THE BEST SPIRITUAL WAY TO FIGHT TEMPTATION

[Gordon 7]

The meed shall inherit the earth. God gives and He takes away. A meek person accepts His dealing with us as good. Meekness is not occupied with self at all, but with what can benefit others. Meekness is an understanding of what we can do without God. Meekness is humbly trying to do something for God and hoping and believing that He will be with it. It's my job to write this article, but without God's involvement, it won't accomplish much.

Titus teaches meekness

“The meek are those who quietly submit themselves to God, to his word, and to his rod,

Pray: “Father, help me to submit to Your Word and Your correction."

“Who follow his directions, and comply with his designs, and are gentle towards all men (Titus 3:2); who can show their displeasure when there is occasion for it, without being transported into any indecencies; who can be cool when others are hot; and in their patience keep possession of their own souls, when they can scarcely keep possession of anything else. They are the meek, who are rarely and hardly provoked, but quickly and easily pacified; and who would rather forgive twenty injuries than revenge one, having the rule of their own spirits.

Pray: Father, give me rule over my spirits.

“These meek ones are here represented as happy, even in this world. They are blessed, for they are like the blessed God himself, who is Lord of his anger, and in whole fury is not. They are blessed, for they have the most comfortable, undisturbed enjoyment of themselves, their friends, their God; they are fit for any relation, and condition, any company; fit to live, and fit to die.”

Only the meek will use the Word to correct themselves. Only the meek will inherit the earth.

 

[Gordon 7]

We must be very intentional about our minds. Our natural desire is for the flesh. So we must focus on living for Christ on a daily basis. We do this by making our minds a stronghold for Jesus. Satan leaves when people are lifting up Jesus in worship, in singing, and prayer.

Action point: Keep worshiping and praying wherever you are. Especially when temptation is just around the corner. Example # 1. TV – Keep praying about turning from sin and keep praising God while you watch. Example # 2. Live events – I go to my daughter's volleyball tournaments, you probably go somewhere else where temptation pops up as well. It is vital to keep worshiping God and focusing on victory in these situations.

Lastly, be prepared for every situation. I am reading “Making Good Habits” (Meyer) right now. So when I am in risky situations I have to reverse everything that I am currently working on if I slip up. Since I am focusing on making better habits my train has a lot of momentum in that direction. The faster you get your train rolling in the right direction, the easier it gets to fight off temptation.

 

[Gordon 7]

Here are 6 ways to take your thoughts captive:
Taking your thoughts captive simply means gaining control over what you think about. Here is a great article from crosswalk.com

1. “Accept responsibility for your thoughts. You have the ability to exercise control over your thoughts. God warned Cain to focus his mind on the right things, but Cain chose to think about the wrong things - anger and jealousy - which led to his murderous actions. Are you willing to admit that you can, with God's help, regain control of your thoughts - and think enabling thoughts instead of disabling ones?
   
   
   
2. Your mind - not just your behavior - must change. God calls us to change sinful behavior that does not honor Him. Instead of focusing on your outward behavior, work on disciplining your mind - from which the behaviors stem. Allow God to transform you by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2).
   
   
   
3. Think through your problems rather than just reacting to them.”
   
   I will insert this: If we accept problems instead of falling we can have a great month.
   
   
   4. “Take your disabling thoughts captive through confession. Paul urges us to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (Rom. 12:21). Confront your disabling thoughts. Turn them over to God and become who He sees you can be. It will take work to take your thoughts captive each time they pop into your mind. But it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit.
   5. Choose to focus your thoughts on the right things. We are to think about those things that are "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable" (Phil. 4:8). When we think about those things, God promises to give us His peace. What a contrast that is to the thoughts of millions of people today. Don't look to a movie, TV show, or how-to formula to accomplish this for you. It takes personal discipline and commitment.
   6. It is possible. It is not easy to retrain your thoughts or to respond in new Christ-like ways. Take heart: as God empowers you to focus your mind on the right things, it will become easier. You can develop a new frame of reference, based on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

It is possible to live a life aware of our thoughts and take them captive! God gave us the Holy Spirit to empower us. Start following these steps today to gain power over your mind and thoughts.”

I say print out their article and read it every day for 2 weeks. Great stuff.

Pray: “Father, show me how to change the way I think.”

Think about only looking at things you “can” look at, as if God is watching (He is). Always be praying about running from what you can't look at.

Every time a wrong thought pops into your head pray: “Father, help me to take this thought captive. I praise you today. Please give me new thoughts.”

 

[Gordon 7]

Life happens and then temptation happens. We need to be ready when work is a mess, school is a mess, relationships are a mess, along with 100 others things that can go wrong. Over the last 2 months, I have written about 20 things to work on that assist in quitting. For most people, it is normal to work on something like praising God for a day or two, and then to forget about it.

The person who is going to “Be Ready” is working on several things and has been working on these changes for several weeks. They probably have a written plan. Now maybe you are not the type of person who will write down a plan in a notebook, pull it out and follow your plan every day. But, if you are not, my question is, do you want to be happy?

“I buffet my body and make it my slave…lest I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) When we force ourselves to learn new habits we are buffeting our bodies.

https://overcomingtemptation.net/ noted the following:

“Temptation should not take us by surprise. We should expect it to come, and we should be preparing ourselves each day for the battle. We need to “see the evil and hide,” rather than proceeding and paying the penalty (Proverbs 22:3). For example, if you are tempted by lustful thoughts, know that you will be tempted if you go to a movie with lewd content or stare at a person or gaze at a magazine. Anticipate how and when you will be tempted, and avoid exposing yourself to it.”
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)"

Review old articles and pick 3 habits to practice for 30 days. That way, when life happens, you will have increased your odds of success exponentially.

 

[Gordon 7]

Help is on the way

Life pounds us and we want to give up, but if we know that help is on the way... We will keep trying.

Last night I played volleyball against my 14 year old daughter. If was great fun and she was just a big star, ripping spikes and hard serves all the time.

Background: When my daughter was 12 she would drag me into the backyard to practice volleyball. She would hit the ball into the ground 10 out of 10 times from 10 feet. The next day... ditto. 4 days later she could now hit 1 or 2 out of 10. I gave her constant instruction, but she tried, but struggled to implement things. After 1 week she could hit about 5 out of 10. Based on her progress I knew she could never make the high school team. But what I did not know was what she knew. She knew that help was on the way. She had seen me train her sister (who could hit 9 out of 10 when she was 9 with no instruction) and her sister had become a superstar. She believed.

She worked and followed my instruction to a tee. I told her: You are a great learner, and she really was. She was focused and as determined as anyone in the city.

Last night I watched my daughter spike that volleyball. She is still the slowest player on the court, but she has become by far the best spiker on her team. She had “worked so hard” to learn how to do things right, that now... it was getting hard to do things wrong.

Some of you are copying and pasting articles and studying them. You are doing what people advise you to do, and you keep hitting the ball straight into the ground. But if you keep working and 100% believe that “Help is on the way,” you will never be disappointed.

The Bible says: “He that loveth me keepeth my commandments.” If you say: My attempts to keep the commandments are about as successful as your daughter first attempts to spike the ball. That is the past. Today, try to obey again, accept God's love, put in the work, and you will have a 100% chance that “Help is on the way.”

 

[Gordon 7]

We have problems with work, relationships, school, finances, and a million other things, and that is okay.

Our problems are not the problem, our reactions to the problems are the problem.

Brian Tracey at success.com noted the following:

1. Focus on the future.
“Whatever challenges you face, focus on the future rather than on the past. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction. Get your mind, your thoughts and your mental images on the future.

2. Think about the solution.
Whenever you’re faced with a difficulty, focus on the solution rather than on the problem. Think and talk about the ideal solution to the obstacle or setback, rather than wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative.

Take some time to write out every detail of the problem, and then take the most logical next step to solve it. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

3. Look for the good.
Assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, “Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem.” The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. But the wonderful thing is that if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

4. Seek the lesson.
Assume that whatever situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow.

So seek for the valuable lesson in every adversity. Make a list of every idea or insight you can gain from every setback or difficulty.

A positive mental attitude is indispensable to your success. You can be as positive as you want to be if you will simply think about the future and look for the good. If you do what other successful people do, if you use your mind to exert mental control over the situation, you will be positive and cheerful most of the time. And you will reap the benefits enjoyed by all successful people.”

Based on this article I bet Brian Tracey's books are pretty helpful.

When problems rise up say: I will solve these problems. If you are a Christian say: We will solve these problems. Then reread this article. Then work on techniques for quitting addiction like you normally would.

Pray: “Father, help me to stay calm, and allow You to help me work through problems.” Do I need to pray this 100 times or 10,000 times?

Memorize 1st Timothy 6:6: "But Godliness with contentment is great gain."

Working on solutions to problems allows God enough space to turn on His light on us, and to begin to dispense His joy in us.

 

[Gordon 7]

A few months ago I would say, I fell, but it's not my fault. I would blame money problems, relationship problems, work problems, or anything else that was bringing me down. But if we can blame something for a fall we will keep falling.

Today, I am willing to take responsibility for my actions. Today, we can admit... We could study the key scriptures for quitting or we can fall. Do you really think you have had a mountain of problems compared to me this week (I apologize if you had a true disaster)? All of us had a bunch of problems.

God told the Israelites to obey and to really believe what He said. Only a few of them ever changed and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

Many of them fell into sexual lust sins. Let me tell you what they should have said when they were tempted to fall (instead of blaming someone or something). They should have said: “I am considering putting my pleasure as a substitute for God. It will ruin my week and maybe my month and maybe my year. I am trading God's offer of real joy in for a day of pleasure.

But instead, they blamed Moses for their problems, so God let them wander for 40 years.

If you fall because of life's problems, print out the top 6 or 8 articles on how to handle problems better. Be aware that that is your trigger. Then, when problems arise... get to work reading those articles and do what they say. At some point, this better cycle will be a habit. At that point, you will start to gain more control.

This article was inspired by Joyce Meyer's great book “Battlefield of the Mind.”

 

[Gordon 7]

The Bible says that the Truth will set you free. So will you be free if you embrace relevant verses for quitting as well as setting a consistent focus on Scripture? Sort of.

There is a difference between being free and being free indeed. The Bible says: If the Son sets you free you are free indeed. This freedom is a bit of a higher level. A person who is free indeed is someone who focuses on stopping doing what Christ wants them to stop doing. They also focus on doing what Christ wants them to do. They have changed into someone who is following Christ.

When we follow Christ we have urgent things to pray about. Last night I prayed: “Father, teach me how to pray.” Then: “Father, teach me how to love.” Then: “Father, teach me how to obey.”

There are plenty of prayers that we may think go unanswered. But, my guess is that God urgently wants to teach us these things. There are not enough workers available. If you are available, then God is going to do something in you. Because He wants to do something through you.

Get the Word in you. Pray. Follow Christ. See what awesome things He wants to do through you.

 

[Gordon 7]

Joyce Meyer noted the following:

“As believers, we are spiritual, and we are also natural. The natural does not always understand the spiritual; therefore, it is vitally necessary for our minds to be enlightened concerning what is going on in our spirits. The Holy Spirit desires to bring us this enlightenment, but the mind often misses what the spirit is attempting to reveal because it is too busy. A mind that is too busy is abnormal.
The mind is normal when it is at rest—not blank, but at rest. The mind should not be filled with reasoning, worry, anxiety, fear, and the like. It should be calm, quiet, and serene.”

Pray: “Father, You are a great and mighty God, I trust You to help me through these problems.”

We need to ignore life's problems and let the Holy Spirit guide us. When we live life God's way, He will guide us and He will start to make our lives better.

A Christian who is getting into the Word regularly, and focusing on obedience can get some guidance and help. Here is how I try to get help. I almost never ask God for the things I need or want. My prayers revolve around learning how to obey, love, and how to care about souls. But here is a secret. God knows exactly what I want, and He really knows exactly what I need. So I rarely bring those things up. I know I need help in becoming a better Christian, so that is what I usually ask for.

One week ago I thought I had huge massive trouble and challenges. But, I tried to put God first and tried to do what He wanted done. One week later I realize, I can work through my problems... And my big huge God sometimes gives me what I need, plus a lot more.

Follow God, believe, wait (that's a hard one) and see how He will help you through those problems.

 

[Gordon 7]

It is hard work going to war with sin. To prepare: Drink enough water daily, Get sleep and rest (honor the Sabbath), eat real foods like broccoli, skinless chicken, fish, and most importantly, cut down on sugar. It is hard to fight temptation if you always feel like garbage.
Secondly, exercise lowers your stress. It also helps you fight better, and it eventually makes you feel better. Start slow and "Do it every day."
Lastly, spend time with the Lord.
Psalm 16:11 ESV
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
What if today I determined to stay in the presence of the Lord. What great pleasures would He provide for me? What would I learn?
Do a Google search: How to stay in the presence of the Lord. Then see what happens.

 

[Gordon 7]

The great prayer continues: “For thine is the kingdom.”

Satan wants our complete focus on our kingdom. Our money, our stuff, our success, our types of pleasures. But God wants a complete focus on His kingdom. In fact, Jesus told his disciples to go spread the gospel. What did they need for their journey? "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.”

God always provides for the people who will do something for Him.

Today, focus on His kingdom. Pray: “Father, help me to focus on treasures in heaven.”

What is keeping you from that focus? Write out your own prayer of the top two things that are keeping your eyes on “your” kingdom. For example: If you spend excessively, and love to buy things. Just write out a simple prayer: “Father, take away my focus on things, and show me how to have treasures in heaven.”

Always pray about whether your issue is a short-term problem, or whether it is turning into a longer-term sin habit. If it has become a big problem, go to war with the issue that is keeping you trapped. Continuing our example: Pray 7 times per day. “Father, take away my spirit of covetousness, and fill me with Your Spirit.”

Then, look up Bible verses on covetousness. Study, meditate, and then pray over those verses. Read a few of them every day all year.

Open Bible has Bible verses for almost any issue you have. Go to war with any issue that keeps you from focusing on the fact that it is His kingdom.

Lastly, keeping our eyes on our kingdom leads to frustration and often leads back to addiction. Praying and meditating on this great prayer often will show you the keys to a better life.

 

[Gordon 7]

Hebrews 12:11 - No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

I have worked endlessly to develop the habit of watching clean TV. In modern times there is less and less of it. So, I have also developed the habit of turning away and fast-forwarding through bad scenes.

Why? Because these disciplines allow me to keep a great relationship with God and they allow me to watch TV in peace (which increases enjoyment immensely).

Before, I used to watch somewhat smutty TV in a sloppy (I hope God isn't noticing) way. But with that method, I was always racing to find the next “hot” scene that hopefully didn't offend God too much. I couldn't watch in a contented, peaceful manner because I was not content, peaceful, or righteous.

Now, I want to avoid sin and please God when I watch movies or TV. And like the verse says – those disciplines provide more contentment and a much better, more peaceful experience in the long run.

We think that Albert Einstein was so smart. But he said: “It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.” Like him – you will succeed if you don't give up.

Memorize Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

It is impossible to overestimate how important it is to keep your eyes clean. A wise person will work on this skill until it becomes a habit.

 

[Gordon 7]

Monitor whether you are living in the light. If you see that darkness is descending on you - panic. Spend extra time studying overcoming addiction, extra time reading Scripture, and spend some intense time in prayer. Insist on living in the light.

I have made a permanent decision that I want the great light of Jesus shining through me. I will pray to turn aggressively from sin so that it keeps shining.

If you are struggling with lust, the verses for quitting are the best way to turn on the light. If your war with sin is going well, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you today. Ask Him to show you what living in the light is really like.

 

[Gordon 7]

To fight negative emotions we have to stop thinking over and over again about the problem. Instead, do a Google search on the best Scriptures to memorize. Find a few that speak to you and get started. God is way bigger than the problem that triggered your emotion. Let Him speak to you through scripture.
Secondly, depression is not a Godly trait. To fight depression pray: "Father, what do You want me to do." Of course, you can do a bunch of the ideas listed on this site, and they will help. But... give God a chance to show you something.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Pray one million times: "Father, show me the plans You have for me."
If you are obsessed with what God wants... you will be well on your way to defeating negative emotions.

 

[Gordon 7]

www.verywellmind.com/ said the following:

“The ability to delay gratification, or to wait to get what you want, is an important part of self-control. People are often able to control their behavior by delaying the gratification of their urges.


Delaying gratification involves putting off short-term desires in favor of long-term rewards. Researchers have found that the ability to delay gratification is important not only for attaining goals but also for well-being and overall success in life.

The "Hot-and-Cool" System
Based on his research, Walter Mischel proposed what he referred to as a "hot-and-cool" system to explain the ability to delay gratification. The hot system refers to the part of our willpower that is emotional, impulsive, and urges us to act upon our desires. When this system takes over, we may give in to our momentary desires and act rashly without considering the potential long-term effects.8

The cool system is the part of our willpower that is rational, thoughtful, and enables us to consider the consequences of our actions in order to resist our impulses. The cool system helps us look for ways to distract us from our urges and find more appropriate ways to deal with our desires.

Recap

The ability to delay gratification is linked to a number of benefits including better goal attainment and positive life outcomes. Finding ways to distract yourself from temptation can help you strengthen your ability to delay gratification.”

A great habit to work on is to think in a slow, cool, rational way.

Key Point: Never let short-term bad decisions ruin your week and month. Say: I will have self-control and have a great week and a great month.

Pray: “Father, show me the consequences of my decisions.

Pray: “Father, help me to think long-term with my decisions.”

You probably have more self-control than you think. The problem is, we get tired or frustrated and in that condition, we think in a poor manner. But, if you are a Christian, you can get a lot of assistance. Simply develop the habit of studying scripture when temptation arises. This habit invites the Holy Spirit to give us direct assistance with our decisions.

 

[Gordon 7]

HEROIN

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

We can learn a lot from a heroin addict. After 6 years of self-indulgence, their life has changed. It's harder to keep friends. It's harder to enjoy a simple TV show or ballgame. Work loses value and interest in their minds. Wait... everything is starting to lose value and interest in their minds. Everything except their addiction.

If you are around hard-core addicts they are sometimes almost zombie-like. Completely empty.

Porn is a bit more subtle. Sometimes anyways. But even when it is more subtle in how it steals more and more things from you. If you sit down and think about it, it will be pretty obvious.

Satan says that there are disadvantages to being only Spiritually minded. He says you will miss out on the fun. But, when he tells you that, read the verse again. Which part of death is fun.

Life is always more fun when we do things God's way. But in order for that to be true we need to strive to follow God's ways. I will repeat an earlier thread: Jeremiah 29:11 ESV
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Pray one million times: "Father, show me the plans You have for me."

If our goal is to follow God's plan... life will always be, way more fun.

When we set a goal to be spiritually minded, we find life, peace, and a future.

 

[Gordon 7]

Jesus' Example In Prayer. Firstly, Jesus prayed without ceasing: He prayed "in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight" (Mk. 1:35). He prayed during the day (Matt. 15:36; Jn. 11:41-42); and He prayed during the night (Matt. 14:23).

Having a prayer time first thing in the morning helps fight addiction. Then, when we are at work or at school, we pray aggressively when our old thoughts keep popping up.

Pray, “Father, take away these unhealthy fantasies, and thoughts, and teach me how to pray.” This prayer goes to war with addiction, and it invites the Holy Spirit to give you other specific things to pray about.

Then, pray during your evening activities. To prepare, scour this site to find prayers that will help you stay free during the evening. These should be short prayers that you can pray when temptations arise when you are on the go. Then pray when you go to bed at night.

In Matthew 4 Jesus prayed to prepare for satan's temptations. When we pray to prepare for temptation, we take a block of time for prayer. First, a thorough time of repentance. Then, focused prayer. If you don't know what to say, you can find 100 prayers on this site. But, with every prayer, we must be 100% sincere, with a deep desire to change. It's not the repetition that helps, it's your changing heart that gives the prayer's power.

Lastly, Jesus knew exactly which scriptures to quote to satan when he was tempted. So, study, memorize, and be like Jesus in knowing which scriptures you need in your fight to win the war.

 

[Gordon 7]

It is wise to decide to be positive. Firstly, be positive in what we believe. We believe the Bible as written. That our life will be good if we follow it.

In my life sometimes things don't work out the way the Bible says. My response. It's my fault. I did something wrong. My sin, my constant distractions, my coveting, and a dozen other things that kept me from being in sync with God.

Then I try again to do things the Bible way. Over time I get better at it. Then... things start working out the way the Bible says they will.

Secondly, decide to have a positive attitude. Here is an example: Two brothers each marry girls who are decent wives, and they both have the same job. The first says, this job sucks, I'm mad at my wife, and life stinks. The second says, I'm glad I have an income, I'm sure glad I have a good wife, and thank God for my good life.

They both have the exact same life and one is happy and one is not.

Pray every hour: “Father, help me to be positive so that I can serve you better.”

Write down what is good about the 2 to 4 key people in your life. Then, establish the habit of thinking about these good things. That habit will help you to become the good brother. And... He's happier.

Happy positive people don't “have” to fall. Depressed, negative people don't have to fall either. But they do way more often.

 

[Gordon 7]

WikiHow noted the following: "Blessed are the 'poor in spirit': for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."(Matthew 5:3)

• Jesus promises that the poor in spirit can enter His Kingdom in this life! The Kingdom of God, Jesus said, "is within you" as Christ "lives there" -- as his presence, his Spirit, can be vital to you. Jesus said that "I must go to my Father"... [and shall] "send you another comforter to abide with you forever."
  
  
• The words "poor in spirit" mean not finding special pleasure in yourself/your life, and though you have been taught to be self-sufficient and proud of your reasoning and independence: still you may become smaller in your own eyes. If you are ready to depend on God's will for your blessings -- not ignoring God and not managing your own life and not making your choices all alone, not to be merely limited by "self", then you are ready to be blessed.”
  
  I made the comment “Not finding special pleasure in yourself/your life” bold because with addiction we are always searching for special pleasures. Adam and Eve needed “special pleasures,” because they decided that their perfect life was not good enough. Their great relationship with God was not special enough.
  
  Pray: “Father, You are a great and special God. You are all I need.”
  
  The song about God called “You Are All I Need,” is more than a song. It is a decision. Every day we can follow our habits and search for special pleasures, or we can decide that God is all we need.
  
  Secondly, meekness does not mean weakness. David became smaller in his eyes and he made God bigger, and he was the one to slay Goliath. When David's sole focus was on God's will, he was ravished with blessing.
  
  Pray: “Thy will be done,” constantly.
  
  When David insisted on special pleasures (A beautiful woman who was not his wife,) his blessing was terminated for a full year, and when it was reinstated, it was much less than before.
  
  Wisdom is believing that we may be blasted just as much as David was blasted for his sin. Meekness is finding special pleasure from our great relationship with God. Meekness is a daily reminder to ourselves that God is all we need. Meekness is a consistent and complete dedication to living in the will of God.

 

[Gordon 7]

We think that Paul from the Bible was some superman. And I suppose he was. But, why? I think he looked at a passage like the one from James which says: “Faith without works is dead.” Then he always focused on the word “dead”... and he decided he wanted to be alive.

If you are only partially alive, it is hard to fight addiction. If we choose to make a commitment to good works, we are choosing to live. Paul believed this verse from A to Z. Then he constantly choose activities which allowed him to live at all times.

Level one activities take us from death to life. They allow the Holy Spirit to fill us to prepare us for good works.

Paul was not born a superman. But he disciplined himself to be aware at all times that he wanted to be alive. He prayed about purpose, as if God had something great for him to do. He studied the Bible, as if it might be a key for someone to be saved. He praised God and gave thanks at all times, because he served a great and mighty God.

There is a great book called The Prayer of Jabez. The key prayer in the book is: “I pray that You would expand my borders and bless me indeed.”

Most of us are caught up in distractions and habits. But, as we are fighting with all our might, we can pray this prayer a few times each day.

Lastly, if we pick our activities the way Paul picked his... we will have a spectacular decade.