hanging out with your significant other and you're alone, and things start to get tempting, the engines begin firing on all cylinders... LEAVE. Go anywhere. How about Sheetz? They're open 24 hours a day. Get some MTO, it's delicious. But the point is to LEAVE. You are weak, and you're not gonna be able to stop yourself. 
• When you're talking with a friend, and it starts devolving into an argument, you start feeling the temptation to say some things out of anger... just stop. Leave the conversation. If it's on the phone, hang up. Facebook? Close the window. Texting? Just power off that phone, baby. FLEE. 
• Another application for "fleeing" is to enlist the help of some brothers/sisters by walking in the light (1 John 1) and confessing our temptation. This could be as simple as a text, "Hey sister, could you pray for me? I'm really feeling tempted with _______ right now." 
• Can you think of a way to flee? Share it in the comments below, or comment in the post on Facebook.

Running away,
The Relentless Fight

Jesus Heals Our Shame

"This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.'" - Matthew 8:17 ESV

The Cross of Christ goes deeper than we expect: Jesus died not just to forgive the guilt of sin, but also to cleanse us from the shame of sin.

Shame is a complicated thing, and seems much deeper than the feeling of guilt. When you do something wrong, you feel guilt because your actions, words, behavior are wrong. But shame makes you feel that YOU are wrong. You're a wrong person, you're defiled, stained, marred, there's something that you carry around with you that causes you to hate yourself. This kind of shame is not easily resolved like guilt would be, because with guilt you can just stop those behaviors, but with shame you can't stop being YOU. And to further complicate matters, shame comes in two forms:

• Sins that we've done: There is a sense of shame that comes from the sins we have done. Defiling sins that we hide from others like cutting, sexual addiction and brokenness, drug use, secret partying, eating disorders, constant evaluation of body image, and the feeling of being "poisonous" in relationships as we consistently hurt others while desperately trying to not do so. 
• Sins done AGAINST us: Sometimes we feel deep shame and self-hatred because of the sins done against us, things that we are victims of and never have chosen to experience. This can be as "simple" as the common experience of being made fun of when we were children on the playground. We can often minimize such experiences and discard them, "Oh, doesn't everyone get made fun of?" But this kind of sin against us has profound effects. Often when we are treated as ugly, worthless, stupid, dirty, or cheap we begin to believe that we ARE those things. Sins against us include bullying, physical abuse, verbal or emotional abuse, sexual assault and rape, and other mistreatments. These leave a stain on the soul and "speak" lies to us that we internalize and believe. They leave us feeling ashamed of who we are, perhaps with an identity of "damaged goods".

So how does Jesus heal our shame? What hope does the Scripture give us? How do we begin to walk in freedom and newness of life? The answer is the Cross, which is one of the most extreme examples of shame. Authors Justin and Lindsey Holcomb write, “The story of Jesus on the cross is a story of victimization and shame. He was sentenced to death in the most shameful manner possible – naked and on a cross outside the city gates. Crucifixion was for the scum of the earth, and Jesus voluntarily became a part of the dregs himself.” (Rid of My Disgrace, page 95). Jesus identifies with the ashamed, providing solidarity to victims with the empathetic comfort that He Himself knows the experience. But more than that, the Cross is THE solution to our experience of shame, because of the cleansing that it accomplishes in two ways:

• Cleansing from sins that we have done: 1 John 1:7 says "the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." We have been washed clean by the Holy Spirit of God, and no longer bear the stain of our sins against Him. Our record is clean! We are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17)! The old has passed away, crucified with Christ, and now we walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4). We are clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Rev 7:14), and are found BLAMELESS in His presence (1 Thess 5:23). 
• Cleansing from sins done AGAINST us: The Bible is not in denial when it describes the awful experience of sins done against victims. Without minimizing the ugliness of these horrors, the Scripture provides firm hope for the victims of shameful sins. Christ is spoken of in Isaiah 61:1-4 as binding up the brokenhearted, comforting those who mourn, bringing vindicating vengeance to all the abused and hurting, and even replacing sadness with gladness, replacing brokenness with restoration. To use a metaphor, Jesus is the stronger man (Mark 3:27) who defends us from the bully, and disgraces the shame (Hebrews 12:2). He is our Defender, Protector, and Champion (Psalm 35:1-4). In Colossians 2:15 it says of Christ, "He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."

So then how should we live? How can we walk in the newness of life that Jesus offers in cleansing our shame? Here are three practical applications:

1. Remind Yourself: We so often forget the healing that Christ has accomplished for us. Make it a daily habit to remind yourself of the cleansing that you have in Christ. You are CLEANSED from the sins you have done. And your identity is NOT what others have done to you, but is superceded by what Christ has done for you! Remind yourself of His words and actions of love in the Cross. Write sticky notes and hang them on your bathroom mirror. Put up posters in your room. Make Scripture verses the background on your laptop. Make it a daily habit to read the Word to HEAR the loving words of Jesus to you.
2. Walk in the Light: 1 John 1:7-9 claims that if we confess our sins and walk in the light (being honest about the things we are prone to hide) then we actually have fellowship with one another, because the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin and shame. Practically this may look like sharing your struggle with a trusted brother or sister in Christ, and beginning to walk together on the road of healing. It's a hard road, and a long one, but what a comfort to know that we are not alone! Establishing this kind of accountability relationship enables us to have an "emergency 911" resource: someone we can call, text, or email when we're in a low spot and need encouragement and comfort. 
3. Share this hope with others: Look around you, and begin to see the world as God sees it: full of broken hurting people who are desperate for healing and hope. Now that you know this amazing news of cleansing in the gospel, how can you NOT share it with others? Share it with fellow Christians, share it with family members, share it with classmates, share it with your children, and especially share it with those who have not yet heard it. We have the medicine, we have the healing balm... for a hurting world that aches. Give it out for FREE! And do it with JOY!

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus heals our shame and cleanses us from all unrighteousness! But it is a daily battle to believe this truth and fight against the lies of Satan as he continually tries to enslave us again and again to the prison of shame. It is a fight - a relentless fight - to remember the gospel and walk in the pure cleansing that Christ has purchased for us. May God strengthen you today to walk FREE, with the blood of Jesus cleansing your shame.

Healed and healing,
The Relentless Fight

PS: For further study on how Jesus heals our shame, check out the excellent book Rid of My Disgrace.

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