Cut It Off
DAY 5 | BUILD TOGETHER : Cut It Off
READ
Deuteronomy 30:6, 8–10; Romans 2:28–29
“The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.”
Deuteronomy 30:6
THE TRUTH
This week's story centered around circumcision.
For Moses, circumcision represented something physical, but it pointed to something much deeper:
Covenant faithfulness and obedience to God.
Years earlier, Moses told Israel that God desired something beyond an outward sign.
God wanted their hearts.
Then Paul later describes true circumcision as:
“Circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.”
That's where we need to end this week.
Because our greatest problem isn't simply what we do.
It's what happens in our hearts before we do it.
Jesus made this clear when He talked about adultery.
Adultery doesn't begin with a physical act.
It begins with lust in the heart.
And the same is true of so many other sins.
The angry outburst begins with anger we've allowed to grow.
The controlling behavior begins with fear or pride.
The selfish decision begins with a heart consumed with what I want.
The affair begins before the physical encounter.
The financial dishonesty begins before the purchase.
The bitterness begins before the harsh words.
The compromise begins before the action.
Sin happens in the heart and mind before it expresses itself through the flesh.
That's why simply changing behavior isn't enough.
You can remove an opportunity and still desire the sin.
You can stop an argument and still hold bitterness.
You can remain physically faithful while feeding lust.
You can attend church while your heart remains far from God.
You can even look like you're obeying while internally resisting everything God is asking of you.
God wants more than behavioral modification.
He wants your heart.
And sometimes following Jesus requires us to identify something within us that must be cut off.
A desire.
A habit.
An attitude.
A relationship.
A source of temptation.
A secret.
A pattern of thinking.
Anything that repeatedly leads our hearts toward disobedience.
And we don't cut these things off so God will finally love us.
We surrender them because Jesus already demonstrated His love for us at the cross.
Zipporah called Moses a “bridegroom of blood.”
But the story of Scripture ultimately points us toward a greater Bridegroom who shed His own blood for His Bride.
Jesus didn't cut us off because of our sin.
He was cut off for our sin.
He went to the cross so our sin could be forgiven, our hearts could be changed, and we could walk in obedience to God.
So the question isn't simply:
“What do I need to stop doing?”
Ask the deeper question:
“What needs to change in my heart?”
LOOK BACK
Think back through what God has shown you this week.
DAY 1 — WHO WILL YOU OBEY?
Every role God gives us rests upon our willingness to obey Him.
DAY 2 — WHEN COMPROMISE BECOMES DISOBEDIENCE
Loving someone never requires us to place their desires above God's Word.
DAY 3 — WHEN YOUR SPOUSE NEEDS YOU TO STEP IN
Our roles are distinct, but Christlike love makes them reciprocal.
DAY 4 — WHEN WE SIN TOGETHER
Agreement with one another doesn't automatically mean obedience to God.
Now ask:
What truth from this week challenged you the most?
CELEBRATE
Obedience isn't only about identifying failure.
Look for evidence that God is already changing your heart.
IF YOU'RE MARRIED
Tell your spouse one way you've seen them pursuing Jesus or obedience to God.
Maybe you've watched them:
Serve when it was inconvenient.
Make a difficult but faithful decision.
Turn away from temptation.
Confess something.
Forgive.
Take responsibility.
Protect your family.
Encourage you toward Jesus.
“One way I see God working in you is...”
Be specific.
Then thank God for His work in your spouse.
IF YOU'RE SINGLE
Where have you seen God changing your desires or strengthening your obedience?
“One area where God is helping me obey Him is...”
Don't overlook growth simply because you haven't arrived.
Thank God for what He's doing in your heart.
CONFESS
Now go deeper.
Don't begin with:
“What am I doing wrong?”
Ask:
“What is happening in my heart that keeps leading me there?”
Maybe it's:
Lust.
Pride.
Anger.
Fear.
Jealousy.
Bitterness.
Selfishness.
Control.
Discontentment.
Approval.
Comfort.
Greed.
Resentment.
Ask the Holy Spirit to expose what is underneath the behavior.
The heart issue God is revealing in me is:
It has been affecting my relationships by:
IF YOU'RE MARRIED
Remember:
This isn't an opportunity to circumcise your spouse's heart.
You cannot do that.
Don't tell them what they need to cut off.
Ask God:
“What needs to be cut out of me?”
If your sin has affected your spouse, confess it without excuses.
“I recognize that my __________ has hurt you by __________. I was wrong. Will you forgive me?”
IF YOU'RE SINGLE
Consider how the heart issue you've identified affects your friendships, family, dating relationships, church, work, and relationship with Jesus.
Ask:
Where is this leading me if I allow it to remain?
Then bring it honestly before God.
MOVE FORWARD
CUT IT OFF
Jesus used strong language about dealing with sin.
“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.”
Matthew 5:29
Jesus isn't commanding physical mutilation.
He's showing us how seriously we should treat the things that continually lead us toward sin.
So what needs to go?
Not merely:
“What should I try harder not to do?”
But:
“What practical change will help me stop feeding the desires that lead me into disobedience?”
Maybe you need to:
Delete something.
Block something.
Cancel something.
End an inappropriate relationship.
Create a boundary.
Confess a secret.
Change how you spend money.
Change what you watch.
Stop going somewhere.
Ask for accountability.
Seek counseling.
Have a difficult conversation.
Return to biblical community.
Remove access to temptation.
Whatever it is, make it specific.
The thing I need to cut off or surrender is:
The action I will take is:
I will do this by:
Don't negotiate with what is destroying you.
Cut it off.
OUR MARRIAGE CREED
Read these commitments again, but this week pay attention to the second half of each one.
Notice what each commitment is designed to combat.
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
I will love my spouse unconditionally and combat the lustful desires that entice my eyes, my flesh, and my pride.
SELFLESS CARE
I will care for my spouse selflessly by being attentive and compassionate toward their needs to combat my selfishness.
ACTIVE PROTECTION
I will protect my spouse actively, seeking to guard their heart and mind from attacks. I will combat passivity to pursue them so they feel seen, loved, and safe in my company.
PURPOSEFUL PROVISION
I will provide for my spouse by seeing and meeting their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Constant provision will combat purposelessness, both in work and in our marriage.
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
I will lead my spouse through humble service. My leadership will not be domineering or controlling but sacrificial and nurturing. Servant leadership will combat any pride, ego, or selfish motives.
INTENTIONAL INTIMACY
I will be intimate with my spouse regardless of circumstances. I will remember that we have become one flesh. I will combat isolation and division by intentionally drawing closer to my spouse through physical connection, emotional conversation, and spiritual devotion.
FAITHFUL DEVOTION
I will be faithful to my spouse by first remaining faithful to Christ. In my pursuit of Him I will be able to strengthen my devotion to my spouse. I understand that only my devotion to Christ can combat the lies, deception, and mistrust the enemy uses to destroy my marriage.
LIVE THE CREED
IF YOU'RE MARRIED
Look back over the words describing what you're fighting against:
Lust.
Pride.
Selfishness.
Passivity.
Purposelessness.
Isolation.
Division.
Deception.
Mistrust.
Each spouse choose one.
Don't choose for each other.
Then share:
“The thing I most need Jesus to help me combat right now is __________.”
Ask:
“How can I help you fight that without condemning, controlling, or enabling you?”
Then pray specifically for one another.
IF YOU'RE SINGLE
Read through the creed and ask:
Which of these heart struggles most threatens my obedience to Jesus right now?
Then ask:
What Christlike characteristic do I need to intentionally practice in its place?
Don't wait until marriage to confront what is happening in your heart.
Let Jesus transform you now.
PRAY TOGETHER
Father, search our hearts.
Reveal anything within us that is leading us away from You.
Expose our lust.
Our pride.
Our selfishness.
Our anger.
Our bitterness.
Our fear.
Our desire for control.
Our discontentment.
Our passivity.
Our divided devotion.
Forgive us for the times we have known Your Word but chosen our own desires.
Forgive us for the times we have encouraged others to compromise.
Forgive us for the ways we have become comfortable living in disobedience.
Holy Spirit, circumcise our hearts.
Cut away what doesn't belong.
Change our desires.
Renew our minds.
Give us hearts that love You completely and lives that obey You faithfully.
For those who are married, help us become one flesh in pursuit of Jesus. Give us courage to confront sin in ourselves and grace to help one another when we are weak.
For those who are single, give them courage to confront sin now and relationships that encourage obedience rather than compromise.
Jesus, thank You for being faithful when we were unfaithful.
Thank You for shedding Your blood for Your Bride.
Thank You that our failures don't have to define our future.
Today we surrender our hearts again to You.
Cut away whatever keeps us from loving You with all our heart and soul.
Teach us to obey.
Teach us to love.
Teach us to follow.
Amen.