The Root of the Problem: Chapter 20 – No Fear of God (Excerpt)

June 10, 2011 by

The Root of the Problem (cover)What kind of fear should we have of God? Most are quick to answer that this is to be a reverent respect for God. The Hebrew writer spoke of this kind of fear when he said we are to “offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 10:28). Respect for God will cause one to listen to the word of God and seek to do what He says. This type of fear is absolutely necessary.

Yet there is another type of fear that we should not ignore. Fear of God should include respect for Him, but we should remember the terror of God for what He can do to us.

“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

You can read more about developing a healthy fear of God to help you overcome sin in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Root of the Problem: Chapter 19 – Lack of Love for God (Excerpt)

June 3, 2011 by

The Root of the Problem (cover)Many people will say that they love God. But John says, “Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). Claiming to love God, without the deeds to back it up, is meaningless.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

If we love God, we must obey Him. Therefore, we must also give up sin (disobedience). John says His commandments are “not burdensome” – we can do it. But we must love Him enough that we are willing to do so.

You can read more about why we should love God and how this helps us to overcome sin in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts Tagged With: , , , ,

The Root of the Problem: Chapter 18 – Lack of Love for Man (Excerpt)

May 27, 2011 by

The Root of the Problem (cover)If we truly love others, we will seek their best interest ahead of our own. We will not wrong them for our own personal gain. We will not do harm to them. Instead we will love them as we would love ourselves. Jesus says that this was second in importance after our primary duty to love the Lord.

“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:39).

It is interesting that our love for others is based upon the love we should naturally have for ourselves. If we hope to treat others in the way Jesus has told us to, then we must have a proper appreciation of who we are. However, this does not mean we are to be arrogant. After all, as we have already noticed in this study, we have sinned and are therefore deserving of death (Romans 3:23; 6:23) so we have no reason to be arrogant. But we must have a proper view of ourselves within the context of how God sees us.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).

We have been made in the image of God. That means we occupy a special place in His creation. We bear His likeness in ourselves.

You can read more about how God sees us and how we should therefore act towards others in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts Tagged With: , , ,

The Root of the Problem: Chapter 17 – Lack of Urgency (Excerpt)

May 20, 2011 by

The Root of the Problem (cover)Sadly, this is the attitude many people take toward sin. They know they need to correct sin. They know they need to repent. They know that they must strive for perfection (Matthew 5:48). But they hold on to sin anyway. After all, there is plenty of time for correction later, right? Can we not enjoy sin for a little while now, and give it up at some point in the future?

While many people have a casual attitude toward repentance and obedience, the Bible presents these as urgent matters. When there are things in our lives that need to be corrected, we must do so without delay.

Notice the following passages: “And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain – for He says, ‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.’ Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation’” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

The acceptable time to take advantage of God’s salvation is not some day in the future. It is now. Today is the day of salvation, as Paul says. If we need to give up sin, today is the day to do it, not some time later in our future.

You can read more about the urgent need to repudiate sin and prepare for judgment in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts Tagged With: , , , ,

The Root of the Problem: Chapter 16 – Lack of Self-Control (Excerpt)

May 13, 2011 by

The Root of the Problem (cover)“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me’” (Luke 9:23).

Jesus says we are to deny ourselves. That is, we must exercise control over our minds and our hearts so that we might submit to His will and follow Him rather than follow after our own desires. He says it will require a daily effort to do this. We must remain firm in our resolve to overcome sin and to follow His will.

There will be times when we might want to quit the battle against sin. We may want to temporarily surrender and give a little bit of ground to our enemy. But we must not do this. It will not work for us to strive to overcome sin only when we feel up to the challenge or when it is convenient. We must strive to overcome sin at all times – daily, as Jesus said. So we must learn to exercise self-control – denying ourselves in order to follow Christ.

You can read more about the need for self-control and how to develop it in The Root of the Problem: Why We Sin & How We Can Overcome. Follow the link to learn more about the book and purchase your copy today!

Filed Under: Blog, Excerpts Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »