Permissible or beneficial?

God can deliver you from anything in a single day, but you’ve got to back it up with daily discipline. If you don’t practice spiritual discipline day in and day out, your deliverance will be short-lived. You’ll fall back into whatever it was that God delivered you from. Anybody can set a life goal; the hard part is going after it every day. You get into shape one workout at a time. You get out of debt one paycheque at a time. Whatever goal you are going after, you have to take it one step at a time, one day at a time! Notice that Paul didn’t just say, “Walk not after the flesh”; he also said to walk “after the Spirit” (see Romans 8:4). Deciding you are against something is only half the battle. The other half is deciding you are for something. Dallas Willard once said, “Not going to London or Atlanta is a poor plan for going to New York.” That’s obvious, but that’s how many of us approach spiritual formation. We try to not sin by not sinning. But if you’re focused on what you shouldn’t do, you probably won’t do what you should. Jesus said, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18 KJV). Jesus didn’t say you will build your church. It’s not yours; it’s His. And that goes for your business, your school, your family, etc. It’s not yours; it’s His. So the pressure is off you. And if you’re focused on walking in obedience, He will fight your battles for you!