The beginning of Jehu’s reign in 2 Kings 9-10 is a wonderful example for Christians who would be free of their besetting sins. When Jehu was anointed by Elisha’s assistant, he drove his chariot furiously straight to meet Joram the son of Ahab and killed him and Azariah, the visiting King of Judah. Arriving in Samaria, he called for Jezebel’s servants to throw her out of her upper chamber window, and her blood spattered on the wall and the dogs ate her. But Jehu didn’t stop there. He immediately wrote a letter to the elders of the city asking for the heads of seventy sons of Ahab. And soon, he had secured his victory when the heads of Ahab’s seventy sons were brought to him in baskets and placed at the city gates for all to see. Finally, he gathered all of the prophets of Baal in the house of Baal and slaughtered them all. He brought out the images from the house and broke down the pagan temple.
Sin wars against your soul. Sin is plotting against you. “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). Your sin is like Ahab and Jezebel and the prophets of Baal corrupting your mind, infecting your heart, even weighing your body down with stresses and sickness. But hear this, you who belong to Jesus: you have been anointed in baptism and by the Holy Spirit to go to war with your sin. You are authorized by the death and resurrection of Jesus to lead a holy coup.
So what is your Ahab? Your Jezebel? What are your prophets or temple of Baal? Is it lying? Is it lust? Is it bitterness? Is it envy? Is it a complaining spirit? Christ died so that every one of your sins might die. He rose so that you might rise to new and obedient life. You are called to war. Do not go easy on any sin. Do not make any excuses, do not blame others, do not say it’s too late or its been too long. Strike your envy and resentment down. Push your lust and lying out the window. Confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, write a letter, get accountability, and make the changes required to really change.
Photo by Gor Davtyan on Unsplash
Royce Van Blaricome says
Thank you, Toby!! This is a good word and very timely. Ironically, just 3dys ago another BIC sent me this: https://youtu.be/HynerviUiTc to which I replied:
“Amen! Amen! A 1000x Amen!! Two other things I’d like to say about the Truths Paul spoke in this.
1) I am greatly troubled by the vast numbers of people who profess to be Christian but when confronted with their sin they lash out with more sinful words & make NO effort to confess/repent at all. Some of these not only self-professing Christians but Preachers too.
2) I am greatly troubled, but not nearly enough, by the lack of brokenness I have when convicted of my sin. I know I do not give the weight of my sin to it that it should have. I know I simply don’t see my sin as God does. But I confess I am at a total loss as to how to do so. And so I continue to confess & turn away. Often feeling like a hypocrite in doing so because I pretty much know it will happen again.
So I pray God help me. I honestly don’t know what else to do. And that’s the one thing Paul mentions that I am lacking at. So I would covet your prayers too. Specifically, that God would show me how to slay this monster, empower me to do so, show me how to use His power to do so, or just take it away.
What’s the “monster”? Well, likely there are many but the Goliath, to mix metaphors, standing before me at this time is Profanity. It never shows up in public. But around home, by myself, it’s far too often a constant presence.
I don’t know if it’s because I came to the Lord so late in life, 20yrs in the Navy cussing like a Sailor, or what but I do know there’s no excuse. And that troubles me all the more.”
After confessing my sin to him he then sent me this: https://youtu.be/sysHeJhMKvY
So between that and this thankfully short blog (because I didn’t have a lot of time & might not have otherwise read it), I do believe God is telling me to take a more active role in slaying this Giant. I still need to pray more too but I know I haven’t devoted the time & energy I should into killing this sin.