How can we effectively fight against sin? God has already won the war against sin, and as you examine His Word along with Ashley Chesnut, you’ll be equipped to battle against sin and aid others in the fight.
B&H Publishing
Day 1
Scripture: Colossians 1:9-10
Know God’s Will
How can we effectively fight against sin? As we learn how to do this, let’s begin by reading Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.
When Paul wrote to the church at Colossae (a city in modern-day Turkey), he relayed his prayer for them: that they would “be filled with the knowledge of his will…so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him” (Col. 1:9b, 10a). Paul prayed that they would know God’s will and that knowing this would shape how they live.
This reference to God’s will points to His expressed will, the commands and instructions provided in His Word. Paul prayed that the Colossian believers would grow in their knowledge of these things and live in light of them. Paul prayed for knowledge and the application of that knowledge.
What does Paul’s prayer for the Colossians have to do with fighting against sin? God has given us what we need to live godly lives (2 Pet. 1:3). He doesn’t leave us guessing how He wants us to live, nor (because of the Spirit’s work in us) are we lacking the strength and grace needed to obey. Even when we don’t have explicit commands about some sins or issues, Scripture contains principles about God’s design and about how we should live.
We have the Word of God as our guide, but do you know what it says? And to be honest, do you want to know what it says? Because knowing means that ignorance can’t be used as an excuse for disobedience.
In verse 10, Paul describes what it looks like to live a life that’s “fully pleasing” to God: “bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
When cutting flowers to put in a vase, the flowers look great for a couple of days, but they soon wither because they’re disconnected from the plant’s root system. For a plant to produce fruit, it needs nourishment and a healthy root system. Fighting against sin rather than giving into it is one of the ways we bear fruit as Christians, but we can’t bear fruit in our lives if we’re not being spiritually nourished.
Today, you are already taking a step to grow in your understanding of God’s Word by reading and studying. How, when, and where will you do this tomorrow?
Day 2
Scriptures: Colossians 1:11, Ephesians 1:19-23
Rely on God’s Power
Not only does Paul pray that the Colossian believers would know and obey God’s will, but he also asks God to strengthen them to do this (v. 11). We can know what we should do, and we can even desire to do it. Yet we often find ourselves not doing the very thing we know we should do. Sometimes we get distracted, and other times competing desires win out, prompting us to act differently than planned. So often, we have good intentions yet fail to follow them.
Because of our sin nature, we’re inclined to sin. We’re tempted because we’re “lured and enticed” by our own desires (Jas. 1:14). Because of this, we need God’s strength and power if we’re going to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10).
Becoming a Christian means receiving new life and a transformed heart, but having affections, thoughts, and actions that accurately reflect the Christ we follow is a work-in-progress. But the more time we spend with Him in prayer and in the study of His Word, the more we reflect Christ.
Since putting knowledge to action requires motivation and effort, Paul prays God would give these believers “all power” according to His “glorious might” (v. 11).
Sometimes it feels like we don’t have the ability to fight sin and win. Temptation is too strong, and we’ve given in more times than we count. We know we don’t have the capacity to overcome on our own, and it can all feel so hopeless.
But God has power, and He offers it to us.
In Ephesians 1:19-20, Paul expounds upon “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.” It’s the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:20), and it’s the power with which He rules “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion” (Eph. 1:21). Power over death. Power that surpasses any government, any organization, any individual, any angel, or any demon. That’s the power God offers you.
He doesn’t call you to fight sin and leave you powerless in the fight. He offers you His power, the very power that has already conquered sin and death. By His grace and power, you can win in your daily battles against sin because He’s already won the war against it.
How do you utilize this power? Through prayer. Ask Him for the power to obey. This is a prayer that aligns with His will and one which He delights to answer. He wants you to obey Him, and He wants to equip you to do it.
Day 3
Scripture: Colossians 1:11-14
Walk in Victory Over Sin
When Paul prays that the believers will be strengthened with God’s power, he has a particular reason in mind. He knows they need God’s power to patiently endure with joy and thanksgiving (vv. 11-12), and considering Paul was in prison chains at the time of writing this letter, he knew firsthand the need for God’s help to persevere (Col. 1:24; 4:18).
Life isn’t easy, and because of sin’s effect on creation, life is often full of suffering. We encounter trials and challenges. We face temptation and experience the fallout of our own choices and the choices of others. We have questions, and we don’t always get answers in this life. Our relationships can be challenging, our jobs challenging, and our health challenging. Life isn’t easy, and being a Christian isn’t easy. We aren’t understood by culture, and we often aren’t liked by culture.
But we’re not called to keep our heads down and just wait out our lives. We’re to live as though we’re on the winning side, not the losing one. We operate from a position of victory, which we have because of Christ (Rom. 8:37). But how do we do this?
We need endurance and patience for this life, and we need God’s strength for this, especially if we’re to patiently endure with joy and thanksgiving! But practically, joy and thanksgiving are what enable us to persevere with hope.
Joy and thanksgiving aren’t passively received but actively sought. How can you cultivate joy and thanksgiving in your life, even during the hard days and tough seasons? What things can you give “thanks to the Father” about (v. 12)? Colossians 1:12-14 lists some things we as Christians can express thanks for, no matter our circumstances:
Because of God, we have a heavenly inheritance (v. 12).
God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness” (v. 13).
God has “transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (v. 13).
Because of Christ, we have redemption and are forgiven of our sins (v. 14).
What encouragement and hope resides in these statements! A new future, a new life, and a new family—we deserve none of the things described in Colossians 1:12-14. They are God’s gracious gifts to those who trust in Christ as Savior and Lord, and gratitude and worship is our fitting response.
“Increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10) and giving thanks for what we learn about Him builds our resiliency, enabling us to recover after a crisis or season of suffering. It can be easy to be consumed with the difficulties of our present circumstances, but because of Christ, we are never without hope.
Day 4
Scriptures: Colossians 3:1-11, Philippians 4:8
Live Differently
“If.” That’s how Paul addresses his original audience in verse one. “If then you have been raised with Christ.” If you’re a Christian, your way of living should reflect the risen Savior you’ve trusted. You should live as one who’s dead to sin and alive in Christ.
How do we do that? The commands in Colossians 3 instruct us here:
Command 1: Seek the things above (v. 1).
What are you seeking in your life? What are you pursuing? Growing a relationship with God and fighting sin are not the result of our passivity; they require our effort. But are you intentionally seeking the Lord and “the things that are above” or something else?
Command 2: Set your mind on things above (v. 2).
What are you thinking about and living for—the earthly or the eternal? What all have you thought about today? What has filled your mind?
Our thought-life directly affects our attitude and behavior. If you allow thoughts of anxiety (or bitterness, discontentment, envy, etc.) to be on a loop in your mind, anxiety will consume you, affecting your physical body, your manner, and your actions. While you can’t necessarily control what pops into your mind, you can control whether you linger on it or choose to think about something else, something that aligns with Philippians 4:8’s command to think about things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praise-worthy.
Command 3: Put to death what’s earthly in you (v. 5).
As Christians, we should put to death the things that reflect our old lives. Don’t give life to your old, sinful patterns of thinking and living. With this, Paul gives examples of behaviors we should be dead to: sexual immorality, impurity, passion (dishonorable passions or lust), evil desire, and covetousness (a.k.a. idolatry).
Paul also reminds us why we should put such sins to death: they’re deserving of God’s wrath, which is coming. Those who have denied God will be judged by Him. People will either experience God’s wrath for themselves or will trust in Christ who absorbed God’s wrath against sin on the cross. This latter group shouldn’t live like the former; the saved shouldn’t act like those awaiting God’s judgment for their sin.
Command 4: Put away or put off the old self (vv. 8-11).
We’re to abandon our ways of thinking, believing, and acting that are characteristic of ungodliness. The new self—Christlikeness—is what we’re to put on, and the old self—sinfulness—is what we’re to put off. Like shedding dirty clothes in order to put on clean ones, we’re to put off anger, quick tempers, wishing or doing harm to others, slander, obscene talk, and lying. Getting rid of these behaviors and practices will be necessary in order to replace them with the new ones described in vv. 12-17.
Day 5
Scriptures: Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Peter 2:9-11
Put on the New Self
While Colossians 3:5-11 clearly demonstrates both the need to live differently as Christians and the behaviors that should be put to death in our lives, what should replace them? Based on the text, we know how not to live, but what does the “new self” look like? The commands of Colossians 3:12-17 sketch this out for us.
Preempting this description, Paul reminds us of our identity: “God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved” (v. 12). We’re wanted by God and chosen—like Israel in the Old Testament—to live for Him and to be witnesses to the world about Him (1 Pet. 2:9-10). We’re holy, set apart from the world by God for God, and we’re dearly loved by Him.
Our relationship with God defines us. We’re either His enemies or His children, and His children should live in a way that accurately reflects whose they are, which includes being:
Compassionate (v. 12)
Kind (v. 12)
Humble (v. 12)
Gentle (v. 12)
Patient (v. 12)
Forbearing (v. 13)
Forgiving(v. 13)
Loving (v. 14)
God acts in these ways toward us, and we should act in these ways toward others. This is who God is, and this should be who we are as His children. However, these behaviors do not just occur within us. They’re cultivated and practiced.
In addition to putting on the behaviors of vv. 12-14, we’re to let Christ’s peace “rule in our hearts” (v. 15). Coming on the heels of patience, forbearance, forgiveness, and love, Paul’s mention of peace likely references peace among believers rather than an internal peace. Differences in personalities, interests, and convictions may abound among God’s children, but we’re all part of the same family. We’re all part of the body of Christ, and we’re to pursue peace, not division. Peace is supposed to be the umpire in our hearts, the deciding factor when we clash with one another about nonessentials in the faith.
Thankfulness should also be a practice of God’s people (v. 15). Practicing gratitude reminds us of God’s promises and faithfulness in our lives, but it also motivates us to obey and builds our joy, as does letting Christ’s Word dwell in us (v. 16).
As a summation of all the previous commands, Paul urges believers to “do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (v. 17). Whatever we say or do, we’re to do it unto the Lord and do it with thanksgiving. As you decide how to live today, do your words, attitudes, and actions accurately reflect the Christ you claim to follow? What is the Christ-honoring action in your current situation? When in doubt of what putting on the new self looks like, this is a helpful question to ask!