A CASE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS An examination of our position in Christ BY
MARJORIE COLE
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL A Case for Righteousness is a Bible study that addresses the foundational issues of our salvation and sanctification. It provides a basic scriptural understanding of the entry, occupation, and operation of demonic forces at work in the human life and situation that war against our salvation. It offers a simple demonstration of the love of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit in an ‘easy to understand’ format that brings peace and hope to believers as they unravel the mysteries of iniquity and the operation of the Enemy’s activities in their lives. We invite you to join us in discovering the simplicity of the Gospel and the Victory that is ours in every situation. May you be blessed with a deep revelation of the truth of Jesus Christ that will set you free to live the abundant life He died to give you. A Case for Righteousness can be purchased separately or be used in conjunction with the spiritual warfare diagram as presented in The Combat Manual – a strategy for Spiritual Warfare copyright 2003. No part of this manual can be reproduced without permission except the geneogram forms. Thank you for honoring this copyright. A special thank you to John LaNasa for the Cover Design and Donna Nelson for editorial consultation.
Life Recovery, Inc. 7671 Old Central Ave. NE Fridley, MN 55432 e-mail liferecovery@tcinternet.net www.liferecovery.com Life Recovery Publications, Inc. 2003
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HANDBOOK FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE – STUDY GUIDE LIFE INVENTORY AND SELF ASSESSMENT If you assess the areas of your life as represented by the accumulation of your life’s choices, your patterns of behavior, your actions and reactions, and the quality of your relationships; how would you describe your life at this point? (Check those that describe you) • • • • • • • • • •
Compromised – stuck in positions of feeling sold out to do things you feel are wrong Complacent – given up, just trying to get by, not motivated Confused – bewildered about what to do, frustrated that neither choice is acceptable Counter-productive – going in circles, getting nothing done, or sabotaging good outcomes Compliant – yielding to the demands of others, denying personal integrity to fit in Conflicted – troubled about not finding solutions Contentious – frustrated and difficult to live with, freely expressing your unhappiness Casual – fatalistic and floating down the stream of life on a temporary bed of ease Contented – satisfied with your present life, your efforts, and internal sense of well being Complete – can say that your life is what you had hoped and wanted it to be, at peace
Are your efforts to live life: • Planned – or do you set yourself up to run in circles? • Purposeful – or do you lack a purpose bigger than your immediate need? • Productive – or is your life futile and fruitless? Are you happy with the quality/amount of fruit? • Pathetic – is your life a disaster, full of unfinished plans, broken dreams, and dead ends? • Precious – do you treasure your life and the opportunity it presents for you to know Christ? • Peaceful – do you experience a peace that keeps you from feeling overwhelmed? • Prosperous – is your life blessed in more than just having enough to get by? Point to Ponder: casual living produces unnecessary casualties in time of war Are you unprepared to live life? What will it take to get you prepared? Identify 3 issues you struggle with: (prioritize them in order of need to resolve)
Have you spent yourself to a point of exhaustion trying to get control of your life or maintain control of your life? Does that include a need to control others?
The desire in each of us to do better, know more, and experience greater happiness is God given. Self-examination is the first step to freedom and abundant life. “But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Gal.6:4
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SELF ASSESSMENT
Take a look and do a reality check on what’s happening in your life, including your body, soul, spirit and circumstances. Beware! Self examination can be deceiving unless we look at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word. Remember! Taking an honest look at our life is more than just a superficial glance. True freedom from bondage requires assessing the situations and recognizing that the symptoms spring from deeper spiritual roots. JAMES 1:21-25 “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does.” The Word of God is not constricting but truly liberating. Do we avoid the mirror because we do not want to see ourselves for who we are? Do we avoid the light because it makes manifest the flaws and faults we desire to conceal? God tells us His Law is perfect and brings liberty and freedom to those who are examined by it. THE WORD OF GOD = TRUTH; THE WORD OF GOD = FREEDOM
TRUTH = FREEDOM;
THEREFORE;
God did not give us His Word to crush us, but as a standard for truth and freedom. God’s assessment of us is not to convince us of the need to try harder. God’s Word does not tell you, the reason you are still stuck is because you have not tried hard enough. Understanding the integration of truth and love in examining ourselves can bring danger in that we can become estranged from Christ in our attempt to be justified by the law; and end up falling from grace, (Gal. 5:4). I can of myself do nothing, Jesus said, (John 5:30). And yet, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, (Phil.4:13). For though I am admonished to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling, I am reminded, it is God who works in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure, (Phil.2:12-13). God is not calling us to a religious effort to tithe of mint and mite but to surrender our life as a lamp surrenders to the light. To fulfilled our true purpose and become fruitful in every good work is to surrender to the light that would burn within us, Christ Himself. OTHER SCRIPTURES CONFIRMING OUR POSITION IN HIM: Gal. 5:6 Phil. 3:8-9 Eph. 2:10 Col. 1:27b Col. 3:4 Col. 3:17 Acts 17:28
“…for in Christ Jesus neither …avails anything, but faith working through love.” “…I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,…” “…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” “…when Christ who is our life appears, …” “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” “…for in Him we live and move and have our being,…”
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LIFE – THE INTEGRATION OF THE BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT Our Body is our earthly vessel, which provides for the integration of the soul and the spirit housed within it. It provides us with a means of expressing self, and allows us to create, choose and cooperate with the Spirit of God Who desires to cohabitate with us in our journey on the earth. As He abides in us, we become the TEMPLE DWELLING PLACE of the Most High God. THE BODY Originally created much superior to its present state, the body maintains our physical functioning and is an integral part of the overall sense of health and well-being for the soul and the spirit. The body is frail and subject to the conditions and curses that came upon the human race after the Fall. It is vulnerable to biological and environmental factors as well as those stressors that adversely effect the mind, will and emotions. Fear, stress and anxiety can create sickness, infirmity and physical dysfunction in the body. These conditions are often misdiagnosed and treated as medical problems when they would be more clearly understood as spiritual in nature and origin.
The body is the sacred creation of God. It represents TRUTH. It is designed to operate in a delicate balance of chemical and electrical exchanges. The harmony and unity of each part insures the health and function of the whole. The Enemy seeks to disrupt that harmony and bring disunity and strife to the body. He often afflicts the physical part of us with disease, infirmity and weakness. When the spirit or mind and emotions are afflicted with fear, the body also suffers from fatigue and over-stimulation causing exhaustion. WHAT DIFFICULTIES YOU ARE FACING IN YOUR PHYSICAL BODY? Health issues:
Recovery Issues: including trying to get well or quit an unhealthy habit
Environmental issues: including environmental illnesses, allergies, and chemical sensitivities
Medication dependencies: including aids in sleeping, digestive, and mental functioning
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THE SOUL – THE MIND, WILL, EMOTIONS The SOUL is made up of the: Mind, (thoughts and beliefs), the Will, (choices and decisions), and the Emotions, (feelings). The mind contains the thoughts which make up the belief systems, the record of past experiences, and other accumulated information available to the will in making decisions. It acts as an advisor to the will.
EMOTIONS
MIND
The heart also contains information coded as feelings and emotions. It too contains a record of past experiences and advises the will on decisions that need to be made. The mind and the heart do NOT always agree on what should be done. This creates a conflict which brings confusion to the will and hesitation to the forward thrust of our lives. The mind, will and emotions provide reasoning, intelligence and feelings that open us up to a relationship with God. Feelings allow us to experience the love of God for us and aid us in giving love to others. They allow us to experience life and companionship at a deeper level than the rest of creation might experience. Feelings, however, make human life more vulnerable to pain and to the bewitching and bewilderment of the Enemy who seeks through fear and confusion to divide and destroy our life and generations. The Enemy uses our need for love and safety and companionship to set us up for destruction.
HOW HAS FEAR OPENED THE DOOR TO THE LIES OF THE ENEMY IN YOUR LIFE? ________________________________________ Taking matters into your own hand, trying to control people and situations to maintain safety
Making yourself responsible for the decisions and feelings of others Making yourself responsible for your own righteousness Using your head to determine the course of your life Allowing your feelings to rule over your spirit in determining choices
WILL
Our SPIRIT is that part of us that is sensitive to the voice of God. Jesus said, My sheep know My voice. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27 “…and the sheep follow him, for they KNOW his voice.” John 10:4 “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” 1 Cor. 2:11-12 Though God comforts us through His Spirit, and we know His voice, the Enemy will try to deceive us by impersonating the Holy Spirit bringing his false truth, (lie), as a voice in our head. The Enemy transforms himself into an angel of light to feed those hungry for God with a religious spirit that comes to steal their peace and place in God. The Enemy makes us feel we must earn our own way to Heaven by being good, trying harder or by being perfect. Our spirit is created to be sensitive to the will of the Holy Spirit. The scriptures tell us, in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14
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