Armed

Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. – I Peter 4:1Armed Too

In 1982 I tried doing some serious bodybuilding, putting my then 27 year old carcass through a tortuous regime which I came to love.

My trainer spent a good deal of time not just helping me through my routine, but also in prepping me for a more demanding lifestyle. He emphasized what became the most important, obvious point: If I would embrace the necessity of pain for the sake of gain,
I would succeed.

I nodded and, I guess too quickly, said “Of course!”

He glowered. “Don’t be so fast to say yes to this. All your life, when you’ve felt pain, you dropped everything to stop it. That’s normal. But now you’re going to go against a lifetime of training and, instead of quitting when it hurts, you’ll be challenged to embrace pain. Believe me, that won’t come so easily!”

It didn’t take long for me to see his point. Each round of heavy lifting set my muscles on fire, and indeed, it was hard not to stop when the burn hit, because the normal response to pain is to stop doing whatever’s causing it. It’s not that bodybuilders are masochists who love hurting. Rather, they, like most athletes, know pain means you’ve pushed yourself further than usual, so don’t back off; keep it up.

Surely that’s at least part of what Peter had in mind when he mentioned Christ’s sufferings, then said “Arm yourselves with the same mind.” In other words, adopt a mindset that says, “It’ll hurt resisting sin; I’m gonna embrace that hurt for a
higher goal.”

One of my biggest frustrations as a Biblical counselor is knowing that there’s no way to bypass this and, likewise, there’s no way to talk someone into a willingness to experience pain in the interest of something greater.

I can help a man set up his accountability structure, understand his temptation cycles, learn from his personal history, and develop better coping skills. But the rubber meets the road when commitment meets discomfort, and nothing can make that easy. When temptation comes, as it surely will, then he and only he will make the decision to either endure the pain of resisting it, or ease the pain by yielding to it. There’s the plain, brutal and unavoidable truth.

If I wait for temptations to go away, I may as well kiss holiness goodbye. Likewise, if I wait for the day when it doesn’t hurt to say no to them, I’m doomed to a carnal, compromised life.  But when a man says “How can I be equipped to stay consistent when the feelings get rough?” then I’ll put my money on him. Jesus was armed with that particular mindset, mentioned and clarified in Luke 9:51

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.”

Let’s drop anchor there – He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

Our incredible, wonderful Lord. Knowing it was time to face the agony, He set His face in the direction of His own grisly execution. Steadfast, knowing exactly what He was facing, and knowing what lay beyond. Like I said,
incredible, wonderful Lord.

So in light of that, we can strive to be armed today with that same mindset, although we’re not about to stack our piddling temptations against the crucifixion. But the principle’s the same: If we’re serious about Him, we’re serious about this.

One of the best ways to honor Him is to follow Him, with that same steadfast mind. To the cross for a season; to the glory forever.

Comments

Shirley Baskett | Jul 12, 2016

Excellent and so true. And a good reminder

Ed Hess | Jul 12, 2016

Joe, this is a very good teaching. It apply's to many situations of the human predicament.
thank you again.
Ed.

Patrick | Jul 15, 2016

Thanks Joe for hitting the nail right on the head. Progress only comes through pain. That easy truth is often forgotten in the journey and without it there is no success. Thanks for doing what you do and being who you are. Blessings.
Patrick

Jerry Armelli | Jul 18, 2016

Beautiful.
Yes.
Help me Spirit of the Living God to give the pain time and space with you... to 'bring it thru the garden.'
http://prodigal-ministries.com/blog/bringing-it-through-the-garden/

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