Something About The Joy

"The most powerful incentive for change in our lives is discomfort." I plan to post suggestions for getting rid of besetting sins, but first I want to talk some more about the most important, and the most difficult beginning step in that direction.   I want to talk about putting Christ at the center of our lives. Depression and anxiety are rampant in our society. The signs of this discomfort are all around us. We spend billions of dollars on sedatives--both legal and illegal--in an attempt to ease our pain.   We charge headlong into distracting activities--from pornography, to internet gambling, to obsession with physical fitness and recreation--all in an attempt to escape our unhappiness. This is not a new development.   Depression and anxiety have been around for a long time. In 600 BCE, the prophet Jeremiah suffered this ailment on behalf of his people, the Israelites. They had turned away from Yahweh, their Creator, to worsh...

--> What is a besetting sin? A besetting sin is anything that dethrones the legitimate ruler of our hearts.  Basically, a besetting sin is an idol.  If you are a believer, you have chosen to allow Jesus Christ to sit on the throne of your life.  He is the only rightful ruler of any human heart, and any attitude or action that disturbs His presence there, at the center, is a sin.  When that sin is allowed to remain, it becomes a habit, or a besetting sin. Besetting sins begin with an  attitude .  Sometimes a heart attitude, itself, is the sin, and other times the attitude leads to  actions  that are sinful.  In any case, when the attitude becomes engrained in our spirits, it becomes a besetting sin. Ø Pride  is the mother of all sins.  Pride puts the self on the throne, and so is the ultimate expression of sin.  It's the sin that was, and still is, Satan's downfa...