Wednesday February 27

Read: Matthew 5:29-30, Mark 9:42-50

It often surprises me to think that there aren’t more pirates in the Christian church. It seems to me that if more Christian’s really took this passage seriously that there would be many eye patch wearing, hook-for-hand, peg-legged pirate Christians.

 

Of course Jesus isn’t advocating piracy or the literal chopping off of limbs. Instead Jesus is encouraging His followers to have a radical, serious and sacrificial attitude towards overcoming sin. This obviously isn’t the kind of blasé, who cares, dismissive attitude that our culture seems to have. We can’t just ignore or put up with sin in our own lives. We have to take radical, often costly, action to cut sin off!

 

This is a whatever-it-takes, do-whatever’s-necessary, all-out war on sin. We can’t take this easy! This isn’t the comfortable life of a spiritual civilian. We need to call in the heavy artillery, whatever the cost. If Jesus is suggesting that we should be willing to lose an arm, an eye or a foot to defeat sin how can we claim that anything is too much!

 

What might this radical action look like in your life? If you are looking at images of women on the internet maybe you need to get rid of your computer. If you are reading books which describe ridiculous romantic situations and cause you to lust maybe you need to stop reading those books. If television programs are leading you to lustful thoughts maybe you need to stop watching those programs, or stop watching television altogether! If you are putting yourself in compromising positions with a boyfriend of girlfriend maybe you need to only see each other when around other people. What would it take for you to reach that standard we read about yesterday in Ephesians?

 

This radical action is about more than sexual purity. This is how we are to approach all sin in our lives! How radical are you in your approach to sin?

 

Prayer:

 

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

¥ Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you the areas in your life where you need to be more radical in the fight against sin or even where you are holding onto sin.

¥ Pray that God would stir the hearts of everyone in the congregation to desire and seek after holiness and to take radical steps to overcome sin in their lives.

 

My Additional Prayer Points.

1/.

 

2/.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. Look back over those obstacles to sexual purity you wrote down yesterday. What can you do to take radical, costly action against those things?

2. How can you encourage one another this week to take radical action against sin? Make a battle plan and put it into action!