Victory Over the Darkness [2020 Edition]

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“Countless people have found genuine freedom in Christ through the insights God has given Neil Anderson. Among them is my oldest son.” Kay Arthur, Executive Vice President and Co-founder, Precept Ministries “Reading Victory Over the Darkness has been the catalyst for numerous people on the journey of spiritual freedom in Christ. As part of our core curriculum studies, we encourage every new member of our church to complete Dr. Anderson’s Steps to Freedom in Christ. It is the book we offer to every person who desires spiritual counseling. I have seen the hope it brings for those who thought there was no hope for their lives. Even more amazing, I know the man behind the book, and he lives the life he proclaims.” Paul Bane, Pastor Emeritus, New Hope Community Church, Brentwood, Tennessee “The Lord has given Neil Anderson a marvelous counseling and discipleship model that is a genuine blessing to the Body of Christ.” Bill Bright (1921–2003), Founder, CRU, Orlando, Florida “Of the many things I appreciate about Neil Anderson’s ministry, his commitment to God’s Word tops my list. Neil goes to God’s Word to demonstrate that resolution in life is found in the Word of life because it points us to the Lord of life.” Robert B. Bugh, Senior Pastor, Wheaton Bible Church, Wheaton, Illinois “It is time for all of us to experience freedom in Christ! Dr. Neil Anderson shares solid biblical guidelines for how Christians can be used of God to help set the captives free.” Paul A. Cedar, President, Mission America, Minneapolis, Minnesota “Neil Anderson touches a nerve of vital need in the Body of Christ! His ministry in the arena of spiritual growth is sound-minded, trustworthy and—best of all—Christcentered and Bible-based. I recommend him and his work.” Jack W. Hayford, President, The King’s Seminary, Founding Pastor, The Church On The Way, Van Nuys, California “Victory Over the Darkness was released at a time in my life when I desperately needed its message. I didn’t know how to fight back, and I didn’t know the authority I had in knowing who I was in Christ. This book profoundly impacted my awareness of spiritual warfare and helped me see things as they really are. I am

forever grateful for this gift because it changed my life. I’ve given it away more times than I can count. Read it, and you’ll be doing the same thing.” Brian Hardin, Daily Audio Bible, www.dailyaudiobible.com “Dr. Neil Anderson has done a masterful job of taking a rather complex truth and making it plain enough for all to understand and practical enough for all to experience. The principles in Victory Over the Darkness have helped us to disciple both old and new believers in our church. As a result, lives are being transformed by the power of God.” Gerald Martin, Pastor, Cornerstone Church and Ministries, Harrisonburg, Virginia “When we first met Neil Anderson, we were impacted most by his pastor’s heart. He loves God, and he loves people. We’ve often laughed with one another and jokingly said that Neil says more over lunch than most pastors do in the sermons they spend a week preparing. He trained our intercessors in discipleship counseling, and they still experience the power of God when they walk people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Neil’s teaching on spiritual warfare is biblically sound, powerful, and practical.” Tom and Leighann McCoy, Thompson Station Church, Thompson Station, Tennessee “Victory Over the Darkness is a much-needed book written for everyone who longs for spiritual growth and, even more, joyous spiritual victory in a dark world.” Robert L. Saucy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, California “In Lombardi-like fashion, Neil Anderson has entered our locker room and reintroduced our ‘football,’ reminding us of the power found in the fundamentals of our faith. Thank you, Neil, for pointing us toward God’s Word and the security and significance that is ours in Christ.” Ed Smith, President, Williamson College, Founder, Oxygen for Leaders, Inc. “When it seemed America was suffering addiction more than ever before, God raised up Neil Anderson to write Victory Over the Darkness to help people to walk through the steps to victory over addiction. I have used Neil’s steps to victory in my teaching at Liberty University, and I have outlined his Steps to Freedom in Christ in my writings. Praise God for the contribution of Neil Anderson to the Christian church and for the contribution of this awesome book.” Elmer L. Towns, Co-founder and Dean Emeritus of the School of Religion and Theological Seminary, Liberty University, Lynchburg,

Virginia “This book is as relevant today as when it was first released. New readers will find life-transforming insights and practical guidance on every page. It is still the first book I recommend to those who need to be grounded in their identity in Christ.” Marcus Warner, President, www.deeperwalkinternational.org

© 2000, 2013, 2020 by Neil T. Anderson Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan www.bakerpublishinggroup.com Ebook edition created 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. ISBN 978-1-4934-3061-1 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible. Some of the names in this book have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Cover design by Rob Williams, InsideOutCreativeArts

Derek Faulkner was living under a bridge in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was forty years old. His alcohol and drug addiction had driven him away from his faithful wife and family. Attempts to abstain in the past had ended in futility, but then an opportunity came for him to attend Renewed Life Ministries in Tennessee. He not only gained sobriety, but also discovered his identity and freedom in Christ. He later became the director of the ministry and led many people to freedom. Derek was a ministry associate with Freedom in Christ Ministries, and his favorite book was Victory Over the Darkness. At the age of fifty-eight he lost his battle with cancer, and now he lives victoriously in heaven. I dedicate this book to the loving memory of Derek Faulkner, who was the

“best friend” of hundreds who celebrated his life at his memorial service.

CONTENTS Cover

1

Endorsements

2

Half Title Page

5

Title Page

7

Copyright Page Dedication

8

9

Acknowledgments

13

Introduction: Lend Me Your Hope 1. Who Are You?

15

21

2. The Whole Gospel

39

3. See Yourself for Who You Really Are 4. Something Old, Something New

57

73

5. Becoming the Spiritual Person God Wants You to Be 6. The Power of Believing the Truth

109

7. You Can’t Live Beyond What You Believe 8. God’s Guidelines for the Walk of Faith 9. Winning the Battle for Your Mind 10. You Must Be Real to Be Right 11. Healing Emotional Wounds 12. Loving One Another

125

137

153 169

183

199

Steps to Freedom in Christ Research Results

213

89

Freedom in Christ Ministries Books and Resources Notes

221

Back Ad

223

Back Cover

224

217

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a book was a project I intended to do when I retired. I love the ministry and the joy of helping others. So when I attended a writer’s conference at Biola University in anticipation of my first sabbatical as a seminary professor, I was probably the only one there who didn’t want to write a book. I wrote those words thirty years ago when the first edition of this, my first book, went into print. More than seventy other books have come off the press since that time. God obviously had other plans for my life than what I envisioned. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since that first edition. Now there are more than two million copies of this book in various languages in print worldwide, and the same goes for my second book, The Bondage Breaker. Freedom in Christ Ministries is now a global ministry, with offices and representatives in many countries (see www.ficminternational.org). I am grateful for Biola University/Talbot School of Theology, where I had the privilege of teaching for ten years. Special thanks to the late Dr. Robert Saucy, who was my mentor, friend, and favorite theologian. The core message of Freedom in Christ Ministries became a part of my spiritual DNA during those years, and I bounced a lot of my ideas off Dr. Saucy. Having a godly and reliable sounding board is priceless. Many life illustrations have come from my early years on the farm in Minnesota. I am grateful for my parents who faithfully took me to church every Sunday, and for the moral atmosphere in which I was raised. It has been my privilege to help thousands discover their identity and freedom in Christ. The thought of helping many others through the printed page is awesome, and I am grateful to all who made this opportunity possible. Dr. Neil T. Anderson Founder and President Emeritus of Freedom in Christ Ministries

INTRODUCTION Lend Me Your Hope

In my first pastorate, I was committed to disciple a young man in our church. It was my first attempt at one-on-one discipling. Russ and I decided to meet once a week and work our way through an inductive Bible study. We began with high hopes, but six months later we were still slogging through the same study. For some unknown reason, our Paul-and-Timothy relationship wasn’t working. Our hope for making progress gradually deflated like a balloon with a slow leak, and we stopped meeting altogether. Russ came to see me two years later after I was called to pastor another church. He shared what was going on in his life during our brief one-on-one relationship—a story that revealed a secret part of his life that I never knew existed. Russ was living in sin, and unwilling to share that with me. I could sense that he was struggling, but I had no clue as to why, nor how to help him. The apostle Paul gives an explanation of why some attempts to disciple others isn’t working. “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:2–3 emphasis added). Because of unresolved conflicts, carnal Christians are not able to receive the solid food of God’s Word. Some, like Russ, are willing and make the effort to attend a meeting or church services, but what is taught is going right over their heads. When I was a senior pastor, I believed Christ was the answer and that truth would set people free, but I really didn’t know how. People at my church had problems for which I didn’t have adequate answers, but God did. When the Lord called me to teach at Talbot School of Theology, I was searching for answers myself. Slowly, I

began to understand how to help people resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God. My seminary education had taught me about the kingdom of God but very little about the kingdom of darkness, and that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Through countless hours of intense ministry with defeated Christians, I began to understand the battle for their minds and how they could be transformed by the renewing of their minds. In the course of learning this, my family and I went through a very broken experience.1 For fifteen months I didn’t know whether my wife, Joanne, was going to live or die. No cause for her illness was ever determined. Medical bills cost us everything we had, including our house. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fix her. When all you have is God and each other, you are in position to discover that God is all you need. I believe God intentionally brought me to the end of my resources so I could discover His. I had no idea that my stoic self-sufficiency was my greatest enemy to my sufficiency in Christ. That was the birth of Freedom in Christ Ministries. I am fully aware that I can’t set anybody free; only God can do that. I can’t heal the wounds of the broken heart; only God can do that. He is the Wonderful Counselor. Brokenness is the key to effective ministry, and when that happens, God’s presence works through us to accomplish His purpose. Since those early years, the focus of my ministry, both as a pastor and a seminary professor, has been the interrelated ministries of discipling and counseling. I have also taught discipleship and pastoral counseling at the seminary level in churches across the country and around the world. I may be the only pastor/teacher who has written books on anger, depression, anxiety disorders, reconciliation, marriage, and chemical and sexual addiction. I firmly believe that a righteous relationship with God is the only answer for fallen humanity. I believe the greatest determinant of mental, emotional, and spiritual health begins with a true knowledge of God and a right relationship with Him. A good theology is an indispensable prerequisite to a good psychology.

I have found one common denominator for all struggling Christians. None of them know who they are in Christ, nor do they understand what it means to be a child of God. Why not? If “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16), why weren’t they sensing it? After one of my conferences, a woman shared that her friend hadn’t called her in a month—which was concerning, she said, because the friend had previously called every day for support. The woman’s insecure friend struggled to survive by depending on friends, three counseling sessions a week, and a variety of prescription medications. During the conference, this woman realized that her friend’s support system included everybody and everything but God. After the friend discovered who she was as a child of God, she went to her heavenly Father daily and learned to cast her anxiety upon Christ. After resolving her personal and spiritual conflicts, she began to step out in faith and renew her mind to the truth of God’s Word. In just one month she was a different person. In this book I will focus on being firmly rooted and grounded in Jesus. It is my hope that you will discover who you are in Christ, what it means to be a child of God, and learn how to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. I will explain the battle for your mind and how you are transformed by the renewing of your mind. You will learn how to manage your emotions and be set free from the emotional traumas of your past through faith and forgiveness. The sequel to this book is The Bondage Breaker, where I share how we can overcome the forces of evil. Together they will enable you to be alive and free in Christ, which are essential prerequisites for maturing in Christ. There is no such thing as instant maturity. It will take us the rest of our lives to renew our minds and conform to the image and likeness of God, but it doesn’t take long to establish our identity and freedom in Christ. The world, the flesh, and the devil are formidable enemies of our sanctification, but they are overcome in Christ. I have talked to thousands of people who are struggling through life, wondering if this is as good as it gets. They can’t seem to get over the top and get on with their lives in a meaningful way. They

need to have their hope reestablished in Christ aided by liberated encouragers who have found their life, identity, and freedom in Christ. You may be one of them who is saying: Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Lost and hopeless feelings accompany me daily, pain and confusion are my companions. I know not where to turn; looking ahead to future times does not bring forth images of renewed hope. I see troubled times, pain-filled days, and more tragedy. Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Hold my hand and hug me; listen to all my ramblings, recovery seems so far distant. The road to healing seems like a long and lonely one. Lend me your hope for a while, I seem to have mislaid mine. Stand by me, offer me your presence, your heart and your love. Acknowledge my pain, it is so real and ever present. I am overwhelmed with sad and conflicting thoughts. Lend me your hope for a while; a time will come when I will heal, and I will share my renewal, hope and love with others.2

In the pages ahead I want to share my hope with you. Every bornagain believer is a new creation in Christ. You can be free from your past. You can have the peace of God guarding your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Emotional wounds can be healed. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. You are loved unconditionally by the Lord God Almighty, and with Him all good things are possible.

1 WHO ARE YOU? When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty. Psalm 8:3–5

“Who are you?” It sounds like an easy question requiring a simple answer, but it isn’t. If someone asked me that question, I would likely answer, “Neil Anderson.” But that is just my name. I could say, “I’m a pastor and seminary professor,” but that just defines what I do. Or I could say, “I’m an American,” but that only identifies where I live. If the questioning persists, I might respond in frustration, “You can see me. I’m a man who is five feet eight inches tall and weighs a little over 150 pounds—actually quite a little over 150 pounds! But the apostle Paul said, ‘We recognize no one according to the flesh’” (2 Corinthians 5:16). Asking who we are is an ontological question concerning the nature of “being.” Five centuries before Christ, Thales of Miletus was asked, “What is the most difficult?” He replied, “To know thyself.” Twenty-five centuries later, science is no closer to answering the question, “What is mankind?” We know far more about the chemical makeup of the body, but that tells us nothing about who we are when absent from the body and present with the Lord. Psychology can describe, but not unlock, the mystery of the person. Biology is the study of plants and animals, but none bear the image and likeness of God. Science cannot answer the most basic of all questions: Who are we, and why are we here?

The natural tendency is to seek self-verification, or become somebody special through appearance, performance, or social status. However, what people appear to be doesn’t always reflect who they are, nor does their performance or social status. It isn’t what we do that determines who we are; who we are determines what we do.

False Attempts at Self-Verification A young lady appeared to have everything going for her. She was attractive, talented, and immaculately groomed. She completed twelve years of school in eleven years and graduated near the top of her class. She received a full-ride talent scholarship to a Christian university. Her parents had given her a sports car for graduation. After listening to her story, I asked, “Have you ever cried yourself to sleep at night out of feelings of inadequacy, and wished you were somebody else?” She began to cry, and asked, “How did you know?” I could ask anyone that question at some time in their lives, and get a similar response. Who hasn’t struggled with self-doubt and felt defeated by morbid introspection? Appearances can be deceiving. People often portray a false front disguising who they really are, and cover up negative feelings they have about themselves. Stroking one another’s egos and picking ourselves up by our own bootstraps provides no lasting fulfillment. Don’t be fooled by an arrogant person with an inflated ego. Drawing attention to themselves only reveals how shallow their existence really is. In his book The Sensation of Being Somebody, Maurice Wagner wrote: Try as we might by our appearance, performance or social status to find selfverification for a sense of being somebody, we always come short of satisfaction. Whatever pinnacle of self-identity we achieve soon crumbles under the pressure of hostile rejection or criticism, introspection or guilt, fear or anxiety. We cannot do anything to qualify for the by-product of being loved unconditionally and voluntarily.1

If such attempts at self-verification worked, then Solomon should have been the most fulfilled man who ever lived. He was king of Israel during its greatest prominence. He had power, position, wealth, possessions, and a thousand wives to choose from. Not only did he possess all that fallen humanity could hope for, but God also gave him more wisdom than any other mortal to interpret it all, and what was his conclusion? “Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV). Solomon sought to find purpose and meaning in life independently of God, and he wrote a book about it. The book of Ecclesiastes describes the futility of humanity pursuing a meaningful life in a fallen world without God. Millions of people climb ladders of “success,” only to discover when they reach the top that their ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. We also succumb to the flip side of self-verification. If people can’t measure up to the world’s standards, they seemingly have no hope for a meaningful life. Suppose people have potato bodies and stringy hair, who stumble when they walk and stutter when they talk, and struggle to get average grades. Do they have any hope for fulfillment? Happiness? Satisfaction? Are they nobodies? They may be perceived as such in the eyes of the world, but not in God’s eyes, and that is not how life was from the beginning.

The Original Creation “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The Hubble Space Telescope enables us to view the extravagance of creation, and what we see is beyond our ability to comprehend. We can only marvel as we stare into space. “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). The universe has supernovas, galaxies, and stars so large that if depicted on a printed page, they would render the earth a tiny dot in comparison. All this created matter is finite, devoid of life, and did not originate from preexisting matter. On the other hand, the Creator is living and infinite, the Mind behind the universe.

Earth and possibly other planets have organic life in the form of plants, birds, animals, and fish. Such life is subject to the natural law of death. It perpetuates its species by sowing seeds for the next generation before it dies, or it will face extinction. “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Something new and totally different was introduced into the universe. God shared His divine life with Adam, who was created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). This combination of clay and divine breath is what constituted the original man. Paul refers to humanity as having an outer person and an inner person (2 Corinthians 4:16), i.e., a material part and an immaterial part. The outer person is our body; the inner person is our soul/spirit, comprised of the mind, will, and emotion. Most theologians are dichotomous and understand the soul and spirit to be essentially the same. Some are trichotomous and understand the body, soul, and spirit to be separate entities; however, soul and spirit are often used interchangeably in Scripture. For our discussion, we are going to think holistically and consider the body and soul working together in unity.

FIGURE 1-A

ORIGINAL CREATION GENESIS 1–2

1. Significance—Man had a divine purpose (Gen. 1:28). 2. Safety and security—All of man’s needs were provided for (Gen. 1:29). 3. Belonging—Man had a sense of belonging (Gen. 2:18). bios = The soul is in union with the body. zoe = The soul is in union with God.

Scripture also refers to the heart, which is most often understood as the center of self. H. Wheeler Robinson counted 822 uses of the word heart for some aspect of human personality. According to his categorization, 204 of the uses refer to intellectual activity, 195 to volitional aspect, and 166 to an emotional state.2 It is more accurate to think of the heart as the seat of reflection rather than the popular notion that it is the seat of our emotions. Only in the heart does the mind, will, and emotion converge in one holistic unity. Worldly education wants to enlarge the mind. God wants to enlarge the heart. It is possible that one can have intellectual knowledge that never touches the heart, and therefore results in no or little transformation. David wrote, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being” (Psalm 51:6).

Physically Alive After God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, Adam was both physically and spiritually alive. The Greek term for physical life is bios. Bios is the union between body and soul. We are physically alive when our soul is in union with our bodies. Physical death is the separation of body and soul. In the Bible, to die means to be separate from, and to be alive means to be in union with. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 5:8). Obviously, who you are encompasses more than your physical body, because the body returns to dust when you physically die, and believers will be present with the Lord. The real you, your immaterial inner self, needs your material outer self to live and function in this world. For example, your physical brain is like the hardware of a computer system, and your immaterial mind is like the software. A computer is basically worthless without software, but software needs a computer in order to function. You need your physical brain to control your body’s movements and responses, and you need your immaterial mind to reason and make value judgments. The brain can’t function independently of how it has been programmed. The finest organic brain can’t accomplish anything in a corpse that lacks a mind. Your mind can be perfectly programmed, but if your brain is damaged by Alzheimer’s disease, you cannot function well. As long as I live in the physical world, I must do so in a material body. I try to be a good steward by maintaining a proper balance of rest, exercise, and diet. There is no hope for the eternal preservation of my body. “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Paul referred to the believer’s body as a tent, the temporary dwelling place of the soul (see 2 Corinthians 5:1–4). I admit that my tent pegs are slowly pulling out of the ground, my tent poles are sagging, and my tent seams are becoming frayed. At my age, I’m glad there is more to me than the disposable earth suit in which I walk around.

Spiritually Alive God’s divine breath made Adam spiritually alive, which is the Greek word zoe. His soul was in union with God. However, when Adam sinned, his union with God was severed. Jesus died for our sins, but He did much more. He came to give us life. He restored our union with God. Being spiritually alive “in Christ” is what defines who we are as children of God.

Significance Adam and Eve had dominion over all other creatures: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26–27). Adam didn’t have to search for significance. Significance was an attribute of creation. Satan had to crawl on his belly like a snake in the presence of Adam who was in union with God. Satan was not the god of this world at that time, but he became that when he usurped the authority given to Adam and his descendants.

Safety and Security Not only did Adam have a sense of significance, but he also enjoyed a sense of safety and security. God had provided for all his needs. “Then God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food’” (Genesis 1:29–30). He could eat of the tree of life and live forever. He was safe and secure in the presence of God.

Belonging Adam enjoyed intimate, one-on-one communion with God, but something was missing. “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him’” (Genesis 2:18). Adam and Eve not only had a sense of belonging with God, but also with each other. When God created Eve, He established human community: a meaningful, open, sharing relationship with one another. Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. They had nothing to hide. Their bodies consisted of no “dirty” parts. God created them male and female, and told them to be fruitful and multiply. They could openly have an intimate sexual relationship with each other in the presence of God.

The Effects of the Fall The idyllic setting in the garden of Eden was shattered. Genesis 3 tells the sad story of Adam and Eve’s lost relationship with God through sin. The effects of their fall were dramatic, immediate, and far-reaching, infecting every subsequent member of the human race.

FIGURE 1-B

EFFECTS OF THE FALL Genesis 3:8–4:9

1. Rejection—therefore a need to belong! 2. Guilt and shame—therefore a need of self-worth! 3. Weakness and helplessness—therefore a need of strength and self-control! Note: All sinful behavior is a wrong attempt at meeting basic needs. The essence of sin is man living independently of God, who has said that He will meet all of our needs as we live out life in Christ.

Spiritual Death What happened to Adam and Eve spiritually because of the fall? They died. Their union with God was severed and they were separated from God. God had specifically said, “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17 NIV). They ate and they died.

Did they die physically? Not immediately, although physical death would be a consequence of the fall as well. They died spiritually; they were separated from God’s presence. They were physically cast out of the garden of Eden, and a cherubim waving a flaming sword was stationed at the entrance “to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). Some believe this act preserved a way back as God’s plan of redemption unfolded. Just as we inherited physical life from our first parents, so we have inherited spiritual death from them (see Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22). Consequently, every human being who comes into the world is born physically alive but spiritually dead, i.e., separated from God (see Ephesians 2:1).

Lost Knowledge of God What effect did the fall produce in Adam’s mind? He and Eve lost their true perception of reality, and the idea of knowing was no longer relational. As recorded in Genesis 3:7–8, they tried to hide from God, revealing a faulty understanding of who God is. How can you hide from an omnipresent God? Their distorted perception of reality reflects Paul’s description of the futile thinking of those who don’t know God: “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18 NIV). In essence, when Adam and Eve sinned, they lost a true knowledge of God, and therefore reality, since the ultimate reality is God. In God’s original design, knowledge was relational. In Old Testament literature, wisdom and understanding are often personified. “Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you: Love her and she will watch over you” (Proverbs 4:5–6, emphasis added). The Hebrew concept of knowledge implied an intimate personal relationship. For instance, “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” (Genesis 4:1 KJV). We don’t generally equate a knowledge of someone with personal intimacy. When they sinned and were banished from the garden, Adam and Eve lost their

relationship with God and the knowledge of God, which was intrinsic to that relationship. In our unregenerate state, we may have known something about God, but we didn’t know God, because we had no relationship with Him. Paul wrote that, “a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The necessity of being in relationship to God in order to know God comes into sharp focus in John’s announcement: “And the Word [logos in the Greek] became flesh” (John 1:14). That was an incredibly significant statement at the time in a world heavily influenced by ancient Greek philosophy. To the Greek philosopher, logos represented the highest form of philosophical understanding. To say that the Word became flesh meant that the logos was incarnated, that ultimate knowledge became personal and relational. Jesus embodied the truth because He is the truth. We can’t separate His words from who He is. The Hebrew dabar, translated as “word,” also conveyed the ultimate wisdom of God. Knowledge is incarnated in believers by the presence of God when the Truth, i.e., Jesus, enters our hearts. The Gospel of John brings these two cultures and dominant concepts together in Christ. God was announcing to the world through John that the true knowledge of God, which can only be discovered in an intimate relationship with God, is now available to the world through God who came in the flesh—Jesus Christ. In Christ we are able to know God personally because we have received the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) in our inner selves at salvation. This truth has profound implications for Christian education. Knowledge to the Western rational and natural world is little more than the collection of data. Paul warned us that having such knowledge makes for arrogance, but love edifies (see 1 Corinthians 8:1), “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). The truth (Christ and His Word) should set us free and enable us to conform to the image of God, who is love (see 1 John 4:8). “By this all men will

know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

Dominant Negative Emotions Adam and Eve were not only darkened in their understanding, but they also became fearful and anxious. The first emotion expressed after the fall was fear (see Genesis 3:10). The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom (see Proverbs 9:10), and is the basis for conquering all other fears (see Letting Go of Fear3). Fear is a Godgiven natural reaction anytime our physical or psychological safety is threatened. Phobias are irrational fears, which means that such feelings are not based on truth. Irrational fears of anything other than God are mutually exclusive to faith in God. Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent emotional illnesses of the world, and “fear not” is the most repeated command in Scripture. Another emotional by-product of sin is guilt and shame. To be judged guilty means we have done something wrong, whereas to be deemed shameful implies there is something wrong with us. Before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were naked and unashamed (see Genesis 2:25). God created them as sexual beings. Their sex organs and sexual activity were holy. When they sinned, however, they were ashamed to be naked, and they had to cover up (see 3:7). Many people mask the inner self for fear that others may find out what is really going on inside. When plagued by guilt and shame, self-disclosure is not likely to happen. Humankind also became depressed and angry after the fall. Cain brought his offering to God and, for some reason, God was displeased with it. “So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it’” (Genesis 4:5– 7 NIV). Why was Cain angry and depressed? Because he didn’t do what was right. In other words, you don’t feel your way into good behavior; you behave your way into good feelings. Jesus said, “If you know

these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). Rage is today’s ruling online emotion, and the “one most likely to spread across social media, with one angry post powerful and persuasive enough to negatively influence a follower of a follower of a follower.”4 Depression is so prevalent that it is called the “common cold” of mental illness. Depression is most often the result of experiencing losses in our lives that can be real, threatened, or imagined. It is a sense of helplessness and hopelessness (see Overcoming Depression5). Depressed people have a negative view of themselves, the circumstances surrounding them, and the future.

Too Many Choices Adam and Eve’s sin also affected their will. In the garden of Eden they could make only one wrong choice. Everything they wanted to do was okay except eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:16–17). They had the possibility of making myriad good choices and only one bad choice—only one! Eventually, however, they made that one bad choice. As a result, you and I are confronted every day with myriad good and bad choices. Apart from the Holy Spirit in your life, the greatest power you possess is the power to choose. You can choose to pray or not pray, believe or not believe, read your Bible or not read your Bible, go to church or not go to church. You can choose to live according to the flesh or live according to the Spirit. Adam and Eve went from acceptance, security, and significance, to being fearful, anxious, shameful, guilty, depressed, and angry, and there was only one thing that precipitated that change. They died spiritually. They were separated from God. Therefore, what must happen in order for humanity to overcome spiritual, mental, and emotional depravity? Jesus said we must be born-again (see John 3:3).

Attributes Become Needs

Attributes before the fall became glaring needs after the fall, and each of these needs is continuous in our lives until we are “complete in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). 1. Acceptance was replaced by rejection; therefore, we have a need to belong. Even before the fall, Adam had a need to belong. His need to belong to God was met by having fellowship with God in the garden. Of all the things that were good in the garden, the only thing that was “not good” was that Adam was alone (Genesis 2:18). God met that need by creating Eve. Ever since Adam’s alienation from God, we have experienced a deep need to belong. Even when people come to Christ and belong to God, they still need to belong to the community of God’s people. If churches don’t provide opportunities for legitimate Christian fellowship for its members, they will seek to fulfill their need to belong someplace else. The spiritual union of Christian fellowship, koinonia, is essential for building up one another. Koinonia is the Head (Jesus) and the body (Church) working together in unity. We will never understand the power of peer pressure until we acknowledge the legitimate need to belong, and the fear of rejection. 2. Innocence was replaced by guilt and shame; therefore, there exists the need to fulfill a legitimate sense of worth. Those who work with people know that a suffering humanity struggles with a poor sense of worth. An identity crisis and a negative self-image have accompanied a suffering humanity since the fall. Our sense of worth is not a question of giftedness, talent, intelligence, or beauty, or only those who have such qualities have a sense of worth. A true sense of personal worth comes from knowing who we are as children of God, and increasingly realized with growth in character. If you knew that you were a child of God, you were loved, accepted, and forgiven, and your life was characterized by the fruit of the Spirit, would you feel good about yourself? Of course you would, and everyone has the same opportunity to experience that. 3. Dominion was replaced by weakness and helplessness; therefore, we have the need for strength and self-control. People attempt to meet these needs through personal disciplines, or by seeking to control and manipulate others. Nobody is more insecure or sick than a controller. They wrongly believe they can fulfill

themselves by trying to control and manipulate other people or circumstances in life. In other words, they are trying to play God. The fruit of the Spirit is not spouse control or staff control or environmental control; it is self-control (see Galatians 5:23). Extreme efforts at self-discipline without the grace of God often lead to legalism or perfectionism resulting in self-destruction. The world would have us think we are the masters of our fates and the captains of our souls, but we really aren’t. The human soul was not designed to function as a master. We cannot serve God and wealth, but we will serve one or the other (see Matthew 6:24), being deceived into thinking we are serving ourselves.

So Who Are You? “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1). “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Beloved, now you are a child of God. In the final analysis there is only one criteria that defines who we are, and that is our new life in Christ. “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11–13). Eternal life is not something we get when we physically die. If we have not received eternal life before we physically die, all we would have to look forward to is being eternally separated from God, which is hell. Therefore, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Every temptation is an attempt by the devil to entice us to live independently of God. Satan tempts us just as he did Jesus by appealing to our most basic and legitimate needs. The question is: Are we striving to meet our own needs in this fallen world ruled by

Satan, or are they going to be met by God who promises to meet all our needs “according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)? The most critical needs are the “being” needs, and they are the ones most wonderfully met in Christ as follows:

WHO I AM IN CHRIST I Am Accepted

  

John 1:12

I am God’s child.

John 15:15

I am Christ’s friend.

Romans 5:1

I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17

I am united with the Lord, and I am one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:20

I have been bought with a price. I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:1

I am a saint.

Ephesians 1:5

I have been adopted as God’s child.

Ephesians 2:18

I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 1:14

I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:10

I am complete in Christ.

I Am Secure

  

Romans 8:1–2

I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28

I am assured all things work together for good.

Romans 8:31–34

I am free from any condemning charges against me.

Romans 8:35–39

I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22

I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.

Philippians 1:6

I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected.

Philippians 3:20

I am a citizen of heaven.

Colossians 3:3

I am hidden with Christ in God.

2 Timothy 1:7

I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and discipline.

Hebrews 4:16

I can find grace and mercy in time of need.

1 John 5:18

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I Am Significant

  

Matthew 5:13–14

I am the salt and light of the earth.

John 15:1, 5

I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life.

John 15:16

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

Acts 1:8

I am a personal witness of Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:16

I am God’s temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21

I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

2 Corinthians 6:1

I am God’s co-worker (see 1 Corinthians 3:9).

Ephesians 2:6

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10

I am God’s workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12

I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

2 THE WHOLE GOSPEL When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. Colossians 2:13–15

Consider Bill, a college man who is firmly entrenched in the college social scene. He understands himself to be a skin-wrapped package of salivary glands, taste buds, and sex drives. So how does such a sensory-driven man occupy his time with this self-perception? He eats anything and everything in sight regardless of its nutritional value, and chases anything in a skirt, but he has a special gleam in his eye for Susie. One day when Bill was chasing Susie around campus, the track coach noticed him and caught up to him to ask, “Why don’t you try out for the track team?” “Nah,” Bill answered, watching Susie out of the corner of his eye. “I’m too busy.” But the coach wasn’t about to take “nah” for an answer. He finally convinced Bill to at least give track a try. So Bill started working out with the track team and discovered that he really could run. He changed his eating and sleeping habits and worked hard on increasing his stamina and speed. As a result, he started posting excellent times and winning races.

Bill qualified for the state tournament, and arrived early at the track to stretch and warm up. Then, only a few minutes before his event, guess who showed up: sweet little Susie, looking more beautiful and desirable than ever. She pranced up to Bill in a scanty outfit that accentuated her physical features. In her hands was a sumptuous slice of apple pie with several scoops of ice cream piled on the top. “I’ve missed you, Bill,” she sang sweetly. “If you come with me now, you can have this and me too.” “No way, Susie,” Bill responded. “Why not?” Susie pouted. “Because I’m a runner.” What changed? He is still the same natural man who could pack away three burgers, two bags of fries, and a quart of Pepsi without batting an eye. His attraction to Susie hasn’t changed, but he has a different understanding of himself and his purpose for being there that day. He is no longer just a bundle of physical urges. Now he is a disciplined runner. He came to the tournament to run a race. That was his plan for the day, and Susie’s suggestion was at crosspurposes with why he was there and how he perceived himself.1 Now consider a real-life illustration. The runner is Eric Liddle, who was the subject of the movie Chariots of Fire. He was committed to Christ and understood that he had a divine purpose for being here, but he was also very fast, and he represented his native Scotland in the Olympics. When the race schedule was posted, Liddle discovered the 100meter dash was to be held on Sunday. Because of his commitment to God, he refused to compromise what he believed. So he withdrew from a race he was favored to win. Why didn’t Eric Liddle run? Because he was first and foremost a child of God, and he believed that competing on Sunday would compromise who he was. His belief about himself and his purpose in life determined what he did. Many Christians are not living free and productive lives because they don’t understand who they are and why they are here. If they don’t see themselves the way God sees them, they will suffer from a false identity and a poor sense of worth. Sadly, they don’t fully understand the gospel and the dramatic change that occurred in them the moment they trusted in Christ.

The Example of Christ The redemptive plan of God began to unfold when Jesus, the last Adam, appeared. He modeled how a Spirit-filled man could live a righteous life in this fallen world. The key thing to notice about the exemplary life of Jesus was His complete dependence on and submission to God the Father. He said, “I can do nothing on My own initiative” (John 5:30); “I live because of the Father” (6:57); “I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me” (8:42); “The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works” (14:10). The ultimate test came when the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and after fasting for forty days Satan tempted Him, saying, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). Satan wanted Jesus to use His divine attributes independently of the Father to save himself. Jesus replied, “MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD” (4:4). Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus prayed, “Now they have come to know that everything You have given me is from You” (John 17:7). What Jesus modeled was a life totally dependent on God the Father, but giving us a divine example was not all He came to do.

Jesus Came to Give Us Life Like the first Adam, Jesus was both physically and spiritually alive. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of God and was born of a virgin, thus being fully God and fully man. Jesus was tempted in every way, but unlike the first Adam, He never sinned. He never lost His spiritual life because of any sin He committed. He remained spiritually alive all the way to the cross. There He bled and died, taking the sins of the world upon himself. He committed His Spirit into the Father’s hands as His physical life ended (see Luke 23:46). What Adam and Eve lost in the fall was life (Zoe), and that is what Jesus came to give

us. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). John declared, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). Notice that light does not produce life. Life produces light. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (6:48) and “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (11:25). In other words, those who believe in Jesus will continue to live spiritually even when they die physically. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). The ultimate value is not our physical life, which is temporal, but our spiritual life, which is eternal, and that is what Jesus came to give us.

The Whole Gospel Many Christians are struggling because they understand only a third of the gospel. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah who died for their sins, and if they receive Christ, their sins would be forgiven and they would go to heaven when they die. Such a statement is not wrong, but it is incomplete, and it would give the impression that eternal life is something believers get when they die. If you wanted to save a dead man and had the power to do it, what would you do? Give him life? If that is all you did, he would only die again. To save the dead man, you would have to do two things: cure the disease that caused him to die, and then give him life. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). So Jesus endured the cross and died for our sins. Now finish the verse: “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23). Thank God for Good Friday, but what Christians celebrate is the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Too often we have left the Resurrection out of the gospel presentation. Consequently, new converts see themselves as forgiven sinners instead of redeemed saints who are new creations in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). The death and resurrection of Jesus comprise two thirds of the gospel. Something had to be done about the ruler of this world. Two sovereigns cannot rule in the same sphere at the same time. “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the

devil” (1 John 3:8). This third of the gospel is what most of the world’s population is waiting to hear. Spiritism is the dominant religious orientation of earth’s inhabitants. There are more people practicing spiritism than any organized religion. They consult shamans, witch doctors, medicine men, avatars, and quack doctors to ward off evil spirits, or attempt to manipulate them for personal gain. They leave offerings to appease the “deities,” and live in fear of them. Imagine what would happen if they knew that Satan and his demons are disarmed, and that those who are alive in Christ have authority over them. New Age practitioners have spirit guides to enlighten them. Others consult psychics to have their tea leaves and palms read, or read their daily horoscope seeking direction for their lives. In short, three tasks were necessary in order for the gospel to be complete as Paul summarized in Colossians 2:13–15: When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

What a Difference Christ Makes in Us! The difference between the first and last Adam spells the difference between life and death for us. Paul explains that life-giving difference in 1 Corinthians 15:22: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.” Being spiritually alive is most often portrayed in the New Testament with the prepositional phrases “in Christ” and “in Him.” Everything we are going to talk about in the succeeding chapters is based on the fact that believers are alive in Christ. Being spiritually alive in Christ is the central theme of the Epistles. For example, in the six chapters of the book of Ephesians alone we find forty references to being “in Christ” and having Christ in you. For every biblical passage that teaches that Christ is in you, there are ten

passages that teach that you are “in Christ.” It is also the primary basis for Paul’s theology. “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17, emphasis added). Being alive and free “in Christ” not only defines who we are; it is the singular basis for bearing fruit and growing in Christ.

New Life Requires New Birth Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Physical birth results only in a natural life that is destined to die. Spiritual life—the eternal life Christ promises to those who come to Him—is gained only through spiritual birth. “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). When that happens, your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life (see Revelations 21:27). Dear believer, you are spiritually alive “in Christ” right now. You will never be more spiritually alive than you are right now. The only thing that will change when you die physically is that you will exchange your perishable body for an imperishable one. Your spiritual life in Christ, which began when you personally trusted Him, will continue on.

New Life Is a New Creation Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it is a matter of being someone. Christians are not simply people who are forgiven and go to heaven when they die. Christians, in terms of their deepest identity, are saints, spiritually born children of God, divine masterpieces, children of light, and citizens of heaven. Salvation is not addition. It is transformation. What we received as Christians isn’t the primary point; it is who we are. It is not what we do as

Christians that determines who we are; it is who we are that determines what we do (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9–10; 1 John 3:1–2). Understanding your identity in Christ is essential for living the Christian life. People cannot consistently behave in ways that are inconsistent with what they believe about themselves. You don’t change yourself by your perception. You change your perception of yourself by believing the truth. If you perceive yourself wrongly, you will live wrongly, because what you are believing is not true. If you think you are a no-good bum, you will probably live like a no-good bum. If, however, you see yourself as a child of God who is spiritually alive in Christ, you will begin to live accordingly. Next to a knowledge of God, a knowledge of who you are is the most important truth you can possess. The major strategy of Satan is to distort the character of God and the truth of who we are. He can’t change God and he can’t do anything to change our identity and position in Christ. If, however, the father of lies can blind our minds or deceive us into believing it isn’t true, we will live as though it isn’t.

New Life Results in a New Identity Have you noticed that one of the most frequently used words of identity for Christians in the New Testament is saint? Paul and the other writers of the Epistles used the word generously to describe common, ordinary, everyday Christians like you and me. Being a saint describes our position in Christ—not necessarily our maturity in Christ. For example, Paul’s salutation in 1 Corinthians 1:2 reads: “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.” Notice that Paul clearly states we are saints by calling. The tendency of the church is to believe that saints are people who have earned their lofty title by living a magnificent life or by achieving a certain level of maturity. In the Bible, believers are described as

“saints,” which means holy ones (e.g., Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Philippians 1:1). Being a saint does not necessarily reflect any present measure of growth in character, but it does identify those who are rightly related to God. In the King James Version of the Bible, believers are called “saints,” “holy ones,” or “righteous ones” more than 240 times. In contrast, unbelievers are called “sinners” and other derogatory labels more than 330 times. Clearly, the term saint is used in Scripture to refer to a believer, and sinner is used in reference to an unbeliever. Although the New Testament provides plenty of evidence that believers do sin, it never identifies the believer as a sinner. Paul’s reference to himself in which he declares, “I am foremost of [sinners]” is often referred to as contrary (1 Timothy 1:15). Despite the use of the present tense by the apostle, several things make it more preferable to consider his description of himself as the “foremost of [sinners]” as a reference to his pre-conversion opposition to the gospel. Taking this as a truthful statement, he indeed was the chief of all sinners. Nobody opposed the work of God more zealously than Paul did, in spite of the fact that he could boast, “As to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” (Philippians 3:6). For several reasons, I believe this refers to what Paul was before he came to Christ. First, the reference to himself as a sinner is in support of the first half of the verse in 1 Timothy: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). The reference to “the ungodly and sinners” a few verses earlier (v. 9), along with the other New Testament uses of the term sinners for those who are outside salvation, shows that the sinners whom Christ came to save were outside of salvation rather than believers who can still choose to sin. Second, Paul’s reference to himself as a sinner is immediately followed by the statement, “And yet . . . I found [past tense] mercy” (v. 16), clearly pointing to the past occasion of his conversion. Paul continued to be amazed at the mercy of God toward him who was the “worst” sinner. A similar present evaluation of himself based upon the past is perceived when the apostle said, “I am [present tense] the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle,

because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Because of his past action, Paul considered himself unworthy of what by God’s grace and mercy he presently was, an apostle who was in no respect “inferior to the most eminent apostles” (2 Corinthians 12:11). Third, although declaring that he is the worst sinner, the apostle at the same time declared that Christ had strengthened him for the ministry, having considered him “faithful,” or trustworthy, for the ministry to which he was called (1 Timothy 1:12). The term sinner, therefore, did not describe him as a believer, but rather was used in remembrance of what he was before Christ transformed him. The only other places in Scripture that could be referring to Christians as sinners are two references found in James. The first, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners” (4:8), is one of ten verbal commands urging anyone who reads this general epistle to make a decisive break with the old life. This is best understood as calling the reader to repentance and therefore salvation. The second use of sinner, found in James 5:19–20, appears to have a similar reference to unbelievers. The “sinner” is to be turned “from the error of his way” and thus be saved from “death.” Because this is most likely spiritual death, it suggests that the person was not a believer. In both of these uses of sinner, James is using the term as it was used among the Jews for those who disregarded the law of God and flouted standards of morality. The fact that these “sinners” are among those addressed by James does not necessarily mean they are believers, for Scripture teaches that unbelievers can be among the saints (see 1 John 2:19), as there surely are today in our churches. Referring to them as “sinners” fits the description of those who have not come to repentance and faith in God, as the rest of Scripture clearly identifies believers as saints who still have the capacity to sin.2 The status of saint is parallel to the concept of being God’s called or elect ones. Believers are those who are “beloved of God . . . called as saints” (Romans 1:7; see 1 Corinthians 1:2). They are “chosen [or elected] of God, holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12). They are “chosen . . . through sanctification by the Spirit” (2 Thessalonians 2:13; see 1 Peter 1:1–2). God chose them and

separated them from the world to be His people. As a result, believers are “holy brethren” (Hebrews 3:1). By the election and calling of God, believers are set apart unto God and now belong to the sphere of His holiness. We begin our walk with God as immature babes in Christ, but we are indeed children of God. We are saints who sin, but we have all the resources in Christ we need so as not to sin. Paul’s words to the Ephesians are an interesting combination of these two concepts of holiness. Addressing them as “saints,” or holy ones, in 1:1, he goes on in verse 4 to say that God “chose us in Him [Christ] . . . that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” By God’s choosing, they were already holy in Christ, but the purpose was that they would mature in character as they conformed to the image and likeness of God. As believers, we are not trying to become saints; we are saints who are becoming like Christ. In no way does this deny the continuous struggle with sin, but it does give the believer hope. Many Christians are dominated by the flesh and deceived by the devil. However, telling Christians they are sinners and then disciplining them if they don’t act like saints seems counterproductive at best and inconsistent with the Bible at worst.

Flesh Patterns Do Not Define Who We Are We all struggle to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, but Paul wrote, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). This has profound implications for recovery ministries. We must be honest about our sinful condition, but to say, “I am an alcoholic, or addict, or co-dependent” is simply not true for believers. We are children of God who struggle to overcome addictive behaviors, but such flesh patterns don’t define who we are. Rehearsing a failure identity is counterproductive to crucifying the flesh and standing against the accusations of the enemy. Nowhere in the Epistles are believers identified by their flesh patterns.

Our Identity in Christ Is the Only Means to Overcome Racism, Sexism, and Elitism Becoming children of God is the only answer for overcoming racism, sexism, and elitism that plagues fallen humanity. Paul addressed this as well when he wrote, “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all” (Colossians 3:9–11). In Galatians 3:28 Paul adds, “There is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” That does not mean that we don’t have social roles as mothers and fathers, or employers and employees, but it does mean that we live out our roles as children of God with equal stature and value in the kingdom of God. Every attempt to unite fallen humanity on any other basis than Christ has failed. Jesus is praying that we would all be one as He and Father are one (see John 17:21), but that unity can only be found “in Him.” In fact, it already exists in the body of Christ because of His presence, which is why Paul admonishes us to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

What Is True of Christ Is True of You Because we are saints by God’s calling, we share in Christ’s inheritance. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16–17). Every believer is identified with Christ: 1. In His death

Romans 6:3–6; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1–3

2. In His burial

Romans 6:4

3. In His resurrection

Romans 6:5, 8, 11

4. In His ascension

Ephesians 2:6

5. In His life

Romans 6:10–11

6. In His power

Ephesians 1:19–20

7. In His inheritance

Romans 8:16–17; Ephesians 1:11–12

The following list itemizes in first-person language who you really are in Christ. These are some of the scriptural traits that reflect who you became at spiritual birth. You can’t earn them or buy them any more than a person born in the United States can earn or buy the rights and freedoms enjoyed as an American citizen. They are guaranteed to the person by the Constitution simply because he or she was born in the United States. Similarly, these traits are guaranteed to you by the Word of God simply because you were born into God’s holy nation by faith in Christ.

Who Am I? I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). I am a child of God (John 1:12). I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life (John 15:1, 5). I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15). I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16). I am a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18). I am enslaved to God (Romans 6:22). I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Romans 8:14–15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6). I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing in His inheritance with Him (Romans 8:17). I am a temple—a dwelling place—of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 5:30).

I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). I am a son of God and one in Christ (Galatians 3:26, 28). I am an heir of God since I am a son of God (Galatians 4:6–7). I am a saint (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2). I am God’s workmanship—His handiwork—born anew in Christ to do His work (Ephesians 2:10). I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family (Ephesians 2:19). I am a prisoner of Christ (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1). I am righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24). I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:20). I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Colossians 3:4). I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). I am a son of light and not of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5). I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1). I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Hebrews 3:14). I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Peter 2:9–10). I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Peter 2:11). I am an enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5:8). I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:2). I am born of God, and the evil one—the devil—cannot touch me (1 John 5:18). I am not the great “I am” (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10).3

Because you are alive in Christ, every one of those characteristics is completely true of you, and you can do nothing to make them truer. You can, however, make these traits more meaningful and productive in your life by simply choosing to believe what God has said about you. You will not be prideful if you do, but you will likely be defeated if you don’t. One of the greatest ways to help yourself grow into maturity in Christ is to continually remind yourself who you are “in Him.” I suggest you read the list aloud right now. Read the list once or twice a day for a week or two. Read it when you think Satan is trying to deceive you into believing you are a worthless failure. The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity. Commenting on Romans chapter 6, John Stott states that the “necessity of remembering who we are” is the way “Paul brings his high theology down to the level of practical everyday experience,” and he continues his summary: So, in practice we should constantly be reminding ourselves who we are. We need to learn to talk to ourselves, and ask ourselves questions: “Don’t you know? Don’t you know the meaning of your conversion and baptism? Don’t you know that you have been united to Christ in His death and resurrection? Don’t you know that you have been enslaved to God and have committed yourself to His obedience? Don’t you know these things? Don’t you know who you are?” We must go on pressing ourselves with such questions, until we reply to ourselves: “Yes, I do know who I am, a new person in Christ, and by the grace of God I shall live accordingly.”4

One man drove several hundred miles to attend our Living Free in Christ conference. On his way home, he decided to use the Who Am I? statements as a personal prayer list. As he drove, he prayed through the list of traits one by one, asking God to burn them into his consciousness. It took him nearly five hours to drive home, and he was praying about Who Am I? traits all the way. When asked about the effect this experience had on his life, he simply replied with a smile, “Life changing.” One of my students processed the message in this chapter and sent the following note to me after the class was over:

Dear Dr. Anderson: In looking back over the material presented in class this semester, I realize that I have been freed and enlightened in many ways. I believe the most significant material for me had to do with the fact that “in Christ” I am significant, accepted, and secure. As I meditated on this material, I found that I was able to overcome many problems I have struggled with for years—fear of failure, feelings of worthlessnesss, and a general sense of inadequacy. I began prayerfully studying the Who Am I? statements given in class. I found myself going back to that list many times during the semester, especially when I felt attacked in the area of fear or inadequacy. I have also been able to share this material with a class at church, and many of my students have experienced new freedom in their lives as well. I can’t speak enthusiastically enough about helping people understand who they really are in Christ. In my future ministry I intend to make this a dominant part of my teaching and counseling.

The Bright Hope of Being a Child of God As children of the sinful first Adam, we were obstinate and ornery, helpless and hopeless, having nothing in ourselves to commend us to God. God’s love, however, overruled our unloveliness. Through Christ, God provided a way for us into His family. As God’s adopted children, we have been given a new identity and a new name. We are no longer spiritual orphans; we are sons and daughters of God. As children in God’s family, we have become partakers of His “divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). If you are beginning to think you are someone special as a Christian, you are thinking right—you are special! Your specialness is not the result of anything you have done, of course. It is all God’s doing. You are what you are by the grace of God. All you did was respond by faith to God’s invitation to be His child. As a child of God,

in union with Him, you have every right to enjoy your special relationship with your heavenly Father. How important is it to know who you are in Christ? Countless numbers of Christians struggle with their day-to-day behavior because they labor under a false perception of who they are. They consider themselves sinners who hope to make it into heaven by God’s grace, but they can’t seem to live above their sinful tendencies. Look again at the hope-filled words of 1 John 3:1–3: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. . . . Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” What is the believer’s hope? That you are a child of God now, who is being conformed to the image and likeness of God. The person who has this hope “purifies himself,” and begins to live according to who he or she really is. You must believe you are a child of God to live like a child of God. “God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

3 SEE YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:9–10

Claire was part of a church college ministry I had at a local church. From a worldly perspective, Claire had little going for her. She had a dumpy figure and a poor complexion. Her father drank his way into oblivion and deserted his family. Her mother worked two menial jobs just to make ends meet. Her older brother abused drugs and was in and out of the house, running from the law. It didn’t seem likely that she could compete for acceptance in a society that extols physical beauty and material success. But I was pleased to discover that everybody in the group liked Claire and loved to be around her. She had lots of friends, and eventually married the nicest guy in the college department. What was her secret? Claire accepted herself for who she was in Christ. She loved God and others, and desired to become like Jesus. She wasn’t a threat to anyone. Instead, she was so positive and caring that others couldn’t help but like her. Derek, a man in his early thirties, was a missions major at Talbot School of Theology. I barely knew Derek as a student until he

attended a conference where I spoke. The next week he made an appointment to see me and shared his story. Derek grew up with a father who demanded perfection in everything his son did. Derek was an intelligent and talented young man, but no matter how hard he tried or how much he accomplished, he seemed unable to please his father. The man continually pushed his son to perform better. Striving to fulfill his father’s expectations, Derek earned an appointment to the United States Naval Academy and qualified for flight school. He achieved what most young men only dream about: becoming a member of the elite corps of Navy pilots. “After I completed my obligation to the Navy,” Derek told me, “I decided that I wanted to please God with my life. But I saw God as a perfectionistic heavenly shadow of my earthly father, and I figured the only way I could fulfill His expectations for me was to become a missionary. I’ll be honest with you, I enrolled in the missions program for the same reason I went to Annapolis: to please a demanding father. “Then I attended your conference. I had never heard that I am unconditionally loved and accepted by my heavenly Father, and I never understood who I already am in Christ. I’ve always worked so hard to please God by what I do, just as I struggled to please my natural father. I didn’t realize that I am loved and accepted for who I am. Now I know that I don’t have to be a missionary to please God, so I’m changing my major to practical theology.” Derek studied in my department for about a year. Then he had the opportunity to serve on a short-term missionary team in Spain. When Derek returned from his trip, he burst into my office and excitedly told me about his ministry experience. “I’m changing my major again,” he concluded. “To missions, right?” I responded with a smile. “Right,” Derek beamed. “But I’m not going to be a missionary because I need God’s approval. I know God already loves and accepts me as His child. Now I’m planning to be a missionary because I love Him and want to serve Him.” I said, “That is the fundamental difference between being driven and being called.”

Rooted In Eternity Ever since the fall, there has been a tendency for men to find their identity in the things they do and for women to find their identity in motherhood. In fact, Scripture alludes to this when God said that men shall work by the sweat of their brow, and women shall bear their children in pain (see Genesis 3:16–17). That is not a mandate; that is the curse of the fall! What happens to a man’s identity if he loses his job or can’t work anymore? Who is he then? What happens if a woman never marries or can’t have children, or when she experiences an empty nest? Finding our identity in temporal activities is a fragile existence, since everything we now have we will someday lose, including our health, wealth, profession, and earthly family. Temporal labels are counterfeit identities. Only the Creator has the right to define who we are. When we find our identity in eternal life, then nothing and nobody can take that away from us. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, not any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39).

Being Before Doing The experiences of Claire and Derek illustrate the importance of establishing our relationship with God before we attempt to live it out. Paul’s letters generally flow from the indicative (something we should know) to the imperative (something we should do). Romans 1–8, Ephesians 1–3, and Colossians 1–2 focus more on who God is, who we are, and what our relationship is with Him. The second half of the letters are more practical. Romans 12–15, Ephesians 4–6, and Colossians 3–4 instruct us how we should live as children of God. Who we should be is more important than how we behave, since how we behave is dependent upon who we are. In our zeal to correct behavioral problems, we are tempted to skip over who we should be, and try to apply what we should do. How

can we hope to “stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) if we have not internalized that we are already victoriously “raised . . . up with Him, and seated . . . with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” (2:6)? How can we rejoice in hope and persevere in tribulation (see Romans 12:12) without the confidence of knowing we have been justified by faith and “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1)? If we understand the first half of Paul’s epistles, we will do the second half supernaturally. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Unfortunately, we apply that passage as though it is saying, “All Scripture is inspired by God, and it is profitable for teaching and training in competence.” Consequently, we become human doings instead of human beings. Reproof and correction is essential for training in righteousness, and that is what enables us to bear fruit. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8). Upon reading that passage, did you conclude that you have to bear fruit? Actually, you don’t have to bear fruit. You have to abide in Christ. If you abide in Christ, you will bear fruit. The fruit is the evidence that you are abiding in Christ. 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). The scriptural order is being before doing, character before career, and maturity before ministry.

Positional and Progressive Sanctification Most Christians are aware that salvation for the believer is past, present, and future tense. By that I mean we have been saved (past tense; see Ephesians 2:4–5, 8), we are being saved (present tense; see 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15), and someday we shall fully be saved from the wrath that is to come (future tense; see Romans 5:9–10; 13:11). Salvation is not complete until we are fully

in the presence of God in a resurrected body. However, God assures us of our salvation by His presence. “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13–14). John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). In reference to the believer, sanctification is also past, present, and future tense. We have been sanctified (past tense; see 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Peter 1:3–4), we are being sanctified (present tense; see Romans 6:22; 2 Corinthians 7:1), and we shall someday be fully sanctified (future tense; see 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13; 5:23– 24). The process of sanctification begins at our new birth and ends in our glorification. Past-tense sanctification is commonly referred to as positional sanctification and refers to the position or the status the believer has in Christ. Present-tense sanctification is commonly referred to as progressive or experiential sanctification. Positional sanctification (who we already are in Christ) is the basis for the progressive sanctification (the process of becoming Christlike). Just as the past reality of salvation is the basis for the presenttense working out of our salvation, so our position in Christ is the basis for our growth in Christ. In other words, we are not trying to become children of God; we already are children of God who are becoming like Christ.

Get Right with God First A pastor asked me to meet with a couple from his church. I was their last chance to save their marriage and the man’s job—he happened to be the music director at their church. When they entered the room they were already sparring with each other. I silently prayed, Lord, If there’s any way of saving this marriage, you’re the only one who can do it. After listening to their bitter complaints against each other, I interrupted them. “I think you should forget about your marriage. You

are so torn up on the inside that you probably couldn’t get along with your dog right now. Trying to help your marriage would be like trying to help two people on crutches learn how to dance.” I asked the wife, “Is there a possibility that you could get away for a while all by yourself?” She thought for a moment, then nodded. “My sister has a cabin in the hills. I think she’ll let me use it.” “Good. Here are some CDs I want you to listen to. Go away for a few days and listen to the message, and discover who you are in Christ. Don’t do it for your marriage. Do it for yourself.” Surprisingly, she agreed. I asked the husband to make the same commitment and handed him an identical set of CDs. He also agreed. As they left my office, I wondered if I would ever see them together again. Two years later, I was sitting in a restaurant after church when the music director walked in with his three children. Oh no, I thought, they’ve split up for good. I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of his children, so I kept out of his sight. A few minutes later, his wife walked in and sat down beside him. They seemed happy and content as any Christian family should. I was puzzled, but pleased. The couple looked my way, recognized me, and left their booth to come say hello. “Hi, Neil, it’s good to see you,” they greeted me cheerfully. “Yes, it’s good to see you two.” I really wanted to say, “It’s good to see you two together” but thought better of it. “How are you doing?” I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had told me they were divorced and they had met in the restaurant for the children’s sake. “We’re doing great!” the wife answered. “I did what you told me to do. I went to the cabin alone for two weeks, listened to your message, and got my life right with God.” “I did the same,” the husband added. “After finding our freedom in Christ, we were able to work out the problems in our marriage.” We all rejoiced about what God had done for them, first as individuals, and then as a family. This couple discovered that getting right with each other began with getting right with God. We are not abiding in Christ when we hang on to our pride, bitterness, and anger. Genuine repentance

removes the barriers to our intimacy with God, then the life of Christ flows through us, and God is glorified by the fruit we bear. We don’t labor in the vineyard hoping that God will someday love us. God already loves us, and that is why we labor in the vineyard. We don’t do good works hoping God will someday accept us. We are accepted in the beloved, and by His enabling presence we do good works. The following list supplements the “Who Am I?” list in chapter 2. These statements further describe who you already are in Christ. Read this list aloud to yourself repeatedly until it becomes a part of you.

Since I am alive in Christ, by the grace of God . . . I have been justified—completely forgiven and made righteous (Romans 5:1). I died with Christ and died to the power of sin’s rule over my life (Romans 6:1–6). I am free forever from condemnation (Romans 8:1). I have been placed into Christ by God’s doing (1 Corinthians 1:30). I have received the Spirit of God into my life that I might know the things freely given to me by God (1 Corinthians 2:12). I have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). I have been bought with a price; I am not my own; I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God in Christ, and I have been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge guaranteeing our inheritance to come (2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Ephesians 1:13–14). Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14–15). I have been made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living is Christ’s life (Galatians 2:20). I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).

I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and am without blame before Him (Ephesians 1:4). I was predestined—determined by God—to be adopted as God’s son (Ephesians 1:5). I have been redeemed and forgiven, and I am a recipient of His lavish grace (Ephesians 1:7–8). I have been made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5). I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven (Ephesians 2:6). I have direct access to God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence (Ephesians 3:12). I have been rescued from the domain of Satan’s rule and transferred to the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13). I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. The debt against me has been canceled (Colossians 1:14; 2:14). Christ himself is in me (Colossians 1:27). I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built in Him (Colossians 2:7). I have been made complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). I have been spiritually circumcised (Colossians 2:11). I have been buried, raised, and made alive with Christ (Colossians 2:12–13). I died with Christ, and I have been raised up with Christ. My life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ is now my life (Colossians 3:1–4). I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). I have been saved and set apart according to God’s doing (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier, He is not ashamed to call me brother (Hebrews 2:11). I have the right to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). I have been given exceedingly great and precious promises by God by which I am a partaker of God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

A pastor shared a great story with me: “A woman in our church dropped by my office after the Sunday evening service. She had been struggling in her relationship with her alcoholic husband and was at her wit’s end, feeling terribly defeated. She came to tell me she was calling it quits on their marriage. “I pulled out the list of statements you shared with us that declared who we are in Christ. I said, ‘Here, read this aloud.’ She read about halfway through the list and began to cry. She said, ‘I never realized all this was true of me. I feel that maybe there is hope for me after all.’” Isn’t that incredible? The truth about who we are in Christ makes such a difference in our success at handling the challenges and conflicts of life. Nobody can keep us from being the person God created us to be, and that is God’s will for our lives.

Relationship Versus Harmony Considering the emphasis I have placed on God’s acceptance of us in Christ, you may be wondering what happens to this ideal relationship with God when we sin. Does our failure interfere with God’s acceptance of us? Perhaps an illustration will help. When I was physically born, I had a father named Marvin Anderson. As his son, I not only have Marvin Anderson’s last name, but I also have Marvin Anderson’s blood coursing through my veins. Marvin Anderson and Neil Anderson are blood related. Could I possibly do anything that would change my blood relationship to my father? What if I ran away from home and changed my name? I would still be Marvin Anderson’s son, wouldn’t I? What if he kicked me out of the house? What if he disowned me? Would I still be his son? Of course! We are related by blood, and nothing can change that. Could I do anything that would affect the harmony of our relationship as father and son? Yes, indeed—and by the time I was five years old, I had discovered almost every way! My relationship with my father was never in jeopardy, but the harmony of our relationship was interrupted countless times by my behavior.

What determined whether I lived in or out of harmony with my father? Trust and obedience. The relationship was settled for life when I was born into my father’s family as his son. The harmony problem was addressed repeatedly as a result of my behavior and misbehavior. I discovered very early in life that if I obeyed Dad, I lived in harmony with him. If I didn’t obey him, we were out of harmony. Whether we were living in harmony or not, he would still be my father. In the spiritual realm, when I was born-again, I became a member of God’s family. God is my Father, and I enjoy an eternal relationship with Him through the precious blood of Jesus Christ (see 1 Peter 1:18–19). As a child of God, can I do anything that will change my relationship with Him? Now, I realize that I may step on some theological toes here. The question of eternal security is still a topic of debate among Christians. For the sake of this discussion, I am not addressing that debate. I am making a distinction between two separate issues. Our relationship with God is based on the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by how we believe, not by how we behave. However, Scripture does support the assurance of salvation. John wrote, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). Paul asks in Romans 8:35, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” He then answers that no created thing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:39). Jesus declared, “My sheep hear My voice . . . and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27–28). I am a born-again child of God, in spiritual union with Him by His grace, which I received through faith. My relationship with God was settled when I was born into His family. Can I do anything that will interfere with the harmony of my relationship with God? Of course! Harmony with God is based on the same concerns as harmony with my earthly father: trust and obedience. When I trust and obey God, I live in harmony with Him. When I don’t perfectly respond to God, the harmony of our relationship is disturbed and my life will reflect it. I love my heavenly

Father and I want to live in harmony with Him, so I strive to live by faith according to what He says is true. Even when I fail to take Him at His Word or choose to walk by the flesh, my relationship with Him is not at stake because we are related by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Believing the Truth About Others A pastor asked me, “How can I get out of my church? I have sent my résumé to many churches that are looking for a pastor and never get any response.” “Why do you want out?” I asked. “I shouldn’t have been a candidate for this church. They are just a bunch of losers.” Losers? There are no losers in the kingdom of God. As important as it is for us to believe in our true identity as children of God, it is equally important that we perceive other Christians for who they are in Christ, and treat them accordingly. The greatest determinant for how we treat people is based on our own perception of them. If we view people as losers, we will probably treat them that way. If, however, we believe our brothers and sisters in Christ are redeemed saints, we will treat them as saints, and they will be greatly helped in behaving as saints. For every affirming statement in an average home, a child receives ten non-affirming statements. The school environment is only slightly better; students hear seven non-affirming statements from their teachers for every affirming statement. It is important to correct children and students when they are wrong, but more effort should be made to reinforce good behavior. In other words, catch them doing something right. It takes about four positive statements to negate the effect of one negative statement. To illustrate, suppose you wear a new suit or dress. Four of your friends say, “Oh, what a nice outfit!” But if one of your friends says, “That outfit is hideous,” which one will you think the most about? If a child is called a loser at school, two parents who say otherwise will probably not assuage the pain. We affect others

significantly by what we say about them, and what we say is determined by what we believe about them. The New Testament clearly states that we are saints who sin. Children of God who say they don’t sin are called liars (see 1 John 1:8). We are not to judge one another; instead, we are called to accept other believers as children of God, and to build up one another. If we could memorize just one verse from the New Testament, put it into practice, and never violate it, we would resolve half the problems in our homes and churches. That verse is Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Isn’t it amazing that we have the power to give grace to others through the proper use of our words? If we never put others down, and use our words to build up one another, we would be part of God’s construction crew instead of Satan’s wrecking crew.

Relating to God When I was in the eighth grade, we had a program called Religious Day Instruction. Every Tuesday, the afternoon classes were shortened so we could go to the church of our choice for the last hour. It wasn’t forced religion—students could choose to go to study hall if they wanted—but I went to the church of my mother’s choice. One nice fall day, I decided to skip Religious Day Instruction. I played in the park and came back in time to catch the bus for my ride home to the farm. I thought I had gotten away with it—but I did not! The next day the principal called me in and chewed me out. Then he said, “I have arranged for you to be home Thursday and Friday.” I was shocked. Suspended from school for two days for skipping Religious Day Instruction? I was not looking forward to seeing my parents that afternoon, and the ride home was miserable. I thought about playing sick for two days, or hiding in the woods when I should have been in school. I couldn’t do it; I knew I had to face my

authority figures. I went to my mother because I knew there would be some mercy there. “Mom,” I said. “I got suspended from school for two days for skipping Religious Day Instruction.” At first she was shocked. Then she smiled and said, “Oh, Neil, I forgot to tell you. We called the school to see if you could stay home Thursday and Friday to help us pick corn.” If I had known that, would I have dreaded seeing my parents? Would the school bus ride home have been miserable? Of course not! But I didn’t know that staying home Thursday and Friday was already justified. Christians who don’t know they are already justified live as though they are walking on glass. They can’t make any mistakes, because if they do, the hammer of God will fall on them. Dear Christian reader, the hammer fell. It fell on Christ. He died once for all our sins (see Romans 6:10). We are not sinners in the hands of an angry God. We are saints in the hands of a loving God who has called us to “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22). “For through Him [Christ] we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18), “in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:12). Some Christian leaders believe we should emphasize the sinful side of our human nature as a motivation to live righteously. I respectfully disagree. How can we motivate by guilt when “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)? How can we motivate by fear when “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7)? I believe we ought to tell believers the truth about who they are in Christ and motivate them to live accordingly. To illustrate this truth, let me share the following testimony sent to me by a missionary who read the first edition of this book: Though I have been a Christian for many years, I never understood God’s forgiveness and my spiritual inheritance. I have been struggling for years with a particular sin. I was in Bible College when I began this horrible practice. I never thought this living hell would ever end. I would have killed myself had I not thought that was a sin. I felt God had turned His back on me and I was

doomed to hell because I couldn’t overcome this sin. I hated myself. I felt like such a failure. The Lord led me to purchase your book Victory Over the Darkness. I feel like a new Christian, like I’ve just been born again. My eyes are now open to God’s love, and I realize that I am a saint who has chosen to sin. I can finally say I am free of Satan’s bondage and aware of the lies he has been feeding me. I would confess to God and beg His forgiveness when I sinned, but the next time I fell deeper into Satan’s grasp because I couldn’t accept God’s forgiveness and I couldn’t forgive myself. I always thought the answer lay in drawing closer to God, but I went to Him in confusion, believing I was a sinner who couldn’t be loved. No more! Through the Scriptures and the way you presented them to me, I am no longer a defeated Christian. I now know I am alive in Christ and dead to sin and a slave of righteousness. I now live by faith according to what God said is true. Sin has no power over me; Satan has lost his grip on me.

4 SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:16–17

John was an outstanding seminary student with a high grade-point average. He was well-liked by all the students and faculty alike. He seemed destined for a great future in ministry. He accepted a call to pastor a church upon graduating from seminary. Two years later, he was dismissed from the church because of a moral failure. I invited him to attend my Living Free in Christ conference. Afterwards he sent me this letter: I’ve always just figured I was a rotten, no good, dirty, stinking sinner, saved by grace yet failing God miserably every day. All I could look forward to was a lifetime of apologizing every night for not being the man I know He wants me to be, “but I will try harder tomorrow, Lord.” As a first-born, trying so hard to earn the approval of highly expectant parents, I’ve related to God the same way. He just couldn’t possibly love me as much as He does other “better” believers. Oh, sure, I’m saved by grace through faith, but really I’m just hanging on until He gets tired of putting up with me here and brings me home to finally stop the failure in progress. Whew, what a treadmill I was on. Neil, when you said, “You’re not a sinner, you’re a saint,” in reference to our new primary identification, you totally blew me away! Isn’t it strange that a guy could go clear through a good seminary and never latch on to the truth that he is a new creation in Christ?! I’m convinced that old tapes laid down in early

childhood can hinder our progress in understanding who we are in Christ. I am beginning to grow out of my old ways of thinking of myself and God. I don’t constantly picture Him as being disappointed in me anymore. I have been so deeply touched by these insights that I am taking my new congregation through a study in Ephesians, learning who we are in Christ. My preaching is different and the people are profiting greatly. Each day of service is a direct gift from God, and I bank each one carefully in heaven’s vault for all eternity, to the glory and honor of my Lord and Savior.

Many Christians have grown up in churches hearing that they are sinners saved by grace. Some think it would be prideful to identify themselves as saints. Others believe the label that because they sin, they must be sinners. What do sinners do? They sin. What do saints do? We were sinners, but now thanks to Jesus, we are “saints by calling” (1 Corinthians 1:2) who can still choose to sin, but by the grace of God don’t have to. Despite all that we are in Christ, we are still far less than perfect. We are saints who sin, who encounter daily struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil. To understand the sinful side of sainthood, it is helpful to define terms like flesh, nature, and old man. A better understanding of these terms will assist you in comprehending who you are and pave the way for greater spiritual maturity.

The Nature of the Problem Scripture says we were dead in our “trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) and “were by nature children of wrath” (2:3, emphasis added). In other words, we were born physically alive but spiritually dead. We had neither the presence of God in our lives nor the knowledge of His ways. Consequently, we all learned to live independently of God. This learned independence is a chief characteristic of the flesh. “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another” (Galatians 5:17). They are in opposition because the Holy Spirit, like Jesus, will not operate independently of our heavenly Father, but the flesh does. The flesh may be defined as existence apart from God.

The flesh is self-reliant rather than God-dependent; it is self-centered rather than Christ-centered. Such is the state of fallen humanity: sinful by nature and spiritually dead (i.e., separated from God). In addition, the heart, which is the center of our being, “is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick” (Jeremiah 17:9). Paul says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Fallen humanity lives “in the flesh,” and “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). Every aspect of their lives was corrupted and they could do nothing to save themselves. Several dramatic changes took place the moment we were bornagain. First, God transferred us from the domain of darkness “to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). Second, sin’s dominion through the flesh has been broken. As a believer, you are no longer “in the flesh,” you are “in Christ.” Paul explains, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9, emphasis added). Notice how this passage affirms the Trinity. Paul also equates the idea of being “in the flesh” with being “in Adam.” “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22, emphasis added). Christians are no longer in the flesh, but because the characteristics of the flesh remain in believers, they have a choice. They can walk (or live) according to the flesh (see Galatians 5:19–21) or they can walk (or live) according to the Spirit (see 5:22–23). These positional changes can be summarized as follows: In Adam

  

In Christ

Old man (self)

by ancestry

New man (self)

Sin nature

by nature

Partaker of divine nature

Ephesians 2:1–3 In the flesh Romans 8:8

2 Peter 1:4 by birth

In the Spirit Romans 8:9

In Adam

  

In Christ

Live according

by choice

Live according to

to the flesh

the Spirit or the flesh Galatians 5:16–18

We Have Been Grafted In Concerning our nature, Paul wrote, “You were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). Are we both light and darkness? Paul also wrote, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Are we partly new creature and partly old creature? Does the Christian have two natures? Perhaps an illustration will help answer that question. In Arizona, city parks and boulevards are decorated with ornamental orange trees that are a much hardier stock than the trees that produce the sweet oranges we eat. Because they can survive colder temperatures, they are used for rootstock. The ornamental orange is cultivated to grow to a certain height, then it is cut off and a new branch (such as a navel orange) is grafted into it. Everything that grows above the graft takes on the new nature of the sweet orange. Everything below the graft retains the physical characteristics of the ornamental orange. Only one tree remains when it is fully grown. The physical growth of the tree is still dependent upon the roots that go deep into the soil for water and nutrition to sustain its natural life. What grows above the graft takes on the singular nature of what was grafted in. People don’t look at a grove of navel oranges and say, “That grove is nothing more than a bunch of rootstock!” They would call it a navel orange grove, because they would identify the trees by their fruit. That is how we should be known. Jesus said, “So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20). Paul says, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5:16). In other words, we are not supposed to recognize Christians for who

they were in Adam, but for who they now are in Christ. That is why the Bible doesn’t identify believers as sinners, but instead identifies them as saints. The natural person is like an ornamental orange tree—he may look good, but he cannot bear fruit that isn’t bitter. The fruit will only drop to the ground and bring forth more natural stock that will only appear to look good for a season. How would you define the nature of the tree that has been grafted in? Would it have two natures? It depends on whether you are talking about the whole tree, which does have two natures (rootstock and navel), or if you are talking about just the part of the tree that grows above the graft (the new creation), which has just one nature (navel). This is somewhat of a semantic problem. When Paul talks about the new “I,” is he talking about who he was before Christ in combination with who he now is in Christ, or is he referring only to the new creation in Christ? Spiritual growth in the Christian life requires a relationship with God, who is the fountain of spiritual life—a relationship that brings a new seed or root of life. As in nature, unless there is some seed or root of life within an organism, no growth can take place. So also unless there is a root of life within the believer (i.e., some core of spiritual life), growth is impossible. Without life there is nothing to grow. That is why Paul’s theology is based on our position in Christ. He is the vine and we are the branches. If the branches aren’t connected to the vine, they are dead. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him” (Colossians 2:6–7, emphasis added). In order to build up new believers (progressive sanctification), they must first be firmly rooted in Christ (positional sanctification).

A New Heart and a New Spirit According to Scripture, the center of the person is the heart. It is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). In our natural state, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV). It is

deceitful because it has been conditioned from the time of our natural birth by the deceitfulness of a fallen world, rather than by the truth of God’s Word. Ezekiel prophesied saying, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26 NIV). The new covenant under which every Christian lives says, “I will put my laws in their hearts” (Hebrews 10:16 NIV). The moment you were grafted into the vine you were sanctified or set apart as a child of God. “You are already clean” (John 15:3), and you shall continue to be sanctified as He prunes you so that you may grow and bear fruit. The same thought is captured in Paul’s testimony: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NIV). Paul says I died, but I live—obviously as a new and different person (see also Colossians 3:1–3). In other words, my old ornamental tree has been cut off and I no longer live as an ornamental orange. I now live and grow as a navel orange.

A New Man Parallel to the concept of being a new creation in Christ is the teaching that the believer has put on the “new self” (Colossians 3:10), or more literally, the new man. F. F. Bruce wrote, “The new man who is created is the new personality that each believer becomes when he is reborn as a member of the new creation whose source of life is Christ.”1 What does it mean to be a new man? We still look the same physically, and we still have many of the same thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Picture again the ornamental orange tree that has just had a tiny new stem grafted into it. Because so much appears to be the same, it is sometimes taught that our “newness” refers only to our position in Christ. The newness is only what we have seen in relation to our position of righteousness and holiness in justification and positional sanctification. There is no real change in us until we

are finally transformed in glorification. That, however, would be like teaching justification without regeneration (we are forgiven, but there is no new life). If we are still ornamental orange trees, how can we be expected to bear navel oranges? We have to believe that our new identity is in the life of Christ and commit ourselves to grow accordingly. If you are a new creation in Christ, have you ever wondered why you still think and feel at times the same way you did before you were born-again? That is because everything you learned before you knew Christ is still programmed into your memory. There is no mental delete button. That is why Paul says, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV). Even as believers we can still conform to the patterns of this world by believing the same old lies, reading the wrong literature, etc. When we do that it is like letting suckers grow out of the roots, sapping energy from reaching the new graft. When I was in the Navy, we called the captain of our ship the “Old Man.” My first Old Man was tough and crusty, and nobody liked him. He drank with the chiefs, belittled his junior officers, and made life miserable for the rest of us. He was a lousy Old Man. If I planned to succeed on board that ship, however, I had to do it under his authority, relating to him as my Old Man. Then one day he got transferred to another ship. I no longer had any relationship with him, and I was no longer under his authority. Then we got a new captain who was very different from the Old Man I was originally trained under. How do you think I related to the new captain? At first I responded to him as I had been conditioned to respond to the first Old Man. But as I got to know him, I realized he wasn’t a tyrant like the first captain. The new captain didn’t harass us. He was a good man who was legitimately concerned for the welfare of his crew. It took some time to renew my mind and learn not to be hasty and defensive with this new captain. When you were dead in your trespasses and sins, you also served under a cruel, self-serving captain. The admiral of that fleet is Satan, the prince of darkness, the god and ruler of this world. By God’s grace, you have been “rescued . . . from the domain of darkness,

and transferred . . . to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). You now have a new captain; your new self is infused with the divine nature of Jesus Christ, your new admiral. As a child of God, you are no longer under the authority of Satan and dominated by sin and death. The old man is dead.

New Things Have Come Despite the fact that all believers still at times live according to the flesh, like Paul, they are new persons—new in relationship to God and new in themselves. The change that takes place in us when we come to Christ involves two dimensions. First, we have a new master. As mortals we have no choice but to live under a spiritual power—either the Creator of the universe or the god of this world. We “formerly walked according to the . . . prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:2–3). In Christ we have the authority and the power to do God’s will, because all authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth (see Matthew 28:18). Second, there is an actual change in the nature of believers so that the propensities of their lives or the deepest desires of their hearts are now oriented toward God rather than toward self and sin. This becomes evident when believers who choose to sin become convicted. What they are doing is no longer consistent with who they really are in Christ. I have counseled hundreds of Christians who are questioning their salvation because of their struggle with sin. The fact that it even bothers them is the best argument for their salvation. It is the nature of a natural person to sin. On the other hand, I have talked to people who profess to be Christians but seem to have little or no remorse for sinning. I would have to question their salvation. If we are children of God, we are not going to live comfortably with sin. Why do we need to be made partakers of the divine nature? So we can be like Christ, not just act like Him. God has not given us the

power to imitate Him. He has made us partakers of His nature so that we can actually be like Him. We don’t become Christians by acting like one. He doesn’t say, “Here are My standards, now measure up.” He knows we can’t solve the problem of an old, sinful self by simply improving our behavior. He must change our inward nature by giving us a new heart and a new spirit, which is the presence of God within us. Then by the grace of God we can measure up to His standards. That was the point of Christ’s message in the Sermon on the Mount: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The scribes and Pharisees were the religious perfectionists of their day. They had external behavior down to a science, but their hearts were like the insides of a tomb: reeking of death. Jesus is interested only in creating new persons from the inside out by infusing in them a brand-new heart and creating in them a new self. Only after He changes who we are and makes us a partaker of His divine nature will we be able to change our behavior.

A New Master In God’s infinite wisdom He foresaw that many believers would identify with the cross, but not the resurrection. It is easier for people to understand they are sinners in need of forgiveness than it is to believe they are new creations in Christ. Thus He inspired Paul to write in Romans 6:5–7, “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (NIV). The old self has been crucified with Christ, and the believer has put on the new man (see Colossians 3:10). Paul says, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). We don’t consider it so to make it so. We are to continuously believe we are alive in Christ and dead to sin because it is so. Believing anything doesn’t make it

true. God said it is true; therefore, we believe it. Death is the ending of a relationship, not existence. Sin is still present, appealing, and powerful, but when you are tempted to sin, you can say, “Satan has no authority over me. I have crucified the flesh, and by the grace of God, I can live a righteous life.” Jesus has set us free from sin and death. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1–2). Is the law of sin and of death still operative? Yes, that is why Paul calls it a law. You can’t do away with a law, but you can overcome it by a greater law, which is the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” As mortals we can’t fly by our own strength, but we can fly in an airplane, because an airplane has a power greater than the law of gravity. If you don’t think the law of gravity is still in effect, then flip the switch at 30,000 feet. You will crash and burn. If you walk by faith according to what God says is true in the power of the Holy Spirit, you will “not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). If you believe a lie and walk according to the flesh, you will crash and burn.

Saved and Sanctified by Faith Paul says in Romans 6:6, “Our old self was crucified” (past tense). You can try to put the old man to death, but you can’t do it. Why not? Because he is already dead. A similar mistake is to incorrectly reason, “What experience must I have in order for this to be true?” The only thing that had to happen for that to be true happened more than two thousand years ago, and the only way we can enter into that experience is by faith. A pastor was making the same mistake when he said to me, “I have struggled for twenty-two years in ministry and I finally think I know what the answer is. I read Colossians 3:3 (NIV), ‘For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.’ That’s it, isn’t it?” I assured him it was. Then he asked, “How do I do that?” I suggested he read the passage just a little bit slower. For twentytwo years he had been trying to become somebody he already was;

so do many other believers. We cannot do for ourselves what Christ has already accomplished for us. If we are saved by faith, how then are we sanctified? Paul explains in Galatians 3:2–3 (NIV): “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” We are saved by faith and we walk or live by faith. We have been sanctified by faith and we are being sanctified by faith. We are neither saved nor sanctified by how we behave but by how we believe. This is not wishful-thinking faith. It is faith that results in good works. We change our behavior by changing what we believe. God’s work of atonement changes sinners to saints. The radical change of regeneration is effected at the moment of salvation. The ongoing change in the believer’s daily walk continues throughout life. The progressive work of sanctification, however, is only fully effective when the radical, inner transformation by regeneration is realized and appropriated by faith. New Christians are like a lump of coal: somewhat unattractive, fragile, and messy to work with. Apply enough time and pressure, and coal becomes hardened and beautiful. The original lump of coal consists of the right substance to become a diamond. New believers are diamonds in the rough, but given enough time and pressure, they will be a polished diamond, revealing the glory of God.

Balancing the Indicative and the Imperative There is a delicate balance in the New Testament between the indicative (what God has already done and what is already true about us) and the imperative (what remains to be done as we respond to God by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit). You have to know and believe positional truth in order to mature, or you are going to try doing for yourself what God has already done for you, and try to become somebody you already are. The balance between the indicative and the imperative is about equal in Scripture, but I have not observed that in most churches.

We have a tendency to focus on the imperatives. It is possible to attend an evangelical church for years and never hear the message that we are children of God who are alive and free in Christ. We need to worship God for who He is, and rest in the finished work of Christ. We need to hear again and again the wonderful identity and position we already have in Christ, then we will be better prepared to receive instructions and assume our responsibility for living the Christian life.

In Summary A man asked me if I taught the eradication of the sinful nature at the new birth. One cannot give a simple yes or no answer to that question. If he asked, “Do you believe that the old man is dead?” the answer is yes. I am no longer in Adam, I am spiritually alive in Christ. If he asked, “Do you believe that Christians can still sin and live according to the flesh?” the answer is yes. New believers struggle with their flesh patterns, and many are deceived by the devil. It takes time to renew our minds and overcome flesh patterns. If he asked, “Do you believe that you have a new nature?” I would answer yes, because God has given me a new heart and I am now spiritually alive. My “new self” is oriented toward God. I have become a partaker of the divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4), and “I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man” (Romans 7:22). If he asked, “Are you a sinner or a saint?” I would joyfully respond, “I believe I am a saint by the grace of God, and I intend to live my life as His child in the way He intended me to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Don’t forget that our entire being was morally corrupt before we came to Christ. Our minds were programmed to live independently of God, and the desires of our flesh are in opposition to the Spirit of God. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). I do not believe in instant maturity. It will take us the rest of our lives to renew our minds and conform to the image and likeness of God. The seed that was sown in us by God is only a beginning. Being a child of God and

being free in Christ is positional truth and the birthright of every believer. Because of a lack of repentance and ignorance of the truth, many believers are not living like liberated children of God. How tragic! Perhaps the following illustration will explain part of the reason why: Slavery in the United States was abolished by the 13th Amendment on December 18th, 1865. How many slaves were there on December 19th? In reality, none, but many still lived like slaves. Many did, because they never learned the truth, others knew and even believed that they were free but chose to live as they had been taught. Several plantation owners were devastated by this proclamation of emancipation. “We’re ruined! Slavery has been abolished. We’ve lost the battle to keep our slaves.” But their chief spokesman slyly responded, “Not necessarily, as long as these people think they’re still slaves, the proclamation of emancipation will have no practical effect. We don’t have a legal right over them anymore, but many of them don’t know it. Keep your slaves from learning the truth, and your control over them will not even be challenged.” “But, what if the news spreads?” “Don’t panic. We have another card to play. We may not be able to keep them from hearing the news, but we can still keep them from understanding it. They don’t call me the father of lies for nothing. We still have the potential to deceive the whole world. Just tell them that they misunderstood the 13th Amendment. Tell them that they are going to be free, not that they are free already. The truth they heard is just positional truth, not actual truth. Someday they may receive the benefits, but not now.” “But they would expect me to say that. They won’t believe me.” “Then pick out a few persuasive ones who are convinced that they’re still slaves and let them do the talking for you. Remember, most of these free people were born as slaves and have lived like slaves. All we have to do is to deceive them so that they still think like slaves. As long as they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince them that they must still be slaves. They will maintain their slave identity because of the things they do. The moment they try to profess that they are no longer slaves, just whisper in their ear, ‘How can you even think you are no longer a slave when you are still doing things that slaves do?’ After all, we have the capacity to accuse the brethren day and night.” Years later, many have still not heard the wonderful news that they have been freed, so naturally they continue to live the way they have always lived. Some have heard the good news but evaluated it by what they are presently doing and feeling. They reason, “I’m still living in bondage, doing the same things I have always done. My experience tells me that I must not be free. I’m

feeling the same way I was before the proclamation, so it must not be true. After all, your feelings always tell the truth.” So they continue to live according to how they feel, not wanting to be hypocrites! One former slave hears the good news and receives it with great joy. He checks out the validity of the proclamation and finds out that the highest of all authorities has originated the decree. Not only that, but it personally cost the authority a tremendous price which He willingly paid, so that he could be free. His life is transformed. He correctly reasons that it would be hypocritical to believe his feeling, and not believe the truth. Determined to live by what he knows to be true, his experiences begin to change rather dramatically. He realizes that his old master has no authority over him and does not need to be obeyed. He gladly serves the one who set him free.2

5 BECOMING THE SPIRITUAL PERSON GOD WANTS YOU TO BE But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Galatians 5:16–18

Little Annie was born into an impoverished and abusive home. As a young child, she contracted a disease that left her eyesight severely damaged. Her mother died shortly thereafter, and her father abandoned her and her siblings. She and her brothers and sisters were sent to an institution for the physically and mentally ill, where they encountered further abuse and physically unsafe conditions. But Annie was determined to escape poverty and worked hard to gain her way into a school for the blind. Anne was very smart, even though she struggled socially through school. Surgery helped improve her eyesight—though it was still not great—and by the time she graduated from school, she had made friendships and connections that would lead her to a family in need of help for their own daughter, who was blind as well as deaf, and seemingly completely defiant. Despite Anne’s limited eyesight, she helped her pupil, Helen, learn how to communicate with the outside world. Helen ultimately became the first deaf-blind person to graduate from college.

When the Queen of England held a special ceremony for Helen to honor her as one of the most inspiring women in the United States, she asked to what Helen could attribute her success at overcoming blindness and deafness. Helen Keller replied, “If it hadn’t been for Anne Sullivan, I wouldn’t be here today.” Anne Sullivan was a woman who tenaciously loved and believed in an incorrigible blind and deaf girl named Helen Keller. Because one selfless Christian woman believed in the healing power of God’s love, the world received the marvelous gift of Helen Keller. What does it take to be that kind of Christian? What is needed to move us beyond our inconsequential, selfish, fleshly pursuits to deeds of loving service to God and others? First, it requires a firm understanding of what it means to be a child of God. We can’t become like Jesus unless we are His divine offspring. We have to be grafted into the vine, because apart from Christ we can do nothing (see John 15:5). Second, we must crucify the old sin-trained flesh and walk in accordance with who we are in Christ. “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Third, we must “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Fourth, it requires the grace of God. “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We cannot live righteous lives by human effort based on external standards. Under the covenant of grace, we live by faith according to what God says is true in the power of the Holy Spirit. To live under grace we need to learn how to walk or live by the Spirit (see Galatians 5:16–18). How do we walk by the Spirit? If I answered that question by offering three steps and a formula, I would be putting you back under the law again. The Holy Spirit is a He to whom we relate as our divine guide, not an it that can be boxed and quantified. We are talking about walking with God, which is a Father-and-son relationship. Jesus said of the Spirit, “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Being

filled and led by the Spirit may take you places you never planned, but the will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. So let’s pull in the oars and put up the sail and see where God takes us.

Three Types of People In 1 Corinthians 2:14–3:3, Paul refers to natural people, spiritual Christians, and fleshly or carnal Christians. The diagrams in this chapter show the differences that exist among these three kinds of people. “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Ephesians 2:1–3 explains the nature of natural people (see Figure 5-A) who are spiritually dead, i.e., separated from God. They live independently from God, and therefore they sin as a matter of course. “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

FIGURE 5-A

THE NATURAL PERSON Life “in the Flesh” 1 Corinthians 2:14

FLESH (Rom. 8:8) Though flesh can mean the body, it is the learned independence that gives sin its opportunity. The natural man, who tries to find purpose and meaning in life independently of God, is going to struggle with inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry and doubts. MIND “Darkened in their understanding” (Ephesians 4:18). WILL (Gal. 5:16–21) Walk after the flesh: immorality

jealousy

impurity

disputes

sensuality

dissensions

idolatry

factions

sorcery

envying

enmities

drunkenness

strife

carousing outbursts of anger

BODY Tension or migraine headaches, nervous stomach, hives, skin rashes, allergies, asthma, some arthritis, spastic colon, heart palpitations, respiratory ailments, etc. EMOTIONS Bitterness, anxiety, depression, etc. Heart

“The heart is more deceitful than all else” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Natural people have souls and therefore can think, feel, and choose. As the arrows on the diagram show, however, their minds, and subsequently their emotions and wills, are directed by their flesh. Because they are in the flesh, they invariably walk according to the flesh, and their lives reflect the “deeds of the flesh” listed in Galatians 5:19–21. They struggle with feelings of inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt. Living in a stressful age and having no spiritual base for coping with life, the natural person may suffer from some of the physical ailments listed on the diagram. It is well-known in the medical field that 50 percent or more of the population are physically sick for psychosomatic reasons. Possessing peace of mind and the calm assurance of God’s presence in our lives positively affects our physical and mental health. “He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). The souls of spiritual Christians (see Figure 5-B) are united with God. They have been transformed by the renewing of their minds. They have emotional peace and joy when filled with God’s Holy Spirit. They are free to choose to walk according to the flesh, or to

walk according to the Spirit. When Christians choose to live by the Spirit, their lives exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–23). The bodies of spiritual Christians have also been affected. They are temples of God, and spiritual Christians present their bodies to God as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). The flesh, conditioned to live independently from God under the old self, is still present, but spiritual Christians have crucified the flesh and its desires, and they consider themselves alive in Christ and dead to sin. You might be thinking, That all sounds great, but I’m a Christian and I still have some mental and emotional problems. Sometimes my mind dwells on the wrong thoughts, and my behavior reveals the deeds of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit.

FIGURE 5-B

SPIRITUAL CHRISTIANS LIFE “IN THE SPIRIT” 1 CORINTHIANS 2:15

FLESH (Rom. 8:8) The crucifying of the flesh is the believer’s responsibility as they consider themselves dead to sin. MIND Transformed (Rom. 12:2) Single-minded (Phil. 4:6–8) Girded foraction (1 Pet. 1:13) WILL (Gal. 5:22–23) Walk after the Spirit:love joy peace patience

kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control BODY Temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19–20) Presented to God as a living and holy sacrifice (Rom. 12:1) EMOTIONS Peace (Col. 3:15) Joy (Phil. 4:4) God Salvation (John 3:3; 1 John 3:9) Forgiveness (Acts 2:38; Heb. 8:12) Assurance (Rom. 8:16) Security (Eph. 1:13–14) Acceptance (1 John 3:1) Worth (Eph. 2:10)

The description of the spiritual Christian is the ideal. It is the model of maturity toward which we are all growing. God has provided all we need to live a righteous life (see 2 Peter 1:3). However, most of us live somewhere on the slope between the mountaintop of spiritual maturity and the depths of carnality described in Figure 5-C. As you walk according to the Spirit, be assured that your growth, maturity, and sanctification toward the ideal are in process. Notice that the core of carnal Christians is identical to that of spiritual Christians. Those who live according to the flesh are spiritually alive in Christ and declared righteous by God, but that is where the similarity ends. Instead of being directed by the Spirit, they choose to gratify the desires of the flesh. They are double-minded and therefore emotionally conflicted. Though they are free to choose

to walk after the Spirit and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, they choose to walk after the flesh. The carnal Christian’s body is a temple of God, but it is being defiled. They often exhibit the same troubling physical symptoms experienced by natural people, because they are not living the way God created them to live. They are yielding to the flesh, and they also struggle with feelings of inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt. When I was a pastor, I asked fifty consecutive Christians who were seeking my help the following question: “How many of the following characteristics describe your life: inferiority, insecurity, inadequacy, guilt, worry, and doubt?” Every one of the fifty answered, “All six.” They all struggled with the same problems that inundate unbelievers who live only in the flesh. Are you struggling with feelings of inferiority? To whom or to what are you inferior? You are a child of God seated with Christ in the heavenlies (see Ephesians 2:6). Do you feel insecure? Your God will never leave you nor forsake you (see Hebrews 13:5). Inadequate? You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (see Philippians 4:13). Guilty? There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (see Romans 8:1). Worried? You can have WILL

FIGURE 5-C

CARNAL CHRISTIANS Life “According to the Flesh” 1 Corinthians 3:3

FLESH (Rom. 8:8) The ingrained habit patterns still appeal to the mind to live independently of God. MIND Double-minded BODY Tension or migraine headaches, nervous stomach, hives, skin rashes, allergies, asthma, some arthritis, spastic colon, heart palpitations, respiratory ailments, etc. EMOTIONS Unstable (Gal. 5:16–23) Walk after the flesh (often): immorality

Walk after the Spirit (seldom): outbursts of anger

love

goodness

impurity

disputes

joy

faithfulness

sensuality

dissensions

peace

gentleness

idolatry

factions

patience

self-control

sorcery

envying

kindness

enmities

drunkenness

strife

carousing

jealousy

the peace of God and learn to cast your anxiety upon Christ (see John 14:27; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7). Doubt? “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5–6). Why is there such disparity between spiritual and fleshly Christians? Why are so many believers living below their potential in Christ? Why are so few of us enjoying the abundant, productive life we have already inherited? We should be able to say every year that we are more loving, peaceful, joyful, patient, kind, and gentle than we were last year. If we can’t honestly say that, then we are not growing. “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). Yet countless numbers of Christians have been born-again for years—even decades—and have yet to experience significant measures of victory over sin. Ignorance, lack of repentance and faith in God, and unresolved conflicts keep people from growing. The world and the flesh are not the only enemies of our sanctification. We have a living, personal enemy—Satan—who ruthlessly accuses, tempts, and deceives God’s children. Paul wrote about Satan, “We are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Perhaps Paul and the Corinthians weren’t ignorant, but a lot of

present-day Christians surely are. We live as though the kingdom of darkness does not exist. Our naiveté in this area is exacting a crippling toll that keeps many Christians from experiencing their freedom in Christ.

Parameters of the Spirit-Filled Walk When we first became Christians, we were like a one-thirdhorsepower lawn mower engine. We could accomplish something, but not very much because we were not very mature. Our goal as Christians is to become a Caterpillar D9—real powerhouses for the Lord. Without gas, though, neither a lawn mower nor a bulldozer can accomplish anything. Neither can we accomplish anything apart from Christ (see John 15:5). No matter how mature you are, you can never bear fruit unless you are walking by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. When it comes to walking according to the flesh and walking in the Spirit, our wills are like toggle switches. The wills of new Christians seem to be spring-loaded toward fleshly behavior. New believers are going to live according to what they know, and they don’t know very much about the Spirit-filled life. The wills of mature Christians are spring-loaded toward the Spirit. They occasionally make poor choices, but they have learned to ignore the flesh and walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul defines what it means to walk by the Spirit in Galatians 5:16– 18: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” Actually, this passage mainly tells us what walking by the Spirit is not, but that is helpful because it gives us two parameters within which we can freely live.

What the Spirit-Filled Walk Is Not

First, Paul said that walking according to the Spirit is not license. License is a disregard for rules and regulations constituting an abuse of privilege. Some Christians wrongly assert that walking by the Spirit and living under grace means they can do whatever they want. But living by the Spirit doesn’t mean you are free to do whatever you want to do—that would be license. It means you are free to live a responsible, moral life—something you were incapable of doing when you were in bondage to sin. Many years ago I was invited to speak to a religion class at a Catholic high school on the topic of Protestant Christianity. At the end of my talk, a student raised his hand and asked, “Do you have a lot of don’ts in your religion?” I answered, “I don’t think I have any that God doesn’t, but I think what you are really asking me is, ‘Do I have any freedom?’” He nodded in agreement. “Sure, I’m free to do whatever I want to do,” I answered. His face mirrored his disbelief. “Get serious,” he said. I responded, “Well, can’t I? I suppose I am free to make the decision to rob a bank. But I’m mature enough to realize that I would be in bondage to that act for the rest of my life. I would always have to look over my shoulder wondering if I would someday be caught. I would have to cover up my crime, possibly go into hiding, and eventually pay for what I did. I’m also free to tell a lie. But if I told a lie, I would have to remember who I told the lie to and what I told them.” What some people think is freedom is actually license that leads to bondage. Freedom doesn’t just lie in the exercise of choice; it ultimately lies in the consequences of those choices. The Spirit of Truth will always lead us to freedom, but the desires of the flesh will lead us to sin and bondage. The commandments of God are not restrictive; they are protective. Real freedom is the ability to choose to live responsibly within the context of the protective guidelines God has established for us. Second, walking by the Spirit is also not legalism. “If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law” (Galatians 5:18). If you want to relate to God purely on the basis of moral law, then you need to listen to Paul’s words in Galatians 3:10: “For as many as are of

the works of the Law are under a curse.” You will be a driven person or a guilt-ridden dropout. “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law” (Galatians 3:21). The law is powerless to give life. Telling people that what they are doing is wrong does not give them the power to stop doing it. Legalistic Christians have been notorious for trying to legislate spirituality with don’ts: Christians don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t dance, don’t attend movies, don’t play cards, don’t wear makeup, and so on. Others may claim not to be legalistic, but all they have done is gone from “don’t do this and don’t do that” to “do this and do that.” We are “servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). The law also has the capacity to stimulate the desire to do what it intended to prohibit (see Romans 7:5–8)! Let me illustrate. What happens when you tell a child, “You can go here, but you can’t go there”? The moment you say that, where does the child want to go? There! He probably didn’t even want to go there until you told him he couldn’t go. To further illustrate, a Christian school published a list of movies the students were prohibited from watching. Guess which ones they all wanted to see? Why is the forbidden fruit the most desirable? Apparently it was in the garden of Eden as well. Christianity is a relationship, not a ritual or a religious code of ethics. We could not keep the commandments by human effort living under the law. The law was a “tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). In Christ we can actually live by faith according to the righteous laws of God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Suppose you were walking along a very narrow mountain road. On the right side is a cliff too steep to climb down and too high to jump off. On the other side of the road is a roaring forest fire. Ahead of you is a church, and a roaring lion is behind you. Which way do you run? Off to your right is an option. Just sail off that cliff. Can you imagine the initial thrill? There are serious consequences to that decision, though, like the sudden stop at the end. That is the nature of temptation. If it didn’t initially look good, you wouldn’t be tempted.

Giving in to temptation always has serious consequences. When people advocate free sex, they are advocating license that has deadly consequences to meaningful relationships and can even be fatal. On the left is another option, but you will be burned by legalism as well. The accuser will give you no peace when you try to live under the law. The only path to freedom is straight ahead, but no church building or group of people will provide an adequate sanctuary. The devil is roaring around like a hungry lion seeking someone to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8), and your only sanctuary is your position in Christ. No physical place can provide a spiritual sanctuary for you on planet earth.

What the Spirit-Filled Walk Is If the Spirit-filled walk is neither license nor legalism, then what is it? It is liberty. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Our freedom in Christ is one of the most precious benefits we have received from our spiritual union with God. Because the Spirit of the Lord is in you, you are free to become the person God created you to be. You are no longer compelled to walk according to the flesh as you were before conversion. You are not even compelled to walk according to the Spirit, but you are inwardly bent in that direction. You have the choice to walk according to the Spirit or walk according to the flesh. Walking according to the Spirit implies two things. First, walking by the Spirit is not sitting in some holy piety, expecting God to do it all. Second, it is not running in the Spirit. The Spirit-filled life is not an endless round of exhausting activities in which we are trying to do it all by ourselves. Thinking we will become more spiritual if we try harder is a typical error of many believers. If Satan can’t tempt us to be immoral, he will simply try to make us busy. How much fruit can we bear if we try to do it all by ourselves? None! Apart from Christ, we can do nothing (see John 15:5). How much gets accomplished in the kingdom of God if we expect God to

do it all by himself? Not much! God has committed himself in this age to work through the church (see Ephesians 3:10). We have the privilege to water and plant, and God causes the increase (see 1 Corinthians 3:6–9). If we don’t water and plant, nothing grows. A pastor was working in his garden one day when one of his deacons paid a visit. “My, the Lord sure gave you a beautiful garden,” the deacon said. To which the pastor responded, “You should have seen it when God had it by himself.” The partnership we have with God is illustrated by Jesus in Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavyladen, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” In His youth, Jesus was a carpenter. In those days, carpenters didn’t frame houses; they fashioned wooden doors and yokes. Jesus metaphorically used those products to describe the spiritual life. For instance, Jesus is the door to spiritual life (see John 10:9), and a yoke is a wooden beam that fits over the shoulders of two oxen. How well does the yoke work if only one person is in it? You would be better off not having it on you. It only works if two are yoked together and pulling in the same direction. A young ox is trained by putting him in a yoke with an old, seasoned ox who “learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). The typical nature of the young ox is to think the pace is too slow and to run ahead, but all it would get is a sore neck. “Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:30–31). Some young oxen will be tempted to drop out, but life goes on and the debts pile up. Others will be tempted to stray off to the left or the right. Then one day the smart young ox thinks, This old ox knows what he is doing; I think I will learn from Him. I once owned a rather dumb dog named Buster. I bought a choke chain and sent Buster off to dog obedience school with my son. It didn’t work. One day I thought I would take Buster for a walk. I said walk, not run. I put the choke chain on Buster and off we went. I was

the master and I knew where I wanted to go on this “walk.” Buster just about choked himself to death trying to run ahead, but I was determined to be the master and walk at my pace. Then he would stop and sniff a flower or something, but I kept on walking. “Did that dumb dog ever learn to walk by its master?” you ask. No, it never did, and I have met a lot of Christians who haven’t either. Some try to run ahead of God and burn out. Others fall into temptation and stray off to the left or the right. Some just drop out even though their Master is saying, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). We can find rest for our souls if we learn to live by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Being Led by the Spirit We are also being “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14). The Lord used another metaphor to describe our relationship with Him. He is the Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. Sheep need to be shepherded. I know, because as a farm boy in Minnesota, I had the privilege of being a shepherd. In the spring after the snow melted, we would herd the sheep along the roadside for them to eat the fresh green grass. We had to keep them moving or they would eat until they bloated and died. We chased them from the back, just as an Australian sheep dog barks at the heels of the sheep. While studying in Israel, I watched a shepherd tend his flock on a hillside outside Bethlehem. The shepherd sat on a rock while the sheep grazed. Then he stood up, said a few words to the sheep, and walked away. The sheep looked up and followed him. Unlike my experience of chasing the sheep from the back, the shepherds of Israel led from the front—even to this day. What Jesus said in John 10:27 took on new meaning to me: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” Paul said, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

The Proof Is in the Fruit How can you know if you are walking according to the flesh or according to the Spirit? Take a look at your life. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying . . . and things like these” (Galatians 5:19–21). These deeds are spiritually dead acts that do not reflect the life of Christ. So if people have outbursts of anger, are they living according to the Spirit? Can they blame someone else for their outburst of anger? No, that is a deed of their flesh. Jesus said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man” (Mark 7:20). We should have enough self-awareness to know when we are living according to the flesh and assume responsibility for our own attitudes and actions. We are admonished to walk in the light and to confess our sins, which means to consciously agree with God. When a deed of the flesh becomes evident, mentally acknowledge that to God and ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. The more you practice that simple little discipline, the more you will live according to the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Notice it said fruit, not fruits of the Spirit. Fruit comes from something that is living. It is the result of abiding in Christ, and the ultimate expression is love, which is the character of God. “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16).

Getting Unstuck Nancy is fifty years old and exhibits many maladaptive psychological, physical, and spiritual symptoms. She feels lethargic about life, struggles with interpersonal relationships at home, and doesn’t seem to connect at church. So she makes an appointment to

see her doctor, who discovers that her blood sugar levels are high. In spite of the fact that Nancy is overweight, the doctor doesn’t question her about her eating habits or lack of exercise. Her spiritual condition isn’t considered an option for treatment, so the doctor gives Nancy a prescription for an oral diabetes medication to treat her pre-diabetic symptoms. Nancy dutifully takes her medication and makes an appointment to see her pastor. He listens patiently about her struggle with depression and family problems. He asks about her prayer and devotional life, which are virtually nonexistent. He suggests that she spend more time with God on a daily basis and recommends a good book to read instead of being glued to her television or cell phone. Meanwhile, she continues her same eating habits and tries to improve her spiritual disciplines. The medication for her pre-diabetic condition gives her chronic indigestion, so she starts taking an H2 blocker, which reduces her digestive symptoms. However, now her stomach acid—which was low to begin with—is practically nonexistent. Consequently, she is not digesting food as well, which reduces her nutritional absorption. The medication also puts more stress on her kidneys, and because her estrogen level is low, she contracts a urinary tract infection. Nancy’s doctor puts her on antibiotics for the condition, but that lowers her immune system and kills all the beneficial bacteria in her colon. The result is a bad case of the flu, which she can’t seem to overcome, and she has constant gas from a colon imbalance. Nancy starts taking antihistamines for a sinus infection, and her doctor recommends a hysterectomy to solve her urinary tract problem. The advice seems logical, so Nancy has the surgery and starts taking synthetic hormones, which make her feel depressed. She sees a psychiatrist, who prescribes an antidepressant. Nancy is now taking diabetic medication, an H2 blocker, antihistamines, synthetic hormones, and an antidepressant. She’s exhausted all the time, mentally flaky, emotionally withdrawn, and waiting for the next inevitable health problem. Let’s imagine this another way. Instead of seeing her doctor, Nancy decides to confide with an encourager at church, who asks about her past and her present lifestyle. The encourager senses that

Nancy has some unresolved personal and spiritual issues and invites her to attend a small group that is going to start a Freedom in Christ course. Nancy’s first inclination is to decline the offer, because another night out sounds too tiring for someone as exhausted as she. However, her friend reminds her that it would be good for her to get away from family responsibilities once a week and do something for herself for a change. Reluctantly, Nancy agrees to go to the Bible study. Her friend recognizes that she needs a lifestyle change and invites Nancy to go with her to the YMCA to start an exercise program that isn’t too extreme. Nancy meets a new friend, who shares how she lost several pounds just by eating smarter. The two agree to meet and discuss proper nutrition. Several months later, Nancy has found her freedom in Christ and has discovered what it means to be a child of God. Because of the encouragement of her friend, she has stuck it out at the YMCA, and her energy level has increased significantly, due partly to her new eating habits. She has lost twenty pounds, her blood sugar is normal, and she has made new friends at the YMCA and at the small group Bible study.

6 THE POWER OF BELIEVING THE TRUTH Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. Hebrews 11:1–3

In a rural community near Nashville, Tennessee, a little girl was born with major health problems that left her crippled. She was the youngest of a large Christian family. While her brothers and sisters enjoyed running and playing outside, she was confined to braces. Her parents took her into Nashville periodically for physical therapy, but the little girl’s hope for recovery was dim. “Will I ever be able to run and play like the other children?” she asked her parents. “Honey, you only have to believe,” they responded. “You have to trust in God because with God, all things are possible.” She took her parents’ counsel to heart and began to believe that God could enable her to walk without braces. Unbeknownst to her parents and doctors, she practiced walking without her braces with the aid of her brothers and sisters. On her twelfth birthday, she surprised her elders by removing her braces and walking around the doctor’s office unassisted. Her doctors couldn’t believe her progress. She never wore braces again. Her next goal was to play basketball. She courageously exercised her faith—as well as her underdeveloped legs—and tried out for the school basketball team. The coach selected her older sister for the

team, but she was told she wasn’t good enough to play. Her father told the coach, “My daughters come in pairs. If you want one, you have to take the other also.” Reluctantly, the coach added the girl to the team. She was given an outdated uniform and worked out with the other players. One day she approached the coach. “If you will give me an extra ten minutes of coaching every day, I’ll give you a world-class athlete.” He laughed, then realized she was serious. He halfheartedly agreed to give her some additional time playing twoon-two with her best friend and a couple of boys. Before long, her determination started to pay off. She exhibited athletic skill and courage, and soon she was one of the team’s best players. Her team went to the state basketball championships. One of the referees at the tournament noticed her ability and asked if she had ever tried out for track. The referee, who also happened to be the coach of the internationally famous Tiger Belles track club, encouraged her to try running. So after the basketball season, she tried out for track. She began running and winning races. She also earned a berth in the state’s track championships. By the age of sixteen, she was known as one of the best young runners in the country. She went to the Olympics in Australia and won a bronze medal for anchoring the 400-meter relay team. Not satisfied with her accomplishment, she worked diligently for four more years and returned to the Olympics in Rome in 1960. There, Wilma Rudolph won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team—all in world-record times. She capped the year by receiving the prestigious Sullivan Award as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Wilma Rudolph’s faith and hard work had paid off, and she became a much sought-after motivational speaker. When you hear inspiring stories of faith, do you wonder if that only applies to exceptional people, or is faith what makes ordinary people exceptional? The Bible’s “Hall of Fame” in Hebrews chapter 11 would argue for the latter. All of them “gained approval through their faith” (11:39). “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the

wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:26–29).

The Essence of Faith Consider how important faith is. You are saved by faith (see Ephesians 2:8–9), and you “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). In other words, faith is essential for our salvation, the means by which we live, and the only way to please God. What could possibly be more important to understand than the operating principles of faith? Before we consider three core principles of faith, keep in mind that faith is a noun (pistis), while believe and trust, which are often used interchangeably, are verbs (pisteuo). When used as a noun, the emphasis is on what you believe. Believing and trusting in someone or something is more than just mental assent. It is a demonstrated reliance on the object of the belief.

1. Faith Depends on Its Object Everyone lives by faith. The only difference between Christian faith and non-Christian faith is the object of our faith. The critical issue is what you believe or who you believe in. Telling people to live by faith is invalid if they have no understanding of what they believe or who they believe in. You can’t have faith in faith. Faith has no validity without an object. Faith is the primary operating principle of life. Suppose you are driving a car and see a green light. You would probably drive through the intersection without giving your action a second thought, and you would do so by faith. First, you believed the light was red in the other

direction, even though you couldn’t see it. Second, you believed the drivers coming from the other direction saw the red light and would stop. Third, you believed the traffic light was operating properly. That is a lot of faith in humanity and mechanical devices. If you didn’t believe that, you wouldn’t drive through the intersection, or you would proceed very cautiously. We trust people or things that have proven to be reliable over an extended period of time. What happens when the object of your faith proves unreliable? You give up on it—maybe not immediately, but how many failures would you tolerate before saying “never again”? Once faith is lost, it is very difficult to regain. Your ability to believe isn’t the problem; it is the object of your faith that has proven to be untrustworthy. If you have had a few auto accidents as a result of careless drivers, your ability to trust other drivers may be seriously shaken, and rightfully so. That is why relationships are so fragile. One act of unfaithfulness can all but destroy a marriage. You can forgive your spouse and commit yourself to make the marriage work, but it will take months and even years to gain back the trust that was lost. You would be foolish to trust someone or something that has proven to be unreliable. The most accepted faith object by the world’s population is the fixed order of the universe, primarily the solar system. You set your watch, plan your calendar, and schedule your day believing that the earth will continue to rotate on its axis and revolve around the sun at its current rate. If the earth’s orbit shifted just a few degrees and the sun appeared two hours late, the whole world would be thrown into chaos. So far, the laws governing the physical universe have been among the most trustworthy faith objects in the natural world. The ultimate faith object, of course, is not the sun, but the Son, because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). The fact that God is immutable is what makes Him eminently trustworthy (see Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6). God cannot change, nor can His Word. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). This eternal consistency is what makes God faithful and why we can put our trust in Him.

2. How Much Faith You Have Is Dependent Upon How Well You Know the Object of Your Faith When people struggle with their faith in God, it is not because their faith object has failed or is insufficient. It is because they don’t have a true and complete knowledge of God and His ways. Some are disappointed when God doesn’t respond the way they wanted Him to. God will never change who He is or change His ways to accommodate us. When people are disappointed in God, they naturally revert back to trusting in their own resources, which is not something to boast about. “Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me’” (Jeremiah 9:23–24; see also 1 Corinthians 1:31). If you want your faith in God to increase, you must increase your knowledge of God and His ways. If you have little knowledge of God and His Word, you will have little faith. If you have great knowledge of God and His Word, you can potentially have great faith. Faith cannot be pumped up by coaxing yourself, If only I can believe! If only I can believe! You can believe, because belief is a choice, not a feeling. Any attempt to step out in faith beyond what you know to be true about God and His ways is to move from faith to presumption. You choose to believe God based on what you know to be true from His Word. The only way to increase your faith is to increase your understanding of divine revelation. That is why Paul wrote that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). The only limit to your faith is your knowledge and understanding of God, which grows every time you read your Bible, memorize Scripture, participate in a Bible study, or meditate on His Word. Can you see the practical, tangible potential for your faith to grow as you endeavor to know God through His Word? You are limited only by the infinite nature of God!

God is under no obligation to humankind. We can’t maneuver or manipulate God through prayer. He is under obligation to himself, and to remain faithful to His covenant promises and His Word. We have a covenant relationship with God that we can count on being true. If God declares something to be true, you simply believe Him and live accordingly by faith. If God didn’t say it, no amount of faith in the world will make it so. Believing doesn’t make God’s Word true. His Word is true; therefore, we believe it. Faith grows as our confidence in God grows. When my son, Karl, was a toddler, I stood him up on a table and encouraged him to jump into my arms. He wavered in unbelief for a moment and then fell into my arms. Then I stood back a little bit farther, which made the step of faith a little bit bigger. Then one day I took him outside and put him on a low tree limb and encouraged him to jump. This was a greater leap of faith, but he did it. As he continues to climb the tree of life, however, I cannot remain the ultimate object of his faith. There was a time when Karl thought I could answer any question and defeat any foe, but that would diminish. We have an obligation as parents to do more than lead our children to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to help them understand their spiritual identity and heritage. The ultimate object of their faith changes when they become children of God. I can’t go everywhere my children go, but God can and He does.

3. Faith Is an Action Word When I was encouraging Karl to take a step of faith, did he believe I would catch him? Yes. How did I know he believed? Because he jumped. Suppose he wouldn’t jump. Suppose I asked Karl, “Do you believe I will catch you?” and he answered, “Yes,” but never jumped. Did Karl really believe I would catch him if he didn’t jump? The answer is no, according to James. It is just wishful thinking. James says, “Faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, ‘You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works’” (James 2:17–18). Real faith is demonstrated by our works. Everything we do

is essentially a product of what we have chosen to believe. People don’t always live according to what they profess, but they do live according to what they believe.

Distortions of Faith “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:17). Such faith that results in no action isn’t faith at all. New Age proponents say, “If you believe hard enough, it will become true.” Christians say, “It is true; therefore, we believe it.” Believing something doesn’t make it true, and not believing something doesn’t make it false. There is another distortion of faith that is partially truth. Jesus said, “For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20). It is correct to point out that the mountain doesn’t move until you say it. In other words, even the smallest faith doesn’t work until it is acted upon, which is the emphasis of the passage in Matthew 17. The error is to believe that the mountain has to move simply because we say it. We cannot make up whatever it is that we want to believe, and that it has to happen simply because we stepped out in faith. Such thinking is similar to New Age practitioners who claim we can create reality with our minds. To do that, we would have to be gods, and that is what they teach. There is only one Creator, and only One who can speak anything into existence. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26), and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, but we have never been given the privilege to determine for ourselves what we want to believe. The New Agers want us to believe we are God, and the “name it and claim it” proponents want us to act as though we are God. God admonishes His children to believe Him and live accordingly by faith. From the beginning, Satan has tempted us to question God’s word (see Genesis 3:1). In the High Priestly Prayer in John 17, Jesus doesn’t ask that we be taken out of the world, but that we be kept

from the evil one. Instead He prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (v. 17). Mature believers don’t question God’s written word, but they do sense another tension of faith, which is related to God’s guidance. Are they hearing God’s voice (see John 10:27), or are they paying attention to a deceiving spirit (1 Timothy 4:1)? Lacking discernment, naïve believers are heard saying, “God told me last night,” and what they are told turned out not to be true. Satan’s intention is to discredit God, and show Him to be untrustworthy. On the other hand, even mature believers can be prompted by the Spirit to say or do something, but are hesitant to step out in faith. Being confident in God’s leading takes time and discernment. “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). When the church limps along in unbelief, it is viewed as an infirmary where sick people go. The church is not an infirmary; it is a military outpost under orders to storm the gates of hell. Every believer is on active duty, called to take part in fulfilling the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19–20). Thankfully, the church has an infirmary that ministers to the casualties of war, but the infirmary exists for the purpose of the military outpost. Our real calling is to be change agents in the world, taking a stand, living by faith, and fulfilling our purpose for being here. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you cannot, either way you are right.” Motivational speakers understand the problem of unbelief. They stress the power of positive thinking, which is illustrated in the following poem: If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t. If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t, It is almost a cinch you won’t. If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost; For out in this world we find Success begins with a person’s will It’s all in the state of mind. If you think you’re outclassed, you are; You’ve got to think high to rise. You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win the prize. Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger or faster man; But sooner or later the person who wins Is the one who thinks he can!1

Consider what the world has accomplished just by believing in itself. How much more could we accomplish if we really believed in God? The Christian community has been somewhat reluctant to buy in to the power of positive thinking, and for good reason. We are not called to just think positive thoughts; we are called to think the truth. Without God as the object of our faith, thinking is merely a function of the mind that cannot exceed its input and attributes. Attempting to push the mind beyond its limitations will result only in moving from the world of reality to fantasy. The Christian, however, has far greater potential for success in life through the power of believing the truth. Belief incorporates the mind but is not limited by it. Faith actually transcends the limitations of the mind and incorporates the real but unseen world. The believer’s faith is as valid as its object, which is the living (Christ) and written (Bible) Word of God. If you have the infinite God of the universe as the object of your Christian faith, you can go wherever God leads you. Someone has said that success comes in “cans” and failure in “cannots.” Believing you can live a victorious Christian life takes no more effort than believing you cannot. So why not believe that you can walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit; that you can resist the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and that you can grow as a Christian? It is your choice. The following Twenty Cans of Success, drawn from God’s Word, will expand your knowledge of our faith object: the almighty God. Building your faith by internalizing these truths will lift you from the miry clay of the cannots to sit with Christ in the heavenlies.

Twenty Cans of Success

1. Why should I say I can’t when the Bible says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)? 2. Why should I worry about my needs when I know that God will take care of all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)? 3. Why should I fear when the Bible says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV)? 4. Why should I lack faith to live for Christ when God has given me a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)? 5. Why should I be weak when the Bible says that the Lord is the strength of my life and that I will display strength and take action because I know God (Psalm 27:1; Daniel 11:32)? 6. Why should I allow Satan control over my life when He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4)? 7. Why should I accept defeat when the Bible says that God always leads me in victory (2 Corinthians 2:14)? 8. Why should I lack wisdom when I know that Christ became wisdom to me from God, and God gives wisdom to me generously when I ask Him for it (1 Corinthians 1:30; James 1:5)? 9. Why should I be depressed when I have hope and can recall to mind God’s loving-kindness, compassion, and faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21–23)? 10. Why should I worry and be upset when I can cast all my anxieties on Christ who cares for me (1 Peter 5:7)? 11. Why should I ever be in bondage knowing that there is freedom where the Spirit of the Lord is (2 Corinthians 3:17)? 12. Why should I feel condemned when the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)? 13. Why should I feel alone when Jesus said He is with me always and He will never leave me nor forsake me (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)? 14. Why should I feel as if I’m cursed or have bad luck when the Bible says that Christ rescued me from the curse of the law

15. 16.

17. 18. 19. 20.

that I might receive His Spirit by faith (Galatians 3:13–14)? Why should I be unhappy when I, like Paul, can learn to be content whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:11)? Why should I feel worthless when Christ became sin for me so that I might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)? Why should I feel helpless in the presence of others when I know that if God is for me, who can be against me (Romans 8:31)? Why should I be confused when God is the author of peace and He gives me knowledge through His Spirit who lives in me (1 Corinthians 2:12; 14:33)? Why should I feel like a failure when I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loved me (Romans 8:37)? Why should I let the pressures of life bother me when I can take courage knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and its problems (John 16:33)?

What Happens When I Stumble in My Walk of Faith? Have you ever thought God is ready to give up on you because, instead of walking confidently in faith, you sometimes stumble and fall? Do you ever fear that there is a limit to God’s tolerance for your failure and that you are walking dangerously near that outer barrier or have already crossed it? Many Christians are defeated by that kind of thinking. They believe God is upset with them, that He is ready to dump them, or that He has already given up on them because their daily performance is less than perfect. It is true that the walk of faith can sometimes be interrupted by moments of personal unbelief, rebellion, or even satanic deception. During those moments, we think God has surely lost His patience with us and is ready to give up on us. We will probably give up if we think God has. We stop walking by faith in God, slump dejectedly by

the side of the road, and wonder, What’s the use? We feel defeated; our purpose for being here is suspended and Satan is elated.

God Loves You Just the Way You Are The primary truth you need to know about God for your faith to remain strong is that His love and acceptance are unconditional. When your walk of faith is strong, God loves you. When your walk of faith is weak, God loves you. When you are strong one moment and weak the next, God still loves you. God loves you, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). It is His nature to love you. Unlike our faith, the love of God is not dependent on the object of His love. When Mandy came to see me, she appeared to have her life all together. She was a Christian and very active in church. She had led her alcoholic father to Christ on his deathbed. She was an attractive woman with a nice husband and two wonderful children, but she had attempted suicide at least three times. “How can God love me?” Mandy sobbed. “I’m such a failure, such a mess.” “Mandy, God loves you not because you are lovable, but because it is His nature to love you. God simply loves you—period—because God is love.” “But when I screw up I don’t feel like He loves me,” she argued. “You can’t trust your feelings. God loves all His children all the time, whether we do good or bad. That’s the heart of God. When the ninety-nine sheep were safe in the fold, the heart of the shepherd was with the one that was lost. When the prodigal son squandered his life and inheritance, the heart of his father was with him, and he lovingly welcomed his son home. Those parables reveal that God’s heart is full of love for us even when we are lost.” “But I’ve tried to take my own life. How can God overlook that?” “Suppose your son grew despondent and tried to take his own life. Would you love him any less? Would you kick him out of the family? Would you turn your back on him?” “Of course not. If anything, I’d feel sorry for him and try to love him more.”

“Do you believe that God isn’t as good a parent as you—an imperfect person—are to your children?” This helped Mandy start to recognize that God, her heavenly Father, loves and forgives all His children.

The Advocate Versus the Adversary Of course God wants us to do well. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). We aren’t perfect, but God has made provision for that as well. The apostle John wrote, “I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1–2 NIV). We also have an adversary who accuses us “before our God day and night” (Revelation 12:10). Your advocate, Jesus Christ, however, is more powerful than your adversary. He has canceled the debt of your past, present, and future sins. Because He loves you, He will discipline you in order that you “may share His holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). When our children were small, a young couple who were their babysitters gave them each a hamster. My children named their hamsters after the couple. Karl’s was Johnny and Heidi’s was Patty. One night I came home from work and my wife met me at the door. “You’d better go talk to Karl,” she said solemnly. “What’s the matter?” “I think Karl threw Johnny this afternoon.” I went to Karl and asked him, “Did you throw Johnny this afternoon?” “No,” he answered firmly. “Yes he did, yes he did,” Heidi accused, as only a big sister can. They argued back and forth, but Karl would not admit to throwing his hamster.

Unfortunately for Karl, there was an eyewitness that afternoon. When I asked Heidi’s friend if Karl had thrown the hamster, she said he did. Again I confronted Karl, this time 100 percent knowing what Karl had done. “Karl, throwing Johnny is not that big a deal. But you need to be honest with me. Did you throw Johnny?” “No.” “Karl, tell me the truth. Did you throw Johnny?” “No.” Karl wouldn’t confess, and I was frustrated and gave up. A couple days later, Joanne met me at the door again. “You’d better go talk to Karl.” “What’s wrong this time?” “Johnny died.” I found Karl in the backyard mourning over his little hamster, which was stretched out on a small piece of cloth. We talked about death and dying, then buried Johnny and went to the pet store to buy a new hamster. (While I was there, I also got sucked into buying a tweety bird!) I thought the incident had ended, but the next day, Joanne met me at the door again. “Now what’s the problem?” I sighed. “Karl dug up Johnny.” I again found Karl in the backyard mourning over the stiff, dirtencrusted hamster lying on a piece of cloth. “Karl, I think the problem is that we didn’t give Johnny a Christian funeral.” So I made a little cross out of two sticks, and Karl and I talked about death and dying some more. Then we buried Johnny again and placed the cross on top of the little grave. “Karl, I think you need to pray now,” I said. This was his prayer: “Dear Jesus, help me not to throw my new hamster.” What I couldn’t coax out of him through questioning, God worked out in his heart. Why did Karl lie to me? He thought if he admitted to throwing his pet, I wouldn’t love him. He was willing to lie so he could hold on to

my love and respect, which he feared he would lose if he admitted his wrongdoing. I reached down and wrapped my arms around my little son. “Karl, I want you to know something. No matter what you do in life, I’m always going to love you. You can be honest with me and tell me the truth. I may not approve of everything you do, but I’m always going to love you.” What I expressed to Karl that day is a small reflection of the love God has for you. He says to you, “I want you to know something. No matter what you do in life, I’m always going to love you. You can be honest with me and tell me the truth. I may not approve of everything you do, but I’m always going to love you.”

7 YOU CAN’T LIVE BEYOND WHAT YOU BELIEVE Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward for what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12–14

Walking by faith is a little bit like playing golf. When my son, Karl, was about seven years old, I introduced him to the game of golf. I gave him a starter set of clubs and took him to the golf course. Karl would tee up his ball and swing with his mightiest swing, spraying the ball all over the place. Because he could only hit the ball sixty or seventy yards, his direction could be off by 15 degrees and his ball would still be in the fairway. A year later, Karl was driving the ball 150 yards. If he is 15 degrees off center at that distance, his ball is probably in the rough. Years later, his 300-yard drives were soaring out of bounds when off by 15 degrees. The Christian walk is a direct result of what we believe. If our faith is off, our walk will be off. If our walk is off, we need to take a good look at what we believe. Jesus walked right down the center of the fairway, but the rest of us will stray to the right and the left, occasionally struggle in the rough, or tragically find ourselves out of bounds. Suppose your walk is 15 degrees off the center line of truth.

You may still be in the fairway of life when you are young, but if you continue to live the same way for many years, life may start to get a little rough. Eventually you may find yourself out of bounds and experiencing a midlife crisis. You thought you understood what constituted success, fulfillment, and satisfaction, but now you are discovering that what you had believed about life wasn’t quite true. For instance, we can feast on a steady diet of hamburgers and French fries for a while, but eventually it will catch up with us. Walking by faith simply means that you live every day on the basis of what you believe. In fact, you are already walking by faith—you can’t not walk by faith. If your behavior is off, you need to correct what you believe because your misbehavior is the result of your disbelief. The writer of Hebrews said, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (13:7). He didn’t say imitate their conduct. Take a few minutes to complete the following Faith Appraisal. Evaluate yourself in each of the eight categories by circling a number from one to five that best represents you, five being high. Then complete each of the eight statements as concisely and truthfully as possible.

Faith Appraisal   

Low   High

1 2 3 4 5 1. How successful am I? I would be more successful if . . .

2. How significant am I? I would be more significant if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

3. How fulfilled am I? I would be more fulfilled if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

4. How satisfied am I? I would be more satisfied if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

  

Low   High

5. How happy am I? I would be happier if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

6. How much fun am I having? I would have more fun if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

7. How secure am I? I would be more secure if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

8. How peaceful am I? I would have more peace if . . .

1 2 3 4 5

How you completed the statements above reveals what you presently believe. You are right now walking by faith according to what you believe. Assuming your basic physiological needs (food, shelter, safety, and so on) are met, you are motivated to live a successful, significant, fulfilled, satisfied, happy, fun, secure, and peaceful life. That is perfectly fine, because God hasn’t called you to be an insecure, insignificant, unfulfilled failure. Chances are you may not have the same definitions for these eight qualities of life that God does, and therefore your walk by faith may not be achieving what you want.

Feelings Are God’s Red Flags of Warning From birth you have been developing in your mind a means for experiencing these eight values and reaching other goals in life. Consciously or subconsciously, you continue to formulate and adjust your plans for achieving these goals. Sometimes, however, well-intended goals are not in harmony with God’s plan for our lives. How can we know if what we believe is best for us actually isn’t? Must we wait until we are forty-five years old and experiencing a midlife crisis to discover that what we believed was wrong?

God has designed us in such a way that we can know on a moment-by-moment basis if our belief system is aligned with His truth. God has created us with a feedback system designed to validate or invalidate our goals and beliefs. Anger, anxiety, and depression are emotional signposts alerting us that we may be pursuing a faulty goal based on a wrong belief.

Anger Signals a Blocked Goal We feel angry when something or somebody is preventing us from accomplishing a goal. Anger is often about control—or the lack of it. We may sense no anger living in the controlled environment of our homes, but we get angry when snarled traffic keeps us from reaching our destination on time. The first sign of anger is our selftalk. “Get off the phone, you idiot! Come on, the light changed thirty seconds ago!” Our homes aren’t always a controlled environment either. Suppose the goal of a wife and mother is to have a loving, harmonious, happy Christian family. Who can block that goal? Every person in her family can block that goal—and not only can but will! A homemaker clinging to the belief that her sense of worth is dependent upon how her family behaves will crash and burn every time her husband or children fail to meet her goal of family harmony. She could become an angry and controlling woman or a defeated victim of life’s circumstances. Either option could drive family members further away from her and each other. Suppose a pastor’s goal is to reach his community for Christ. Good goal? It is a legitimate desire, but if his sense of worth and success as a pastor is dependent upon that happening, he will experience a lot of emotional turmoil. Every person in the community can block his goal. Furthermore, members of the church board may even try to block his goal. One Sunday morning I was trying to hustle my family into the car so we could get to church on time. I had been waiting in the car for several minutes before I stomped back into the house and shouted angrily, “Heidi, where are you? We should have left for church fifteen

minutes ago!” There was an awkward silence, then my daughter’s voice floated around the corner from her bedroom: “What’s the matter, Dad, am I blocking your goal?” That was not what I wanted to hear on my way to church!

Anxiety Signals an Uncertain Goal You will likely feel anxious when your goal is uncertain. You are hoping something will happen, but you have no guarantee it will. You can control some of the factors, but not all of them. For example, a teenager may believe her happiness depends on her parents’ allowing her to attend a school dance. She feels anxious, not knowing how they will respond. If they say no, she will likely be angry because she really wanted to go, and her goal will be blocked. If she knows all along that there is no possible chance of their saying yes, she may mope around the house feeling depressed. Her parents probably don’t even have a clue why she is depressed because she never even bothered to ask them if she could go.

Depression Signals an Impossible Goal When you base your future on something that can never happen, you have an impossible, hopeless goal. Depression may be signaling that your goal, no matter how spiritual or noble, may never be reached. We can be depressed for biochemical reasons, but if there is no physical cause, then depression is often rooted in a sense of hopelessness or helplessness. I was speaking at a church conference on depression when a woman who was attending invited my wife and me to her home for dinner with her family. The woman had been a Christian for twenty years, but her husband was not a believer. After I arrived, I quickly realized that the real reason this woman had invited us over was to win her husband to Christ.

I discovered later that the woman had been depressed for years. Her psychiatrist insisted that her depression was endogenous, and she dutifully took her medicine. I believe, however, her depression was more related to her circumstances. For twenty years she had tried to win her husband and children to Christ. She had prayed for them, witnessed to them, and invited guest preachers for dinner. She had said everything she could say and done everything she could do, but to no avail. As the futility of her efforts loomed larger, her faith faltered, her hope dimmed, and her depression grew. We had a nice dinner, and I had an enjoyable conversation with her husband. He was a decent man who adequately provided for the physical needs of his family, but he simply didn’t see any need for God in his life. I shared my testimony and tried to be a positive witness, but to no avail. Her depression negatively affected the atmosphere in the home and her ability to be an effective witness. We should, of course, desire that loved ones come to Christ. The problem is that we have no control over the results of successful witnessing. Witnessing is sharing our faith in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. We can’t save anyone. Depression often signals that we are clinging to a goal we have little or no chance of achieving, which is not a healthy goal. Believers can have a faulty concept of God, leading to depression. David wrote, “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” (Psalms 13:1–2 NIV). God couldn’t forget David for a minute, much less forever. God is omniscient. Our hope is in God, but if we think He has forgotten us, then we may end up depressed like David. David, however, didn’t stay depressed. Reason returned, and he said, “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation” (v. 5). Then he put his recovered faith into action: “I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me” (v. 6). With God all things are possible. He is the God of all hope. Turn to God when you are feeling down, as David did. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in

God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Psalms 43:5).

Wrong Responses to Those Who Impede Our Goals Some people will try to control circumstances and people if they believe that their success is dependent upon achieving a certain goal. Suppose a pastor’s goal is to have the finest youth ministry in the community. However, one of his board members attempts to block his goal by insisting that a music ministry is more important. Every attempt by the pastor to hire a youth pastor is vetoed by the influential board member who wants to hire a music director first. So he shifts into a power mode to push the stumbling block out of the way. He lobbies his cause with other board members. He solicits support from denominational leaders. He preaches about the importance of youth ministry to gain congregational support. Suppose a mother believes that her sense of worth depends on how well her children turn out. Her goal is to raise exceptional children who will become doctors and lawyers. However, her children begin to express their independence when they become teenagers, and their behavior doesn’t always match her ideal. She is heading for a collision course if she tries to control them; her children want their freedom. Parenting is an eighteen-year process of letting go, and the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, not child control. Insecure people wrongly believe that their sense of worth is dependent upon the cooperation of others and favorable circumstances. When they can’t control either, they likely will respond by getting angry, or adopt a martyr complex like the woman whose husband wouldn’t come to Christ.

How Can I Turn Bad Goals into Good Goals?

God had a goal for Mary that seemed impossible. An angel announced that she would have a son, and Mary said, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34). The angel responded, “‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word’” (1:37–38). Oh, that we would all have such faith to believe that no God-given goal for our lives can be impossible, uncertain, or blocked. If God wants it done, it can be done. When an authority figure issues a command that cannot be obeyed, the authority of the leader is undermined in the minds of those who are in submission. We don’t assign our children tasks that they can’t complete, and neither does God.

Goals Versus Desires To be successful, we have to distinguish between a godly goal and a godly desire. This liberating distinction can spell the difference between success and failure, between inner peace and inner turmoil. A godly goal is any specific orientation that reflects God’s purpose for our lives and is not dependent on people or circumstances beyond our ability or right to control. Who do we have the ability and right to control? Nobody but ourselves. The only person who can block a godly goal, or render it uncertain or impossible, is ourselves. Godly goals can be reached if we say “may it be done according to your word,” as Mary did. A godly desire is any result that depends on the cooperation of other people, the success of events, or favorable circumstances that we have no right or ability to control. We cannot base our success or sense of worth on our desires, no matter how godly they may be, because we cannot control all the circumstances and people necessary to fulfill them. Some of our desires will be blocked, remain uncertain, and eventually prove to be impossible. Let’s face it, life doesn’t always go our way, and many of our desires will not be met. We will struggle with anger, anxiety, and depression when we elevate a desire to a goal in our minds. By comparison, when a desire isn’t met, we will only face disappointment. Life is full of disappointments, and learning to live with them is an essential part of

maturation. “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:3–5). Tribulations may block our desires, but they aid in our becoming the person God created us to be, and that is God’s goal for our lives. James offers similar counsel: “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, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). Accepting the disappointments of unmet desires is a lot easier than living with the anger, anxiety, and depression of goals that are based on wrong beliefs. Even God distinguishes between a goal and a desire. “‘For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord GOD. ‘Therefore, repent and live’” (Ezekiel 18:32). It is God’s desire that we would all repent and live, but not all will. John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin” (1 John 2:1). Certainly the integrity, sovereignty, and success of God is not dependent upon whether or not we sin. God has no blocked goals. It is God’s desire that everyone repent, although not everyone will. God’s goals cannot be blocked. Jesus Christ will return and take us home to heaven to be with Him forever—it will happen. Satan will be cast into the abyss for eternity—count on it. Rewards will be distributed to the saints for their faithfulness—look forward to it. These are not desires that can be thwarted by the fickle nature of fallen humanity. What God has determined to do, He will do. The homemaker who wants a happy, harmonious family is expressing a godly desire, but one cannot guarantee that it will happen. Her goal is to become the wife and mother God wants her to be. The only one who can block that goal is herself. She may object: “But what if my husband has a midlife crisis or my children rebel?” Trials and tribulations are not blocking her goal to be the wife and mother God called her to be. They will, however, test

her faith. It is during such times that the family needs her to be the wife and mother God has called her to be. The pastor who believes that his success and sense of worth are based on his goal to win his community for Christ, has the best youth ministry in town, or increases giving to missions by 50 percent, is headed for a fall. These are worthwhile desires, but no pastor should deem himself a success or failure based on whether or not they are achieved. His goal is to be the pastor God called him to be, which is the best way to fulfill his desires. No member of his church or community can block that goal.

The Goal Is to Become the Person God Called You to Be It should be obvious by now that God’s goal for our lives is to be like Jesus, i.e., to become the people God created us to be. Sanctification is God’s goal for our lives (see 1 Thessalonians 4:3). Nobody and nothing on earth can keep us from being the person God called us to be. Every day we will struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, each of which stand in opposition to our being godly people. Suppose a Christian woman asked for help because her husband had just left her. What kind of hope could we give her? It may seem comforting to say, “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll win him back,” and that is a legitimate desire, but it is a wrong goal. Attempts to manipulate him to come back may be the same kind of controlling behavior that caused him to leave in the first place. It would be better to say, “I will help you work through this crisis (perseverance) to become the person God wants you to be (proven character). If you haven’t committed yourself to be the wife and mother God has called you to be, would you now? You can’t change him, but you can change yourself, which is the best way to win him back. Even if he doesn’t come back, you can come through this crisis with proven character, and that is where your hope lies.”

By committing to change herself, she is responsibly dealing with what she can control. Her transformation may be just the motivation her husband needs to make personal changes in his own life and to restore the relationship. Trials and tribulations reveal wrong goals, but they can actually be the catalyst for achieving God’s goal for our lives, which is our sanctification. During stressful times, our emotions raise their warning flags, signaling blocked, uncertain, or impossible goals that are based on our desires instead of God’s goal of proven character. Someone may say, “My marriage is hopeless,” and try to solve the problem by changing partners. If you think your first marriage is hopeless, be aware that second marriages are failing at a higher rate. Others think their jobs or churches are hopeless, so they change jobs, only to discover that their new place is just as hopeless. In most cases, we should stay committed where we are and grow up. There may be legitimate times to change jobs or churches, but if we are running from our own immaturity, it will follow us wherever we go. Usually it is difficult tests like these that have brought us to where we are today. Thank God for mountaintop experiences, but the fertile soil for growth is always in the valleys of tribulation, not on the mountaintops. Paul says, “The goal of our instruction is love” (1 Timothy 1:5). Notice that if we make love our goal, then the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy (instead of depression), peace (instead of anxiety), and patience (instead of anger). The following poem expresses well the message of this chapter: “Disappointments—His appointment,” Change one letter, then I see That the thwarting of my purpose Is God’s better choice for me. His appointment must be blessing, Tho’ it may come in disguise, For the end from the beginning Open to His wisdom lies. “Disappointments—His appointment,” No good will He withhold, From denials oft we gather

Treasures of His love untold. Well He knows each broken purpose Leads to fuller, deeper trust, And the end of all His dealings Proves our God is wise and just. “Disappointments—His appointment,” Lord, I take it, then, as such, Like clay in the hands of a potter, Yielding wholly to Thy touch. My life’s plan is Thy molding; Not one single choice be mine; Let me answer, unrepining— Father, not my will, but Thine.1

8 GOD’S GUIDELINES FOR THE WALK OF FAITH Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2 Peter 1:2–4

I was invited to speak at a church retreat the weekend after Mother’s Day. A month before the scheduled time, the pastor called to tell me that the conference center had been double-booked, so the retreat had to be moved ahead one week—to Mother’s Day. He asked if I could still be there, though. I wasn’t about to schedule anything that would take me away from my family on Mother’s Day, but Joanne overheard the conversation and encouraged me to go. That day I visited the gift shop at the retreat center, looking for something to atone for my sin of missing Mother’s Day. I found a cute little basket containing a package of muffin mix and a jar of apple jelly. My plan was to get up early Monday morning and fix a delicious, banquet-style breakfast for Joanne and the kids— complete with eggs, sausage, and muffins. So on Monday morning I rose with the chickens, had my devotions, and started making breakfast. I was stirring the muffin mix

and feeling great when sleepy-eyed Karl wandered into the kitchen. He grabbed a box of cereal and a bowl, and headed for the table. “Hey, Karl, we’re not having cereal this morning. We’re going to sit around the table together and have a big breakfast with muffins.” “I don’t like muffins, Dad,” he mumbled, opening the cereal box. “Wait, Karl,” I insisted, starting to get annoyed. “We’re going to sit around the table together and have a big breakfast with muffins.” “But I don’t like muffins,” he repeated as he got ready to fill his bowl. I lost it and angrily proclaimed, “Karl, we’re going to sit around the table together and have a big breakfast with muffins!” Karl closed the cereal box, threw it into the cupboard, and stomped back to his room. The kid blocked my goal! After confessing my outburst of anger, I went to Karl’s room and said, “I’m sorry, son. You can have cereal.” He replied, “I don’t want cereal.” Like me, I’m sure you have suffered your share of blocked goals. You had this great plan to do something wonderful for God, your church, your family, or a friend. Then your plan was thrown into disarray by hectic, daily events over which you had no control. A pileup on the freeway kept you from getting to work on time. Your husband was late for the special dinner you planned. You didn’t get your way at the board meeting. Your child announced his decision to be the lead guitarist in a rock band instead of becoming a doctor, as you had hoped. When we base our sense of worth on the success of our own desires, our life will be one long, emotional roller-coaster ride. The only way to get off the roller coaster is to walk by faith according to the truth of God’s Word.

Proper Guidelines Lead to a Proper Walk A loving God wants the best for His children, as any good parent would. To be the benefactors of God’s good intentions, we must renew our minds until they are in agreement with God’s perspective on success, significance, fulfillment, satisfaction, happiness, fun,

security, and peace. After we have discussed these eight issues, compare what you have learned with how you completed the sentences in the Faith Appraisal of the previous chapter. Doing so may help you rethink what you believe and steer you back to the middle of the fairway. Each one of these issues has a key concept that will aid in formulating a better understanding of God’s will.

1. Success. Key Concept: Goals A young lady flew to Los Angeles from the East Coast, hoping to resolve what she said were deep physical and spiritual problems. She said she was hearing demonic voices, and was also plagued with poor health and an uncontrollable appetite. After hearing her story, she quoted 3 John 2: “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health.” “If God has promised prosperity and good health, why am I not experiencing that?” she complained. I asked her to finish the verse. “Just as your soul prospers,” she continued. My flesh wanted to say, “I think the verse is working!” Instead, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask, “How is your soul doing? You just told me that you had three abortions and that you are addicted to drugs and living with a man outside of marriage. God wants your soul to prosper, with the end result being love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Isn’t that what you really want?” God does want His children to prosper, but how should we define prosperity? The world’s definition is almost always centered on materialism and the gratification of sensual desires. The one who has the most toys wins! The path to success for believers is given in 2 Peter 1:5–10: Now for this very reason also, 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. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

God’s goal begins with who you are on the basis of what He has already done for you. He has given you everything pertaining to “life and godliness” (1:3). Justification has already happened and sanctification has already begun. You are already a partaker of His “divine nature, having escaped” (1:4) sin’s corruption. That beginning is what assures you of success! The next step is to adopt God’s character goals by progressing in moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Peter promises that as these qualities increase, we will be useful, fruitful, and will never stumble. That is a legitimate basis for a true sense of worth and success, and nobody and nothing can keep us from succeeding but ourselves! Notice that this list does not mention talents, intelligence, or gifts that are not equally distributed to all believers. Our identity and sense of worth aren’t determined by such endowments. Our sense of worth is based on our identity in Christ and growth in character, both equally attainable by every believer. God is always fair. According to Peter, those who fail to mature have forgotten who they are, and their purification from former sins. Therefore, “be certain about His calling and choosing you.” The key to success was revealed to Joshua as he was about to lead Israel into the Promised Land in Joshua 1:7–8: Be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

First Principle of Success Joshua’s success did not depend on favorable circumstances in the Promised Land, nor the cooperation of the Philistines. They

would be successful and prosperous if they understood and believed God’s Word and lived accordingly. The first biblical principle of success is to know God and His ways. “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23–24). The ultimate failure is to never know God. Probably nobody has set the standard for success higher than the apostle Paul. He had intelligence, social status, and drive. He was the ultimate achiever and leading candidate for theologian of the year when Christ struck him down. Listen to how he describes his “before and after” drive for success: If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:4–8).

The feeling of success that comes from winning the race, getting the promotion, graduating at the top of the class is very fleeting. What happens when you get there? Does it satisfy? Do you need to climb one rung higher? “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36–37). A middle-aged couple was having problems in their marriage and started attending our church. He was a corporate attorney who possessed an engineering and law degree. He drove his attractive wife to church in a very expensive sports car. He even joined the choir, but resisted making a decision for Christ. He made an appointment with me and told me of a conversation he had with one of our members, who said, “Why don’t you become a Christian? You would be such a positive witness.” A witness to what? His success

as a natural man? Even he could see through that. The problem was, he had reached the top of the ladder and did not want to humble himself and begin on the bottom rung of another ladder. He wanted to push the ladder over to the right wall and stay on top. He never did, and eventually left the church and his wife for another woman. He was not a successful man. There are no scores kept in heaven on all the toys and trophies we accumulate in this world. Neither God nor angels in heaven give a holy hoot about manmade achievements on earth, but there is one thing they do shout about. “I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). And there is only one thing that completely and continuously satisfies while living on earth. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Nothing else can satisfy like living a righteous life and being intimately related to our heavenly Father. Loving relationships satisfy, but the satisfaction that comes from titles, degrees, possessions, and accomplishments is fleeting at best. Second Principle of Success It took three years in the desert for Paul to overcome the loss of everything he once counted to be gain. Moving our ladder over to the right wall can be a humbling experience. God took away Paul’s eyesight for a period of time, and told him to get the help he needed from the people he once persecuted. God made sure that Paul started on the bottom rung, as we all have to. That is what brokenness is all about. With new life and a new purpose, he set out in the right direction with a determination to become all that God created him to be: Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: 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 3:12–14)

Paul was again motivated to succeed, but with the right goal. He pressed on to lay hold of whatever Christ wanted for him. Christ had chosen Paul for a purpose, as He has chosen all of us. The second principle of success is to become the people God created us to be. We may not have enough time to accomplish what we want in life, but we have precisely enough time to do God’s will. We may not be able to reach the position we wanted, but what position is higher than being seated with Christ in the heavenlies? We can try to make a name for ourselves in the world, but what name could we make for ourselves that remotely compares to being called children of God? Scripture doesn’t provide any instruction on career choices. There are no verses helping you to decide whether you should be an engineer, teacher, or chef. Our professional niche in the world is dependent upon our God-given capabilities and opportunities. God is more concerned with what kind of person you are as an engineer, teacher, or chef. Scripture doesn’t provide instruction for setting career goals either. However, setting career goals can be a good thing if they provide direction for your present-day work. Setting unrealistic goals for the future and hoping they will come true is setting yourself up for failure. Suppose you have personal goals to own a small business, be a good witness in the community, live in a comfortable home in the right part of town, and have a nest egg set aside for retirement. Sounds like the American dream. With a lot of hard work, your business is showing a good profit and you are well on your way to achieving your goals. Then one day you discover that your trusted bookkeeper has been stealing money from the business. Instead of being financially prosperous, you find yourself facing the possibility of bankruptcy. To save the business, you mortgage your home and borrow money from your retirement savings. About the time your creditors have been paid off, the market goes bad and you have to lay off employees. Finally, you sell the business and seek employment elsewhere. Your house is mortgaged, and your pension and business are gone. Despite your best efforts, what you may have feared the most has happened. Are you a failure?

Did those trials and tribulations keep you from being the person God created you to be? Did those circumstances, which you had no ability to control, take away your hope for the future? It is hard for us to envision that God may actually thwart our career goals in order to make us the people we are called to be. The worldly idea of success can ruin a good person. Third Principle of Success Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). God has given us certain life endowments that He expects us to use to His glory. Paul wrote, “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2). The third principle of success is being a good steward of the time, talent, gifts, and treasures that God has entrusted to us. Our success is dependent upon our faithfulness. A life well lived looks forward to hearing, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21).

2. Significance. Key Concept: Time What is forgotten in time is of little significance. What is remembered for eternity is of great significance. Paul said, “If any man’s work . . . remains, he shall receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:14), and instructed Timothy, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness . . . since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7–8). If you want to increase your significance, be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Stu, the pastor of a small church, was married and in his midthirties when he was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors had given him less than two years to live. When we talked, he told me, “Ten

years ago, somebody gave a prophecy in church. They said I was going to do a great work for God. I’ve led a few hundred people to Christ, but I haven’t had a great work for God yet. Do you think that means that God is going to heal me so the prophecy can be fulfilled?” I said, “You’ve led a few hundred people to Christ and don’t think you have accomplished a great work for God? Stu, I know some pastors of large churches who can’t make that claim. I know some theologians who have led very few people to Christ. If a few hundred people are destined for heaven because of you, and they have influenced who knows how many other people for Christ, I’d call that a great work for God.” Stu is now with the Lord, having completed a significant ministry of reaching hundreds for Christ. I happened to see Dr. Billy Graham walking through the lobby of the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. I had never met him before, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I caught up with him and said, “I wanted to meet you, Dr. Graham, even though I’m just a lowly pastor.” He said, “There’s no such thing as a lowly pastor.” He was right. There is no such thing as a lowly pastor—or a lowly child of God. We are in the significant business of laying up treasures in heaven. What we do and say for Christ in this world, no matter how insignificant it seems, will last forever.

3. Fulfillment. Key Concept: Role Preference Fulfillment is blooming where you’re planted. Peter said, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another” (1 Peter 4:10). Fulfillment is discovering our own uniqueness in Christ and using our gifts and talents to edify others and to glorify the Lord. Before I entered the ministry I was employed as an aerospace engineer. I knew God wanted me to be an ambassador for Him on the job, so I posted an announcement for a Bible study at the plant.

Within an hour, a Jewish colleague took it off the wall and brought it to me. “You can’t bring Jesus in here,” he objected. “I can’t do otherwise,” I said. “Every day I walk in, Jesus comes in with me.” He didn’t like my answer and reported me to personnel. They called me in, and I helped them out by agreeing to hold the Bible study at a bowling alley next door to the plant. One of the men who found Christ through the Bible study became a powerful witness. He passed out tracts everywhere he went. When I left that aerospace firm to attend seminary, he became the leader of the Bible study. A few months later I visited my Bible study friends, and the new leader asked if I remembered the Jewish man at the plant. “Sure, I remember him,” I said, recalling his opposition to the Bible study. “Well, he got sick and almost died. I went to the hospital and visited him every night. I led him to Christ.” Praise the Lord, I was a spiritual grandparent. I had a real sense of fulfillment. It happened because I started a Bible study where I was employed, which anybody can do. Paul said, “Do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). God has a unique place of ministry for each of us. It is important to our sense of fulfillment that we realize our calling in life. The key is to discover the roles we occupy in which we cannot be replaced, and then decide to be what God wants us to be in those roles. For example, of the seven billion people in the world, you are the only one who occupies a unique role as husband, father, wife, mother, parent, or child in your home. Furthermore, you are the only one who knows your neighbors as you do. You occupy a unique role as an ambassador for Christ where you work, live, and play. These are your mission fields, and you are the worker God has appointed for the harvest. Your greatest fulfillment will come from accepting God’s unique place for you. Sadly, many miss their calling in life and seek fulfillment in the world. Find your fulfillment in the kingdom of God and be an ambassador for Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).

4. Satisfaction. Key Concept: Quality Satisfaction comes from living righteously and seeking to raise the level of quality of relationships, service, and product. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6). Do you believe that? If you do, what should you be doing? If you aren’t hungering and thirsting after righteousness, then you really don’t believe it. What causes you to become dissatisfied with someone or something? Usually it is because the quality of the relationship, service, or product has diminished. Satisfaction is more related to quality than to quantity. You will achieve greater satisfaction from doing a few things well than from doing many things in a haphazard or hasty manner. The key to personal satisfaction is not found in broadening the scope of your activities, but in deepening them through a commitment to quality. The same is true in relationships. Solomon wrote, “A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Having a lot of superficial relationships is not very satisfying. Having a few close friends who are mutually accountable is very satisfying.

5. Happiness. Key Concept: Wanting What You Have Commercial advertisement is successful if it convinces the public that they need something and won’t be happy unless they get it. So happiness according to the world is getting what you want. But the truth is just the opposite. Happy is the man who wants what he has. It is unlikely that you will experience the joy of the Lord if you focus on what you don’t have. When you are grateful for what you already have, however, you will be joyful all your life. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (1 Timothy 6:6–8 NIV). Start your journey to joy by considering what you deserve. We all deserve hell. Now consider what we have. We have forgiveness,

eternal life, and a heavenly Father who will meet all our needs. We need to sing again that old gospel song, “Count your blessings, count them one by one. Count your little blessings and see what God has done.”

6. Fun. Key Concept: Uninhibited Spontaneity Have you ever planned a big, exciting event and asked yourself, Are we having fun yet? Chances are, the last time you really had fun, it was spontaneous and uninhibited. Worldly people know they need to get rid of their inhibitions to have fun—which is one reason they drink. One key to enjoying uninhibited spontaneity as a believer is to remove unscriptural inhibitors. Chief among them is the tendency to keep up appearances. We don’t want to look out of place or be thought less of by others, so we stifle our spontaneity with a form of false decorum. That is people pleasing, and Paul suggested that anybody who lives to please people isn’t serving Christ (see Galatians 1:10). The joyless cry, “What will people say?” The liberated in Christ respond, “Who cares what people say? I care what God says; I stopped playing for the grandstand a long time ago when I started playing for the coach.” Consider the uninhibited spontaneity of King David. He was so happy about returning the Ark to Jerusalem that he leaped and danced before the Lord in celebration. He knew there was joy in the presence of God. Michal, his party-pooping wife, however, thought his behavior was unbecoming for a king, and she told him so in no uncertain terms. David said, “Too bad for you, lady. I’m dancing before the Lord, not before you or anybody else, and I’m going to keep dancing regardless of what you or others think of me” (see 2 Samuel 6:21). As it turned out, Michal was the person God judged in the incident, not David (see v. 23). It is a lot more fun pleasing the Lord than trying to please people.

7. Security. Key Concept: Relating to the Eternal Insecurity is depending upon temporal things that we have no right or ability to control. God is shaking the foundations of this world. Insecurity is a global crisis. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that tough days are ahead for this fallen world. An exploding population and decreasing natural resources indicate that we are heading on a collision course. Our security can be found only in the eternal life of Christ. Jesus said no one can snatch us out of His hand (see John 10:27–29). Paul declared that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ (see Romans 8:35–39), and that we are sealed in Him by the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13–14). How much more secure can you get than that? Everything we now have we shall lose someday. Jim Elliot (a missionary who was killed along with four other men by the Auca Indians in Ecuador, South America, in 1956) said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”1 Paul said, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8).

8. Peace. Key Concept: Establishing Internal Order Peace on earth is what everybody wants, which is a great desire but a wrong goal. Nobody can guarantee external peace, because nobody can control people or circumstances. Nations sign and break peace treaties with frightening regularity. One group of peace marchers confronts another group, and they end up beating each other over the head with their placards. Couples lament that there would be peace in their home “if only he/she would shape up.”

The peace of God is internal, not external. Peace with God is something you already have (see Romans 5:1). The peace of God is something you need and will have if you pick up your cross daily and follow Him. The world says, “‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace” (Jeremiah 8:11). Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). A lot of things can disrupt your external world, which you have no control over. You can control your thoughts and allow the peace of God to rule in your heart. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Colossians 3:15–16).

9 WINNING THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10–12

A seminary student’s wife audited my class on spiritual warfare. Halfway through the course she stopped me in the hallway and said, “You have no idea what’s going on in my life.” She was right; I had no idea! I encouraged her to finish the course. At the conclusion, she handed me the following letter: Dear Neil, I just want to thank you again for how the Lord has used your class to change my life. The last two years of my life have been a constant struggle for the control of my mind. I was ignorant of my position and authority in Christ, and equally ignorant of Satan’s ability to deceive me. I was constantly afraid. My mind was bombarded by hostile, angry thoughts. I felt guilty and wondered what was wrong with me. I didn’t understand how much bondage I was in until I came to your class. I was taught that demons didn’t really affect Christians. But when you described a person influenced by demons, I just about passed out from shock. You were describing me! For the first time in my life I can identify Satan’s attack and resist him. I’m not paralyzed by fear anymore and my mind is much less cluttered. As you can tell, I’m pretty excited about this! I wonder why I

couldn’t see this before when I read Scripture. But as you know, I was deceived.

Paul didn’t mince any words when he wrote, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1 NIV). That is presently happening all over the world, which is the primary reason why “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). It has been my privilege to help believers all over the world understand the battle for their minds, and to teach them how they can win that battle.

Strongholds Those who were educated with a Western worldview, like me, have been taught to look for a natural and rational explanation of reality. I was a natural man in touch with a natural world, which I observed through my five natural senses. That was what I believed when I began my career as an aerospace engineer, and I lived as though the reality of the spiritual world didn’t exist. Then I became a Christian and went through several paradigm shifts before developing a more biblical worldview. The ultimate reality is God, the Creator of all things visible and invisible. Paul wrote, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Although they are unaware of it, unbelievers walk “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). The struggle of walking according to the flesh with a Western worldview and walking according to the Spirit with a biblical worldview is being played out in our minds, which Paul addresses in 2 Corinthians 10:3–5: For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the

destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

The weapons in this passage are different from the defensive armor described in Ephesians 6:10–17. The image presented here is an offensive battering ram that is designed to tear down strongholds. What are these strongholds or fortresses, and how have they been raised up against the knowledge of God?

Environmental Stimulation We were not born with the knowledge of God and His ways, so we learned to live independently of God. Infants have no vocabulary or beliefs about anything. Everything we learned in the formative years of our lives was assimilated from the environment in which we were raised. Attitudes and beliefs were formed in the homes where we were raised, the neighborhoods where we played, the schools we attended, the friends we had, and the churches we attended or didn’t attend. All these childhood experiences shaped our worldviews. However, two siblings with similar DNA who are raised in the same home can have dramatically different demeanors and personalities because environment is not the only factor that shapes us; we are also shaped by how we perceive and interpret life experiences. Along the same lines, children who experienced radically different childhoods would have very different worldviews. But all children are born spiritually dead and equally need to be born-again. Traumatic experiences also lend a hand in formulating beliefs and attitudes. The death of a parent; a divorce in the home; or mental, physical, and sexual abuse leave lasting impressions. People aren’t in bondage to past traumas, though; they are in bondage to the lies they believe because of the traumas, such as, “It’s my fault Mom and Dad got divorced,” “God doesn’t love me,” “I’m no good,” etc. Mental strongholds are memories burned into our brains over time or by the intensity of traumatic experiences. These flesh patterns include defense mechanisms such as denial, fantasy, emotional insulation, displaced anger, rationalization, and lying. If you got

punished for telling the truth, you may have learned to lie to protect yourself. Some have learned to live in denial rather than face reality. Paul said, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2 NIV). We were all conformed to this world, albeit differently, and we still can be. Even as Christians we can still listen to the wrong music, watch the wrong programs, have the wrong friends, and think the wrong thoughts. We will be tempted to live independently of God because we are living in a fallen world.

Temptation Temptation always begins with a thought, and the key to resisting temptation is to take that initial thought captive to the obedience of Christ. The old Cathy comic strip illustrates how an unchecked initial thought carries her away like a runaway freight train: Frame 1: “I will take a drive, but won’t go near the grocery store.” Frame 2: “I will drive by the grocery store, but will not go in.” Frame 3: “I will go in the grocery store, but will not walk down the aisle where the Halloween candy is on sale.” Frame 4: “I will look at the candy, but not pick it up.” Frame 5: “I will pick it up, but not buy it.” Frame 6: “I will buy it, but not open it.” Frame 7: “Open it, but not smell it.” Frame 8: “Smell it, but not taste it.” Frame 9: “Taste it, but not eat it.” Frame 10: “Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!” “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). The way of escape for Cathy was before the first frame. She had already made her decision when she started to drive to the store. The way of escape for us is to take that initial thought captive to the obedience of Christ. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make

no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14). Making provision for the flesh begins in our minds. A mature Christian man sees a pornographic image. He puts on Christ—which is essentially the same as putting on the armor of God —so he immediately turns his eyes away, changes channels, turns off the computer, gets rid of the magazine, or leaves the place of temptation. If he hesitates at the threshold and continues looking at the pornography, he will trigger an emotional landslide, producing a physical response that will be difficult to stop. He must capture the initial tempting thought, or it will capture him.

Consideration and Choice Plan A shown in Figure 9-A is living God’s way by faith. Plan B is living according to the flesh. The strength of Plan A is determined by our knowledge of God and His ways, and by how committed we are to live by faith. How committed we are to crucify the flesh will determine the strength of Plan B. Plan-A marriage is a monogamous, lifetime commitment. Suppose a Christian begins to think, I don’t know if this marriage is going to last. Just in case it doesn’t, I’d better squirrel away money to secure my future. Any commitment she makes to Plan B decreases her commitment to Plan A. The more she thinks about Plan B, the better are the chances she is going to need it. She is actually making plans for the marriage to fail.

Every believer will be tempted to consider the slippery slope of Plan B. I received a letter from the wife of a former seminary student who was serving as a pastor. She said, “I knew I was in trouble when I saw the book Creative Divorce on his desk.” He was considering Plan B, and inevitably he chose it. People who approach marriage with the mindset that if it doesn’t work out, there’s always divorce, will soon be headed for a divorce. Such marriages have little chance of surviving, since commitment is what makes a marriage last. The more time and energy we invest in charting our own destiny, the less likely we are to seek God’s direction. We begin flip-flopping back and forth between trusting God with all our hearts, and leaning on our own understanding (see Proverbs 3:5). James called this kind of man double-minded, “unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). When we continue to vacillate between God’s Plan A and our Plan B, our spiritual growth will be stunted, and our lives will be marked by instability. There are three sources for Plan B. First, our minds were programmed to live independently of God before we became Christians. We were separated from God, ignorant of His ways, and strived to succeed and survive by our own resources and natural

abilities. None of that was erased from our memory when we were born-again. Although our inner desire is to live dependently on God and follow Plan A, our flesh is programmed to live independently of God. Second, we are continually being influenced by this fallen world. The mass media and the worldly environment are dominated by Plan B thinking, and so is the secular world of psychiatry and medicine. Researchers have believed for years that our brains were hardwired in a certain direction, and we have been set up genetically to be gay, alcoholics, and drug addicts. We may have been genetically predisposed to certain strengths and weaknesses, but that doesn’t make us gay, addicted, or mentally ill. Genes may control our physiology (body), but not our psychology (soul). Modern research is revealing that the brain is not hardwired like a computer. The chemical makeup of the brain actually changes in response to our thinking. The mind controls the brain, not the other way around. The study of how the brain changes as a result of mental activity is called neuroplasticity.1 Third, the god of this world has opposed the Word of God since the garden of Eden. The father of lies will tempt, accuse, and deceive God’s children if we let him. You may think you are the helpless victim in this battle, being slapped back and forth like a hockey puck, but you are anything but helpless. God has provided all we need to win this battle for our minds, but we must assume our responsibility to think for ourselves. “Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20). When we ruminate on tempting thoughts rather than taking them captive, there will be an emotional reaction, because our emotions are a product of our thoughts. We can’t directly control our feelings, but we can control what we think and believe. The mind/will combination is the control center. We don’t do anything without first thinking it. The physical and emotional responses to our thoughts may appear to be so fast that we conclude that we have no control over the process, but we do. “For as a man thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7).

Suppose a young lady has been invited to try out for varsity basketball. Tryouts would begin on Monday, and all would be notified of the results on Friday. The coach was especially hard on her that first afternoon. Monday evening she is angry because she thinks he was unfair to her and has already made up his mind to cut her. She continues to try her best on Tuesday and Wednesday, but now she is anxious because she is thinking that maybe he isn’t going to cut her . . . but then again maybe he is. The biblical meaning of anxiety is to be double-minded. By Thursday she is struggling with depression because she has settled in her mind that she is going to be cut. Consequently, she feels helpless and hopeless. On Friday she is an emotional basket case as she approaches the coach’s office. The coach invites her in and says, “Congratulations! You are going to be our starting point guard!” Now how does she feel knowing the truth? That week she experienced anger, anxiety, and depression, and none of it was based in reality. It was all a product of what she thought. If what we think does not reflect truth, then what we feel does not reflect reality. Many Christians don’t feel like new creations in Christ; they don’t feel God loves them because of old thoughts raised up against the knowledge of God. When we tear down those strongholds and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ, our emotions will begin to conform to the reality of God’s loving presence.

Action, Habit, and Stronghold Choosing Plan B will become evident by our attitudes and actions, of which we have to assume personal responsibility. We have the power of choice and cannot blame others for the choices we make. It only takes about six weeks of repeated behavior to establish a habit, which then becomes a stronghold. Once flesh patterns are entrenched, our ability to choose and to act contrary to them can be difficult. It’s like driving an old truck down the same dirt road for so long that deep ruts are established. After a while, you won’t even have to steer the truck. It will naturally stay in the ruts of the road, and any attempt to steer out of them will be met with resistance.

Strongholds are neural pathways in the brain. They are memory traces learned over time or by the intensity of traumatic experiences. When we think and make a choice not to go down those old paths, we are actually changing the chemical makeup of the brain. There can be an infinite variety of strongholds. Take for example an inferiority complex. People aren’t born inferior to anyone else, but they could struggle with an inferiority complex if they keep getting the message from the world that everyone is stronger, smarter, and prettier than they are. The strongholds that result from being an adult child of an alcoholic can take many forms. Suppose three boys were raised in a home in which the father is a chemical abuser. When the father comes home impaired and belligerent, the oldest son stands up to him. The middle child accommodates and becomes an enabler. The youngest son is intimidated by his father and hides in the closet or under the bed. Twenty years later, their father is long gone and these three men are confronted with a hostile situation. How do you think they will respond? Chances are the oldest one will fight; the middle one will accommodate; and the youngest one will run away. Homosexuality is a stronghold. God created us male and female. Our anatomy and DNA reveal our sexual identity, not our feelings. Our body is telling the truth. It was our soul that was damaged, and that can be repaired.

Renewing the Mind Do we have to remain victims of strongholds for the rest of our lives? Absolutely not! If we have been trained wrong, can we be retrained? If we have believed a lie, can we renounce the lie and choose to believe the truth? If we have programmed our computers wrong, can they be reprogrammed? Absolutely! But we have to want to renew our minds. How? That is what you are doing right now—reading this book or other Christian literature, and the Bible. Because some strongholds are thoughts raised up against the knowledge of God

(see 2 Corinthians 10:5), learning to know God as a loving Father and yourself as His accepted child is the starting place. Paul moved from the past to the present tense in 2 Corinthians 10:5: “And we are taking every thought [noema] captive to the obedience of Christ.” How Paul uses the Greek word noema in this epistle reveals where those thoughts are coming from. Paul urges the Corinthian church to forgive, “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes [noema]” (2 Corinthians 2:11). “The god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds [noema] of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel” (2 Corinthians 4:4). “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds [noema] will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Corinthians 11:3). Obviously the battle is for the mind. In the Old Testament, Satan “moved David to number Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1), and consequently thousands died. To David that would have seemed like it was his idea, but it wasn’t, and therein lies the deception. David had a whole heart for God, and Judas was one of the twelve chosen disciples. “During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him” (John 13:2). The fact that Judas was a thief was what made him vulnerable to Satan. Ananias and Sapphira might have thought it was their idea to withhold half of their offering, but Peter knew otherwise: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3). I have met with thousands of people who are hearing voices and struggling with condemning and blasphemous thoughts. Every case has proven to be a spiritual battle, which is resolvable. Practicing psychiatrists and psychologists meet regularly with people who are hearing voices, and almost all are treating that as a chemical imbalance. How can a chemical produce a personality and a thought? How can our neurotransmitters randomly fire in such a way as to create a thought that we are opposed to? Is there a natural explanation for that? What you will likely hear by way of explanation is, “I prescribed an antipsychotic medicine, and the voices stopped.” Sure, but so did everything else. All they did was narcotize the

problem, masking the symptoms. Remove the drugs and the voices are back, so nothing was really resolved. That is why there are so many chemical abusers. They have no mental peace, and drowning out the thoughts with medication is only a temporary cure, so they are left dependent on drugs. The best way to determine whether a thought is yours, or whether you are paying attention to a deceiving spirit, is to ask yourself, Did I want to think that thought? Did I make a conscious choice to think that? If not, then why do you think it’s your thought? A young lady was struggling with an eating disorder and taking seventy-five laxatives a day. I asked her to repeat after me: “I renounce defecating as a means of cleansing myself. I trust only in the cleansing work of the Lord Jesus Christ.” After doing so, she broke down and cried for ten minutes. I asked her what she was thinking during that time. She said, “I can’t believe the lies I have been believing.” Paul said, “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Romans 7:21). You don’t get rid of that evil by cutting yourself, purging, or defecating. You get rid of it by submitting to God and resisting the devil through genuine repentance and faith in God. This young lady was not dumb. She was a graduate of a Christian college, and she was not demonpossessed. Like every true believer, she was Holy Spirit possessed, but she was being deceived. If Satan can deceive you into believing a lie, he can gain some measure of control in your life. Suppose a person persuaded you to believe a lie. Would believing that lie have some negative effect on your life? Suppose you heard a false rumor that your spouse was unfaithful. Would believing that lie have a negative effect on your marriage?

Expose the Lie and You Win the Battle Satan is a defeated foe; therefore, his power is limited, but he still has the ability to deceive “the whole world” (Revelations 12:9). Jesus said, “The devil . . . does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own

nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The only authority and power that Satan has over believers is what we give to him. To whatever we yield ourselves, to that we shall be filled (controlled), as Ananias found out. Because Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, our defense is the truth. That is why Jesus prayed in the High Priestly Prayer, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. . . . Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:15, 17). Confronting Satan and his demons is not a power encounter; it is a truth encounter. When you expose Satan’s lie with God’s truth, his power is broken. That is why Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32). That is also why the first piece of armor Paul mentions for standing against the schemes of the devil is “the belt of truth” (Ephesians 6:14 NIV). Satan’s lie cannot withstand the truth any more than the darkness of night can withstand the light of the rising sun. All the darkness of the world cannot withstand the light of one candle. We are not called to dispel the darkness; we are called to turn on the light. Deceiving spirits are like cockroaches: they come out in the darkness, and when you turn on the light, they head for the shadows.

Winning the Battle for Our Minds To “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2), you must “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15), and you do that when you “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (v. 16). Think of your mind as a pitcher of coffee. What you want is crystalclear water, but the coffee has made the water dark and odorous. There is no way you can filter out the coffee once it has been put inside. Like our minds, there is no Delete button. Now imagine a bowl of crystal-clear ice sitting beside the coffeepot, labeled “The Word of God.” There is no way you can dump the whole bowl into the coffeepot at once, but you can put a cube in every day. If you continued to do that, you would see the water getting clearer and the taste of the coffee dissipating. That will

work as long as you aren’t putting in more coffee along with the cube of ice. We also need to prepare our “minds for action” (1 Peter 1:13). Stop living in a fantasy world or you will lose touch with reality. The mind cannot distinguish over a long time period something that has been vividly imagined from something that really happened. If you tell a lie long enough, you will start believing it’s true. Scripture instructs us to use our minds actively, never passively, and to direct our thoughts externally, never internally. God never bypasses your mind; He works through it. However, it can be good to imagine doing something worthwhile in the power of the Holy Spirit, provided you do it. Sitting around in morbid introspection is not healthy. What is healthy is to say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalm 139:23–24). There is one examination of ourselves, however, that Paul encourages us to make: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). We take “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) by practicing threshold thinking. Evaluate every thought by the truth and don’t give any consideration to tempting, accusing, or lying thoughts. Trying to rebuke every negative thought would be like treading water in the middle of a pond while trying to keep twelve corks submerged with a little hammer. You should ignore the stupid corks and swim to shore. Choose the truth and keep choosing it until it becomes the normal pattern of your life. Finally, turn to God when you are having anxious thoughts. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Mentally turn to God when your commitment to truth is being challenged by the world, the flesh, or the devil. By doing so, you are submitting to God and resisting the devil. Your double-mindedness will dissolve, “and the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and your minds [noema] in Christ Jesus” (v. 7). Turning to God is not

enough, however. We must do our part by assuming responsibility for choosing to believe the truth. “Finally, brethren, 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, dwell on these things” (v. 8). But just thinking the right thoughts is still not enough. “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (v. 9). In other words, live the truth, do the right and honorable thing, and then the God of peace will be with you. Jeannie is an attractive and talented woman in her mid-thirties. An active Christian for twenty-three years, she sings in a professional singing group, writes music, leads worship at her church, and oversees a discipleship ministry. Yet she struggled with bulimia for eleven years. And she was so fearful of everything that when her husband was gone for a night, she slept on the couch and kept all the house lights on. She had tried counseling but had no success. She believed the thoughts prompting her to vomit were her own, which began after a traumatic experience in her childhood. I told her that every person I had known with an eating disorder had been the victim of Satan’s lies. “You have no idea how that statement impacted my life,” she told me later. “I have been berating myself all these years, and I suddenly understood that my enemy was not me, but Satan. That was the most profound truth I have ever heard. It was like I had been blind for eleven years, and suddenly I could see. I cried all the way home. When the old thoughts came into my head, I simply rejected them for the truth. For the first night in years I was able to go to sleep without vomiting.” Two weeks later I received this note: I can’t tell you all the wonderful things the Lord has done for me through the truth you shared at your conference. My relationship with the Lord is so different. Now that I’m aware of the enemy and my victory over him in Christ, my gratitude for our powerful and gracious Savior is real. I can’t listen to songs about Him without weeping. I can barely lead others in songs of worship without weeping for joy. The truth has set me free in my walk with Christ. Scripture now leaps off the page, whereas it was so scrambled for me before. I can sleep at night without fear, even when my husband is gone. I can

be at home all day with a kitchen full of food and be in peace. When a temptation or lie pops up, I can fend it off quickly with truth. You may not realize the freedom this brings . . . I used to be in bondage to those lies for hours and hours and hours of my precious time and life, always fearing food. And here is an incredible change—for the first time in my life I feel like I own my relationship with the Lord. It is no longer the product of my pastor’s words or an attempt to reproduce another Christian’s walk . . . it’s mine! I’m beginning to understand how very powerful the Holy Spirit is and how useless I am without prayer. I can’t get enough.

10 YOU MUST BE REAL TO BE RIGHT Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Ephesians 4:25–27

I was fresh out of seminary and ministering in the college department of a large church when I met Judy. She was a university graduate with a teaching credential, but she looked like a flower child from the sixties. She wore tattered jeans, no shoes, and carried a well-used Bible. Judy attended a women’s Bible study and sought counseling from the teacher. When the teacher learned that Judy had been institutionalized three times for paranoid schizophrenia, she felt totally inadequate to help her. She referred Judy to me, and I also felt totally inadequate to help her, but I agreed to at least talk with her. Judy had difficulty recounting the last five years of her life. I gave her a simple psychological test, but she couldn’t handle it. I was clueless how to help her. I said, “I am willing to meet with you again, but I would like you to submit to the authority of this church.” I am not even sure why I said that, but as soon as I did, Judy jumped up and headed for the door. “I’ve got to get out of here,” she said.

Sensing a spiritual oppression, I asked, “Judy, is Jesus your Lord?” She wheeled around abruptly at the door and snarled through clenched teeth, “You ask Jesus who my lord is,” and stormed out. I followed her down the hall from the second to the first floor. At the bottom of the staircase she stopped, and I asked her again, “Judy, is Jesus your Lord?” She turned toward me with a completely different countenance and said, “Yes.” “Can we go back to my office and talk some more?” I asked. “Sure,” she responded. When we were back in my office I said, “Judy, there is a battle going on for your mind. Has anybody ever talked with you about this before?” She said, “None of my doctors or counselors have brought it up. Either they didn’t know, or they were afraid to deal with it.” She knew! This was my first encounter with someone who clearly had a demonic problem. Having no previous training in spiritual warfare, I assumed that her problem was the result of some moral failure or participation in the occult. It turned out that she was squeaky clean in both areas, and I was scratching my head trying to figure out the origin of her spiritual conflict. Her father was a noted pediatrician who divorced her mother and ran off with a nurse. Judy’s mother and other family members had openly vented their anger and frustration over his actions, but Judy, the only Christian in the family, had tried to be a good witness by stuffing her emotions. She was trying to be a loving and conciliatory daughter, so she remained silent while her emotions tore her insides to shreds. “We need to talk about your dad,” I said. “I’m not going to talk about my dad,” she snapped. “If you talk about my dad, I’m out of here.” “Judy, if you can’t talk about your father in the safety of this office, where can you talk about him? If you don’t deal with your emotional issues here, where will you deal with them?” In the process of seeking answers for Judy, I discovered two passages of Scripture that added significant insight to her struggle.

The first passage is Ephesians 4:26–27: “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Judy’s unresolved anger toward her father was never confessed, and because she had been repressing her anger instead of confronting it, she had given the devil an opportunity, a “foothold” (NIV)—literally, a place in her life. The second passage is 1 Peter 5:7–8 NIV: “Cast all your anxiety on him [God] because he cares for you. Be alert, and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Instead of casting her anxieties upon the Lord, Judy stuffed her feelings. By not being emotionally honest, Judy became spiritually vulnerable. Judy finally acknowledged her anger toward her father and forgave him, which was the crux of her problem. Within a few months, this young lady, whom psychiatrists had given up as hopeless, made significant progress and began working in the children’s ministry at our church.

Emotions Reveal Our Beliefs The emotional reactions of anger, anxiety, and depression are all related to how we think and what we believe. We manage anger by managing our thoughts. Anxiety is double-minded thinking. Depressed people believe they are helpless and hopeless. Consider Jeremiah, who is depressed because he wrongly believes that God is against him and the cause of his problems: I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath. He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely against me He has turned His hand repeatedly all the day. He has caused my flesh and my skin to waste away, He has broken my bones. He has besieged and encompassed me with bitterness and hardship. In dark places He has made me dwell, like those who have long been dead. He has walled me in so that I cannot go out; He has made my chain heavy. Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. He is to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in secret places. He has turned aside my ways

and torn me to pieces; He has made me desolate. . . . So I say, “My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD” (Lamentations 3: 1–11, 18).

Jeremiah’s faith faltered because he lost hope. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is the present assurance of some future good. Hope is the parent of faith, because nobody steps out in faith if there is no hope. Faith is being sure of what we hope (see Hebrews 11:1). Life with God is an endless hope, but life without God is a hopeless end. Changing Jeremiah’s circumstances wouldn’t change anything. To get over his melancholy, he has to change his mind by recalling the truth: Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I have hope in Him” (vv. 19–24).

Jeremiah changed what he thought about God, and his emotions followed suit. His circumstances were apparently difficult, but that is not what impacted Jeremiah. How he mentally processed his circumstances is what led to his depression, and the major error was blaming God, which destroyed his hope. To make statements like, “He made me so mad!” or “I wasn’t depressed until she showed up!” implies that we have given someone else control of our emotions. The “he” and the “she” in those statements are not the cause of anger and depression. We cannot blame others for our emotional reactions. Between any external activating event and our emotional response is our mental evaluation. Granted, it takes understanding and maturity on the part of believers to not let others or circumstances determine who they are and how they are going to respond. It is also common to hear people say, “You shouldn’t feel that way,” which is a subtle form of rejection. It would be better to say, “I sense your anger, but I’m not sure you understand the whole situation or have all the facts. Let me share my observations, and then let’s see how you feel.” Remember,

if what people believe doesn’t reflect truth, then what they feel doesn’t reflect reality. Let me share another analogy. Suppose your dream of owning your own home was in the hands of a lending institution that was screening your application for financing. You received a text on your phone saying you didn’t qualify. How would you feel? Angry? Depressed? Frustrated? But the text was a mistake. And the real estate agent, who knows that you qualified, stopped by to congratulate you. Expecting you to be joyful, he instead finds you angry and asks, “Why are you angry? I thought you would be happy.” How you feel will change in a moment once you hear the truth. The only time you can trust your feelings is when you know the truth. After the fall, God said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?” (Genesis 4:6–7). In the New Testament, Jesus said, “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). In other words, you don’t feel your way into good behavior; you behave your way into good feelings, and you don’t do anything without first thinking it.

Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs of Your Emotions I played sports when I was young, and I have the scars on my knees to show it. The incision of my first knee surgery cut across a nerve, and I had no feeling in that area for months. Without thinking, I placed a cup of hot coffee on my numb knee while watching TV. I couldn’t feel anything, but before long I could smell something: my skin burning! There was a brown ring on the top of my knee, the result of not being able to feel pain. If we couldn’t feel physical pain, our bodies would soon be covered with scars. Emotions are to our souls what physical feelings are to our bodies. If we didn’t feel anger, sadness, remorse, conviction, joy, etc., our souls would be in trouble. By themselves, feelings and emotions are

amoral, a vital part of our humanity. Just as we respond to the warnings of physical pain, so we need to respond to our emotional indicators. Emotions are like an indicator light on the dashboard of a car, signaling that something is wrong. You can respond to the light’s warning in three different ways: you can cover it with a piece of duct tape and ignore the problem—this is called suppression; you can smash the light with a hammer—this is called indiscriminate expression; or you can respond to the light as the manufacturers intended, by looking under the hood and fixing the problem—this is called acknowledgment.

Suppression Doug attended college to become an architect. During his third year, Doug had a mental breakdown. His parents brought him home, but they didn’t know what to do. So they committed him to a mental hospital—against his will—for three weeks of observation. Doug never forgave his parents for putting him in the hospital. When I met Doug four years later, he was an angry and bitter man. He worked part time as a draftsman, but he was basically supported by his parents. He acknowledged hearing voices and paying attention to them. He spent a lot of time talking to somebody or something that nobody else could see. In trying to help Doug become emotionally honest, I asked him how he felt about his parents. “I love my parents,” he replied. Doug loathed his parents, and his parents could sense it. “Why do you love your parents?” I pressed. “Because the Bible says we should love our parents.” Whenever I suggested the possibility that he disliked his parents, or was angry with them, Doug denied it. I asked him, “Would you agree with me that it’s possible for a Christian to feel anger and bitterness toward another?” “Well, maybe some could feel that way,” he consented, “but not me.”

My probing was too threatening for Doug, and he never talked to me again. Suppression is a conscious denial of feelings (repression is an unconscious denial). Those who suppress their emotions ignore their feelings and choose not to confront them. As illustrated by the experiences of Doug and Judy, suppression is an unhealthy response to our emotions. David shared the negative effect of suppressing his feelings in the context of relating to God: When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. . . . Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. (Psalm 32:3, 6 NIV).

God is always approachable, but when suppressed emotions build up within us like “mighty waters,” we are less likely to turn to God. It is important to be honest with God while you can, because if you bottle up your feelings too long, they will dominate what drives your life. David also commented on the harmful effect of suppressing how we feel around people: I said, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.” I was dumb and silent, I refrained even from good, and my sorrow grew worse. (Psalm 39:1–2)

Emotional suppression is a major cause for psychosomatic illnesses. When David kept quiet about his sins, his “vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer” (32:4). Your feelings aren’t dead when you bury them; they will surface in ways that are not healthy. Suppression is emotional dishonesty. Typical communication between a husband and wife is about 8 percent verbal, 37 percent behavioral, and 55 percent attitudinal. In other words, there is both verbal and nonverbal communication, and when they don’t match, which one do you believe? You will believe the nonverbal. However, verbal communication is critical, which is why Paul said, “Speak truth each one of you with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). When people

sense that something is wrong, it is best to tell them what is wrong, or they will make assumptions, which often are not right.

Indiscriminate Expression It may feel good to get something off our chest by thoughtlessly telling people how we feel, but it can have disastrous results. Peter was the emotional leader of the twelve disciples and had a reputation for being impulsive. In one moment he was a spokesperson for God, making the greatest profession of all time: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Moments later, Peter corrects Jesus, prompting a stinging rebuke: “Get behind Me, Satan!” (v. 23). It was Peter who missed the point on the Mount of Transfiguration by suggesting they build three tabernacles to honor Moses, Elijah, and the Master. It was Peter who impulsively whacked off the ear of Caiaphas’s servant during Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. It was also Peter who promised to follow Jesus anywhere, even to death, then hours later swore that he never knew Him. The fact that Peter became the spokesperson for the early church is evidence of the powerful transformation effected by the Holy Spirit. Getting something off our chest may be healthy for us, but it usually isn’t for those around us. James warned: “But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (James 1:19–20).

Acknowledgment Nancy asked for help concerning a difficult relationship with her mother. Living with her mother was so infuriating that she would get in her car and drive for fifteen minutes shouting out her frustrations. I assured her that what she was doing had some biblical precedence. I read the following from Psalm 109: O God of my praise, do not be silent! For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me

without cause. In return for my love they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer. Thus they have repaid me evil for good and hatred for my love. Appoint a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has; and let strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off; in a following generation let their name be blotted out (vv. 1–13).

“What’s that doing in the Bible?” Nancy gasped. “How could David pray all those evil things about his enemy? How could he talk to God that way? That’s pure hatred.” “David’s words didn’t surprise God,” I answered. “God already knew what was in his heart. David was just being honest with God about his pain and anger.” Nancy thought for a moment, then mused, “So it’s okay to do what I do. . . .” I think God is able to handle any emotional catharsis on our part. If we are able to do that before God, it is less likely that we will before others. David was as honest about his need for God as he was about expressing his feelings. He closed the psalm by praying, “Help me, O LORD my God. . . . With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the LORD” (vv. 26, 30). If you go to God in prayer feeling angry, depressed, or frustrated, and then mouth pious platitudes as if God doesn’t know how you feel, do you think He is pleased? Not unless He has changed His opinion about hypocrisy since the time of the Pharisees. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). If you are not real, you are not right with God. If necessary, God may have to make you real in order to be right with Him. Acknowledging our emotions as real people is essential for intimate relationships. “If we walk in the Light as He Himself 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). Mentally healthy

people have at least one person with whom they can be emotionally honest. If you have two or three friends like that, you are truly blessed.

Emotional Honesty Early in my ministry I received one of those middle-of-the-night telephone calls every pastor dreads: “Pastor, our son has been in an accident. They don’t expect him to live. Could you please come to the hospital?” I arrived at the emergency room about one in the morning. I sat with the parents in the waiting room, hoping and praying for the best but fearing the worst. About 4 a.m. the doctor came into the room and said, “We lost him.” We were devastated. I was so tired and emotionally depleted that instead of offering them words of comfort, I just sat there and cried with them. I couldn’t think of anything to say. I never felt so inadequate in my life. I felt like I had let the family down in their darkest hour. The parents moved away after the accident. Five years later they stopped by the church for a visit and took me out to lunch. They said, “We’ll never forget what you did for us that morning when our son died.” Looking back, I realized in my ineptness, I had done what Jesus would have done. I wept with those who wept. When grief-stricken Mary and Martha greeted Jesus with the news of Lazarus’s death, He wept (see John 11:35). Paul commanded, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). He didn’t say, “Instruct those who weep.” We all need to learn how to respond to others when they honestly acknowledge their pain. Job was grieving when he said to his three friends who were less than helpful, “Do you intend to reprove my words, when the words of one in despair belong to the wind?” (Job 6:26). We shouldn’t react to what people say in the midst of extreme pain. We should respond to the pain. Correcting words of grief said in despair only deepens the wound.

A Christian couple loses an infant to crib death. Overcome by grief they ask, “Why did God do this?” Don’t answer the question. First, you don’t know why. Second, their question is just words out of despair and only reveal the intensity of their pain. There may be another time when it is appropriate to provide theological answers for tragic losses. The ability to be emotionally honest safeguards intimate relationships. Suppose you are having a terrible day at the office, and you call your wife saying, “Honey, I’m having a bear of a day. I won’t be home until about six, but I have a seven o’clock meeting at church. Could you have dinner ready when I get home?” She says she will. You arrive at the front door physically and emotionally exhausted. On an emotional scale from one to ten, you are a nine. Then you discover your wife doesn’t have dinner ready as you requested. “For crying out loud,” you blaze at her. “I wanted dinner ready at six o’clock! That’s why I called you!” Is your wife really the cause of your outburst of anger? Is that not a deed of your flesh? You had a terrible day and you were tired, hungry, and stressed out before you got home. Anything could have set you off. You could have kicked the dog just as easily. Upon learning that dinner is not ready, you could say, “Honey, I’m near the end of my rope physically and emotionally.” That kind of nonaccusatory honesty accomplishes two important things. First, she is off the hook. She knows you are not mad at her. Second, because she doesn’t feel the need to defend herself, she is free to meet your needs. She can say, “I’ll have dinner ready in ten minutes. Go to the bedroom and relax; I’ll keep the kids off your back. I’ll get you to your meeting on time.” Suppose you are the wife in the same scenario, but it was you who had a terrible, no good, very bad day. Your husband comes home whistling a happy tune, expecting dinner to be ready, and asks, “Hi babe, is dinner ready?” “What do you mean, ‘Is dinner ready?’” you explode. “Do you think all I have to do is cook for you? The kids have been on my back all afternoon and . . .” He is going to wonder why you are mad at him.

Rather, you can say, “Honey, I’ve had it. The washing machine broke and the kids were little terrors today. I’m at my emotional limit.” Your non-accusatory honesty keeps your husband from needing to defend himself and opens the way for him to say, “Hey, everybody, it’s McDonald’s time!” Honesty is the best policy, but be sure to speak “the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Being able to recognize and acknowledge emotional limits safeguards relationships. It is not a good time to make major decisions or solve problems when we start approaching seven or eight on an emotional scale. Recall is inhibited when we’re angry, and we are more likely to say things we will later regret. When you reach a five on the scale, say something like, “This is not a good time to discuss the matter. I’m not in a good mood right now. Can we discuss it at another time?” We should never blame others for our moods, because we have to assume responsibility for our own emotional responses. Nor should we just walk away without acknowledging how we feel. Others may feel rejected and think we don’t care. There are many physical factors that will affect our emotional limits. If you are hungry, postpone a potentially emotion-charged discussion until after dinner. If you are tired, get a good night’s sleep. Women know that there are certain times of the month that are more conducive to discussing important matters than others. Husbands, “Live with your wives in an understanding way” (1 Peter 3:7). “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

11 HEALING EMOTIONAL WOUNDS And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.” And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17–21

Dan and Cindy were a young Christian couple preparing to be missionaries. But tragedy struck one night when Cindy was sexually assaulted by a stranger in the parking lot after work. The police were unable to find the culprit, and Cindy was having a hard time bringing closure to the nightmare experience. The trauma was so severe that they moved away from the community where it happened. Cindy tried to get back to a normal life but couldn’t shake the horrible memories. Six months after the tragedy, Dan and Cindy attended a conference where I was speaking. During the conference she called me at night and said, “I just can’t get over this. I know God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, but how is

this going to be a good thing? I cry every time I think about what happened.” “Cindy, I think you misunderstand the Scripture,” I said. “God will work this out for your good, but He doesn’t do it by making a bad thing good. What happened to you was evil. By the grace of God you can come through this crisis a better person.” “I can’t separate myself from my experience and let it go,” she sobbed. “I’ve been raped, Neil, and I’ll be a victim all my life.” Her greatest fear was facing a line-up and seeing the sexual predator, which would trigger her memories of that horrible night. “Cindy, you have experienced a terrible tragedy, and it has temporarily disrupted your life, but it hasn’t changed who you are in Christ, nor should you let it control your life. If you only see yourself as a victim for the rest of your life, you will never get over your tragedy. You’re a child of God. No event or person, good or bad, can rob you of that. “Suppose you were home when someone drove by and threw a rock at your house. It did some damage to the siding of the house, but you could never find out who did it. How long would you let that incident bother you?” I asked. “Well, not very long,” Cindy responded. “Suppose the object went through the window and damaged some good furniture, and you couldn’t find out who did it. How long would you let that bother you?” I asked. “Probably not very long.” “Suppose the object also broke your arm. How long would you let that bother you?” If I kept making the tragedy a little worse each time, is there a point when one should say, “That did it! I’m destined to be a victim for the rest of my life”? The truth overrides victim mentalities. God doesn’t fix our past. He sets us free from it.

Bad Things Do Happen to Good People Your story may not be as severe as Cindy’s, but all of us have been emotionally wounded in the past. You may have been raised by

physically, emotionally, or sexually abusive parents. A frightening experience could have traumatized you. Fractured relationships are gut-wrenching: the betrayal of a friend, the untimely death of a loved one, a divorce. Any number of traumatic events in your past can leave you with emotional baggage. Those experiences are buried in our memories and available for instant recall. For example, you probably had an emotional reaction when you read Cindy’s story at the start of this chapter. If you or someone close to you have also been sexually assaulted, reading such a story can provoke an emotional response. You may have even skipped over the story to avoid the pain it caused. However, if you have never been assaulted and don’t know anybody who has, your response would be significantly less. Something as simple as a name can prompt an emotional response. If your kind, loving grandfather was named Bill, your emotional reaction to meeting someone else named Bill is probably favorable. However, if the school bully was named Bill, you will likely have a negative emotional reaction to another Bill that you meet. If your spouse suggests, “Let’s name our first child Bill,” you will probably respond, “Over my dead body!” I call the residual effect of past traumas primary emotions. The intensity of primary emotions is determined by previous life history. The more traumatic your experience, the more intense will be your primary emotion. Notice the sequence of events: Previous Life History (Determines the intensity of primary emotions) Present Event (Triggers the primary emotion) Primary Emotion Mental Evaluation (The management stage) Secondary Emotion (The result of your thought process and primary emotion)

Many primary emotions will lie dormant within you and have little effect on your life until something triggers them. Have you ever brought up a topic in a conversation that upset someone so much that they stormed out of the room? What set him off? you wondered. There was something said in the conversation that touched the “button” connecting him to his past. We also have positive memories surface when we hear, smell, or see something that takes us back to pleasant experiences. The trigger is any present event that is familiar with something in the past. A woman once told me, “Every time I hear a siren, I freak out!” “How long has that been going on?” I asked. “About ten years,” she responded. “What happened ten years ago?” I asked. “I was raped,” she said. Obviously, she heard a siren when she was victimized, and ten years later the sound of a siren still triggers an emotional response. There is always a cause and effect, which may not diminish over time if left unresolved. Most people try to control their primary emotions by avoiding people or events that trigger them. “I’m not going if he is going to be there,” “I can’t watch that kind of a movie because it hits too close to home,” “I don’t want to talk about that subject.” The problem is, you can’t isolate yourself completely from everything that may set off an emotional response. You are bound to see something on TV or hear something in a conversation that will bring to mind an unpleasant experience. Something in your past is unresolved and therefore still has an effect on you.

Managing Primary Emotions Unless we are emotionally overcome by a primary emotion, our minds are still engaged when it is triggered. We should quickly analyze the situation and take action, or put it in perspective, or reevaluate it in light of the present. For example, suppose you meet a man named Bill, and he looks like the Bill who used to beat you up as a child. Although he is not the same person, your primary emotion

may be triggered, but you quickly tell yourself, “This is not the same Bill; give him the benefit of the doubt.” This mental evaluation produces a secondary emotion that is a combination of the past and the present. You talk yourself down from a 4 to a 1 on the emotional scale. You may have done this thousands of times, and you probably have helped others do the same. When people fly off the handle, you try to help them cool down by talking to them. When you do this, you are helping them gain control of themselves by making them think, by putting the present situation in perspective. Notice how this works the next time you are watching a football game and tempers explode on the field. One player grabs an enraged teammate and says, “Listen, meathead, you’re going to cost us a 15-yard penalty and maybe even the game if you don’t simmer down.” He wants his teammate to play under control for his benefit and that of the team. Those who think the past has no impact on them are either extremely fortunate to have a conflict-free past, or they are living in denial. Those who have had major traumas and learned to resolve them in Christ know how devastating past experiences can be, and how liberating it is to be free of them. Every person I have had the privilege to help had unresolved conflicts in their past. Some had been abused to such an extent that they dissociated and had no conscious memory of their experiences. Others avoided anything that would stimulate painful memories. Not knowing how to resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts, they had developed defense mechanisms to cope. Some lived in denial, others rationalized their problems or tried to suppress the pain with food, sex, and drugs. Traditional psychotherapy is an attempt to uncover the root of primary emotions. Some psychotherapists use hypnosis or drug therapy to recover memories. I don’t recommend that. These are God’s children we are working with, and Jesus came to set the captives free and heal the wounds of the brokenhearted. Prayer is David’s solution for repressed memories. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way”

(Psalm 139:23–24). God knows every painful experience in your past. When you ask God to search your heart, He will bring them to light at the right time. The Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13), and that truth will set you free. How we incorporate God in the process is explained in Discipleship Counseling.1 God is present in every freedom appointment, and there is a role that only He can play. After hearing people’s stories, we ask them if they would like to resolve their issues. Nobody has ever said no. Then we ask permission to lead them through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. The process immediately connects them to God, and He surfaces the issues that need resolving. God does that in response to the prayers of the inquirer. See appendix A for research results.

See Your Past in the Light of Who You Are in Christ God has forgiven all the sins of every believer, past, present, and future. We don’t lead people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ seeking forgiveness. Rather, it is a repentance process helping believers submit to God and resist the devil. Repentance literally means a change of mind. It was stated earlier that people are not in bondage to past traumas, they are in bondage to the lies they believed because of the trauma, which are still in their memories. Setting you free from your past requires two actions, and one has already been accomplished by God. First, you are no longer a product of your past. You are a new creation in Christ: a product of Christ’s work on the cross. You have the privilege of evaluating your past experience in the light of who you are today, as opposed to who you were then. The intensity of the primary emotion was established by how you perceived the event at the time it happened. As a Christian, you are a new creature in Christ. Old things, including the traumas of your past, “passed away” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old you in Adam is gone; the new you in Christ is here to

stay. We have all been victimized, but whether we remain victims is up to us. Those primary emotions are rooted in the lies we believed in the past. Now we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds (see Romans 12:2). The flesh patterns are still imbedded in our memories when we become new creations in Christ, but we can crucify the flesh and choose to walk by the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22–25). Now that you are alive in Christ, you can look at those events from the perspective of who you are today. You may be struggling with the question, “Where was God when all this was going on?” The omnipresent God was there, and He sent His own Son to redeem you from your past. The truth is, He is in your life right now, desiring to set you free from your past. Perceiving those events from the perspective of your new identity in Christ is what starts the process of healing those damaged emotions. We can still be victimized as believers, but we process it differently than when we weren’t. “He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18). We don’t buy Satan’s lies, and we don’t let the world, the flesh, and the devil define who we are. We are temples of God. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:7–10). A Christian missionary was facing the possibility of a nervous breakdown and was sent home. Before she went to see her parents, God marvelously healed her wounds and set her free. When she got home, she discovered that her father was involved in a homosexual relationship. She was seeking advice and made an appointment to see me. She wasn’t sure if her mother even knew about the affair and was worried that her father could have a sexually transmitted disease. I said, “Before discussing what you should do, let’s put this in perspective. First, aren’t you glad that you found this out after you established your identity and freedom in Christ?” She said,

“Absolutely! If I had gone home from the field to that situation, I think I would have had a total breakdown.” “Second,” I said, “now that you know that about your father, how does that affect your true heritage?” She started to respond, then stopped and said with a smile, “Nothing.” She realized that nothing had changed with her heritage in Christ. Knowing this, she could face the problems of her earthly family without being emotionally devastated. She was relieved when she realized the degree of freedom she enjoyed in her relationship with God, her heavenly Father. The resulting emotional stability was real because what she believed about herself was true.

The Freedom of Forgiveness The second action that must happen in order to be free from your past is to forgive others as Jesus has forgiven you. Peter asked Jesus, “How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18:21). Jesus responded by saying “up to seventy times seven” (v. 22). Then He told the story of a man who owed his master ten thousand talents, which is way beyond a lifetime wage. Repayment was not an option, so he begged for mercy, and his master forgave him that debt. Before we continue the story, let’s define three terms. Justice is rightness or fairness. People get what they deserve when justice prevails. God is always just and cannot be otherwise. We would all be destined for hell if God gave us what we deserve. The good news is that Jesus satisfied God’s justice by taking our sins upon himself. God is also merciful. Mercy is not giving people what they deserve. When people throw themselves upon the mercy of the court, they are saying, “I’m guilty, but please don’t give me what I deserve.” Grace is giving people what they don’t deserve. The means by which God relates to us is how we are to relate to others. We love because He first loved us. We are to be merciful to others as God has been merciful to us, and we are to forgive as God has forgiven us. Now, back to the story. The servant who was forgiven the tenthousand-talent debt was asked by another to forgive him a debt of

one hundred denarii, i.e., a day’s wage. But he wouldn’t forgive him. His lord said, “‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (vv. 32–35). Paul also encouraged us to forgive “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). I have had the privilege to help people around the world find their freedom in Christ. In every case, forgiveness was an issue, and in many cases, it was the issue that needed to be resolved. Forgiving others is required of all believers who desire to be like Jesus. Paul wrote, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31–32). Forgiving another person from the heart is the most Christ-like thing you can do.

What Is Forgiveness? Forgiving is not forgetting. Forgetting may be a long-term byproduct of forgiving, but it is never a means to forgiveness. When God says He will remember our sins no more (see Hebrews 10:17), He is not saying “I will forget them.” God is omniscient; He cannot forget. Rather, He will never use the past against us. He will remove it as far from us as “the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Forgiveness does not mean tolerating sin. A young woman—a wife and mother—attending one of my conferences told me of her struggle to forgive her mother for continual manipulation and condemnation. She said, “I suppose I can forgive her tonight, but what am I supposed to do when I see her next week? She will be no different. She will undoubtedly try to crowd between me and my family as she always does. Am I supposed to let her keep ruining my life?” No, forgiving someone doesn’t mean being a doormat for

another person’s sin. I encouraged her to lovingly confront her mother, but firmly tell her she would no longer tolerate destructive manipulation. We need to forgive another’s sins, but at the same time we need to set up scriptural boundaries that stop further abuse. Living with difficult people requires patience, which is forgiving at the moment. Forgiveness does not seek revenge or demand repayment for offenses suffered. “You mean I’m just supposed to let them off the hook?” you may argue. Yes, you let them off your hook, realizing that God does not let them off His hook. You may feel like exacting justice, but you are not an impartial judge. God is the just Judge who will make everything right in the end. “‘VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). “But where is the justice?” ask the victims. It is in the crucifixion of Christ. Christ died “once for all” (Romans 6:10). He died for his sins, her sins, your sins, my sins. Forgiveness is resolving to live with the consequences of another person’s sin. In reality, you will have to live with the consequences of the offender’s sin whether you forgive that person or not. Suppose someone in your church says, “I have gossiped about you all over town. Will you forgive me?” You can’t retract gossip any easier than you can put toothpaste back into the tube. You will have to live with the consequences of that person’s gossip no matter how you respond. We are all living with the consequences of someone else’s sin. In fact, every person on the planet is living with the consequences of Adam’s sin. The only real choice is to live with those consequences in the bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of forgiveness.

Twelve Steps to Forgiveness Victims may say, “I can’t forgive these people. You don’t know how bad they hurt me.” If they hurt you so bad that you can’t forgive them and move past it, they are still hurting you. How do you stop the pain? Forgiveness is what sets us free from the past. What is to be gained in forgiving others is freedom. You don’t heal in order to forgive; you forgive in order to heal. Forgiveness is to set a captive free and then realize you were the captive. Bitterness is like

swallowing poison, hoping the other person will die. You don’t forgive others for their sake; you do it for your sake. Those you need to forgive may never be aware of your choice to let them off your hook. I heard someone say that forgiveness is the fragrance that is left on the heel that crushed the violet. The following steps will help you unchain yourself from the past and get on with your life: 1. Ask the Lord to reveal to your mind the people you need to forgive. Then write on a sheet of paper the names of those who offended you. Ninety- five percent of people put their parents first. Three out of the first four names on most lists are close relatives. The two most overlooked people are God and yourself. Concerning your relationship with God, only He can forgive your sins, and He has never sinned. We haven’t always appropriated that forgiveness, and sometimes we are bitter toward God because we hold false expectations of Him. We need to release God from those false expectations and appropriate God’s forgiveness. 2. Acknowledge the hurt and the hate. As you work through the list of people you need to forgive, state specifically what you are forgiving them for (e.g., rejection; deprivation of love; injustice; unfairness; physical, verbal, sexual, or emotional abuse; betrayal; neglect, and so on). Also state how their offenses made you feel. Remember, it is not a sin to acknowledge the reality of your emotions. God knows exactly how you feel, whether you admit it or not. If you bury your feelings, you will bypass the possibility of forgiveness. You must forgive from your heart. 3. Embrace the Cross. The cross of Christ makes forgiveness legally and morally right. Jesus took upon himself all the sins of the world—including yours and those of the persons who have offended you—and He died “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). The heart cries, “It isn’t fair! Where’s the justice?” It’s in the Cross. 4. Decide to bear the burden of each person’s sin (see Galatians 6:1–2). This means you will not retaliate in the future by using the information about their sin against them (see Proverbs 17:9; Luke 6:27–34). All true forgiveness is substitutionary, as was Christ’s forgiveness of us. That doesn’t mean you tolerate sin or refuse to testify in a court of law. You may have to do that for the sake of civic

justice. Just make sure you have forgiven that person from your heart before you testify in public. 5. Decide to forgive. Forgiveness is a crisis of the will, a conscious choice to let the other person off the hook and to free yourself from the past. You may not feel like doing it, but it is necessary for your sake. If God tells you to forgive from your heart, be assured He will enable you to do it. The other person may truly be in the wrong and subject to church discipline or legal action. That is not your primary concern. Your first concern is your relationship with God, and to set yourself free and heal the wounds. Make that decision now; your feelings of forgiveness will follow in time. 6. Take your list to God and pray the following: “Lord, I forgive (name) for (list all the offenses and how they made you feel).” Stay with each person on the list until every remembered pain has been specifically addressed. That includes every sin of commission as well as omission. If you have felt bitter toward this person for some time, you may want to find a mature Christian to assist you in the process. Don’t say, “I want to forgive so-and-so,” or “Lord, help me to forgive so-and-so.” That is bypassing your responsibility and choice to forgive. 7. Destroy the list. You are now free. Do not tell the offenders that you have forgiven them unless they have asked for your forgiveness. Your need to forgive others is between you and God only! The person you may need to forgive could be dead. Forgiveness may lead you to be reconciled to others, but whether or not that happens is not totally dependent upon you. Your freedom in Christ cannot be dependent upon others whom you have no right or ability to control. 8. Do not expect that your decision to forgive will result in major changes in the other persons. That would be manipulation, and that should not be your motivation for forgiving others. Instead, pray for them (see Matthew 5:44) so they, too, may find the freedom of forgiveness (see 2 Corinthians 2:7). 9. Try to understand the people you have forgiven, but don’t rationalize their behavior. It could lead to incomplete forgiveness. For instance, don’t say, “I forgive my father because I know he really didn’t mean it.” That would be excusing him and bypassing your pain and the need to forgive from the heart.

10. Expect positive results of forgiving others. In time you will be able to think about the people without triggering primary emotions. That doesn’t mean you will like those who are abusive. It means you are free from them. Old feelings may try to recycle themselves. When that happens, stop and thank God for His provision, and don’t pick up those old offenses again. You dealt with it; now let it go. 11. Thank God for the lessons you have learned, the freedom you have gained, and for the ability to move forward without being chained to the past (see Romans 8:28–29). 12. When deeply wounded by others, we have a tendency to overlook our own sins. Wounds that aren’t healed are transferred to others. Confess any wrongdoing on your part (see 1 John 1:9). If someone has something against you, go to that person and be reconciled (see Matthew 5:23–26).

A Second Touch One of the greatest personal crises I have faced in ministry was with a board member when I was the pastor of a church. We clashed at every meeting, and I didn’t want it to be a board issue, so I asked him personally if he would meet weekly with me for breakfast. The purpose was to establish a meaningful relationship with him. But after four months of breakfasts, we were getting nowhere. One day I asked the board if I could lead a group from our church to Israel. This board member immediately protested and said, “I’m against it because, if the pastor is the tour leader, he will go free, and that’s like giving him a bonus.” I assured them that I would pay my own way and use my vacation time for the trip, and the board approved the trip. The tour of Israel was a tremendous spiritual experience for me. We visited the garden of Gethsemane and heard again the story of Jesus agonizing in prayer. The next afternoon was free time and I revisited the Church of All Nations, with the board member weighing heavy on my mind. I sat staring at the rock where Jesus sweat great drops of blood as He anticipated taking upon himself all the sins of the world. God was asking me to take the sins of one man upon

myself. I thought, I can do that. No. I will do that. I left feeling pretty good. Two weeks after I returned, the board member shifted his attack from me to the youth pastor. That did it. I could handle his criticism of me, but when he started attacking my youth pastor, I reached the end of my patience. I confronted the board and demanded they do something about him. If they didn’t, I would resign. Although the other board members agreed with me in private, they wouldn’t stand with me in public, so I decided to resign. The week before I was going to read my resignation to the congregation, I got sick. I was flat on my back with a 103.5 temperature, and I totally lost my voice. I had never been so sick before; nor have I since. For two weeks I was housebound. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that God was not pleased with my decision. When you’re flat on your back, you have nowhere to look but up. So I began reading the Gospels and came to Mark 8:22–26, where some people led a blind man to Jesus. After Jesus touched him, the blind man said, “I see men . . . like trees” (v. 24). I got the message. I was seeing this man like a tree, an obstacle in my path. He was blocking my goal! Oh no, he wasn’t. I was. I am the only person on earth who can keep me from being the person God created me to be. God probably used that man more than any other person to make me the pastor He wanted me to be. Then Jesus touched the blind man again, and he began to see people clearly and not as trees. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t love that man, but I know you do. I am willing, but I need you to touch me.” God did touch me, and I chose to forgive that man from my heart. The next Sunday I went to church, not to resign, but to preach. My voice was still so husky that I could barely speak. I croaked out a message from Mark 8:22–26 about our tendency to be independent in the face of our great need for God and for each other. I confessed to the congregation my own independence and my desire for the Lord to touch me, to help me see people as people and not as obstacles in my path. I explained that there are three kinds of people. Some are blind and need us to take them to Jesus. Others see people like trees. They scratch one another with their branches or compare their leaves with one another. But we are not trees. We

are children of God who are created in His image. Finally, there are those who have been touched by God and see others clearly, the way God sees them. After the message, I invited anyone who needed a touch from the Lord to join me at the altar. We sang a hymn and people streamed forward. The front of the church was packed with people. They were going across the aisles to ask forgiveness and to be forgiven. We opened the side doors and people spilled out onto the lawn. Eventually, all but a few people had come forward. It was a revival! Would you care to guess who remained in his seat? To my current knowledge, that man has never changed. But I did. I continued to take a stand for what is right and would not tolerate sin, but there was no more bitterness. I learned a hard lesson in life. God is fully capable of cleaning His own fish. Our responsibility is to catch them, forgive them, and love them the way Jesus does. I thank God to this day that He struck me down. I would probably be out of ministry if I had stubbornly gotten my way. It is a Rough Road to Freedom,2 and one that is not always taken. It may look like a rocky road ahead, but if you finish the journey and look back, you will say, “I’m glad I came this way.”

12 LOVING ONE ANOTHER Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in one spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:1–5

I was chairman of the Practical Theology department at Talbot School of Theology when my wife, Joanne, spiraled into an illness that baffled the doctors. She couldn’t sleep at night and could barely function during the day. For fifteen months I didn’t know whether she was going to live or die. We had to sell our house to pay for medical expenses, which left us completely broke and living in a rental house. My ministry was taking off and I was seeing God set people free, but my family was struggling. Joanne was very reticent about taking prescription medications, but the doctor encouraged her to try antidepressants. She was on the prescription for three months when I came home on a Saturday afternoon from my son’s soccer match and saw a note on the door that read, “I have checked myself into a chemical dependency unit at Presbyterian Hospital.” A friend from church had encouraged her to do so. This “friend” was married to a doctor, who wrote her any prescription she wanted, and she had become chemically addicted to opioids.

I raced to the hospital to bring Joanne home, but they had a fortyeight hour rule that prohibited anyone from seeing her. I told the administrator that there was no way that Joanne could be chemically addicted by taking an antidepressant for three months. Of course, I was in denial. I asked what the financial arrangements were and he told me that Joanne had charged our credit card for three thousand dollars. I told him I had just sold my house to pay off medical bills and had no money to cover that. Plus, I had no insurance that would pay for such a program. The only way I could see Joanne was to attend support groups and say, “Hi, I’m Neil Anderson, a co-addict and a codependent.” Joanne had brought her Bible but was told in her support group that she wouldn’t need it. The support group, largely unbelievers that consisted of parents, family, and friends of the residents, was open about a lot of things, and didn’t hesitate to use colorful language in discussions. Joanne was a spiritually sensitive woman, and I shared with my group that I felt for her because of the foul language. The wrath of hell came upon me. They called me a self-righteous bigot and other less-flattering unmentionables. I attended the group for three weeks until Joanne realized that the addiction recovery program was not for her, and checked herself out. As it turned out, we weren’t there for Joanne. We were there for me. God revealed the condition of my heart, and it wasn’t pretty. In the past, I would have sat in judgment of the people at the group and been critical of their behavior. In three weeks, my heart had changed, and I started to feel love and compassion for them. I actually didn’t want to leave the support group. It was a humbling experience to say the least, but I was learning in a fresh new way what it meant to hate the sin but love the sinner. I also had a crash course in what the world has to offer those who need spiritual and psychological help, and it was disillusioning. I asked Joanne’s counselor what most men in my situation do, and she said, “They leave their wives,” and then indicated that she was available. I believe the church can do better than that. From that time forward, I have spent the rest of my life researching and writing on spiritual and psychological conflicts and how they can be resolved through genuine repentance and faith in God.

During those fifteen months, the man who taught Pastoral Counseling in my department resigned, and the dean asked me to teach the course. It was not a natural career change, but one that altered the direction of my life. Freedom in Christ Ministries was born out of my brokenness. God brought me to the end of my resources so I could discover His. Joanne’s illness ended after a Day of Prayer on campus. She woke up one morning and said, “I slept last night,” and she never looked back. Every book I have written was all after that, and there is no way I could, or should, have written Overcoming Addictive Behavior1 with Mike Quarles if I had not had that experience.

The Great Commandment A lawyer asked Him [Jesus] a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, ‘[YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:35–40

The entire purpose of divine revelation is to love God and others. Paul said, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Why would that be new? The kind of love that Jesus is referring to is humanly impossible; nobody under the law could do it. The Pharisees tried to get around the second commandment by asking who their neighbor is, and Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, whom they despised. The love of God is not dependent upon the object. God loves us because God is love. It is His nature to love us, and we have become a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter1:4). Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. . . . But love your enemies, and do

good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Luke 6:32, 35). As a new believer, I loved people because of who they are, but as I matured in Christ, I began to love others for who I am in Christ. There is no greater challenge set before us who consider ourselves to be children of God. How do we love the unlovely, and return good for evil, and discipline others in love without being judgmental? How do we accept one another as Christ has accepted us, knowing He did that while we were yet sinners?

Defensiveness Is Defenseless There was a time in the United States when being a person of faith was deemed honorable, but that has changed. We are living in a post-Christian era. The general population isn’t necessarily for homosexuality or abortion, but many are against anyone saying it is wrong. They want to defend sinners against religious bigotry. The question is, how should we love those who are critical and rejecting? When I was verbally attacked in that support group, I naturally wanted to defend myself, but fortunately I didn’t even try. Any defensiveness on my part would have resulted in more critical assessment. I was right about the foul language being inappropriate but wrong in expecting the same standard of behavior from unbelievers. To them it felt like I was judging them. Generally speaking, if we are wrong, we don’t have a defense. The mature response to those who criticize us is to say, “You’re right; I was wrong. Thank you for the feedback.” Then take the necessary steps to improve your character and change your behavior. On the other hand, if we are right, we don’t need a defense, and that is what Jesus modeled for us. “While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). The righteous Judge will exonerate you. In the beginning of my pastoral ministry, I was responsible for the youth ministry that had a girls’ club program. In hindsight, I made the

mistake of leaving it alone, assuming that all was well. A woman named Alice was in charge of the program but lacked the administrative skills for that position, and all was not well. She may have thought that she needed a scapegoat and chose me. “I need to see you,” she fumed one day. So we set up an appointment. I barely knew Alice, so I was a little surprised when she showed me a sheet of paper and said, “I have made a list of things for you and things against you.” I glanced at the paper and saw two columns. There was only one item listed in the “for” column, and the entries in the “against” column went to the bottom of the sheet, where it said “over.” I said, “Give me the ‘for’ first,” which didn’t take long. My flesh wanted to respond defensively to each one of her accusations. The Holy Spirit prompted me to keep my mouth shut. So I just sat and listened until she had emptied both barrels of her gun. When somebody has given their best shot and the gun is empty, the last thing you want to do is hand them more ammunition. So I said, “Alice, it must have taken a lot of courage to share that with me. What do you suggest I do?” My question took her completely off guard, and she began to cry. “Oh, Neil, it’s not you; it’s me,” she sobbed. Right, I thought, but that wasn’t completely true either. There was a kernel of truth in some of the criticisms she had leveled at me. However, if I had attempted to defend myself, Alice would have been even more determined to convince me that I was not yet qualified to be a member of the Trinity. My response to her criticism opened the way for us to discuss her ministry. She resigned from the girls’ program and found another ministry that suited her gifts. If we can learn not to be defensive when someone points out our character defects or criticizes our performance, we may have an opportunity to turn the situation around and minister to that person. People don’t normally put down others out of a position of strength. Usually they are struggling themselves, which is why they are lashing out like a wounded animal. Mature believers don’t sit in judgement of others. We are in the world but we are not of the world (see John 17:14–16). We come to “Him as to a living stone which

has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 2:4).

When We Are Tempted to Criticize or Reject Others Once when I was pastoring a church, I got the kind of distress call that even police officers don’t like to respond to: “Pastor, you’d better get over here, or we’re liable to kill each other,” said the husband. I could hear his wife yelling at him in the background. When I got there, I asked Fred and Sue to sit across the table from each other and talk through their problem. I sat at the end of the table, feeling like a referee in a tennis match, while they served insults and accusations. Finally I called time-out and stopped playing referee. I asked Fred to find a sheet of paper and a pencil, then I sketched a simple diagram (see Figure 12-A) and shared God’s Word. “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4). “The verse is talking about judging another person’s character,” I said. “Before God, each of you is responsible for your own character.” Then I read Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” “The verse is talking about being concerned about another person’s needs and not just your own,” I continued. “Before God, you are both responsible to love one another and meet each other’s needs.”

For two hours they had been doing just the opposite. Instead of assuming responsibility for their own character, they were judging their partner’s character. Instead of being concerned for their partner’s needs, they were selfishly absorbed with their own needs. No wonder their marriage wasn’t working. They turned God’s Plan A for relationships into a Plan B disaster! Imagine what kind of families and churches we would have if everyone assumed responsibility for their own character and sought to meet the needs of others. That would be heavenly! Instead, we are tempted to criticize each other’s character and selfishly focus on our own needs. That is a prescription for disaster.

Rights Versus Responsibilities

Endowed by the Creator, we have certain inalienable rights as human beings. The Constitution of the United States has a Bill of Rights, including the right of free speech—but that does not include the right to shout “Fire!” in a crowded theater. We have the right to privacy, but does the government have the right to invade our privacy in order to carry out its responsibility to protect us? There is a delicate balance between rights and responsibilities. Any time a nation, a group of people, or individuals focus on their rights at the exclusion of their responsibilities, they are going down. No culture can thrive in that kind of self-centered orientation. Countries afford their citizens certain rights, but citizens have a responsibility to be good people, pay their taxes, and respect those in authority. Being the head of the home is not a right; it is an awesome responsibility. Rank has its privileges, but leaders don’t have the right to lord it over their subjects while overlooking the responsibility to protect and provide for those they serve. Being a member of the body of Christ is an incredible privilege, not a right. This privilege comes with the awesome responsibility to behave as God’s children and become lovers of God and people. When we stand before Christ, He will not ask us if we received everything our rights entitled us to have. He will reward us for how well we fulfilled our responsibilities.

Don’t Usurp the Role of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit “will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). God knows exactly when to bring conviction in matters of conscience. When we attempt to play the role of the Holy Spirit in someone else’s life, we misdirect their battle with God onto ourselves, and we are not qualified for the task. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, the power to change comes with it. We have seen that happen every time we lead people through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. We hear their story without judgment or criticism, and then ask if they would like to resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts. Nobody has ever refused that offer. They pray,

asking the Lord to reveal to their minds what they need to repent of, and God shows them. Issues surface during those times that we weren’t even aware of, but they are critical issues that serve as barriers to their intimacy with God. They are not sharing that information with us so we can explain their dysfunction. They are sharing it for the purpose of resolution. Notice the difference in the following passage between God convicting us of sin, and the devil and the world convicting us of sin: I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:9–10)

Discipline Yes, Judgment No We are instructed by God to confront and restore believers who have clearly violated the boundaries of Scripture. Jesus said, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED” (Matthew 18:15–16). The purpose, of course, is for restoration, and the discipline has to be based on observed behavior. On the other hand, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Judgment is related to character, while discipline is related to behavior. For example, you catch your child telling a lie and say, “Son, you’re a liar.” That is judgment, an attack on his character. Remember, it is not what you do that determines who you are. You could say, “Son, you just told a lie.” He may think you are judging him, but actually you aren’t. You are holding him accountable for lying. If you attack a person’s character, they will be tempted to defend themselves, and then it becomes a battle between two people, and there is no resolution. If you confront the lie, the child can resolve that. “I’m sorry, Dad. I did lie. Please forgive me.”

When you discipline others, it must be based on something you have personally seen or heard, not on something you suspect or heard by way of rumor. If the person is not restored by your visit, then make another visit, bringing one or two other witnesses. They are not witnesses of the confrontation. They have to have witnessed the sin committed by the person being confronted. If you are the only eyewitness and they are not restored, there is nothing more that you can do. It is that person’s word against your word, and that won’t stand up in a court of law unless there is further evidence. Should we just let them get away with it if they won’t own up to their sin and repent? Yes. But they aren’t getting away with it. God isn’t finished with them. Imagine the conviction they will feel every time they see you. Be careful that discipline doesn’t become character assassination. It’s the parents who are sinning when they say to a disobedient child, “You dumb kid,” “You’re a bad boy,” or “You’re worthless.” Such judgmental statements don’t correct or edify. Your children are not liars; they are children of God who told a lie. Believers caught in moral failures are not perverts; they are children of God who compromised their purity. We should hold people accountable for their sinful behavior, but we shouldn’t denigrate their character. Disciplining people or children is not punishing them. The punishment we deserved has already fallen on Christ. “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Hebrews 12:8). Expect God to discipline His children. It is proof of His love. “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (v. 11). Giving a child consequences is not punishing the child; it is training the child not to do it again. Discipline extinguishes bad behavior and shapes future choices that result in the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Express Your Needs Without Judging

If you have legitimate needs in a relationship that are not being met, should you risk conveying criticism and rejection by expressing your needs? Yes, but express them in such a way that you don’t impugn the other person’s character. They will feel attacked and their defenses will come up. A spouse feels unloved and says, “You don’t love me anymore.” You feel undervalued in a relationship and say, “You don’t appreciate my contribution.” You feel a distance developing between you and a friend and say, “I’m disappointed in you for not calling or writing.” You haven’t expressed your need. You have criticized the other person. Implying that your need is that person’s problem will further strain the relationship. However, if saying, “I need somebody to love me,” “I feel so unappreciated,” “I miss talking to you regularly,” expresses your need without blaming anyone. Your nonjudgmental approach allows God to deal with the person’s conscience and turns a potential conflict into an opportunity for ministry. The other person is free to respond to your need instead of being defensive. We all need to be loved, accepted, and affirmed. When such needs are not met, we should express them to our family and fellow Christians in a positive way and allow others to minister to those needs. Temptation is harder to resist when legitimate needs aren’t being met. When we don’t say, “I need some loving right now,” or when we push others away by saying, “You don’t love me anymore,” our need for love goes unmet. The tempter takes advantage of our unmet needs and offers alternatives. God constructed the church in such a way that many of our needs will be met through fellow believers and family members. Titus said, “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful” (3:14). If we go to church and Bible studies wearing a mask, hoping to appear strong and together, we miss having our needs met in the warmth and safety of the Christian community. We also rob the community of the opportunity to minister to our needs. “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one

another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). A story was told of a missionary doctor who worked in the jungles of Africa. He labored among the people, taking care of their physical needs. His real desire was to meet their spiritual needs, but after two years, not one person had received Christ. He thought he had modeled the Christian life as well as he could. Then one day his only child was accidentally killed. The loss was overwhelming and he was overcome by grief. Not wanting the people to see his weaknesses, he ran into the woods and cried out to God. “Lord, why have you abandoned me here? I sacrificed my career for evangelism, and I haven’t had even one convert. And now you have taken my son. The pain is overwhelming and I can’t go on.” He wasn’t aware that one of the locals had followed him into the woods and observed his emotional catharsis. The man ran back into the village and shouted, “White man is just like us. The white man is just like us!” Within six months, the whole village was Christian. God works in our lives through committed relationships for two reasons. First, where better to learn patience, kindness, forgiveness, and team spirit than in the close quarters of working relationships and family? Second, we can’t easily run away from committed relationships. Those who are prone to change jobs and spouses are often running away from something when instead they should stay committed. Anybody can spot character defects and performance flaws in another Christian. It takes the grace of God to look beyond an impulsive Simon and see Peter the rock. It takes the grace of God to look beyond Saul the persecutor to see Paul the apostle. So as you live day to day with people who are sometimes less than saintly in their behavior—and who see you the same way—may we all learn to say, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you” (2 Peter 1:2). I close with this final thought: People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for the underdog anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help, but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway. Give the world the best you’ve got and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.2

THE STEPS TO FREEDOM IN CHRIST Research Results

The Steps to Freedom in Christ is a repentance process facilitated by a trained encourager—enabled by God’s presence—that resolves personal and spiritual conflicts. There have been several exploratory studies that have shown promising results regarding the effectiveness of the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Judith King, a Christian therapist, did three pilot studies in 1996, all of which were performed on participants who attended a Living Free in Christ conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and were led through the Steps to Freedom in Christ. The first study involved thirty participants who answered a tenpoint questionnaire before completing the steps, and again three months after their participation. The questionnaire assessed for levels of depression, anxiety, inner conflict, tormenting thoughts, and addictive behaviors. The second study involved fifty-five participants who took a twelve-point questionnaire before completing the steps, and again three months later. And the third study involved twentyone participants who also took a twelve-point questionnaire before receiving the steps and again three months afterwards. The following table illustrates the percentage of improvement for each category: Depression

Anxiety

Inner Conflict

Pilot Study 1

64%

58%

63%

82%

52%

Pilot Study 2

47%

44%

51%

58%

43%

Pilot Study 3

52%

47%

48%

57%

39%

  

Tormenting Thoughts

Addictive Behavior

Research was also conducted by the Board of the Ministry of Healing, based in Tyler, Texas. This study was in cooperation with a doctoral student at Regent University under the supervision of Dr. Fernando Garzon. Most people attending the Freedom in Christ course could work through the repentance process on their own using the steps. However, in our experience, about 15 percent couldn’t because of difficulties they had experienced. In that situation, a personal session with a trained encourager was offered them. They were given a pretest before a step session and a posttest three months later. The following are the results in percentage of improvement from both studies:   

Oklahoma City, OK

Tyler, TX

Depression

44%

52%

Anxiety

45%

44%

Fear

48%

49%

Anger

36%

55%

Tormenting Thoughts

51%

27%

Negative Habits

48%

43%

Sense of Self-Worth

52%

40%

The Living Free in Christ conference is now available as a curriculum entitled Freedom in Christ: A 10-Week Life-Changing Discipleship Course. It has a leader’s guide with all the messages written out, which the leaders can teach themselves; a learner’s guide for each participant, which includes the Steps to Freedom in Christ; and a DVD with ten messages should the leader prefer the course to be taught that way.

Can We Help You Make Fruitful Disciples?

The purpose of Freedom in Christ Ministries (FICM) is to equip the church worldwide, enabling it to establish its people, marriages, and ministries alive and free in Christ through genuine repentance and faith in God to His honor and glory. The goal is to make fruitful disciples who can reproduce themselves and make an impact in their community. We have offices or representatives in over forty countries, and some representation in many more. See www.ficminternational.org for more information. Our passion is to help church leaders develop a discipleship strategy that will be effective for years to come. Contact our International Office to learn how we can establish an office or equip an individual representative in your country. How can we help your church? We offer: Online training for discipleship counseling Introductory seminars Advice on establishing a discipleship strategy for your church Training and equipping for those who will be involved in implementing that strategy A discipleship course in many languages to be used in churches leading participants through a repentance process that establishes them alive and free in Christ Many other resources on marriage, depression, fear, anger, etc. See resources list following.

FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRIES BOOKS AND RESOURCES Core Material Victory Over the Darkness has a companion study guide and DVD, as well as an audiobook edition. With more than 1.4 million copies in print, this core book explains who you are in Christ, how to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, how to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, how to experience emotional freedom, and how to relate to one another in Christ. The Bondage Breaker has a companion study guide and audiobook edition. With more than 1.4 million copies in print, this book explains spiritual warfare, what our protection is, ways that we are vulnerable, and how we can live a liberated life in Christ. Discipleship Counseling combines the concepts of discipleship and counseling, and teaches the practical integration of theology and psychology, helping Christians resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God. The Steps to Freedom in Christ and the companion interactive video are discipleship-counseling tools that help Christians resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God. Restored is an expansion of the Steps to Freedom in Christ with additional explanation and instruction. Walking in Freedom is a 21-day devotional to be used for follow-up after processing the Steps to Freedom in Christ. Freedom in Christ is a discipleship course for Sunday school classes and small groups. The course includes a leader’s guide, a participant’s guide, and a DVD covering ten lessons and the Steps to Freedom in Christ. This course is designed to enable believers to resolve personal and spiritual conflicts and be established alive and free in Christ. The Bondage Breaker DVD Experience is also a discipleship course for Sunday school classes and small groups. It is similar to the one above, but the lessons

are fifteen minutes long instead of thirty minutes. It has a companion interactive workbook but no leader’s guide. VICTORY SERIES is a comprehensive curriculum, including eight books that follow the growth sequence of being rooted in Christ, growing in Christ, living in Christ, and overcoming in Christ: God’s Story for You; Your New Identity; Your Foundation in Christ; Renewing Your Mind; Growing in Christ; Your Life in Christ; Your Authority in Christ; Your Ultimate Victory.

Specialized Books The Bondage Breaker, The Next Step includes several testimonies of people who found their freedom from all kinds of problems, with commentary by Dr. Anderson. It is an important learning tool for encouragers, and gives hope to those who are entangled in sin. Overcoming Addictive Behavior with Mike Quarles explores the path to addiction and how a Christian can overcome addictive behaviors. Overcoming Depression with Joanne Anderson explores the nature of depression, which is a body, soul, and spirit problem, and presents a holistic answer for overcoming this “common cold” of mental illnesses. Daily in Christ with Joanne Anderson is a popular daily devotional with an emphasis on a believer’s identity in Christ. Who I Am in Christ describes who believers are in Christ and how their deepest needs are met in Him. Freedom from Addiction with Mike and Julia Quarles begins with Mike and Julia’s journey into addiction and codependency, and explains the nature of chemical addictions and how to overcome them in Christ. One Day at a Time with Mike and Julia Quarles is a 120-day devotional helping those who struggle with addictive behaviors, and explaining how to discover the grace of God on a daily basis. Letting Go of Fears with Rich Miller explains the nature of fear, anxiety, and panic attacks and how to overcome them. Setting Your Church Free with Charles Mylander explains servant leadership and how the leadership of a church can resolve corporate conflicts through corporate repentance. Setting Your Marriage Free with Charles Mylander explains God’s divine plan for marriage and the steps that couples can take to resolve their difficulties. Christ-Centered Therapy with Terry and Julianne Zuehlke explains the practical integration of theology and psychology for professional counselors, and provides

them with biblical tools for therapy. Managing Your Anger with Rich Miller explains the nature of anger and how to put away all anger, wrath, and malice. Grace That Breaks the Chains with Rich Miller and Paul Travis explains the bondage of legalism and how to overcome it by the grace of God. Winning the Battle Within shares God’s standards for sexual conduct, the path to sexual addiction, and how to overcome sexual strongholds. Restoring Broken Relationships explains the primary ministry of the church, and how we can be reconciled to God and each other. Rough Road to Freedom is Dr. Anderson’s memoir. The Power of Presence is about experiencing the presence of God during difficult times, and what our presence means to each other. This book is written in the context of Dr. Anderson caring for his wife, who is slowly dying with agitated dementia.

For more information or to purchase the above materials, go to Freedom in Christ Ministries: United States: [email protected] Canada: www.ficm.ca United Kingdom: www.ficm.org.uk International: www.ficminternational.org

NOTES Introduction 1. You can read all about this in my book Rough Road to Freedom (Oxford, UK:

Monarch Books, 2012). 2. Adapted from the poem “Borrowed Hope,” by Eloise Cole. Chapter 1 Who Are You? 1. Maurice Wagner, The Sensation of Being Somebody (Grand Rapids, MI:

Zondervan Publishing House, 1975), 163. 2. H. Wheeler Robinson, The Christian Doctrine of Man (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1926), 22. 3. Neil T. Anderson and Rich Miller, Letting Go of Fear (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2018). 4. Neil T. Anderson, Managing Your Anger (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 2018), 5. 5. Neil T. Anderson and Joanne Anderson, Overcoming Depression (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2004). Chapter 2 The Whole Gospel 1. Taken from David C. Needham, Birthright! Christian, Do You Know Who You Are? (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1981), 73. 2. Confrontation with the righteousness and holiness of God frequently brought deep acknowledgment of one’s own sinful condition. Paul’s recognition of himself before the Lord as a “sinful man” is not uncommon among the saints (Luke 5:8; Genesis 18:27; Job 42:6; Isaiah 6:5; Daniel 9:5). Believers are sinful, but Scripture does not define their identity as sinners. 3. For deeper exploration of the scriptural truths of the “Who Am I?” list, read Living Free in Christ, which contains thirty-six readings based on the list that will transform your thoughts about God and yourself, and that will help you live victoriously in Christ. 4. John Stott, Romans: God’s Good News for the World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 187.

Chapter 4 Something Old, Something New 1. E. K. Simpson and F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Epistles to the Ephesians

and the Colossians (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1957), 273.

2. Neil T. Anderson and Robert Saucy, The Common Made Holy (Eugene, OR:

Harvest House, 1997), 31–33. Chapter 6 The Power of Believing the Truth 1. Walter D. Wintle, “Thinking,” Unity Tract Society, Unity School of Christianity, 1905.

Chapter 7 You Can’t Live Beyond What You Believe 1. Laura Sophia Soole, “Disappointment,” 1893.

Chapter 8 God’s Guidelines for the Walk of Faith 1. Elisabeth Elliot, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot (San Francisco: Harper and Row Publishers, 1958), 15.

Chapter 9 Winning the Battle for Your Mind 1. For a good book on neuroplasticity, I recommend Dr. Caroline Leaf, Switch On

Your Brain (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2013). Chapter 11 Healing Emotional Wounds 1. Neil T. Anderson, Discipleship Counseling (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2003). 2. Neil T. Anderson, Rough Road to Freedom (Oxford, England: Monarch Books, 2012).

Chapter 12 Loving One Another 1. Neil Anderson and Mike Quarles, Overcoming Addictive Behavior

(Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2003). 2. Kent M. Keith, “The Paradoxical Commandments,” originally published in The Silent Revolution: Dynamic Leadership in the Student Council (Harvard Student Agencies, 1968).

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