Overcoming Sin

I had a great time with the 'Saints Alive' and 'SayIt' youth groups last night and thought I'd post the quote I shared with them. For a long time I had wrestled with how to understand Psalm 119:32,

"I will run in the way of your commandments

when you enlarge my heart."

Then, while reading Overcoming Sin and Temptation, which is a recent compilation of three classic books by John Owen (1616-1683) edited by Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor, I came across this passage in Kapic's introduction:

"To respond to the distorting nature of sin you must set your affections on the beauty and glory of God, the loveliness of Christ, and the wonder of the gospel: [Kapic then quotes Owen:] 'Were our affections filled, taken up, and possessed with these things... what access could sin, with its painted pleasures, with its sugared poisons, with its envenomed baits, have unto our souls?' Resisting sin, [according to Owen], comes not by deadening your affections but by awakening them to God himself. Do not seek to empty your cup as a way to avoid sin but rather seek to fill it up with the Spirit of Life, so there is no longer room for sin."

Psalm 119:32 made complete sense in the light of Owen's skillful insight.

The Sabbath

The following is an excerpt from an article by Henri Aldunate published
on the Heartbeat AT website.  At the end is a link to the complete article.


 Cease striving and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

For some time now there has been a burning desire to begin to articulate what God has been teaching us in an area we believe our culture and yes, even the church with a capital "C" needs to be challenged to remember.  "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8).  Inherent in the what of remembrance is the act of remembering itself, which we cannot take for granted.  It seems strange to say it, but we need to remember quite simply because we forget.  It is part of our human makeup to forget what we profess to know so well.  The gift of the Sabbath to Israel on Mount Sinai and later to the Church of God is the fleshing out of the heart of God's divine injunction given to us in Psalm 46:10.

Every area of life requires active remembrance.  Unless we are deliberate in our practice, our memories will atrophy.  Daily life bears this truth out.  There is no mastering an art form without "practice makes perfect."  In other words, do not forget to remember.  The most effective remedy against forgetfulness is the practice of remembrance. more...

How to Arrive at Your Destination Without a Map

It was interesting to watch the GPS in our van constantly "recalculating" our route on the way to Minnesota. At one point it actually took us in a 3 mile circle twice before we had to help it "reset itself". I was reminded in my own life how each morning I must enter Jesus into my GPS (God Positioning System) to guide me thru the day, waiting for the Spirits promptings to do this or avoid that as I make choices that may or may not glorify God. I find my own internal (Holy Spirit) GPS constantly "recalculating" my route of sanctification, as I continue to make God honoring decisions. As I make the right choices the road becomes less congested I soon find myself on an "expressway" to God. Occasionally I have also found myself on a road with "no access" and had to turn around and reset my destination. This is never fun and the lost time is hard to recover.

I was reminded in Joshua 3:1-13 when Joshua led the people of Israel a "brand new way", "Yet there shall be a distance between you and the ark of 3000ft or 1/2 mile".  Just far enough to see the ark, but too far to see exactly what God would do. Ark was out in front. "It will show you the way to go for you have not passed this way before."

Jesus wants to lead us through mystery, opportunity and difficulty. So often we want Jesus to bless the choices we've already made, when he wants to be out in front. Leading us through the "mind fields" of life. Just like the children of Israel, we don't have to know when, where or why. He alone will lead us to victory.

So don't worry about the road map, worry instead about the relationship with the one who made the universe, the stars, the world, the roads and yes the maps!! :)

Darwin Hughey