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Earlier this week one of the Elders I serve with mentioned Psalm 101:3 as a "fighter verse."  It is a verse he used and uses to help believers learn how to do battle against sin.

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me."

A fighter verse indeed!  As Brother Eric was explaining how he'd been applying that verse in a current counseling situation, I raced to open my Bible and read the rest of the Psalm.  At some point I just interrupted Eric and said, "This whole Psalm is amazing for fighting sin!"  I wondered why I'd never seen it before.  (Eric, sorry for the rude interruption too, by the way).

So, I'm grateful to my fellow Elder, Eric, for sharing this with me and for the way God used it to open my eyes to yet another strong word on how God's people, enabled by His Spirit, are to make war against sin.

"I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises" (v. 1).

The spiritual warrior must always begin by putting on the armor of worship!  

"I will give heed to the blameless way.  When will You come to me?  I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart" (v. 2).  

Pay attention to God's Word and Ways.  Long for His presence.  And never forget that the war against sin always begins in your own heart and home.  What a man is at home, a man is.  

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not fasten its grip on me.  A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know no evil" (vv. 3-4).

Raw spiritual grit.  Spiritual spine.  Holy guts.  That's what God requires of His warriors.  That's what God gives His warriors who love His Way and hate everything that sets itself up against God.  Walking away from the Lord, worthless things, giving up - these things "shall not fasten" their grip on me.  I will rebuke my own heart when evil arises in it.  I will not cozy up to sin in my life.

"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him will I destroy; No one who has haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure" (v. 5).

Sin must be dealt with violently!  Keeping company with prideful slanderers will drag us into the miry pit of godlessness.  This we must not endure or put up with!  Rebuke sin where ever it is found.

"My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.  He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me" (vv. 6-7).

More gritty determination.  Make up your mind to live with God's people and submit yourselves only to godly counsel and ministry from godly people.  Throw any and all evil influences out of your house and out of your face, and remember the ways evil intrudes into your home and life are many and often "private."

"Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land, so as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity."

While King David is likely thinking in more national / political or "kingdom" terms here, the application to spiritual warfare is obvious and direct.  Our war against our flesh, the worldly way, and the devil is non-stop.  We must wake each morning and begin the fight again.  To let down our guard is to lose, to fall, to dishonor our Sovereign King who says, "Without holiness no one shall see God" (Heb 12:14).

So, maybe we need to try the P101 workout more often.  A little less time with P90X, and more time in P101, will do our hearts, minds, souls, homes and churches a whole lot of eternal good.

 

 

by Keith McWhorter