The Key to Defeating Sin

I have been struggling with sin for nearly twenty two years now. However, I have been justified from my sin for fourteen years. I was saved at an early age of six. My parents brought me up in a God-honoring and Christ-centered environment. I am eternally blessed to have had such God-fearing parents, their impact in my life is undeniable.

The plan of salvation is easy, for it relies on God's grace alone for our depraved nature. This is why Jesus says, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14) The Gospel is easy enough for even a small child to comprehend. However, the difficulty comes in sanctification. You see, theologically, salvation has three parts: justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification refers to the moment that a person is made from a spiritually dead person to a spiritually live person in Christ and through Christ. This moment only happens one time. Sanctification refers to the constant confession of sin throughout our Christian walk. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.” Living a sanctified life is one of the most important components of a person's walk with Christ, as Christ cannot have holy fellowship with an unrepentant and sinful heart. Finally, glorification refers to the time when we enter into glory with Jesus, becoming like Him, conformed to His perfect image.

Now, I just want to talk about sanctification for the moment. This has been one of my biggest struggles throughout my walk with Christ. But over the past year or so, I have been refining my theological views concerning sanctification and studying practical ways to defeat sin in general. Much of my progress has been while reading a book entitled, Gospel by J.D Greear. It is one of the best books I have ever read, and will teach you to become Gospel-centered in every area of your life. It is truly an excellent book. Throughout the book, I have been challenged in many ways, one of which is in the realm of sanctification.

We as Christians deal with sin on a moment by moment basis, constantly choosing either Christ or the world (“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23). We battle our flesh daily, and will continue in this tumultuous journey until the glorious day that Jesus returns on a white horse and takes us home to be with Him forever and ever. This never ending battle has caused so much turmoil in my life. The agony that befalls me because of my wickedness is inexplicably horrific, because my sin is inexplicably horrific. But defeating sin is not as difficult as we make it.

Defeating sin does not have to do with abstaining as much as it has to do with adoring. Victory over sin will come when we realize the true magnificence of the God we serve. Our motive for not sinning should only be because we love Jesus so much that we choose to hate the things he hates, which is sin. Greear puts it best saying, “When we see the size and beauty of the God who speaks to us, the power of sin and idolatry over our hearts is broken. The way we stop sinning is not being told over and over, “Stop sinning!” but by seeing the majesty and glory of God in our hearts.” (Greear, Gospel, pg. 97).

So if you want to stop a habitual and agonizing sin, then focus less on defeating that sin and focus more on who it is that we serve. Jesus Christ should take our breath away. His love should move us to forsake sin and to do great things for His name and glory. It is here, in the midst of His unfailing and ultimate love that we will find victory over sin; then we will see the beauty of sanctification and understand its significance. 

Godly Guys

 Since the day I was born, I believe that God has been using various people in my life to mold me and shape me for his ultimate purpose. Here, I specifically want to recognize the men who have sacrificed so much for Christ and have helped to make me into the man that I am today.

The man whom I owe the most to, is invariably my father, Joel Funchess. To say that I am blessed to have had him as a father is just about one of the biggest understatements I can imagine. His constant zeal for the cause of Christ and his costly sacrifices for his family have had a paramount impact on my life. While my dad is not perfect, he has set an example that I believe every father should follow. His love for me is unconditional, this being evident in my rebellious teenage years, when he had to withstand the antics of an annoying young boy (me). But through it all, my father showed me love, grace and mercy just as Christ showed love, grace and mercy to His children. While my father has worked tirelessly in his career in order to provide for his family, he has found great success in the business world. However, it is a beautiful thing to see my father gauging his ultimate worth and success on his job as a father. This is the call for any man who God blesses with the gift of children. He has worked and sacrificed his whole life for his beautiful bride and his children, and that is exactly what Christ did for us. So, to my father, I must extend the most genuine and thoughtful thank you. I will forever love you and strive to honor your name, because you honor His name.

Throughout my tumultuous teenage years, there were several men who also shaped me. One that comes to mind is Doug Stephens, my youth pastor. Brother Doug, as we called him, is now a pastor in a small town called Midway just outside of Tallahassee. It was Brother Doug who God first used to speak to me about giving my life to full-time vocational ministry. I remember very distinctly, all the times that Brother Doug would call me his “protege.” At the time, I would ask him what it meant, for my vocabulary was quite confined. But I eventually learned what the word meant and was honestly quite honored. This meant that someone believed in me. It was a beautiful thing. Brother Doug taught me so many things about walking with Christ that I still use today. I know that God is using him to reach students and adults alike throughout his sphere of influence.

Another influence that God used was the actual youth group that I was apart of. There were several guys who I looked up to that may or may not even be aware of the impact they have had on me. In my younger days, I specifically think of guys like Lee Williams, Mitchell Kauffman, Jeffrey Shifflett, Mike McAuliff, John Paul Linton, Josh Vasquez, Chris Hickox and so many others. If I were to list all of the guys from my old youth group, the list would be nearly endless. I can remember all the way back to 7^th grade when I went on my first mission trip to Washington D.C to the last summer camp that I went to in North Carolina my senior year in high school. All of the memories in between are innumerable. I am so grateful for the guys that helped set a Godly example back in the day. I'm not sure where all of these guys are at nowadays, but if any of you end up reading this, just know that God used you in big ways; ways that you probably didn't even realize until this moment. I pray that you would all still be readily available for Christ's call on your life; because you all have great talents and abilities from God to be used for His glory. Thank you guys. I miss each of you.

The next group of guys is a group whom I have the utmost respect for. These are the pastors who have either directly or indirectly spoken Biblical truths into my life and molded me into the Jimmy Funchess I am today. I first think of the only two head pastors who I have ever been under: Dr. Randy Ray from North Florida Baptist Church in Tallahassee, Florida and Pastor Anthony George from Aloma Church in Orlando, Florida. I had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Pastor Ray for the majority of my life, learning the fundamental truths of Scripture, so as to set a foundation for the life I would one day lead. I remember as a kid, sitting on the front left pew in my church with my brother, Michael. My dad was on stage in the orchestra, and his furtive glances ensured that we remained attentive to the Pastor's sermon. As I grew older, I truly began to appreciate the Gospel that Pastor Ray preached every week. I know that he has been used in monumental ways at that church, affecting so many lives throughout his tenure at North Florida. I have so many memories at the church. I often times wish I could go back to the days of running through the halls of the church, playing hide ans seek in the basement, or running a relay at AWANA. Thinking if it brings tears to my eyes. Pastor Ray, if you ever read this, please know that I love you dearly and I am so grateful for the impact that you have had on my life. Thank you so much. I am also think of Anthony George at Aloma, whose preaching I look forward to week in and week out. I have met few people in my life who strive after God as Anthony George does. He sets an amazing example for his church in the way he lives and leads, causing those around him to strive for Christ as he does. Words can't express the respect I have for Pastor Anthony. One day, I hope that I can live in a way that God uses me for His kingdom as he uses Anthony George.

The final group of men I want to mention is the guys who have impacted me most recently. These are the guys in Orlando who have invested their time, effort and love in over the past two and a half years. The three men that come to mind are Jeff Fair, David Barker and Brad Crawford. If I were to expound about all the things that these guys have done for me, then this post would go on for several pages. Jeff Fair, has in short, been a theological anchor to me; a man that I can go to with almost any question and receive a Godly and Biblical response. He has been a key figure in my spiritual and theological development since coming to Orlando for college. His relentless pursuit of Godliness has affected so many students in a positive manor, and will continue to shape and impact students for many years to come. David Barker is one of my closest friends. I love his spirit and personality and the way that he connects with anyone and everyone. David can make friends and reach out to others in any context or situation. This is one of his gifts. And God uses this gift in him time and time again. David has been instrumental in teaching me to pay attention to my character and to become a man that is worthy of the calling of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for the constant, Godly influence that David has provided me over the years. Thank you, my friend. Finally, I want to mention Brad Crawford. There is so much to be said about Brad, and I feel as if I could not sum it up accurately. God used Brad to keep me from falling into a life of sin at college. I came to college bitter and unhappy, but then a friend invited me to a ministry called Baptist Collegiate Ministries, where I met Brad and then became involved in BCM. Looking back, I can see the great impact that Brad and his ministry has had on my life. Brad sets a wonderful example in so many different areas of life, ranging from personal growth to Biblical study, to even the way a family should operate. Brad is a righteous man because he strives after Jesus Christ. He knows his mission, and he will carry it out to the dismay of the evil one! His impact on students and people spans several years, several people groups, several states and even several countries. And I am honored to say that Brad is a great part of my life. Thank you, Brad.

Ultimately, I am not writing this in order to praise mere men. On the contrary, the theme here is that the almighty and magnificent Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ is at work today. He is real and He is still doing great things through so many people. I want to thank these men for being open to the call of Christ in their lives, but over everything, I am thankful for the redemptive power of Jesus in all aspects of my life and my world. To God be the glory.  

Pride, the Killer.

God is an enemy of the proud.

“He mocks the proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 3:34

“Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

“All of you, clothe yourself with humility toward one another, because, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I Peter 5:5

God is an enemy of the proud. This is very visible in scripture. Above are just a few verses that talk about pride. There are so many more that speak on pride and how God hates it. In Proverbs 6, the writer mentions that there are six things that the Lord hates and 7 that are detestable to Him. One of the things the Lord hates is haughty eyes. Think about that. God doesn't say He hates haughty words or haughty actions (although He does hate those as well), but God says that He hates haughty eyes! Even if we can keep our words and actions under control, our eyes can still be haughty. Here, I think that God is simply looking at the heart condition of the individual. Indeed, “For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

I think that the majority of the time, our sin can be rooted in pridefulness. This is why God hates it so, for pride can lead to so many other kinds of sin.  For instance, my pride specifically leads me to believe that I am superior to others, and once that mindset is established, I exercise the idea by putting down others because they may be seen as inferior. What I need to realize and to put into practice is that, as a mere man, I am a depraved sinner who is entitled to nothing. 

The opposite of pride is humility. Humility is an extremely difficult characteristic to put into practice. I know from personal experience. I'm actually reading a book entitled, "Humility" by C.J Mahaney, and it is a great resource that teaches Christians in all walks of life to learn about and enact humility in their lives. Clearly, there is no room for pride in the life of a Christian, so it is up to us to kill this pride that creeps up on us so often. Overall, I think Warren Wiersbe says it best when he says, "Humility is not thinking lowly of yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all." Humility is all about putting your flesh to death and living through the truths of Jesus Christ that we find in His Scriptures. 

Seeing God In Everything

It has been a tremendously busy semester so far to say the least. Balancing school, work, church, BCM, friends, Bible studies and a plethora of other random things has been somewhat trying this new year.

Despite a hectic schedule, I think it is important to see God in everything. Last semester was one of the worst, if not the worst, times in my life. However, in each situation that arose, God was faithful. It is beautiful to look back on the hard times in your life and to see how God can bring you through. You may be battered, bruised and scarred, but Jesus is the everlasting healer.

So while learning a great deal about suffering and trials last semester, I am beginning to see that the trend of this semester is overwhelmingness. The thing that I am learning is that no matter what happens throughout my day, whether it's good, bad or indifferent, that I must see Christ and His gospel through it. If a situation presents itself, I try to ask, "how is Jesus working through this?" or "what aspects of the Gospel can I see in this situation?" And it often times doesn't even have to be a situation. It can be an object. It can be a lake. Or it can be my car. Or a bird. Or a friend. Anything, really.

This is a difficult mindset to maintain, but ultimately, it will create a worldview that is more Biblical. For we are not to see and experience creation through the lenses of culture, society or any other man-made and arbitrary apparatus. Conversely, we are to experience God's ornate creation through Jesus Christ. There is no other way that will give us true fulfillment and joy. For it is the gospel of Christ which has the power to save and to give life, nothing else.

Welcome.

So, my dear friend Sara Jensen prompted and prodded me to change my blog. So here I am. I'll write on whatever is on my mind, which will be interesting. So here we go...