| Although the battle is not easy, it is winnable. When we lose a skirmish it is usually because of a lack of real and determined resolve to win. We have not made active use of the resources available to us. Here is a list with statements written in the first person. Use this as a check to probe for weaknesses in your resolve. If you can’t answer yes to the intro question, you won’t find much success in the rest. |
| Initial question: Do you really want to pursue righteousness and holiness, and count everything loss in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection in your life? | Heb 12:14; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22; Phil 3:8-10; Phil 3:12-14 |
| 1. My prayer life is active and effective | James 5:16;Ephesians 6:18 |
| 2. I am renewing my mind actively and regularly by reading, memorizing and meditating on Scripture. | Romans 12:1, 2; Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8 |
| 3. I am reminding myself of the fact that sin and the devil are defeated and God will not allow me to be tempted above what I am able. | Hebrews 2:14; Col 2:14, 15; I Cor 10:6 |
| 4. I have taken control of my body and mind, keeping them in subjection. | I Cor 9:27; Romans 6:12; 2 Cor 10:5; 1 Peter 4:1 |
| 5. I have put on the whole armor of God so that I will be able to be standing when each skirmish is over. | Ephesians 6:10 ff |
| 6. I’ve learned to control my eyes by avoiding the second look. I have made commitments not to look on or lust after evil. | Job 31:1; Psalm 101:3 |
| 7. I realize that participating in and supporting immoral, sexual activities or any other sinful lust, is making me a part of the reason God’s wrath is coming on the world. | Eph 5:3-7; Col 3:5-7; 2 Peter 2:1-10 |
| 8. I am not making any provision for the flesh. I do not make arrangements of time or place to permit sin to gain a foothold. | Romans 13:14 |
| 9. I’m prepared to flee if necessary; to remove whatever sources of temptation may be a stumbling block to me. | 2 Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:11,12 |
| 10. I realize that I died with Christ and I am now a new creation. I am living and ordering my life as a resurrected person, not as the old person I used to be. | Rom 13:11-14; 2 Cor 5:17; I Peter 4:1-4; Eph 4:17-24 |
| 11. I am focused on the grace of God in Christ. There is no condemnation since I’m in Christ. God’s grace is teaching me to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. I realize that focusing on the law will only increase sin’s power. | Romans 7:7-12; I Cor 15:56; Romans 8; Titus 2:12 |
| 12. I have someone with whom I can be brutally honest about my temptations and failures. This person helps keep me accountable. | Prov 27:17;James 5:16 |
