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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 1, 2009
“How to Deal With Sins That Beset Us”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I was a skinny freshman in P.E.
We were playing flag football, and I was a defensive back.
Jeff was an upperclassman on the other team. He played no sports, but somehow he ended up with the ball.
He didn’t have any moves, but somehow he broke from the pack and came barreling down the sideline.
He was just a big ol’ farm boy. Look at those flags, big as life, just waiting for me to reach out and snag one.
As I expected, he didn’t try any juke and jive. He just kept running in a straight line. Easy pickin’s.
So I glided on over, ready to simply snatch the flag of this helpless ball carrier.
The next thing I knew I was flying through the air and smashing to the ground.
And there was Jeff in the end zone, with both flags untouched.
Honestly, I was so focused on his flag that I don’t really know what happened. But I must have been on the receiving end of a good old fashioned “stiff arm.”
Now I’m not even sure if a stiff arm is legal in flag football, but it sure was effective.
Jeff didn’t need any fancy moves. Once he broke from the pack he just made a beeline for the end zone. He knew exactly where he wanted to go and he went straight for it.
I was the only thing that stood in his way, but he sure didn’t stop to think about me. He didn’t alter his course. He didn’t try any fancy footwork. I can still see him charging down that sideline, standing almost upright as he ran.
I think about that every time I read Hebrews 12:1 which says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”
Have you ever heard of “besetting sins”? These are sins that constantly badger you and annoy you. They knock you back and keep you from growing in the Lord.
Well Hebrews 12:1 says to lay them aside – kind of like I got laid aside in flag football!
See, you don’t dance around with sin. You don’t try to juke and jive, because when you do that, it will get you.
And you don’t slow down to try to deal with sin. You don’t want to deal with it, you want to knock it out!
Now let’s look at two things Jeff did that helped him score. First of all, he fixed his eyes on his goal. He headed straight for the end zone and he did not change course.
And that’s what we have to do as Christians. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus. Elsewhere the Bible tells us to set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.
We run straight toward God with all of our might. We want to grow in Him, to know Him, to love Him and obey Him. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord. We run towards Him with all of our strength.
See, a lot of our problems come in when we aren’t running for all we are worth, and we aren’t focused on the goal. We slow down, we dilly-dally. We lose focus.
Then when sin comes up to beset us, it does. We may try to stiff arm it, but a stiff arm is weak without momentum. We have to be barreling toward Jesus if we want to stiff arm sin.
I’ve seen so many Christians get waylaid by sin. On the outside it may look like it struck out of the blue, but I think it started when they lost their momentum. They lost their passion for Jesus. They took their eyes off Him and starting looking elsewhere. They lost sight of the goal.
I often use this phrase “the relentless pursuit of God.” I love that word, “relentless.”
If we are relentless in our pursuit of God, then sin will have little power to beset us. We will have so much momentum built up towards God that when sin comes along we can easily lay it out with a quick stiff arm.
It’s saying, “Sin, I’m not falling for that. I’m not toying with you or dancing with you. I’m not even thinking about you. My eyes are fixed on Jesus, I’m barreling toward that goal, and now I’m going to flick you out of my way. You have no power here.”
So is there a besetting sin or two that has haunted you? Have you tried to deal with it to no avail?
Then it’s time to simply pick up a good head of steam. Fix your eyes on Jesus and run toward Him! Don’t focus on the sin, but on the Savior! Run straight toward Him. Be relentless.
And when sin tries to beset you, don’t stop and dance with it. Don’t even look at it. Keep your eyes on Jesus and stiff arm that besetting sin as you run right past it.
Do that every time temptation pops up, and soon you will have so much momentum that that sin won’t even get your attention.
We are to lay aside every sin that so easily besets us, and we can do that by fixing our eyes on Jesus and running towards Him with all of our might!
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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