Mapp The Disciple Blogs✞

  "Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).” When we read 2 Timothy 2:22, we tend to focus on the part about fleeing from lust and putting off the pursuit of righteousness, but that’s the most important part. When you pursue righteousness, you are automatically fleeing from the lusts of the flesh. It is focusing on not doing something wrong that we end up either not doing enough right or doing what is wrong anyway. If you're addicted to cigarettes or vapes and you go into a gas station to get gas so you can make it to church the following day, you shouldn’t focus on not buying cigarettes or vapes; you should focus on the initial purpose of why you went to the gas station to begin with. Same with fornication or porn addiction. You shouldn’t even allow those “don’t do it” thoughts in your mind because you're entertaining those thoughts. Instead, you should focus on ac...

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) One of the biggest obstacles for Christians is the lack of love. As you can see above, love is everything. You could have every spiritual gift God could give, but if you don't have love in your heart, you're like a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Every sin you commit stems from a lack of love in your heart. If you lust after someone, it indicates a lack of love for that person; you have treated that person as an object for your pleasure. If you steal, it comes from a lack of love; you wouldn't steal from someone you truly love. If ...

In this new age, we are so obsessed with others' progress and what's going on in their lives, we become discontent with the gifts God has given us. That's the issue with social media: we're always seeing the good parts of someone else's life—the fast cars, millions of dollars, big houses, and pretty women—that we forget to be grateful for what we have. A lot of you reading this are living better than most of the world, especially if you're in a first world country. If you were to look at your life and compare it to the people in the third world countries, your life would be equivalent to a king's. I want you to ask yourself this question: Why is the western world so depressed and stressed out? It's because you look towards the future so much that you forget about the moment you're in. You compare yourself to all these people that don't even know you that you become discontent with your situation. The word says, " Keep your lives free from th...

  Defeating Temptation There are two ways to defeat temptation. In order to use these strategies, you need faith and endurance. The word says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4)." Without faith and endurance, you won't overcome anything. Jesus never said walking with Him would be quick and easy; most things that are quick and easy are often not worth it. Fleeing & Attacking Whether it's avoiding temptation, praying to be delivered from temptation, or using scripture to fight deceptive thoughts or people, every way to overcome temptation falls under fleeing and attacking. There is a time to attack and a time to retreat, and I'm going to show you what, when, and how according to scripture and real-life examples. Fleeing temptation When people think about fleeing temptation, they usually think about prayer and leaving the tempting...

What is spiritual fruit? Spiritual fruit are the results of you living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The word says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23) If you want to acquire these blessings, you are required to live and walk by the Spirit. What does it mean to live & walk by the Spirit?      To live and to walk by the Spirit means to be fully guided by the Holy Spirit in all things. You must learn to put your own understanding aside and put your trust in the Spirit. What is your wisdom compared to God's wisdom? Who can teach God? The word says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)      When it comes to living by the Spirit, you can look at the Apostle Paul. There were many times where Paul faced adversity and r...

                  Intentional Sin Intentional sin has been a struggle in my life. When I would commit intentional sin out of habit, that's when I felt the worst, I was condemned the most, I got into slumps, and at times wished my life would end. When you commit intentional sin you are choosing to separate yourself from God. This can come from a delusion that; that sin is better than what God has for you. You might think it makes you feel better, or it will make you happy but that is a Lie. When you let that delusion come into your mind you ultimately make that sin stronger making you feel as if you need to do it because you’ve created a habit. How To Stop Habitual/Intentional Sin These habits have triggers, find out what triggers you. Whether it’s things you think about, things you see or possess. The best way you can get away from it is to run to Jesus. The word says “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts”. Go straight t...