Florida Bible Institute

Basic Training

Lesson Six

Obstacles to Sanctification - Part 2

 

Memory Verse:  1Th 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

 

Intro:  As we discovered in our last lesson sanctification is a process by which one who has been Born Again becomes more like our Lord and Savior, which is Gods will for our lives! 

 

Having been born again you are now involved in a spiritual warfare that is every bit as real as physical warfare, and in some ways, perhaps even more real.  Read carefully the verses below in order to better understand the reality of the spiritual warfare that you are now engaged in.

 

Now that Satan has lost his legal ownership of you, he will now employ every strategy he can

keep you from becoming Christ-like, which of course, is the purpose of sanctification.

 

I.         Steps To Sanctification.

 

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

 

1.         The Enemy knows that one can only become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might as they:

 

(1)       Spending time in the Word of God: 

 

[1]   Reading it. (In a version that is more easily understood by you)

 

[2]   Thinking about what you have read, and ,

 

[3]   Understanding its meaning to you!

 

[4]   It helps to memorize those scriptures that speak specifically to you.

 

(2)       Spend time in prayer in which you offer Him thanksgiving and praise for having saved you, and in expressing your desire to be like Him, and in sharing with your Heavenly Father, your spiritual and emotional needs as well as your physical needs.

 

(3)       Being consistently actively involved with a local fellowship of believers is extremely important both for fellowship as well as for involvement in praise, worship and study of the Word of God.

 

(4)       Being involved in group bible studies such as Sunday School Classes or Discipleship classes is extremely important.

 

2.         With those thoughts in mind, answer the following questions as completely as you can.

                       

In your own words, explain your understanding of I Peter 1:2.

 

What is your understanding of 2 Tim 2:15.

 

Explain your understanding of Ps 119:11.

 

Explain in your own words, your understanding of Luke 18:1.

 

Explain in your own words, your understanding of Philippians 4:6.            

 

II.        Potential Obstacles To The Process of Sanctification.

 

1.         The Enemy will try to keep you from spending time in the Word of God by whatever means he can and especially by trying to keep you so busy, or so tired, that you do not take time on a daily basis to feed your soul the Word of God!

 

(1)       Make a list of the ways or means in which you think the enemy will try to keep you out of the Word of God.  (Discussion question)

 

2.         The enemy will resist you by trying to retain his strongholds in your life.

 

3.         As we previously discovered, a stronghold is identified as any sinful habit, practice or addiction that has a stronghold in the life..

 

2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

 

1.         Note once again, that the believer is now involved in spiritual warfare!

 

2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

 

1.         Take note that there is a weaponry system - and - they are not weak human weapons, but weapons that are made mighty through God - to the pulling down of, and the destruction of those strongholds that were already in the life prior to salvation.

 

2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

 

1.         Note that the battlefield is the mind, the thought life, in order to gain control over the will of the believer.                                                                      

 

2.         The strongholds can only be destroyed by:

 

(1)       Recognizing (acknowledging the existence) of the strongholds in the life.  Make a list of the strongholds in your life which only you will ever see unless you choose to reveal it or discuss it with someone else.

 

(2)       Confess each stronghold  individually as sin.

 

(3)       Prayerfully take back all the ground that has been given to Satan by having committed that specific sin.

 

(4)       Prayerfully in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, tear down the stronghold calling each stronghold by name.

 

(5)       In prayer, give all the ground previously given to Satan by that sin in the life back to the Lord Jesus Christ for Him to use in your life as a Child of God.

 

Note:   This is not a one time exercise, but, one that you continue doing on a somewhat consistent basis until you know you have victory in that area of your life.