Tiffany gave her life to the Lord her sophomore year in college, and she was on FIRE for the kingdom! Anyone who crossed her path knew she loved God, and it wasn't because of anything she'd say. In fact, she rarely said anything. It was evident in the way she lived. She had DEFINITELY been changed! Her closest friends couldn't even believe she was the same person. The Tiffany from freshman year was the first one to tear the club doors down on a Friday night and the last one to leave on Saturday morning...EVERY weekend! And she wouldn't be the last one to leave because she was having that much fun. She would be the last one to leave because she'd be THAT drunk. She would drink so much at the club that she would be unruly and throw fits of rage if her friends tried to drive her home before the party was over. She insisted on staying until the last person had walked out the door, even if that meant not leaving until 4 or 5 AM.
And who knows how many boyfriends she had freshman year? There were too many to count. No one could keep up with that part of Tiffany's life; she couldn't even do it! What her friends were able to count, though, were the 3 pregnancy scares she had. They could count the number of times she'd been written up for having a guy in her dorm room after hours. They were able to count how many classes she failed and how many scholarship dollars went flying out the window as a result. They could count all of that, and the numbers were alarming. She really was a downward spiral until a classmate invited her to a play that his church was doing at the Boys and Girls Club. That play changed Tiffany's life! She was captivated by the story. The lead female character, Destiny, and her classmate's character, Travis, were in a relationship. They were Christians who wanted to live their lives to please the Lord. They both knew that they shouldn't have sex before they were married, but Travis only knew it in his mind; he didn't know and believe it in his heart. Destiny would explain to Travis over and over that she had made a promise to God to save sex for marriage not just because she wanted to honor Him with her body, but because she wanted to honor Him with her LIFE! If she had sex, that would just be the act, but along with that, she would be giving up self-control. She would be breaking down the trust relationship that she has with God. She would ruin her witness to others who know that she follows Christ. She knew she would experience guilt because of the young ladies she mentors and who look up to her. Her commitment wasn't just to not have sex. There was so much more to it than just sex. Her commitment was to honor God in EVERYTHING! Travis wasn't at that place in his walk with the Lord. He knew, in theory, that it was wrong, but that was before he felt the feelings he felt for Tiffany. He'd never loved anyone like he loved her and he wanted to express it in his physical affection toward her. Tiffany told him that that was all the more reason to wait. "If you love me like that, as real and as deep as you say, then you wouldn't want me to dishonor my God. You would want me to stand firm in my convictions and live a life that pleases God and witnesses to others."
Tiffany couldn't believe what she was seeing! She had NEVER seen a man wait for sex. And at the end of the play when Travis asked for Destiny's hand in marriage, Tiffany couldn't hold back her tears. She couldn't explain what had happened in her heart either, but she knew something had changed. Before she could even gather herself, she was at the front of the auditorium standing with about 50 other college students as men and women prayed for them and explained to them what it meant to repent and give their hearts to God through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. Tiffany and all the others were invited to the church the next day, and she knew she couldn't miss it. She went that Sunday, and she went every Sunday thereafter.
The church was awesome! It was the home away from home that she didn't even know she needed. The people there loved her in a way that she'd never experienced. They cared about her heart. They helped her sort through the mess in her life and clean it up. She was safe. She was covered. She was nurtured. And she was taught the Word of God and how to study it for herself. She was mentored and discipled and taught how to apply the Word of God to her life. She grew at an unbelievable pace, but there was no doubt that her growth was real.
Right around the one year celebration of her new life in Christ, things started to change a little. Since she'd given her life to Christ, Tiffany had been studying God's word with passion and talking to Him sometimes for hours in prayer, daily. As finals neared, though, and as she heard the cries from her friends saying she never hung out with them anymore, she slacked up a little. First, she just shaved some time off of her morning time with God so she could study more for finals. Eventually, she began skipping full days of time with God because she needed more time to study notes and read chapters and watch videos and whatever else she needed to do to pass her tests.
Then, because of all the studying, she needed "brain breaks". Throughout that past year, Tiffany spent a lot of time with her new friends from church. She found it so much more refreshing to be with people who wanted to please God than being with those who made her feel uncomfortable in her new skin. It never failed that when she was with those old friends, they'd try to get her to do things that she'd done before but was completely uncomfortable with doing now. She just wanted to be free of that strain and pressure. Her friends at church kept her grounded because everyone was walking the same path.
The weeks leading up to finals were different though. When her old friends called, she didn't turn them down. She was happy to have some relaxation. And boy did they help her relax! Tiffany hadn't had a drink in over a year, and although her mind was telling her that she shouldn't take the drink they offered, and even though she'd told them "NO" on about 5 or 6 different occasions since she'd been studying for finals, this night was different. Tiffany had heard her friends say over and over again, "Girl, Jesus turned water into wine, " and "You don't have to drink more than one glass. Just get enough to help you relax. That's all," and in her mind, that didn't sound too bad. She DID know that the bible said she shouldn't drink to drunkenness, so she told herself she'd only have one glass because she knew one glass wouldn't get her drunk. But one glass led to another. And that glass led to another, and before the night was over, the old Tiffany was with her old friends, thinking like the old Tiffany and indulging in the old Tiffany ways.
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There was a breakdown in Tiffany's thinking. Her thinking and her desires became carnal. And her Carnal Thinking/Desires was a result of a breakdown in her discipline.
First things first...Carnal Thinking is any thinking that is contrary to the way God thinks. It's safe to say that God's word (The Bible) are His thoughts since all of the Bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). God's word is God's way of thinking, and anything contrary to God's way of thinking, or God's word, is carnal.
We, Christ followers, can know, with all surety, that we're lacking discipline if we begin to think carnally and desire carnal things. If we "take on" the mind of Christ, our actions look like the mind of Christ. If we don't "take on" the mind of Christ, if even for a moment, our actions don't look like the mind of Christ. Let's examine the scriptures.
Romans 8 (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh (carnal mind) is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh (carnal mind) is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
As long as Tiffany was feeding her spirit, giving it a daily serving of God's word, her mind was set on the Spirit and what He desires. She was able to tell her old friends "no". She was able to turn away from everything she had been doing before that her flesh (carnal nature) desired. And she was able to be an example to others without even saying a word. She was feeding her spirit with His Spirit, so His Spirit is what others saw. We are what we eat. If it goes in, it's coming out. It's impossible to feed on anything and it not affect you with its likeness.
Now when Tiffany wasn't feeding on His Spirit, she didn't have any of His Spirit to display. Her mind was open game to be governed (ruled) by the flesh (carnal nature), and so it was. She'd gotten to a place where hanging out with old friends was uncomfortable, but when she wasn't reminded of that by His Spirit, her carnal thinking said hanging out with them would be okay. She desired it even. ("I just need to have someone(s) to relax with.") God knew that this wasn't a safe place for her because of what she'd come from with them. He was able to protect her as long as she was in communication with Him, but when she stepped away... When she loosened the grip on her discipline...
Tiffany knew drinking was no longer a part of her life. His Spirit confirmed that in her heart, and His word confirmed that in her mind, but when she stopped feeding on His Spirit and fell out of discipline, her carnal thinking kicked in. She thought, "I know I'll be okay if I just have one drink. I won't get drunk, and I'll be okay because God's word says don't drink to drunkenness. I won't get drunk." When carnal thinking went in, carnal desires took root, and carnal behavior came out, and in the end, led to "death", like the scripture says it would.
It is our DUTY to lead disciplined lives in prayer and study of God's word. If we are to be led by His Spirit, we have to feed our spirits with His Spirit. Otherwise, we are overcome by the flesh (carnality), and carnality is what will show up in the way we rationalize that it's okay to pick up old habits, visit old places, engage in old activities, and run with old buddies. We are new creations in Christ. The old has gone; the new has come. Let not our minds be governed by that which is carnal. Let's discipline them to be governed by His Spirit.
Tomorrow
Life Without Discipline - #2 Defending Our Wrong Actions
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