Bring To Life The Fighter In You.

It’s never easy to get rid of bad habits and to change the things that have become second nature to us. But when these habits are holding us back, they need to be countered, challenged, and overcome. That’s what makes change so difficult and so challenging—you’re defying your old nature and the habits that bind you to act in carnal ways.

Paul says, “To be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God. (Ephesians 4:23-24). We sometimes must take stock of our spiritual walk in order to correct our course and head in a new direction that will bring forth more fruit and growth.

That’s why the Bible tells us to “keep all of our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2Cor 10:5)

Overcoming ruts and bad habits is worth the effort because it actually frees us from weights and shackles that keep us progressing. Paul encourages us to actually discipline our mind, which is where the spiritual battle takes place. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12: 2) 

The dictionary defines sacrifice as “anything consecrated and offered to God.” In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.” Paul’s admonition to the Romans was to sacrifice themselves to God, not as a sacrifice on the altar, as the Mosaic Law required the sacrifice of animals, but as a living sacrifice.

Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of animals. But these were just a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of the “Lamb” of God, Jesus. Because of His ultimate, once-for-all-time sacrifice on the cross, the Old Testament sacrifices became obsolete and are no longer of any effect (Hebrews 9:11-12). For those who are in Christ, the only acceptable worship is to offer ourselves completely to the Lord. We can live under God’s control. Our yet-unredeemed body can and must be yielded to Him as an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:12-13; 8:11-13). And we consequently become a living sacrifice for God by not being conformed to this world.

1 John 2:15-16 describes the worldly temptations as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All that the world has to offer can be reduced to these three things.

1. The lust of the flesh includes everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs.
2. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we don’t have and envying those who have what we want.
3. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

One of the better ways to approach this daunting task of dying to ourselves is to declare a fast. Fasting does not necessarily get you any brownie points as far as the Lord is concerned. But what it does is most helpful to you, because by denying yourself, you are telling your carnal man who’s really the boss. It makes more room for the Spirit to be guiding you closer to God. Fasting worldly pleasure to give more time to God’s Word is the best investment because it is the only power on earth that can transform us from worldliness to true spirituality. In fact, the Word of God is exactly what we need to be made “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16)

Fasting, and any other discipline against our comfort zone, brings to life the fighter in you. It’s breaking loose from the ties of routine of what you’ve come to believe are unchangeable traits of your personality and character.

The determination to break the chains of bad habits and ruts causes us to rise above our comfortable place and search out a new route—a new challenge and the promise of better things ahead.

Let’s take a stand and cast all our cares upon Him (1Pet.5:7) and wait upon Him in the sure confidence that He is with us, and works in us. Let faith fill our heart and let’s be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.