Treasures New and Old

Spiritual Warfare: Decisions Christians Must Make

This article is going to address two main points dealing with sin in our lives that seems to pop up out of nowhere and areas of our life that we need to dedicate and prepare to surrender to Christ as that we are not tempted to fail in those areas again. They are directly related as I hope to show you as we progress through this article.

James 1:13-15: “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Understanding Cycles in Life

God’s design is both wonderfully mathematical and filled with precise cycles. Cycles are found in nature as well as in our private and public lives. Understanding cycles may go a long way in helping us conquer sin as well as avoid sin patterns and opportunities in our future as we continue on this journey of being sanctified in Christ.

Types of Cycles:

Universe/Creation Cycles

• Electromagnetic frequencies, sound waves
• Water, light, ground, earthquakes
• Weather (irregular cycles and larger well known weather patterns)
• Sun (solar) eleven-year cycles

Prophetic Cycles

• Seven feasts in the Old Testament
• Three days and three nights
• “Dispensations” (special events) and covenants
• Week of weeks, etc.

Earth Related Cycles

• Day-night
• Seven day week
• Lunar cycles
• Four seasons
• Seed time and harvest

Human Cycles

• Circadian rhythm, wake-sleep cycles
• Cycles of life: birth-death & next generation
• Monthly cycles
• Adolescent-adulthood-old age
• Grief cycle: 1. Denial and isolation, 2. Anger, 3. Bargaining, 4. Depression, 5. Acceptance

Ceremonial Cycles

• Holidays, birthday, anniversaries
• Baptism, marriage, graduations, retirement
• Honors, medals, recognition, promotions

Business/Government Cycles

• Markets go up and down
• Startup, growth, peek, coast, decline, death
• Within a business: expansion, peak, contraction, trough
• Growth, loss & long term growth with significant loss (crash)
  

Depression Cycles

• Loneliness at holidays/anniversary events
• Winter depressions
• Abortion depression/guilt
  

Sin Cycles

• Principles of reaping and sowing
• National sin cycle: Book of Judges: Israel –
  • 1. Walk with God
  • 2. Prosperity and blessing
  • 3. Apathy and sin
  • 4. Judgement and bondage
  • 5. Repentance
  • 6. Deliverance
  • 7. Restoration
  • Repeat, and repeat again, and again . . .
• Generational sin: the sins of the fathers are visited . . .
• Continuous sinful habits
• Personal sin cycle:
  • 1. Distraction (drawn away)
  • 2. Seduction (enticed)
  • 3. Conception (conceived)
  • 4. Action (bringeth forth sin)
  • 5. Death/Destruction (bringeth forth death)
• Annual/seasonal/location sin cycles: When a sin habit is the strongest
  
  • Certain movies/shows entice us to sin
  • Locations (bars, certain stores, certain magazine counters, certain friends’ houses, business trips, various outings, etc.
  • Several days of sin in May, for example, will, without your thinking of it, produce very strong temptations in May possibly every year.
  • Circumstances that appear similar to a sin you participated in will provide strong temptations to repeat.
• Reticular motion activation: When something we have focused on with some excitement causes us to see in our environment those same or similar things from now on. Example: research a particular kind of car, and all of a sudden that car type seems to be all over the place. Engage in a particular sin and where, when, how, etc. can become triggers to tempt you to sin again.

Identifying the Cycle of Sin:

As we study this section of this article, remember that we are going for principles not just specifics:

James 1:12-15 (emphasis added): “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Sin Cycle as drawn from James 1:12-15:

1. Distraction (drawn away)

2. Seduction (enticed)

3. Conception (conceived)

4. Action (brings forth sin)

5. Death/Destruction (brings forth death) Note: death comes in many forms, death of your body, your conscience, your mental facilities, body organs as in drug usage, and your spiritual discernment, for examples.

As we approach this article section, I have written each point as something we ought to know. As we assimilate these points into our lives, they become a sort of barrier against future sin and temptations. These are like the soldier drilling and doing maintenance on his equipment long before the actual battle takes place better preparing him/her for the battle.

1. Distraction (drawn away – exelko – drag forth (Strong’s G1828)):

• Know that Satan almost always starts with a distraction: “Equivalent to lure forth (A.V. draw away): where the metaphor is taken from hunting and fishing: as game is lured from its covert, so man by lust is allured from the safety of self-restraint to sin” (Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, G1828).

• Know that there is a crown of life awaiting those who endure and conquer temptation: Verse 12 talks about the man who endures temptation and succeeds through the trial of the temptation and does not fail. This implies strongly two things: (1) temptation can be viewed and handled as trials, and, (2) they can be victoriously beaten.
  

• Know that God always gives a way of escape: 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape [a way out], that ye may be able to bear it.”
  

• Know that Jesus Christ has provide deliverance – we must take hold of it: Luke 4:18-19 (emphasis added): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
  

2. Seduction (Enticed – deleazo – to entrap, allure, beguile (Strong’s G1185)):

• Know that sin and Satan design their attacks to entrap you: Exodus 23:33: “They [the Canaanites] shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.” Letting Canaanites in the land is like compromises in your life.
  

• Know that we make “covenants” with sin/compromise as we dwell on something (action, thing, and person) and, thus, ensnare ourselves: Exodus 34:12: “Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:”
  

• Know that when we emotionally sympathize with, or desire, or discount the danger of a sinful thing, we are laying a snare for ourselves. Deuteronomy 7:16: “And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.”
  

3. Conception (conceived – syllambano – clasp, seize, conceive, catch, take (Strong’s G4815)): 

• Know that dwelling on sin is the first sign that you are about to be captured. Syllambano is two Greek words, the first (sun) means union with or together (Strong’s G4862), and the second (lambano) means, “to get hold of” (Strong’s G2983). Together they imply a moment in time when you come in union with the snare, and it takes hold of you. You gave it thought. You surrendered to the idea. You rationalized its pleasures.

• Know that repeating a sin requires stepping over the warnings of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Most sin by a Christian involves forethought because the Holy Spirit dwells within you and will cry out a warning.

• Know that sin exacts a great cost to your soul and relationship with God. Hebrews 11:25: “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season;” There is pleasure in sin, but at what cost?

• Know that sin grieves the Holy Spirit and sears our conscience. 1 Timothy 4:2: “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;” When we enter into an agreement with sin (conceived) we are applying a little more fire to our conscience and driving the Holy Spirit’s voice farther from our ability to hear Him.

4. Action (bringeth forth sin – tikto-hamartia – bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered, be in travail (Strong’s G5088); sin (Strong’s G266)):

• Know that habitual sin will eventually cause you to try and trap others in your sin to help justify your sin. Romans 1:32: “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Why do they have this attitude? Because their sin is, in fact, a product of theirs – their love-child in effect.

• Know that sin will quickly control you if you don’t eliminate it from your life. Psalm 106:36: “And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them.” In serving sin, we see two things (1) we no longer control the sin; the sin controls us and demands our servitude; and (2) it becomes a trap we are now bound in and can’t get out.

• Know that continuing in sin is actually getting us into serious bondage. Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with yoke of bondage.” When we carry out our sin in action, we are entangling ourselves back into bondage. We are wrapping the chains of sin around us, and the more we do so, the longer and tighter the chain becomes so that now it is worse. It isn’t a “stand-alone sin”, it has become a sinful habit.

• Know that sin will have a payday (not good), and that God does not “wink” at our sin. Galatians 6:7-8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall be also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Be not deceived – whatever the excuse for our sin, God is not mocked or fooled. He knows why we did it, that we sought pleasure in sin and did so knowing it was sin. In such cases, God will allow corruption to enter our lives.

5. Death/Destruction (bringeth forth death – apokueo-thanatos – to breed forth, beget, bring forth (Strong’s G616); death (Strong’s G2288)):

• Know that sin may seem “harmless” and doesn’t affect anyone else, but don’t be deceived, sin slowly kills. “Sin, when it is finished” – apoteleo (Strong’s G658) – root word teleo partially means perform (Strong’s G5055). This speaks of an actor completing his/her act on the stage. The danger here isn’t that final accounting at the end of your life, and thus the death that ensues, but, instead, the fact that the mere performance of the act brings death. The death of a thousand cuts.

• Know that sin’s final payday in your life is death of some kind. “Bringeth forth death” – apokyeo-thanatos – three words meaning, “The death stroke from what you breed/bore.” The death of a thousand cuts. What ways will you die. If a believer:

• Loss of God’s fellowship; you feel guilty and really don’t want to face Him
  
• Loss of fellowship with other believers; you can’t enjoy their presence any longer
• The Holy Spirit will be grieved and will become distant to you; you don’t want to hear Him
• The Word will not nourish as it did – you may leave off reading/studying it altogether
• Your conscience will be seared, and it will become harder to hear God and understand His promptings and warnings
• You may be spanked, disciplined by God
• Prayer will become moot, dry, even boring or undesired altogether
• God’s reputation may/will suffer as might the church’s reputation if things become public
• You reach a point where you so justify your sin that you get others to participate
• You lose the pleasure of your salvation and position that you have with God
• You are in bondage to that sin – it owns you.

• 1 Corinthians 11:29-30:“For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”

Breaking the Sin Cycle:

The sin cycle has five elements. This article section will discuss principles and observations I have made to help us break the sin cycle.

Sin Cycle repeated:

1. Distraction (drawn away)

2. Seduction (enticed)

3. Conception (conceived)

4. Action (brings forth sin)

5. Death/Destruction (brings forth death)

Principle #1: You Are at War with the Old Man

Romans 7:14-25:

For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Principle #2: You Cannot Win This Fight Alone

James 4:1-10 (emphasis added):

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Principle #3: God Always Provides a Way of Escape If We Will Take It

Psalm 91:3: “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.”

Psalm 119:110: “The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.”

Psalm 124:7: “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.”

2 Timothy 2:26: “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Mark 1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Observation #1: Saying the Scripture and Doing the Scripture Are Not the Same

Romans 2:13: “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

James 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Ephesians 6:10-18 (bold added):

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Observation #2: Learning the Ways of the World Will One Day Ensnare Us

Proverbs 22:25: “Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.”

Zechariah 1:4: “Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor harken unto me, saith the LORD.”

James 4:4: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Observation #3: Doublemindedness Will Result in Failure

James 1:8: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Romans 8:7: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”

Breaking the Sin Cycle Elements

1. Distraction (drawn away – exelko – drag forth (Strong’s G1828)):

Fighting in the distraction phase is the best place to defeat sin/enemy. The best way to do that is to defeat the attack before it starts by memorizing Scriptures, meditating on His Word, having planned a way to avoid the places, times, and things that attract us, and starting the day dedicated to Him.

Psalm 5:3: “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.”

Psalm 143:8: “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”

Mark 1:35: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”

Romans 6:6: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Romans 13:11-14 (bold added): “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof.”

2. Seduction (enticed – deleazo – to entrap, allure, beguile (Strong’s G1185)):

Fighting in the seduction phase means you are already starting to imagine the pleasure of the sin. The lust of the eyes has taken over.

1 John 2:15-16 (emphasis added): “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (emphasis added): “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are carnal, but mighty [1] through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) [2] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and [3] bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to [4] revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”

3. Conception (conceived – syllambano – clasp, seize, conceive, catch, take (Strong’s G4815)):

Fighting in the conception phase usually means you have ignored the promptings of the Holy Spirit and are totally focused on carrying out your sin. Know that you are choosing to love sin, and the pride of life has taken over. You are too proud or too conceited to think that this act will hurt you. You must humble yourself before God and man. If you always find yourself in this stage, you need an accountability partner.

Micah 2:1-3: “Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.”

Psalm 73:6: “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.”

Proverbs 11:2: “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 29:23: “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.”

2 Chronicles 32:26: “Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah.”

James 4:6: “Be he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

1 Peter 5:5-6: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:”

4. Action (bringeth forth sin – tikto-hamartia – bear, be born, bring forth, be deliverd, be in travail (Strong’s G5088; sin (Strong’s G266)):

Fighting in the action phase means you are too late. You have rejected prompts and verses and seared your conscience. You have begun to build a stronghold in your life. You must break down the stronghold.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (emphasis added): “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty [1] through God to the pulling [2] down of strongholds; ) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and [3] bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to [4] revenge all disobedience, when your obedience if fulfilled.”

Esther 4:16: “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

Isaiah 58:6: “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loosen the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”

Mark 2:18-20: “And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.“

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Psalm 32:5: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.”

James 5:16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Confession: Accountability Partner

5. Death/Destruction (bringeth forth death – apokueo-thanatos – to breed forth, beget, bring forth (Strong’s G616); death (Strong’s G2288)):

Fighting in the death phase can only mean that you must be revived. At this point, you must be the one to die to your carnal self. You must yield your members to God rather than to the flesh.

1 Corinthians 15:31: “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27: “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Romans 6

Things I Can Do to “Drill” Before the Battle

• Memorize Romans 6 and then personalize it. Practice it often.
  
• Purpose to bind those areas in your life that need to be defeated: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are good starts.
• Loose areas of your life to allow the entrance of God’s Word, His light, into your life. Include things like the following;
  • Reading and visual material
  • Associations
  • Activities
  • Career
  • Life partner or single
  • Fellowship with the saints
  • Commitments, vows

Maranatha!

Bro. Joe

References

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Thayer, J. Thayer's Greek Definitions. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation.

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