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I taught on this the other night at Doulos, our Sunday night worship service, so here is the cliff notes version.

Most of us all know Christian principles. Intellectually, we know how we are saved, what we are to do, the correct things to say, etc. But we are misguided when we use substitute living from those principles for living from the presence of God. Deut 8.8 says that we do not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. God's word, his breath, his presence breeds life. Often times in American Christianity we focus so much on having right belief and right intellectual thoughts about God that we aren't ever too concerned with actually experiencing him. This is a travesty. As much as it might look like you are being a "Christian" if you are doing Christian things, there is no life there. What is life-giving is being connected with the real presence of the living God. In the sermon on the mount Jesus speaks to this point early and often. He says that God hates the kind of religion that is all about the outward appearance but is not really transformed on the inside. I was listening to the Hillsong United song "Inside Out" today, and it had a whole new meaning when I sing it in light of what I've been talking about. "Consume me from the inside out" We need to be transformed on the inside first, being in real communion with the presence of God, and then the outward transformation will follow.

Another thing-if you are struggling with some kind of sin, believe that Jesus has conquered the power of sin for all of us and we are no longer slaves to it. Thus, pray that God helps you realize that truth and kills the sinful desire in you which you deal with. We are no longer to be held captive to sin. There is tremendous freedom in Christ. Ask and believe. Ask and believe.