In God’s providence, two friends of mine that I’ve known for a number of years have recently confessed faith in Christ — and so you’d think that inspired me to make a post on this topic. Interestingly, however, it was on the suggestion of an atheist friend who said he’d be interested in this subject which made me consider making this post and, once I saw the value in doing so, I got to writing. All that to say, if you have any topics you feel would be worthwhile for me to write about, please let me know as I’d much rather be writing to a direct concern than something you feel is a non–issue.
On this matter, there are many things I would like to say, but for the sake of practicality and brevity, I’ve chosen to include only three steps. And, rather than a definitive post, I hope this will serve as a ‘launching pad’ for later discussion. Now, for further study — which I would very strongly encourage for all Christians, both new and old — I would commend the following to you:
“Thoughts for Young Men” by J.C. Ryle. First recommended to me by a loved Brother in Christ, this simple and straightforward book has helped me enormously in my walk with God. While targeted toward young men, the warnings and advice apply to all Christians.
You can find “Thoughts for Young Men” as a pdf here.
You can find “Thoughts for Young Men” as an audiobook here.
A brief encouragement (exhortation) from John Piper, “If I Could Start All Over: Six Lessons for Your Twenties.” Succinct, wise and very impactful.
You can access the video and transcript here.
Here is a fuller sermon, also by John Piper entitled: “Don’t waste your life.”
“The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan. Aside from the Bible itself, there has not been a book more helpful to my Christian walk. Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” is a powerful allegory of the Christian life and one that I cannot praise enough — read it!
You can find “The Pilgrim’s Progress” as a pdf here (starts on page 49).
You can find “The Pilgrim’s Progress” as an audiobook here.
The first practice is to strive to read your Bible daily:
When a person becomes a Christian, they become a member of God’s “chosen race,” His “royal priesthood,” His “holy nation” and “a people for [His] own possession” (1 Peter 2:9, ESV). The benefits of trusting in Christ, when properly considered, are incalculable. Furthermore, the Christian is also one who has been “delivered [...] from the domain of darkness and transferred [...] to the kingdom of [Jesus Christ]” (Colossians 1:13, ESV). Consequently, the Christian is a soldier in God’s kingdom (2 Timothy 2:3–4) and is therefore engaged in a lifelong battle against the world, the flesh and the devil. Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10–18 (ESV):
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (emphasis added).
Your enemies — the world, the flesh and the devil — have caused the ruin of many hopeful Christians and they work now to destroy your soul (Matthew 18:18–23). And the welfare of your soul, dear friend, is no trivial thing. The question, then, is how can you keep your way pure? We find the answer to this in Psalm 119:9–11 (ESV):
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to [God’s] word.
With my whole heart I seek [God];
let me not wander from [God’s] commandments!
I have stored up [God’s] word in my heart,
that I might not sin against [God].”
God’s Word, as revealed in the Bible, must be your guide (Psalm 119:105). You must strive to know, study and meditate on God’s Word if you wish to grow in your relationship with Him and to keep you from sinning against Him. God is gracious and will give you understanding (1 Corinthians 2:6–16) and deeper joy (Psalm 119:35) as you read His Word, but there will be times where you don’t want to, when you feel too busy to meet with God in His Word — then, count on it, the devil will use those opportunities to lead you into sin. Here, I want to share a quote from “Thoughts for Young Men” and then offer some practical tips:
“[Read the Bible] regularly. This is the only way to become “mighty in the scriptures” (Act[s] 18:24). A hasty glance at the Bible now and then does little good. At that rate you will never become familiar with its treasures, or feel the sword of the Spirit fitted to your hand in the hour of conflict. But get your mind stored with Scripture by diligent reading, and you will soon discover its value and power. Texts will rise up in your hearts in the moment of temptation. Commands will suggest themselves in seasons of doubt. Promises will come across your thoughts in the time of discouragement. And thus you will experience the truth of David’s words, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psa[lm] 119:11); and of Solomon’s words, “When thou goest, it [God’s Word, the Bible] shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee” (Pro[verbs] 6:22).”
Practical tips:
First, consider when you are most alert and awake, whether in the morning, evening or at night. Then use that time to read your Bible.
Second, start in the New Testament — read through from Matthew to Revelation 3 or 4 times and attempt to master it.
Third, when you read your Bible, pray that God would give you wisdom to understand it as you read.
Fourth, make the best use of the available wisdom from current and past Christians, especially good Bible commentaries, of which there are many. I would recommend David Guzik’s Enduring Word commentary as a brilliant place to start — you can access it here.
Fifth, apply what God reveals to you. There’s little use in reading God’s Word unless you obey what it says.
The second practice is to strive to develop a prayer life:
It is difficult to overstate the significance and necessity of prayer in the life of a Christian. Prayer, among numerous other things, is an act of worship, a sign of humility and a means of being empowered by God to accomplish His will. Now, many more pages could be written on prayer, but instead I’ll quote three Scriptures to try and convey the importance of prayer.
First, Ephesians 6:18 (ESV), “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication [supplication is prayer]. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance.”
Second, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (ESV), “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Third, Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV), “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Allow me again to borrow a quote from J.C. Ryle’s “Thoughts for Young Men.”
“It is in vain to look for strength in the hour of trial if it has not been sought for beforehand [in prayer]. You may be thrown with those who never do it; you may have to sleep in the same room with some one who never asks anything of God — still, mark my words, you must pray […] Without [prayer], all advice and counsel is useless. This is that piece of spiritual armor which Paul names last in his catalogue in Ephesians 6 (vs. 18), but it is in truth first in value and importance. This is that meat which you must [eat daily], if you would travel safely through the wilderness of this life. It is only in the strength of [prayer] that you will get onward towards the mount of God.”
Admittedly, I find prayer considerably more difficult than Bible–reading, nevertheless, it does not change the fact that I must pray. Like Bible–reading, there are many times when I cherish prayer, though there are also other times where I don’t want to pray and, again, it is those times where I don’t want to that I’ll be reminded of the many other things I need to do (homework, chores, etc.). But friend, prayer must be a non–negotiable. Consider the following practical tips:
First, set aside a specific time to pray (i.e. after Bible–reading). Also note, you will probably be intimidated when you hear of Christians who regularly spend hours in prayer. The solution is not to continue talking to ‘make up the time’ after you’ve already prayed what you feel God has placed on your heart (cf. Matthew 6:5–15). But instead, as you deepen your relationship with God, naturally you’ll want to pray more. Perhaps set aside 5 minutes for prayer each day, then, after a week move to 6 minutes each day, and, after another week, move to 7 minutes …
Oftentimes, prayer for me has been formulaic, where I say the same things daily just for the sake of having checked off the box. A second practical tip, therefore, is to pray the Bible. Namely, to “turn the words of Scripture into the words of your prayers” (Donald Whitney). Perhaps you’re a person who is easily swayed by lies and you’re reading through Ephesians 6:10–18. Here, a simple prayer may be centred around God helping you to fasten (or put on) the “belt of truth.”
Third, write down your prayer requests. There is no faster way to stifle your prayer life than unbelief. We naturally have a tendency to remember the negatives (i.e. unanswered prayers) rather than the positives (i.e. answered prayer). Thus, to build your trust and faith in God, take note of your prayers so that when they are answered you can be encouraged to continue praying.
Further recommended study:
Reuben A. Torrey’s “How to Pray.” The audiobook is accessible here
E.M. Bounds’ “Purpose in Prayer.” The audiobook is accessible here.
E.M. Bounds’ “Power Through Prayer.” The audiobook is accessible here.
Paul Washer’s sermon, “Pray and Be Alone with God.” The audiobook is accessible here.
The third practice is to strive to kill all known sin and to avoid all opportunities for sin.
Having read the heading, you might say, “You’re being too severe” or, if you’ve come across the word, “You’re being legalistic!” (n.d. a ‘legalist’ is a person who tries to earn salvation by doing good things [this is bad] as opposed to simple faith in Christ [this is good]). Very well, let’s turn to Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:7–9 (ESV) (also, compare this with Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:27–30):
““Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.””
In your time, consider the following verses that speak to the severe consequences of entertaining sin (i.e. not surrendering your sin to God and allowing it to continue to persist) and the urgency and swiftness that we must have as Christians when dealing with sin.
Friend, as you must surely see, sin — even the sin that appears the smallest and most harmless — is not to be entertained. Once more, ponder J.C. Ryle’s words in “Thoughts for Young Men.”
“Many a young man could tell you with sorrow and shame that he traces the ruin of all his worldly prospects to the point I speak of: to giving way to sin in its beginnings. He began habits of falsehood and dishonesty in little things, and they grew upon him. Step by step, he has gone on from bad to worse, till he has done things that at one time he would have thought impossible — till at last he has lost his place, lost his character, lost his comfort, and well nigh lost his soul. He allowed a gap in the wall of his conscience because it seemed a little one, and once allowed, that gap grew larger every day, till at length the whole wall seemed to come down.”
And, for good measure, take time to consider his words a few sentences later:
“There are two ways of coming down from the top of a church steeple: one is to jump down, and the other is to come down by the steps — but both will lead you to the bottom. So also there are two ways of going to hell: one is to walk into it with your eyes open — few people do that. The other is to go down by the steps of little sins — and that way, I fear, is only too common. Put up with a few little sins, and you will soon want a few more. Even a heathen could say, “Who ever was content with only one sin?” — and then your course will be regularly worse and worse every year. Well did Jeremy Taylor describe the progress of sin in a man: “First it startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed!—then the man is impenitent, then obstinate, then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned.””
Again, seemingly small sins — the occasional swear word, the glance at sexual content — when unchecked can, and very often does, lead to severe consequences. Now, God is gracious and will forgive those who seek forgiveness and who then try, in His strength, to overcome that sin. Nevertheless, we should never mock God by taking His forgiveness as an invitation to sin (Romans 6:1). With that said, here are some practical tips that have helped me significantly combat sin:
First, confess known sin. Whenever you sin, immediately confess your sin. This is good practice for at least two reasons: first, it is Biblical (1 John 1:9); second, verbalising your sin makes it more likely that you’ll remember how and why you fell in that way and thus more likely to avoid that sin.
Second, avoid bad companions. This was (and is) something I struggle with, but there’s no escaping it: ““Bad company ruins good morals”” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This does not mean that a Christian should only be friends with other Christians (1 Corinthians 5:9–10), but there are certain people you know who, whenever you’re around them, lead you into sin. Before you completely avoid them, though, share your faith with them and encourage them to become Christians. Perhaps they may accept Christ or show interest — in that case, continue to be their friend because God may use you to save them, but be very cautious about their influence over you. However, if they scorn and mock your message, you must — for the sake of your own eternal soul — limit the time you spend with them or entirely avoid them if they tempt you too much. Perhaps, you avoiding them may pierce their conscience and may turn to Christ, but, if they don’t, recognise that your soul, which will last forever, is much more important than any friendship.
Third, be very careful what you consume. Truly, “[t]he eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, ESV). Today, especially, there are many sources of ‘entertainment’ that promote sex, swearing, violence, worldliness, lust — put bluntly, sin. Christian, you must flee from these things (1 Corinthians 6:18). Doesn’t matter that it’s trending or popular — as those purchased by God, we are not our own and must seek to glorify God in everything (1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31). So, if because you don’t watch certain shows or laugh at certain jokes people then mock you, rejoice because “your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12), but do not compromise on this.
That’s all for now, friend. As before, much more could be said, though hopefully this is helpful both to new Christians and for more experienced Christians. I’ll be praying for you, but more importantly our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is praying for you too (Hebrews 7:22–25).
Grace to you,
Daniel
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
YASSSSSSS daniel
you should totally write about predestination and election