Lot’s Wife- Mom2Mom 2018
Excerpts taken from: Morse, Greg. “From Flight to Fight, How Christians Struggle with Sin.” Desiring God, 5 Sept. 2016 www.desiringgod.org/articles/from-flight-to-fight.
Lot and his wife were instructed to flee to escape from sin. Joseph fled from the advances of Potiphar’s wife. In 2 Tim 2:22 it says, “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Retreating from sin is not a retreating from war.
I Peter 5:8 warns, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
Question 1. When we accept Christ as our Savior and we have the Holy Spirit living within us, why do we still sin? Romans 7:15, 20
You Cannot Run from War: Fleeing from temptation (which is a grace from God), does not mean we hide, curl up in a ball, close our eyes until morning comes, and hope that it will soon be over. The enemy lingers in the shadows.
Genesis 4:7b “sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Romans 8:13 “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Question 2. When we attempt to flee from sin, where do we, unsaved people and/or immature Christians? Do you go to a distraction such as entertainment, a favorite hobby, or self-medicating? The destination you flee to is just as important as fleeing.
- Flee to a Place of Power:
- 2 Timothy 2:22, instructs us both to flee, and to pursue.
- John 15:5b “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
- Apart from Christ, chronic sin will remain chronic; it will simply be exchanged for another.
- The battle over sin is won or lost by fleeing to, and abiding in, the impregnable refuge of our Redeemer. John 15:4-7
- so when you feel the desire to surrender to sin, flee to Christ
- Put on the full armor or God, Ephesians 6: 10-18.
- Our battle cry is, Luke 4:8 “Get thee behind me Satan.”
- Ps 63:8 “My soul clings to your right hand that upholds me.”
Question 3. You know running is insufficient and you know who to run to, now what do you do?
Fine Proven Paths to the Fortress: We need to have a game plan, a proven path to access God. Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
- Seek refuge and rest in His strength to overcome.
- I Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Actively flee to Christ through prayer, Bible intake, camaraderie with fellow soldiers, confession, repentance, accountability and private and corporate worship
- Choose to obey rather than sin. Joshua 24:14-15
- “Choose this day whom you will serve…..But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Conclusion: Romans 6:11-14, 19
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires? Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness but rather offer yourselves to God as those who been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations, just as you use to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. Choosing to obey becomes easier with practice!
Praying for you,
Laura Rawden, mentor mom
