Growing Up Christian by Karl Graustein

Growing Up Christian
by Karl Graustein
Part 3: Living Biblically
Chapter 10
The Fight of Your Life: Battling Sin
Our Tendency:
We do not take our sin as seriously as we should
We wrongly categorize sin as ‘major’ or ‘minor’
We lack perseverance in battling our sin
We battle our sinful actions, but fail to deal with our sinful hearts
We confuse godly and worldly sorrow
Chapter 10
The Fight of Your Life: Battling Sin
5 essential truths
We must understand what sin is
We need to understand that we are sinful by nature
We must understand God’s view of sin
It is essential that we understand the effects of sin
We must understand the consequences of not battling our sin
Chapter 10
The Fight of Your Life: Battling Sin
 What motivates you to
battle sin?
 I will be well respected by my
friends
 I will be well respected by
adults around me
 I will be popular at school
 My parents will be happy
 I won’t get into trouble
 God will be pleased
 I won’t have to feel guilty
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I won’t be punished
I can be happy
I can earn more privileges
I can be thought of as a leader
I can live according to the
standards of the Bible
Chapter 10
The Fight of Your Life: Battling Sin
5 ways to battle sin:
Pray to God for conviction of sin
Pray for help from the Holy Spirit
If we feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit but cannot identify the
source of sin, we need to seek help
Once we have clearly identified the sin of our hearts, we need to
repent and ask God to forgive us and enable us to change
We must battle our sin with the truths found in the Word of God
Chapter 11
Spiritual Push-ups: Passionately Practicing the
Spiritual Disciplines
Our Tendency:
We can forget why we should practice the spiritual disciplines
We can overlook the role of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual growth
We can think that our discipline depends primarily on others
We can lack discipline over time
We can become too busy with other things
Chapter 11
Spiritual Push-ups: Passionately Practicing the
Spiritual Disciplines
3 essential truths:
Our relationship with God is of first importance
Regular practice of the spiritual disciplines is essential for growth
in godliness
We must depend on the Holy Spirit as we faithfully do our part
Chapter 11
Spiritual Push-ups: Passionately Practicing the
Spiritual Disciplines
Activities to grow spiritually
Reading and studying the Scriptures
Prayer
Worship
Reading theological books
Solitude and personal retreats
Chapter 12
Making the Most of It: Faithfully Stewarding Your
God-given Talents
 Issues in regard to stewardship:
 5 pitfalls to faithful stewardship:
 Faithfulness
 Laziness
 Faithfulness in little – faithfulness in
much
 Lack of faithfulness in what we
consider small responsibilities
 Gifts from God
 We will reap what we sow
 Thinking we are the source of our
gifts and abilities
 Eternity on our minds
 Sowing to the flesh
 Striving for earthly treasures
Chapter 12
Making the Most of It: Faithfully Stewarding Your
God-given Talents
Action plan
Enlist the help of others to identify your gifts
Remember the source
Use them
Learn from others
Seek to be humble