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Resources for Godly Living: Scripture, Spirit, Prayer · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome back to Reformed Thinking.
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  We are jumping straight into another deep dive today.
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  Yes, and we're looking at, well, the core provisions God gives us
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  for living his way. That's right, and our source
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  material comes from excerpts of John C Brodger's Self
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  Confrontation, a Manual for in Depth Biblical Discipleship.
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  It's quite a rigorous manual, very practical, aimed at real
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  behavioral change based on objective truth, not just
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  feelings or, you know, human ideas.
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  So our goal here is to help you, the listener, get a Really solid
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  grasp on these resources. God gives us these provisions
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  He's graciously and mercifully provided, so you can actually
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  live according to His design. And the material lays out three
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  essential pillars, things that have to function together.
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  OK, we'll look at Scripture as the adequate authority, then the
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  Holy Spirit who is presented as necessary for guidance and
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  enablement, and finally prayer, which is described as vital
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  communication. Scripture, Spirit, prayer.
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  Got it. The idea is to see how they fit
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  together to help us deal with, well, the real problems of
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  living the Christian life. That's the aim, practical help
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  grounded in these divine provisions.
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  All right, let's start the beginning, then the standard
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  itself Scripture. Right.
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  So if we're talking about living God's way, step one is figuring
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  out the rule book, the standard. And Brozier's manual is very
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  clear on this. Scripture is the sole authority.
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  The sole authority for faith and conduct.
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  That really sets it apart, doesn't it?
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  Above everything else, tradition, personal feelings,
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  what culture says. Absolutely.
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  It's positioned as the one legitimate standard you measure
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  everything against. The instruction is quite direct,
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  rely on nothing else. That's a very high view of the
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  Bible's sufficiency for those of us in the Reformed tradition
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  that resonates. But the manual really emphasized
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  the functional side for discipleship, for this self
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  confrontation process. Every thought, every word, every
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  action gets evaluated by this standard.
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  And why can't we trust it like that?
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  Because of what it is. It's inherent nature.
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  It's inspired by God, breathed out by Him.
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  Meaning it comes directly from God, which guarantees its truth,
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  perfect truth, and not just truth for a specific time.
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  It's described as changeless, permanent, eternal.
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  It lasts forever. That consistency is so crucial,
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  isn't it? When we're trying to deal with
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  our own sinfulness, which is often all over the place, we
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  need a standard that doesn't shift.
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  Exactly. If the measuring stick kept
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  changing, how could you ever know if you're making progress?
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  This stability is key. OK, so it's divine nature
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  establishes its authority. How does that translate into
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  practical help for discipleship? You mentioned the Second Timothy
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  3. Yes, the fourfold profitability
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  of Scripture from Second Timothy 3.1617.
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  This is really the engine, you could say, for how scripture
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  works in the self confrontation process.
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  It ensures the believer is fully prepared, fully equipped.
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  Let's break that down. The four aspects.
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  First is teaching. Right teaching provides the
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  positive commands, the guidelines.
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  This is what God expects. This is the past to walk.
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  It sets the baseline. But just knowing the path isn't
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  enough if we've wandered off it. Precisely.
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  That's where the second element reproof comes in.
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  Reproof is about identifying error.
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  It points out where you've gone wrong.
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  So in this self confrontation context, it's like the Holy
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  Spirit uses the Bible to show you exactly where your actions
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  or attitudes don't line up with God's demands.
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  Yes, it's specific. It's not just a vague feeling of
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  guilt. It highlights the specific
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  deviation. Maybe it's impatience or gossip
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  or pride in a certain situation. And then comes correction.
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  How is that different from reproof?
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  That's a vital distinction. Reproof diagnosis.
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  The problem here's the sin correction is the next step.
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  It leads you directly towards change, towards repentance.
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  It gives the specific biblical instructions needed to get back
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  on track. OK, so reproof says you
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  gossiped. Correction says OK, stop
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  gossiping and instead speak words that build others up.
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  According to Ephesians 4 point E9, it provides the actionable
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  alternative. Exactly, it's the prescription
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  after the diagnosis, but even that might only be a temporary
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  fix without the last element. Which is training in
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  righteousness. Right training is about long
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  term growth. It's about stability.
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  Through consistent practice. You apply the correction
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  repeatedly until the godly behavior becomes more natural,
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  more ingrained. So it's about building those
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  spiritual muscles, forming new habits based on God's standard.
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  That's a good way to put it. It leads to genuine, sustained
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  change in character and conduct. So teaching sets the standard,
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  reroof shows the error, correction gives the fix and
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  training builds the new habit and the result of all this.
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  The outcome is what the passage calls adequacy.
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  Scripture makes the man of God adequate, ready, able to do
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  God's work, and equipped for every good work.
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  Meaning you don't need to wait for some special feeling or
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  secret insight to be useful to God or to live rightly.
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  The Bible itself provides what's needed.
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  Yes, the tools are there not just for external actions, but
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  the manual suggests this process even develops a Christ like
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  attitude of servanthood within the believer.
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  It shapes the heart too. And the manual mentions other
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  functions of Scripture too, beyond just this fourfold
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  profitability. It does to really grasp its
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  adequacy. We see it described as spiritual
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  sustenance, food for the soul. Like Peter talks about the milk
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  of the word for growth and the Psalms sweeter than honey, more
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  precious than gold. Right.
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  It's not just information, it's nourishment.
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  You consume it to gain spiritual vitality, strength.
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  You grow by feeding on it. And it's also presented as a
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  weapon, isn't it? Yes, a powerful spiritual force
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  Hebrews 4.12 living, active, sharper than any 2 edged sword.
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  It's our primary tool, and spiritual warfare used to resist
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  Satan's schemes to fight temptation, both offensive and
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  defensive. We also see it as guidance and
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  for sanctification. A light for your path, giving
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  understanding in darkness. It cleanses your ways.
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  Jesus prayed. Sanctify them in the truth.
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  Your word is truth. It's the means by which God sets
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  us apart for Himself. OK, so that paints a very
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  complete picture of the Bible's role.
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  It's the perfect standard. The guide, the nourishment, the
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  weapon, the cleanser, it. Is.
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  But here's the tension, right? If the standard is perfect and
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  adequate, why do we still struggle so much?
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  Why do we fail? Because knowing the standard
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  isn't the same as being able to meet it.
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  Exactly. The standard is external.
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  We need something internal. Which brings us to the second
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  pillar. The Holy Spirit described here
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  as the necessary guide and empower.
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  So without Him, that perfect standard scripture remains,
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  well, unattainable in practice. That's the connection Berger
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  makes. The Spirit's aid is absolutely
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  essential for living this abundant life and for
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  successfully confronting sin in the way the manual outlines.
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  Before we get into his roles, the material makes a point about
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  his identity. Yes, affirming His full
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  divinity, He is God, equal with the Father and the Son.
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  He shares divine characteristics, being eternal
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  being, truth, being everywhere present.
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  His divine nature guarantees His reliability as our helper.
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  And this is shown through his cooperation with the Father and
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  Son in God's works. Right.
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  The manual points to his involvement in creation, major
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  events in Christ life, the virgin birth, His baptism, His
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  ministry, the resurrection, and critically for us, his work in
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  the plan of redemption, justification, granting eternal
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  life. So his participation in these
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  massive divine acts assures us he's capable of helping us with
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  our, you know, daily struggles and sins.
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  Absolutely. It establishes his credentials,
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  so to speak, which leads into his specific roles concerning
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  our salvation and status as believers.
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  What's the foundational work he does there?
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  He's the one who brings about regeneration, the spiritual new
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  birth. That's the starting point.
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  He also baptizes believers into the Bible body of Christ, giving
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  us our identity as part of the church.
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  And then something very practical for the person trying
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  to confront their sin, his indwelling.
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  Yes, he supernaturally comes to live inside the believer
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  permanently and this in indwelling is presented as the
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  actual proof that you belong to Christ.
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  That's. Huge for discipleship.
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  You're never facing sin alone. The helper, the divine empower,
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  is always present within you. It changes everything and
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  related to that is our security and assurance.
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  He seals the believer in Christ. Like putting a guarantee on us.
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  Exactly. And he's given us a pledge or a
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  deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance.
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  So you have this objective basis for assurance that God will
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  finish the work He started in you.
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  That confidence must be so helpful when you're deep in the
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  often difficult work of self confrontation, knowing it's
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  based on God's promise, not just your own shaky efforts.
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  Definitely. And beyond establishing our
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  status, he's actively working on our ongoing change,
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  sanctification and cleansing. He.
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  Washes us from sin, cleanses us and sanctifies.
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  Sets us apart for God's use, conforming us to Christ's image.
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  He's the internal agent of change.
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  And a huge part of how he does that is through his role as
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  guide, instructor, and counselor.
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  He reveals God's wisdom. So if scripture is the map.
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  The Spirit is the guide who reads the map with you and to
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  you, making sure you understand it and apply it correctly.
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  He makes the external authority accessible internally.
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  How does he guide specifically? The material says He reveals the
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  mind of God. He teaches the believer
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  directly. He brings the words of Christ to
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  remembrance, meaning he highlights the relevant
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  scripture you need for that specific moment, that
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  temptation, that decision. So he connects the general truth
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  of Scripture to the particular situation you're in.
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  Yes, and he leads into all truth, giving an anointing, a
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  capacity to discern between truth and error.
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  So you're not just guessing at what the Bible means or relying
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  only on your own intellect. The Spirit illuminates the Word.
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  Illumination and guidance, but we also need enablement.
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  The outline mentioned empowerment for overcoming and
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  abundant living. This is critical.
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  He's the one who specifically enables you to solve problems
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  biblically, because our real problems, relational conflict,
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  anxiety, temptation, they stem from the desires of the flesh,
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  our sinful nature. And the spirits role is to
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  counteract that. Directly, he empowers the
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  believer not to carry out the desire of the flesh.
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  This happens when the believer is filled with the Spirit, which
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  means being controlled or influenced by him.
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  Is that a one time thing? No, the sense is it's an ongoing
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  submission, a continuous reliance on his control for
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  effective living and ministry. It allows for a new dimension of
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  life. And this control has internal
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  and external results. Yes, internally he develops
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  Christ like character, the fruit of the Spirit, Lovejoy, peace,
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  patience and so on. Externally, he gives spiritual
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  gifts for building up the church.
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  And he also helps with speaking about our faith.
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  Yes, aiding in proclamation. Empowering believers to declare
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  Jesus as Lord and to be effective witnesses.
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  This even extends to times of trial or persecution.
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  Giving the right words and the necessary courage.
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  OK, so scripture gives the standard the perfect map.
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  The Spirit gives the internal guidance to read the map and the
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  enablement the engine to actually follow it.
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  That's a good summary, but there's one more piece needed
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  for this system to work smoothly.
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  Communication. Prayer, the third pillar,
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  described as vital communication, not just helpful,
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  but vital. Yes, essential for a spirit
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  controlled life. Why?
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  Because it's the link. It's how we maintain that
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  connection with God aligning the spirits enablement with
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  scripture standard. It's the ongoing conversation
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  and the. Material takes neglecting prayer
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  very seriously. It does.
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  It states that failing to pray is actually considered sin
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  before for the Lord. That's quite strong.
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  It suggests that not praying is a form of self-reliance, a
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  practical rejection of our dependence on God and the
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  Spirit. So how do we understand what
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  proper prayer looks like? The manual points to Jesus.
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  He's the exemplar, the model. His prayer life shows us the
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  way. What?
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  Aspects of his prayer life are highlighted.
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  First, it was a priority for him.
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  It was frequent. He prayed all night, sometimes
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  before big decisions like choosing the apostles, often
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  after intense periods of ministry.
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  It was his constant link to the Father.
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  Demonstrating his own reliance even as the Son of God.
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  Absolutely. And his prayers were specific,
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  persistent, but always, always submitted to God's will.
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  Gethsemane being the ultimate example.
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  Not my will, but yours be done. Right.
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  Prayer isn't about twisting God's arm to get what we want.
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  It's about aligning our desires with His already revealed will.
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  Submission is key. And he also prayed for others.
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  Yes, his intercession is highlighted, praying for Peter's
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  strengthening for his disciples, even praying for his enemies on
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  the cross. It shows prayer is also an
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  active expression of love and concern for others.
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  So taking Jesus is the model, what should be the believers
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  priorities in prayer? The first priority mentioned is
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  devotion and consistency. Playing without ceasing,
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  bringing everything and everyone before God, continually
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  recognizing our constant need. And the second priority flows
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  from Jesus. Example submission.
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  Yes, asking according to His will.
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  This connects prayer back to Scripture, where His will is
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  revealed, and to the Spirit's guidance and understanding that
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  will. Other aspects mentioned are
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  praying in faith with Thanksgiving, being clear
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  minded, self controlled. And praying through the Holy
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  Spirit, relying on His help even in our prayers.
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  OK, now the practical bit that tricks people up how God answers
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  the material lays out three ways.
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  Yes, understanding these helps us keep praying even when things
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  don't go as we expect. First, the straightforward
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  answer. When does God say yes?
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  When the prayer aligns with his will, is asked in faith in
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  Christ's name, meaning asking as Jesus would with his motives and
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  submission, and generally when we're walking in obedience.
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  And sometimes he answers yes in ways far beyond what we even
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  asked for. Better than we could imagine.
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  OK, what about no? God says no when the prayer is
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  not according to His will, or when it's asked with selfish
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  motives just for our own comfort or gain, or when asked with
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  doubt. And there's a connection to sin
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  here too. A crucial 1.
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  The sources say God may not heed our prayers if there's
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  unconfessed unforsaken sin in our lives.
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  Obedience and communication are linked.
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  That's sobering. Is there a third category of
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  answer? Yes, a kind of no, but for a
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  higher purpose. This is when God's glory and His
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  grace are better displayed by allowing the believer to go
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  through a trial rather than being rescued from it.
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  Even if the believer is obedient and praying rightly.
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  Even then, the trial itself serves A deeper sanctifying
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  purpose. Paul's thorn in the flesh is the
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  classic case. The difficulty remain, but God's
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  grace was shown to be sufficient, and it kept Paul
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  humble. So yes, no, and sometimes no,
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  because I have a better plan that involves this difficulty
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  that requires a lot of trust. It certainly does, and this need
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  for alignment leads to a really practical section in the manual
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  about unprofitable prayer practices, things believers
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  often pray for that misunderstand the resources
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  already given. This sounds useful, shifting how
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  we pray based on what God has already done.
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  Like what? OK, first, don't keep pleading
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  for God to be with you. He already promised His
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  continual presence. He's always with believers.
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  So instead of asking him to come.
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  Thank Him that he is present. Asking Him to be with you can
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  imply doubt about His promise. OK, well don't pray to be freed
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  from the power of sin. According to theology based on
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  Romans 6, that freedom, that break from sin's ruling
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  capacity, was accomplished at salvation when you were united
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  with Christ. So sin no longer reigns over the
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  believer. Correct, It's ultimate dominion
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  is broken. So instead of asking for freedom
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  from its power, thank Him for that freedom and pray
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  specifically for deliverance from the evil 1 and for strength
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  to overcome specific temptations or sinful practices.
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  Makes sense. It's just the focus from status
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  to practice. What about love?
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  Don't ask God to grant you love for others as if you don't have
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  it. Romans 5 says His love has been
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  poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
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  So the capacity for divine love is already there.
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  Yes. So instead of asking for the
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  love itself, ask for wisdom on how to increase and abound in
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  expressing the love you already possessed through the Spirit,
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  how to show it practically. How to work it out?
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  OK, one more. Regarding the old self, don't
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  pray for help in putting off the old self nature again.
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  Colossians 3 and Romans 6 teach that the old self was crucified
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  with Christ. It's positionally dealt with.
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  So what should we pray for instead?
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  Pray for wisdom and help in putting off the practices, the
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  deeds, the habits associated with that old way of life.
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  It's about actively replacing sinful patterns with godly ones,
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  relying on the Spirit's enablement.
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  These are significant shifts. They force you to really
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  acknowledge what God has already provided through Christ in the
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  Spirit and what the Scripture teaches.
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  Exactly, We stop asking God to redo things he's already done
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  and start asking for the wisdom and strength to live out the
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  reality he's established using the resources he's given.
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  OK, so we've walked through the three pillars from Brozier's
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  material scripture, the Holy Spirit, and prayer.
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  Let's just quickly pull it all together.
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  A review, if you will. Sounds good.
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  It really shows a a complete system God has provided.
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  So Scripture gives us the objective standard, the
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  authority. It tells us what God's way looks
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  like. The perfect map.
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  Then the Holy Spirit provides the internal enablement and
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  guidance. He gives us the capacity to
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  follow the map and helps us understand it correctly,
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  overcoming our own sinful tendencies.
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  The engine and the navigator. And prayer is the vital
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  communication link. It keeps us connected to the
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  source of enablement, aligning our will with God's revealed
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  will in Scripture, keeping that engine running smoothly under
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  the Spirit's control. And the emphasis throughout is
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  that these aren't things we have to somehow earn or strive to
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  obtain. They are abundant resources,
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  graciously given. They enable you, the listener,
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  to actually tackle problems, confront sin, and live a
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  genuinely new life based on God's truth.
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  Moving away from just human wisdom or feelings as the base.
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  This is for living. Precisely, it's about living
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  according to the divine reality established by God and enabled
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  by His provisions. Which leads us nicely into our
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  final thought for you to consider this week.
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  Something to Mull over, OK? We've seen that the Holy Spirit
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  works within us to develop Christ like character, and
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  Scripture gives us the light and understanding we need.
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  And we've seen that effective prayer hinges on submitting our
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  request to God's will, right? So here's the thought.
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  How does consistent prayer, that vital communication, that
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  deliberate submission, change not just what you ask for when
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  you're in trouble, but how does it reshape what you
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  fundamentally desire according to God's will, even in the quiet
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  moments? That's interesting if prayer is
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  truly about aligning with the spirits control in God's Word.
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  Does consistent communion with God actually begin to prune and
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  reshape our deepest desires, the things we long for, so they
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  start to naturally mirror the standard found in Scripture?
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  Making the desire to live God's way less of an obligation and
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  more of an internal genuine longing shaped by that ongoing
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  communication. Something to think about is you
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  seek to align not just your actions but your desires with
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  His will this week. A fitting place to pause.
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  Indeed, thank you for joining us for this deep dive on reformed
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  thinking.