#16 Righteous Living and Idolatry/Temptation (shortened)
(For full version of this Bible study "lesson," click here.)
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
We all know that we are supposed to be seeking righteousness and God’s Kingdom. But are we actually doing it? And do we really even know what that means?
The reason I ask is because our country is getting so lukewarm and relativistic about spiritual things. Whole denominations are drifting away from biblical Christianity and becoming social clubs where the speakers tickle the ears of the congregation and make them feel warm and cozy and comfortable.
But that is so not what Jesus did and what the Bible is about!
Jesus spoke often of sin and hell and eternal matters and the need to seek
righteousness and be on alert. He
convicted and challenged and confronted.
And here we are, growing weak, lazy, and sleepy in our Christian walks
because we only want to hear the things that make us feel good about our
lifestyles and choices and priorities.
And the sad thing is, we are too comfortable to care that we are missing the mark. I think many of us want to believe that we are doing “good enough.” We have just enough of God to get by, but not so much that we feel guilty, convicted, or have to change our lifestyle.
But “good enough” falls far short of “great.” Of “godly.” Of "righteous."
God does not call us to seek “good enough.” He calls us to seek righteousness. And in order to seek righteousness, we have to set aside our comfort and our focus on earthly things so that we can begin pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly. We have to set aside our desires and plans and priorities, in favor of His. Righteousness involves a “dying to self” so that we can become more and more like Christ and reach more and more people for His Kingdom.
But I fear that we have become too distracted by possessions, pleasure, people, and pursuits to bother with pursuing righteousness and God’s Kingdom. Pursuing righteousness would just infringe on our comfort and joy, wouldn’t it? It would mean that we have to put God’s plans and desires over our own, that we would have to deal with the selfish and sinful parts of our hearts and lives? And who wants to do that, really?
A main part of the problem is that we (particularly in the USA) live in a very selfish, materialistic age when we get whatever we want, whenever we want. And when we get bored with that, we get the bigger and better version. (We even discard our spouses when something “better” comes along.)
Our hearts and minds are consumed with “stuff.” More stuff, better stuff, too much stuff, someone else’s stuff. “Stuff” has become a huge idol in our country, and it’s taking the place of seeking the Lord and holiness, of contentment and gratitude.
[And if you have a lot of “blessings” in your life – a big house, a good position or job, many friends, success, financial abundance, etc., don’t be fooled into thinking that it must be a sign that you are in a right standing before God, that God “blessed” you so much because surely He is pleased with you. Sometimes our “stuff” is there because we fought for it, not because God wanted us to have it. And sometimes, it’s more like a test or distraction than a blessing or an indication of our godly life. And on the flip-side, don’t think that if you don’t have a lot of “stuff” then it must mean that God is not pleased with you and has not blessed you. The best blessings are not tangible anyway.]
Another problem is that we live in an age of relativism where the #1 Truth is “What’s true for you may not be true for me.” “The Bible is not really black-and-white.”
And if we make Truth relative, then anything goes. Because who’s to say which truth should supersede all others.
But as Christians, we believe Scripture supersedes all others. However, in our country and around the world, the authority of Scripture is being ignored, downplayed, or attacked, not just by unbelievers and atheists but also by “Christians.” By churches.
And if we fail to keep Scripture as our authority, then we have no firm foundation on which to stand. If we fail to immerse ourselves in it and evaluate our lives by it and teach the next generation to cherish it, then we are left to float along according to our own whims and views and misconceptions, helplessly bumping along with all the other floaters out there who are doing their own thing also.
The only way to stay on course - to seek the kind of godly righteousness that God calls us to strive for - is to live vitally connected to the Lord, through prayer and His Word.
John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
But so many of us nowadays live like the Bible is optional reading in our daily Christian lives.
Not only are some denominations blatantly walking away from the Word, but there are many Christians who have simply gotten lazy about spiritual disciplines and who have all sorts of excuses for it. We know the importance of the Bible, yet we find ways to excuse our failure to read it and meditate on it. We find ways to excuse our failure to pursue righteousness because we are just too comfortable with the status quo.
I was like that, too. For a long time. Scripture was good and beneficial, but I didn’t eat it and drink it. I didn’t deeply immerse myself in it and absorb it. It was “extra-credit” reading.
But because of the five months of demonic harassment that I went through (previous lesson), I learned the importance of immersing myself in the Word, of maintaining contact with God all throughout my day and night, of seeking holiness and righteousness . . . so that I could stand a fighting chance against evil. There was no way I could do it alone. I have no power in myself. And I have learned to take the spirit world seriously and to remember that there is an eternity out there waiting for us. And what we do on this earth is not nearly as important as what we do in the spirit realm, for God’s Kingdom.
Because of those five months, I am always conscious of the fact that there is an unseen world working right alongside the physical world. And how we live and what we do and if we pray really does matter. Because it really does have an impact on the spirit world. And I became very concerned with how much my life reflected Christ, and if it glorified Him and honored Him.
Not only does how we live and act reflect on Christ and influence people’s views of Him, but I believe that we can give demons access to us by how we live and act.
As I said last lesson, we put out “welcome mats” and give them “open doors” when we give in to temptations, when we say things we shouldn’t, when we watch and read and listen to things we shouldn’t, when we act in a way we shouldn’t, when we give ourselves over to lust, anger, bitterness, rage, jealousy, greed, anxiety, etc., and when we fill our lives, homes, ears, eyes, and minds with things that are not God-glorifying.
And we have more power to keep them back when we live more righteously, are more aligned with the Holy Spirit, and are relying on Jesus.
People today do not want others to tell them how to live. Even Christians do not want their lifestyles, choices, or behaviors challenged by other Christians. But God’s Word is very clear about our responsibility to seek righteousness.
Proverbs 15: 9: “The Lord detests the way of the wicked but he loves those who pursue righteousness.”
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
And one of the pieces of spiritual armor is the breastplate of righteousness, which protects our hearts and our vital organs.
Because of those five months of demonic harassment, I
began to realize my desperate need to abide in Christ daily, to draw ever
closer to Him. And in doing this, I
needed to align myself with the Spirit as much as possible, because I couldn’t
expect to remain under God’s protection if I was living in a way that
displeased Him. And so I became
concerned with seeking righteousness, living a more holy life in order to honor
Him, and remaining as close to Him as possible, keeping as far away from evil
as possible.
And so I began to think about what might not be pleasing to Him in my life. And I immediately thought about a movie that I own about witches. It was a movie that I really enjoyed, even though I knew that it could not possibly be glorifying to Him. These witches where casting spells and doing incantations, glorifying witchcraft in a way that makes it look appealing. And yet for so long, I excused it by saying, “Oh, it won’t affect me. I’m strong enough to not be swayed by it. It’s really more about the sisters’ relationship than it is about witchcraft.”
But now, after those five months, it wasn’t about if it was going to sway me or not; it was about if God was glorified by it or not. I became far more concerned with glorifying Him than I did with feeding my own happiness and desires. And so I dumped it in the trash.
And I am very cautious now about what we allow into our house and what we allow on our TV and on the radio. I try to be very careful about not tinkering with things that are inappropriate for a child of God. No books, shows or movies on witchcraft, vampires, mysticism or the like. No books, movies, shows or trinkets that celebrate false gods. No decorations that honor false religions. And as much as I can, I try to be cautious and discerning about “entertainment” that celebrates and encourages things that God opposes: immorality, murder, adultery, God-mocking, rough language, etc. It doesn’t mean that I completely avoid anything that is “un-Christian,” but I do have a low tolerance level for too much of this stuff in any movie or show. Which means that we watch very few television shows. Even the commercials are so disturbing!
And no offense to those who do, but we do not partake in Halloween anymore. My boys go out to the movies with their dad on that night, if there is a good movie to see. And they love it! And if there isn’t a good movie, we buy one that we have always wanted and pop popcorn and pile in front of the TV and have a “family movie night.” I just can’t bring myself to celebrate a “holiday” that celebrates evil, not when I am asking God for His protection from evil. (I do, however, pass out candy. But I try to make it an opportunity to have a positive impact by either saying a silent prayer for each person that comes to the door or attaching a small “God Bless You” note to each piece of candy. I’m doing my small part to be a light on that dark night!)
And here is one of my soapbox issues . . . yoga. Did you know that yoga is actually a form of Hindu worship? Those poses are meant to join you with the gods and the “universe,” where “all are one”. (Look it up on the internet and see what you think.) I know that there are Christians who would call yoga “morally-neutral, harmless, and even beneficial”. But I would have to respectfully disagree.
I don’t think that yoga can be considered God-glorifying in any sense, considering the whole “spiritual” purpose behind the practice of yoga. And I don’t think you can just go, “Oh, I don’t think about the ‘spiritual’ side of it. It’s just good exercise,” and change the very nature of what it is. It is a form of Hindu prayer. That’s just what it is. Those are prayer poses to Hindu gods. And if this is the case, wouldn’t it be erring on the side of spiritual caution to avoid it entirely, when its very essence is Hindu spiritualism? Aren’t there other good, non-controversial forms of exercise out there?
Now, for those who think I’m being an old fuddy-duddy to suggest that Christians make a break from a questionable practice like yoga, read the Old Testament and see how thoroughly God instructed the Israelites to make a break from the religious practices of the people around them. Deuteronomy 12, for example. Where is our zeal for living God-glorifying lives nowadays? For taking a stand for Him? You just don’t see it that often anymore. We have so many excuses for our unglorifying choices and behaviors.
I think it’s actually quite alarming to see how commonplace yoga is. There are studios all over the place. There are videos on shelves at every store. It’s portrayed in many, many commercials, movies, magazines, etc., and it’s always associated with peace and health and inner light and goodness. What a subtle, sneaky, insidious infiltration. And call it what you will, it is literally idol worship.
Look at the extent to which the Israelites were to go to rid their land of idol worship. Deuteronomy 7:5-6: “This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” And here we are, imitating Hindu worship in the name of health and physical fitness.
You know, I used to wonder How in the world can the people of the Bible go from being wholly devoted to God in one generation ... to following false gods and their own desires in the very next generation?
But when I look at the world around us today, I think I can understand. It’s not that the older generation didn’t teach the new generation God’s truth. And it’s not that the new generation flat-out rejected God and His truth.
It’s probably that the new generation slowly nibbled their way lost by tinkering with things that do not glorify God, by allowing bits and pieces of the world to enter their lives without really batting an eye. Like a slow dripping poison that you can’t feel at first. A little bit here, a little bit there. Question God in this thing. Get indignant about that restriction. “Morality is not really black and white, is it? This isn’t really that bad? Could it really be wrong, when no one’s getting hurt? Did God really say in His Word, ‘You must not . . .?’”
Meanwhile, there’s the older generation. They don’t like what they are seeing, but . . . “Those crazy kids. I guess that’s just how they do things nowadays.”
Or maybe they are grieved by what they are seeing, but . . . “It’s really not my place to say anything. I don’t want to make anyone feel bad. I don’t want to look holier-than-thou or look like an old fuddy-duddy. And I don’t want to offend anyone. So I can’t really take a stand against anything . . . because it might upset someone.”
And they basically condone and encourage society’s slow drift from God by their passivity, by refusing to speak the truth in love or to stand by their convictions that there is “right” and there is “wrong.” And Satan laughs and slips farther in!
Yes, I am guilty of not taking a stand for so long, for fear of making others feel bad or of standing out as different. And I am guilty of allowing things into my life and home and mind that are not God-glorifying. But God is working on me. And I am getting more and more sensitive to what doesn’t bring God glory. (There is so little out there that is neutral middle-ground, especially when it comes to entertainment.)
And I have become convicted about and more uncomfortable with the ways that I encourage those things: buying the movies, watching the program, listening to the music, saying the wrong things, ruminating on the thoughts, winking at sin, shying away when I should be speaking up, etc. And so I am starting to clean up those things that I never really gave much thought to before. I am finally taking them as seriously as they should be taken. Because when God’s glory is at stake, there is no reasonable excuse for bringing Him disgrace.
When We Pursue Righteousness
When we pursue righteousness, God is glorified more, people notice a difference, people might be convicted of sin in their own lives, you will be storing up treasures in heaven, and you will remain (as much as possible) on the path that God wants for you, getting His Will done.
Psalm 37:23 tells us “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.”
And Proverbs 11:5 says, “The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.”
Psalm 23: 3: “. . . He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Emphasis is mine.)
We cannot expect that God will make our steps firm or that we will remain on the straight path if we are living in sin, in self-sufficiency, or for self-glory. And as I said, if we are not pursuing righteousness, we are sliding away.
So how do we attain righteousness? If we are told to pursue it, obviously it has to be somewhere we can find it.
2 Timothy 3: 16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (Emphasis is mine.)
We need to be immersed in the Word (and I would say daily) and conforming our lives to what God has revealed to us if we want to live a more holy life, to resemble Jesus more and more.
And as we all know, James 5:16 says “. . . The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” And we just saw that Scripture is useful for training in righteousness. I think that there is a link between abiding in the Word, seeking righteousness, and the power of our prayers.
But it’s not our righteous acts that make our prayers powerful and effective. It is His righteousness working through us as we humbly submit our lives completely to Him - for His glory! (And since we will always sin, we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s convictions and to return wholeheartedly to God in genuine repentance whenever sin has broken fellowship.)
God has been working on me about this issue. And my desire has become to call people up to a higher level of righteousness. And to strive for it myself. I would love to challenge a generation of believers to NOT compromise God’s truth. To not settle for being a “good enough” Christian. To seek Him and follow Him whole-heartedly. And to see what He can accomplish through a generation of people who are wholly devoted to Him.
In an earlier lesson on prayer, we looked at Ezekiel 22:30-31. The Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel about all about the disgraceful, ungodly things that Jerusalem was doing. And then we read this:
“I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
The people’s sin earned them serious consequences and punishment. And God was going to deal with them out of His sense of justice. But He wanted to relent. He wanted to be talked out of destroying them. And He would have . . . if only. If only He could have found at least one godly person who would “stand in the gap” for the people.
God was saying, “I looked for a godly man who would appeal to My mercy - a man who would pray that I would spare the people, who would be an example to the people of how they should be living. I would have relented for one godly man, because I didn’t want to give them what they deserved. But I found no one! So I had to. I had to destroy them because there was no one righteous enough, no one that called out to Me on behalf of the people, that called on My desire to be merciful and to relent. And so I dealt with them in justness, instead of mercy.”
That is so sobering to me. The older I get and the more I learn about the way God works, the more I realize that God doesn’t just “do whatever He wants.” He relies on people who are sensitive to His leading and who are obedient. He looks for righteous people who will do His work. He relies on us and our prayers to get His Will done.
And I used to think prayer was just about connecting with God and showing dependency. But it is so much more powerful and effective than just being a formality. It is so much more necessary to getting His Will done.
The point here is that He needs righteous people to stand in the gap for others. This is why a heart that is sensitive to Him is so important, why reading the Bible and spending quality time with Him is critical. It’s how we find out what God expects from us, how He operates (as much as we can possible understand that), what His Will is, and how we can best live and pray to get that accomplished.
But our country is going the other direction (as are so many other parts of the world). And with the way we are turning our backs on God and telling Him to “get out” . . . well, it’s just a matter of time until He does. It’s just a matter of time until His hammer falls on us. And God knows that we as a country would deserve it. We’re not so special that we are above His righteous discipline.
It’s time for us Christians to
get off of our sorry, lazy, self-serving, pleasure-seeking, finger-pointing,
back-sliding butts and to start seeking righteousness in our own lives so that
we can “stand in the gap.” It’s time for
us to get our heads out of the sand and see what’s really going on and where we
are really headed. It’s time to get out
of the spiritual fog and get into the spiritual battle. It’s time to get on our knees in humility.
2 Chronicles 7:14-15: “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”
We need to stop running after toys, desires, and “happiness,” and start running after the Lord. We need to stop worrying about how others are failing to live rightly before the Lord and start worrying about how we are failing to live rightly before the Lord. And we need to start passionately and diligently seeking God, abiding in the Word, aligning ourselves with the Holy Spirit, and humbling ourselves before our mighty God so that we can plead with Him for mercy, pray for revival, bring Him glory, call others up to righteousness, and share His Love, Truth, and the only Hope we have.
But change starts with us. Revival starts in our own hearts. And then it spreads to our families and churches and communities and, finally, our country. If you’re not standing in the gap, then you’re standing by and watching our country disintegrate, leading to possible eventual discipline under God’s wrath.
Come on, Christians . . .
2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
Our God searches for people who are fully committed to Him - to doing His Will and to following Him wholeheartedly. But how many of us will He find? Will you stand in the gap?
“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.” (Jeremiah 5:1)
God cares enough about us as individuals to notice one righteous person out of so many people, and to act out of His love for one righteous person, instead of out of His justness for a whole city full of unrighteous people.
I have been convinced to the core that we need Christians who will seek righteousness wholeheartedly, above their own desires and plans. We need those who are abiding in the Lord and who passionately believe in prayer. They have an incredible opportunity and a great responsibility to be an intercessor before the Lord, to be someone who will “stand in the gap” for the people around us.
If we don’t, who else will?
Idolatry and Temptation
If we are going to talk about living as righteously as possible, we need to look at the issue of idolatry. In our day and age, idols are not usually golden and bovine. They are usually idols of the heart. The way I define idols is anything that takes your focus off of God, or anything that consumes you or that you set your heart on that is not God.
God wants to be first and highest priority in our hearts and minds. But since we are human, we oftentimes set our hearts and minds on visible or tangible things, things that we can wrap our minds, hearts, or hands around. Other people, success, jobs, money, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things, but when they have become the highest priority in our lives, they become idols.
As long-time Christians, we have all probably been through a lot with God and have experienced Him and His goodness in many ways, and our hearts are quite devoted to Him. So how easy could it really be to replace Him with an idol? Seriously?
Exodus 32:1: “When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
How long do you think it was before the Israelites turned their backs on the real God and made their own? Now remember, this was after the plagues, the guiding pillar of fire and the Red Sea. This was after the manna and the quail and the water from the rock. They had just trembled at the foot of Mount Sinai as it was covered with billowing smoke and fire. They had just heard the thunder and saw the lightning. And they pleaded with Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” (Exodus 20:19) They have seen the glory of God and experienced Him in mighty ways.
And then Moses goes up the mountain to meet God. And in Exodus 25 - 31 we read about all the laws that God gave Moses while he was up on the mountain. And while this is happening, the Israelites are making the golden calf.
So how long do you think it was, after all these miraculous events, before they decided to turn on God and make their own? How long before they despaired and felt that God could not be trusted? Before they doubted that He was the One True God?
Are you ready for this?
The verse before the God-given instructions to Moses says this: Exodus 24:18: “Then Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”
Forty days and forty nights! Forty days! It blows my mind that after all that they had been through with God, they would forget who He is and run after man-made idols. In forty days! It blows my mind!
And it scares me!
It scares me because I haven’t seen what they have seen. I haven’t experienced God in the amazing, tangible ways that they have. And if all those experiences helped them to last only forty days, how much quicker am I likely to despair and bail on God and run after my own “idols”? How much easier would it be for me to forget who God is and what He is capable of? Do I really think that I am that much more righteous than the Israelites that I can do better? It makes me more sober about my judgment of myself and what I am capable of doing to God.
The reason I bring all this up is to challenge us all to remember that we are all so human. It is easy for us to set our hearts on something else, other than God. It is easy for us to freak out during trials and forget to rely on God, putting our faith in something else instead. It is easy to get distracted by pretty, shiny things and to begin to pursue trinkets and possessions. It is easy to find satisfaction and comfort and our identity in our jobs, our successes, and even our position in church. And it is even easy to make God’s blessings and our prayer requests into idols, to get so consumed with what we get or what we are asking for that they become bigger than the One who provided it.
Now, there is nothing wrong with most blessings and pursuits. Improving ourselves and enjoying life is not inherently wrong. What is wrong is when our focus on God is eclipsed by them. When we focus more on the gift than the Giver. When we settle for temporary, instead of eternity. We can’t glorify God with our lives when this happens. When blessings, possessions, pursuits, and even prayer requests become more than they should be, they end up consuming us. They become idols of the heart and mind! We passionately pursue them, instead of passionately pursuing God.
Now, along with being alert for idols in our lives, we need to be alert for the sins in our lives and for vulnerable areas, the areas in which we can be most tempted to sin.
Satan knows us better than we know ourselves, because he has been watching humans since the beginning of time. He knows what can draw us away from God. He has a bag of tricks that he draws from. Subtle and enticing offers that he dangles before us.
And if we are not consciously watching out for those and consciously pursuing righteousness, it is all-too-easy for us to take the bait. Because we aren’t seeing it for what it really is. To us, it just seems like a little bit of pleasure to be enjoyed in this life. But we don’t realize that there is a big hook in anything that Satan dangles before us.
How many lives have been ruined because someone entertained a fantasy about someone they weren’t married to? Because someone got enamored with their job and money? Because someone ran after the things that they thought would make them happy and fulfill them, while they neglected their duties? Because someone decided that their life and marriage just wasn’t exciting enough? Because someone thought "Just a little bit won't hurt" or "Just this one time" or "Did God really say ..."?
There are many different areas of temptation. And different ones appeal to different people, their areas of weakness. And almost any “good” thing in life can cross over into being a temptation to sin.
Here are some broad categories of temptation or potential temptation: success, recognition, sex, financial security or abundance, desire to be appreciated or loved, jealousy or envy, our use of food and drink and other substances, pleasure seeking, fears, doubts, anger, shame and guilt (the temptation to beat yourself up or to think so low of yourself that you reject God’s love and forgiveness), the temptation to try to earn God’s grace and love, and the list goes on and on.
The point is, we all have a weak area and we need to be aware of when Satan is poking at it. Awareness is a major part of the battle. It is all-too-easy to get caught up in sin when we are comfortable and sleepy and lazy in our spiritual lives.
Any time we choose against God or disobey Him, there are prices to be paid. And not only that, if we live a lifestyle of dabbling with sin or entertaining temptation, we further deafen ourselves to the nudging and conviction of the Holy Spirit. We risk developing a numb conscience and a hard-heart.
And so, once again, sensitivity to God, the pursuit of righteousness, and the dedication to being radically obedient are critical to our spiritual well-being, our eternity, and our lives. We need to regularly take some time to explore if there are any idols in our lives or areas where we need to be cautious. If is so easy to drift.
Remember the Israelites: forty days!
Bible Verses:
Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 4:4: “. . . when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, . . .”
Questions:
2. What does a “good enough” Christian look like? And what are the dangers of settling for being a “good enough” Christian?
3. Do you think Christians are guilty of being
too comfortable or compromising? In what
ways?
5. How should the awareness of eternity, of
heaven and hell, of angels and demons watching us and influencing us affect how
we live our lives?
8. Do you think that the way we live and how much we immerse ourselves in the Word has a bearing on our effectiveness in the spiritual battle that’s going on around us? Do you think Christians in general are doing well or failing in this area? What makes you think this?
9. Do you live like you take the spiritual battle around you seriously? Is there any way that you need to change to become more effective in this battle?
11. What are some other things that we turn into idols of the heart or other areas of potential temptation? What do you think are some of the big ones that Christians struggle with these days? What effect is it having on us?
13. What kinds of situations can cause us to turn from God to something else? What is the danger in doing this?
15. What do you think it means to be “self-controlled and alert”? How
do we “resist” the devil and “stand firm” in the faith?
16. Do you think Christians do this (#15)? Or do you think most of us have gotten sleepy, comfortable, lazy, and unaware? Why? And what are the consequences of this? (And what kinds of things might God do to wake us up from our comfortable slumber? Examples from life?)
17. When and in what ways might we let our guard down? What makes us more vulnerable to attacks and temptation? Do you have any examples?
18. Can you think of any heart idols in your life, things that you chase after or that take your focus off of God?
19. Can you think of anything in your home or life that might be displeasing to God because it’s unglorifying to Him or because it honors other gods? What do you think God might be telling you to do with it?
20. What are the areas in your life and heart that are potential “weak areas” – areas where Satan hits you or tempts you in the most?
24. In what ways and situations have you had to stand up as a Christian, to take a stand for what’s right and moral, against the things that you don’t agree with? Was it hard to do? And what happened as a result?
27. Do you agree that there is a link between abiding in the Word, seeking righteousness, power in prayer, and having an effect on God’s kingdom? Explain how you see it.
29. What does “seeking righteousness” look like to you? How can we do this? And what effect would doing this have on our lives and on other people?
30. How are you seeking His kingdom and His righteousness?
The posts in this Bible study:
(And I didn't repost the last "lesson" because it's not really a lesson. It's meant to be a conversation-starter if you are doing this Bible study with others: 22. Gray Areas)
