In my last post, I shared with you the three stages of sin: Acceptance, Support, and Active Participation. I also shared how those each get reflected in the story of Saul’s life as he became a persecutor of early believers. If you didn’t read that article, I recommend you check it out.
 
The midpoint of Paul’s descent, the stage I would refer to as “supporting sin”, was a stage in which he was not actively attempting to arrest Christians, but he was speaking out and joining the chorus of voices crying out for their persecution. He wasn’t doing the dirty work yet, but he certainly was in favor of it.
 

Keys to Avoiding Stage 2

The key to avoiding this stage of sin is to actively monitor your connections. How are people influencing you and how are you influencing others. Sin is often mentored or comes by association. I recall listening to the testimony of a young woman who had become addicted to crystal meth, but by the grace of God had found freedom from her addiction.
 
Her descent began when she started dating a man who both used and sold drugs. “I will never use drugs”, she swore as she began dating him. She had just entered the first stage of sin. She wasn’t using, but she was accepting of the fact that her boyfriend was. Soon she started taking drugs and swore, “I will never make crystal meth”, but she did. Next she swore, “I will never sell meth”, but again, she did. Her spiraling descent of addiction came to a grinding halt the day she crashed her car into a school bus full of children. The back seat of the car held all of the makings of a crystal meth lab.
 
How and why had she violate her vows? The answer in a word is influence. Her addict boyfriend influenced her decision-making. Once she had accepted his sin, she became his enabler and then partner.
 

Questions for Reflection

What people, media, circumstances, or environmental factors are influencing you toward sin?
 
How are you enabling someone else’s sin? How are you actively or passively supporting someone sinning?
 
Jesus said, “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” Matthew 5:30.
 
What step do you need to take right now to severe a connection with sin? Is there a relationship you should end? Is there a place you shouldn’t go anymore? Is there a habit you shouldn’t indulge?
 

What to Pray

Ask God to reveal to you the dangerous edges in your life. Ask God to reveal to you those places, people, or things influencing you toward sin. Also, ask God to show you the ways in which you are supporting sin and may not realize it.
 
May God bless you and strengthen you each time you resist sin.
 
 

 
You can see an example of the three stages of sin played out in the life of Saul (Paul, pre-conversion) as he became an active persecutor of believers in the early church.
 

ACCEPTANCE

Our first glimpse of Saul occurs in Acts chapter 7 in the story of the stoning of Stephen.  Stephen was selected by the disciples for the purpose of serving the widows who were overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  After the disciples laid hands upon Stephen, he performed many signs and wonders among the people.  Leaders rose up against him and stoned him to death.
 
We are told at the end chapter 7, “When they had driven him (Stephen) out of the city, they began stoning him, and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.”
Furthemore, we are told “Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death that day.”
 
Thus, Paul enters the first stage of sin: acceptance.  While he does not actively participate in stoning Stephen, he agrees with the action and does not protest.  I am reminded of the quote by Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
 

SUPPORT

Chapter 9 begins with the words, “Now Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord went to the High Priest…”
 
Apparently, Paul became an active vocal supporter of persecution.  Though he had yet to raise his hand against any believers he was publicly supporting their persecution.
 

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Lastly, we are told Paul “…went to the high priest and asked for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.”
 
At this point, Paul is actively persecuting the church.
 

A CLOSER LOOK AT STAGE #1, ACCEPTANCE

In the first stage, acceptance, you may not necessarily heartily agree sin.  Instead, you might simply feel uncomfortable, but fear speaking out. You may hesitate to say something because you feel you are in the minority or fear backlash from your peers.
 
For example, one time on a mission trip, our group was getting pretty bad about putting one another down.  Our verbal jabs were intended as playful banter.  A parent sponsor on the trip said to me in private that he felt the playful cut downs were getting out of hand.  Earlier that night everyone had been particularly harsh on one young man about 20 something years old.  The young man laughed about our teasing. The parent helped me realized the young man might have been really hurt by some of the comments. He may haves laughed because he didn’t want to look weak or wimpy.  He may have been taken aback and not known what to say to get people to stop.  The parent was right.
 
I felt horrible about the incident and went to the young man the next day and apologized.  We also had a discussion with the group about how easily playful comments made at someone else’s expense really can hurt.  We put a stop to put down’s and cutting comments and the atmosphere felt so much better.
 

ESCAPING ACCEPTANCE 

I learned from that incident that sometimes all it takes to stop sin is for one person to say, “I am not comfortable with this.”  You don’t have to explain why.  You may not even know why.  Sometimes your conscience convicts you before your rational mind catches up.  That’s okay.  It’s enough to recognize something does not feel right, to speak out, and to stop.
 
On several occasions since then I have voiced my discomfort when my conscience was disturbed.  In almost every instance, just saying, “I am not comfortable with this” caused a change.  Often times, other people are also struggling internal, but fear speaking out.  They fear rejection by their peers or embarrassment.  Someone else’s courage is all they need sometimes to stop sinning or support you in stopping.
 

APPLYING THE LESSON

Take a moment to prayerful reflect.  Ask God to bring to mind situations or circumstance where you feel morally uncomfortable.  How are you passively allowing sin to continue?  Are you an enabler of sin by your unwillingness to speak up?  Pray for God to give you the courage to no longer passively accept the sin going on around you.  Ask God to strengthen your conviction about what is right, so that you will have the courage to speak out.  Ask God to give you the right words to say.  Keep in mind that it might be as simple as, “I am uncomfortable with this.”
 
I hope that understanding these three stages of sin will perhaps illuminate particular moral struggles you are having at this time.  Recognizing that you are in the first stage of acceptance is critical to avoiding being pulled in deeper.  Speaking out won’t always change others, but it is the first step in separating yourself from sin.  May God give you wisdom, insight and courage to do so.
 
In my next blog post, you will learn about the second stage of sin and I will share with you concrete strategies for escaping it.  Blessings to you as the Holy Spirit teaches and empowers you to resist sin.

Image by Palosirkka, found on Wikimedia Commons

The cross was a thief, stealing sons from mothers. It was a calloused listener turning a deaf ear to twisted words from twisted bodies. It did not blink as pierced hands found themselves straining and tearing beneath the weight of a broken body. It felt nothing as feet full of bone shards from a spike shattering them ebbed precious blood. The cross did not care.

The cross was an ugly, vile, torturous form of execution. Do not pretty it up too soon.

Jesus cross was not beautiful. It was not special. Used and reused for countless other crucifixions, the wood was undoubtedly soaked by blood from prior bodies broken. A foul stench surely choked him as soldiers saddled him with it like a beast of burden. Who knows how many men and women had soiled Christ’s cross when the last wisp of life ebbed out of them.

As he bore, its unrelenting weight upon his back, a conflict of surfaces occurred. Slick with his own blood the cross wanted to slide from his back while simultaneously blood struggled to coagulate and stick to the encrusted surface. Scabs tore free as fast as they formed. Scabs from a back tattered by the vicious bite of a scourge.

Tongue thick, a mouth of cotton, a head screaming from dehydration while thorns bite unmercifully. Sweat no longer stings his eyes for there is nothing left to sweat. Enduring all of this, bearing all of this before a laughing crowd, while being stripped naked and mocked. Naked. Bare. Alone. But not alone.

Hundreds of people jeering. Taking pleasure in your humiliation. Taking pleasure in your degradation. In the midst of that throbbing mass a lone figure, your mother watches you humiliated. You see her heart die a thousand deaths as you die a death for thousands. You long to hold her and comfort her. You beg inside to die if nothing else to end her pain because you cannot imagine watching your own child suffer so.

Your muscles scream for relief as you drag this unbearable weight. When you finally arrive to the top of the hill, you collapse on the ground with nothing left to give. This sweet moment of relief is shattered as harsh hands wrestle your hands into submission so they may be unmercifully pierced. Ring, ring, ring, turns to a deeper, baser, thud, thud, thud as the spike bites deeper into the wood.

Then lifted up, shock waves race down your arms and up your legs as the cross drops into a hole and the weight of your broken body is suspended from your torn flesh.

Darkness clouds your vision.

Pain turns to numbness.

Memories flicker in and out like dreams trying to be remembered.

The sky darkens.

Breathing becomes agonizingly difficult now.

You could lift yourself a bit before an take air into your lungs.

No strength left to do that anymore.

Air won’t come in unless you gasp.

Short gasps, becoming shallower.

No fluid for tears.

Darkness is coming.

coming.

coming.

comes.

.

 
There is always a herd or a crowd to follow, but if you want exceptional faith, you must step away from the herd. Stepping away from the herd was also the norm for Jesus. He exited the herd often to pray and it seems that he often did when life was challenging.
 
For example, in John chapter 7, Jesus had gone to Jerusalem for the Feastival of Booths. It was a difficult time. He was avoiding the region because “the Jews”, specifically, many of the Jewish authorities, were seeking to kill him (John 7:1) After a discussion with the disciples, he sent them to Jerusalem with the understand he was not coming. However, Jesus followed in secret. Over the course of the feast Jesus taught publicly and became the object of a great division among the people.
 
On the heals of this division and well aware of the intention of the authorities to kill him, Jesus heads to the Mount of Olives while everyone else proceeds to travel home for the festival was over.
 

As was his custom…

Why go to the Mount of Olives? From another Gospel text, Luke 22:39, we are told “And he (Jesus) came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.” That snippets of text is the transition from the last supper with the disciples to Jesus time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus appears to have had a discipline of going to the Mount of Olives for prayer. The garden there was a place of solice, a sanctuary of sorts.
 
I suspect that when the rest of the crowd trudged home and Jesus headed to the Mount of Olives, he was quite likely going there to pray. He was staying true to a discipline that fed him in difficult times. The festival was over, but he wasn’t done seeking out time with his heavenly Father.
 
When I recently read these verses, the question arose for me, “How might my faith change if I lingered five minutes to pray after worship, or work, or meetings?
 

What is your custom?

What about you? How might your life change if you sought a few more minutes of prayer when all was said and done and everyone else was going home?
 
I wondered, “What if I went to my prayer closer after work, or meals, or just before bed?…so much so that it became a custom to me.
 
Wouldn’t it be great if someday someone wrote about you, “While everyone else slept in, he got up and went for a walk with God as was his custom.” Or, “While everyone else got up after the church dinner and walked out, he cleared tables, as was his custom.” Or, “While everyone asked how someone was doing in the hospital, she visited, as was her custom.”
 
Wouldn’t life be exceptional if those were your customs?
 
So, what is your “while everyone else”, and what is your custom? How do you break away from the herd to have an exceptional faith?
 
I would love to hear, you dream custom…The custom you wished you had RIGHT NOW, that others would ALWAYS remember you for?
 

Listen to the Silence

Psalm 28

One of the evening psalms for today offers what I might call an auditory conundrum. “To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit” (Psalm 28:1). What exactly does the silence of God sound like? Is it like the sound of one hand clapping, or a tree falling in the forest when there is no one there? Is it like the quiet of a library, or the hush of a school building when the day is over and the children have gone home? The homecoming parades I marched in during high school used to pass by a hospital at which point the instruments quit playing and the drums simply marked a soft tap, tap, tap so we could keep cadence. Surely the silence of God is not like that.
 
The psalmist knew, or at least thought he knew, what the silence of God would be like. It was the experience of separation, of descending to a place where the love of God was only a memory. It meant being cast off, as the wicked are sent away and left to their own fate. How deeply the psalmist felt the need for what one writer calls, “a living mutual relationship with God.” And so the psalmist prayed, with arms outstretched toward the temple, and beseeched God to listen and to respond and to not be silent.
 
Silence can be a good thing, of course. When young children have been a little wound up the soft sounds of their sleeping comes as a blessing. But silence can also be a draining experience, can leave us feeling lost or lonely, can remind us of our need for others. And with arms outstretched we lift our prayers to a God who does indeed listen, and who indeed responds, and who is capable of breaking the silence of our very souls with the knowledge of the divine presence. “Blessed is the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The Lord is my strength and my shield…” (vs. 6-7a).
 
What does the silence of God sound like? At the end of the day we have to answer that question for ourselves. But whatever the answer may be, it cannot mask the fact that God cares for God’s people like a shepherd for a flock, that God hears our pleadings, hears our prayers, and in ways that we cannot fully understand responds to us. God’s silence then is only an illusion, for the sound of God is really the sound of our being.
 
Prayer: Lord, hear us when we call to you, and bless us with the knowledge of your presence, for it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.
 
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ABOUT JIM FREEMAN

If you enjoyed Jim’s post I hope you will take a moment to visit his blog, http://dailylectionaryreadings.blogspot.com. His blog is a thoughtful reflection on readings from the “Book of Worship: Daily Prayer” of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
 
Jim is also the author of “Gravity Has Brought Me This Far: Collected Writings” which available on amazon.com. “Gravity” is a collection of poems, shorts stories, dialogues, lyrics, scenes, and flash fiction written over a period of years.
 
Thank you Jim for guest posting!
  

Recognize

When Jesus was tempted he immediately recognized the danger. He knew and understood the Word of God. That knowledge gave him the awareness to resist. It also gave him the tools he need to fight back. If you read the story you will notice Jesus counters each temptation with a spiritual truth from God’s word.
 

Resist

When I read the story of Jesus temptation I was reminded of 1 Peter 4:8-9,
 

“Be sober of spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

 
Resistance may be as simple as rejecting and ugly thought that enters your mind or as demanding as severing relationships that are spiritual dangerous for you. Whatever the cost strive to eliminate those influences internal and external that pull you away from God.
 

Report

Jesus story doesn’t reflect any cry out for help, but God has placed us together in his body to be a support for one another. When you are struggling with a sin, find someone you can confide in. The more we hide our sin the easier it is to continue in it. If you struggle is embarrassing and you currently have too much shame around it to tell someone specifically what is going on, then at the very least tell someone, “I am struggling right now and I need your prayers.”
 
When I was desperately struggling with depression, I was amazed at how many people came forward with a similar struggle once I was willing to share mine. Hiding when you are lost, makes it very difficult to become found.
 
I want to add an “R” to the Boy Scout rubric of Recognize, Resist, and Report.” My “R” is rejoice.
 

Rejoice

When God delivers you from a struggle, celebrate. Give God credit for God’s grace. Share with other people what you have witnessed God do. Your story might be the ray of hope that pierces someone else’s darkness. Your story might be the invitation for someone else to cry out to God.
 
 

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Prayer Disciplines

B.L.E.S.S. Prayer–A prayer form from the book “Love to Pray: A 40 day Devotional for Deepinging Your Prayer Life.” by Dr. Alving VanderGriend. The acronym stands for Body, Labors, Emotional needs, Social Needs, and Spiritual Needs.
Pure Praise–A 3 fold formula for praising God that is based upon a pattern I recognized in David’s Psalms. This prayer method deepened my intimacy with God tremendously.
Confession–A prayer model to guide people in a discipline of daily confession.
Examen–A classic prayer model from the Ignatian tradition. I find this one really pumps up your spiritual awareness.
Five Finger Prayer–A wonderful easy prayer mnemonic that prompts you to pray for 5 different groups of people. This is one is a wonderful option for children or parents wanting to expand their children’s prayer lives.
 

Bible Reading Disciplines

Acts in 40 Days–A checklist of readings to complete the Book of Acts in 40 days.
Matthew in 40 Days–A checklist of readings with tips to get you through a the gospel of Matthew.

Mark in 40 Days–A checklist of readings with tips to get you through a the gospel of Mark.
Luke in 40 Days–A checklist of readings with tips to get you through a the gospel of Luke.
John in 40 Days–A checklist of readings with tips to get you through a the gospel of John.
Lent Top 40 Bible–40 top bible stories to give someone a quick overview of the Bible.
 

Action Disciplines

Better Body Holiness–Suggestions for increasing your physical health in order to serve God more faithfully and with greater energy.
40 Bags in 40 Days–A discipline to eliminate clutter and excess (not to sound cliche’ but this one changed my life and started my passion about Lenten disciplines)
Love Notes–A discipline of writing thank you notes daily to people who have touched your life. The people who have done this one find it a profound experience.
Media Habit–Let go of a media habit like surfing Facebook or watching Television.
Tame the Tongue–A discipline of refraining from being verbally negative or gossipy.
Faith PEGS–An acronym to spiritually guide your intentions for the day. This grew out of my own bible study and was very formative for me.
Fast and Contribute–A discipline with a mission emphasis.
 

I hope these are a blessing for you. Feel free to use these at your church, in your youth group, Sunday school classes or on your own. They are ready to go. I laid it out so that someone could photocopy the sheet back to back and then cut it in half for a nicely formatted half sheet handout. The one exception to that is the Bless Prayer which is a one sided copy only.
 
Blessings,
  
John Arnold
The Practical Disciple
 

If you are looking for some sort of specific biblical mandate for Lent, I don’t think there is one.  There is no place in the Bible that says something like, “Go spend 40 days reflecting on the price Christ paid for your sins and at the end of it celebrate and give thanks for the resurrection.”  In fact, “Lent” isn’t mentioned in the Bible.
 
One thing that came to mind as I pondered your request was that there are lots of practices/traditions that our common and helpful that really don’t necessarily have a biblical justification.  For example, if someone asked me to provide 3 Bible scriptures (preferably New Testament) that justify having a weekly Family Night Supper, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, or Summer Church Camp — I couldn’t do it.  I could tell them all of the ways those practices help believers to learn, study and grow as disciples, but I could not offer them any specific biblical justification for the tradition itself.
 
Does that make those practices wrong and should they be stopped?  Absolutely not, they can be valuable church traditions that function as a tool for the many things we should be doing as believers, i.e. prayer, study, worship, etc.
 
Similarly, Lent is a church tradition that helps people deepen their relationship with God. It’s  a means or method for training in godliness and reflecting on the sacrifice made by Christ for our sins that we might be forgiven and have eternal life.  1 Timothy 4:8 is probably one of the most noteworthy passages on training in godliness.
 
In terms of training in godliness, specifically, Lent has always had a strong emphasis on recognizing our sin and turning away from it. It’s a time of getting very intentional about repentance.  Christ himself preached repentance, Mark 1:15 and sent the disciples out to proclaim repentance, Mark 6:12.
 
In short, Lent like VBS, Family Night Suppers, Sunday School and a host of other church traditions is just a means of exercising discipline in prayer, repentance, and honoring what God has done in Christ.  Any scripture supporting those things by extension justifies Lent.
 
I hope this helps.  Thank you for posting your comment.  I love hearing from readers. My apologies for the slow response.  Somehow I didn’t catch  your comment when you made it and just happened upon it this morning.
 
Have a Blessed Day,
 
John Arnold

 
While in many traditions people give something up for Lent, I have typically taken on a spiritual discipline. Last year for 40 days, I spent time in my prayer closet dedicated to praising God. I set aside all of my other prayers and immersed myself in pure praise. The deep connection that grew out of that time was the spark of inspiration and insight that resulted in my first ebook, “Tips On Prayer, A Quickstart Guide to Improving Your Prayer Life.”
 
Whether you are in a tradition of celebrating Lent or not, I would encourage to visit my Lent page. On the Lent page I have provide printable instructions on a variety of spiritual practices you can use to stengthen your relationship with God and improve your faithfulness. You can check it out by clicking HERE.
 

As I have mentored people in reading the Bible, I have noticed some common avoidable pitfalls. Here are seven of the most common:

1. Trying to read straight through. I can’t tell you how many times I started at Genesis, but got bogged down in Leviticus or Numbers and gave up. I have found this is a very common story. So, follow a good Bible reading plan that eases you into some of the hard to read books of the Old Testament.. Click here to find several great ones.

2. Not praying. When you read the Bible ALWAYS start by praying. This seems so obvious and yet easily forgotten. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide your reading and understanding of God’s Holy Word. Ask for God to reveal to you how you should apply Gods Word in your life.

3. Not applying what you read. If you find God revealing to you something you should do through your reading, apply it. Read to be transformed, not just to rack up a bunch of Bible facts or be able to say you have read it. Transformation comes through application. Applying God’s Word will change your life for the better.

4. Not having a set daily time. I surveyed people who were all on the same reading plan and after 30 days, people with a set reading time were twice as likely to be on schedule than those without. More importantly, people who scheduled their time were 5 times less likely to have quit. So do yourself a favor and pick a time and place when you will read, so it becomes a habit.

5. Making exceptions. Skipping a day is a great way to begin not reading. When people start skipping a day here and there, eventually they get far enough behind that catching up isn’t realistic so they give up. The key is to never make an exception. Trust me it can be done. I have read a minimum of 4 chapters every day for 29 years, without missing a day. You can too.

6. Not taking notes. Taking notes keeps you engaged with your reading. You will see and learn more if you just read with a pencil in hand. I underline or circle words and phrases that draw my interest. I make notes in the margins and journal afterwards. Holding a pencil is the easiest way to hold your attention.

7. Not sharing what they learn. When you try to explain something you have learned, you solidify your understanding of it. Not to mention, your sharing could possibly make a huge impact on the person you share it with.

Blessings on your reading of God’s Holy Word,

John Arnold
The Practical Disciple

 
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How do you start your day? Do you start your day in a way that helps you live life more fully and more dedicated to God?
 
In today’s podcast, I share some recent routines that I have adopted that have definitely ramped up my energy and focus. These routines help me more fully love God with my heart, strength, soul and mind.
 
After the podcast I would love your comments on two things. First, what do you do to start your day right for God? And, second, did this podcast work out okay. I recorded it while doing my morning walk. It was a fun way to do the broadcast, but if the ambient noise is too much or I sound too winded while walking, then I will take a different approach. I like the conversational quality of it, because I feel like we are getting to take a walk and just chat about God, but I am not sure about the quality of audio. So please let me know.
 
Thanks and have an awesomely blessed day,
 
John Arnold
The Practical Disciple
 
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