Gerry van der Wende: Food For Thought

Food for thought!
June 17, 2012
Romans 12:2

Father's Day!

I am sure that all dads sitting here today, woke up this morning feeling special
Because dads are special
We leave a lasting imprint on the people we touch, but not just now, but for generations to come!
Video clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7g0PcT9f7s

Introduction

As a dad, and as a mom and as a teenager, we don’t always conduct ourselves the way we should
We do things that don’t match the image that we have of how we should be
Perhaps yesterday we fell down on the job in some way
We had to ask our wife or our child to forgive us, because we messed up
It may have lasting implications
How do we go about changing our tendency to sin?
Today we are going to examine how to tackle sin in our lives

The process of sin

This action did not occur in an instant
This action was the result of a process
James 1:13-15
The process of sin starts in our mind, when our own evil desires tempt us
Our mind is the battleground where the battle is fought
Our actions are merely the end result of that process
So,
We may want to conquer a particular sin
Let’s say, we become angry really quickly
We have a temper
At what point do we try to overcome this tendency
If we start at the end of the process, it will be very hard to stop ourselves from seeing red
That is not going to work
Yet that is so often how we try to overcome sin

How to defeat sin

A better place to start would be in dealing with the temptation
If we deal with the temptation, we automatically deal with the sin
For example, if I have a problem dealing with pornography, the answer is not in putting a reporting program on my computer, though that would be a good additional deterrent
A better way to deal with pornography is to get to the temptation itself, by finding ways to avoid porn sites
1 Cor 6:18
We could make our spouse the administrator on our computer, and she could then set the settings to the safest possible level.
If we now enter the computer as a guest, not as an administrator, we would be limited as to the sites we could visit
But even then, I am still trying to deal with sin on a surface level
I have not really changed inside

What we need is to change inside

Romans 12:1-2
God has called us to be a living sacrifice
A sacrifice is complete, we do not sacrifice half a sheep, bull or goat
So God’s intention for us is that we be wholeheartedly surrendered to Him
This means that we deal with sin at its deepest level, in our minds.
But how do we do that, you may ask
How can I transform my mind?
My mind is evil from the get-go
Jer 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – NIV
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? – KJV
So what hope have I got?

The solution

The solution is to be transformed in our mind
This is no easy process, no quick fix
But it is something that is part of the transforming work that happens in our mind
Jesus is the one who changes us
But we can sit back and just wait for it to happen.
Do you think that is what God intends?
No, he works in partnership with us
What we are seeking is to think the way he does
He has expressed this in his word, the Bible
Each word written in this book is there to show us how to think like he does
The bad examples were for our learning and the good examples show us how He thinks
So the way to conquer sin, is to go right to the root of the matter

Conclusion

Next week we will take a look at how to work our way through the process of defeating temptations
It is possible to put down sin
We do not have to be a helpless victim, time after time
There is a way to cut right to the heart of the tree
Next week, we will go deeper into this subject, and see how we can do this, in practical steps

Gerry van der Wende