October 12
“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” (2 Peter 1:10-11)
The next thing to think through, that will become part of our plan for overcoming immoral lusts, are the disciplines and goals that we want to develop. These should include disciplines of the mind, tongue, and body as well as time management and self-improvement disciplines. Below are some examples of disciplines and good habits that I have on my “Disciplines” list, and this may help you as you think through the disciplines that you want to develop. Also, as you work on your disciplines, consider the exercise you did several weeks ago in which you thought about the “Why am I tempted to do this?” type questions so that you can identify things you might do to help eliminate the reasons you are tempted to immoral behavior.
- Getting to bed early, getting plenty of rest, eliminate late nights
- Getting up early to spend quality time with God
- Not going back to sleep after getting up
- 60 minutes of focused, quality Bible study and meditation each day
- 60 minutes of focused prayer each day
- Rejoicing at all time, no matter what is happening around me
- Giving thanks for everything, everyday
- Exercising daily
- Devotions with the family every day
- Positive, loving interactions with family members
- Devices and internet off after 8:00 pm
- No scanning the internet or clicking on the many links that stimulate fleshly lusts
- No watching movies or Netflix unless it is with family
- Diligence in work: 8-10 hours per day
- Reading everyday for 30+ minutes
- Writing 1-2 hours daily
- Scripture memory habits regained, one per week minimum
- Quenching the fleshly lusts immediately, refusing immediately any and every lustful thought the comes to mind
Now make a list of your goals and the things you want to achieve in this life. What would really transform your life if you were to achieve it? If you have goals, are they Christ centered and God honoring goals? Would these goals be things the Lord would support and want to bless you? If not, then change them! If you don’t have goals, ask God to give you clear, measurable, God honoring goals for your life. (Note: there are many secular resources on goal setting if you need help in this area. I would just exhort you to make certain your life goals are aligned with things that honor and bear fruit for Christ (you can never go wrong with that) and things that you are confident are God’s will for you.
Godly habits and disciplines do not come easy; they are extremely difficult, actually, to implement. Our flesh will seem to scream at us to not do these things. But the more you do them, the more you keep at it, the more you find joy in success, and the more the Lord blesses you and you see your progress in the faith, the easier it becomes and the more motivated we are to continue. Expect failure and setbacks, but never give up on the goal of pursing Christ to a greater degree than you ever thought possible and bringing your life, your thoughts, your time, your words, and your body under the control of the Spirit.