Dare to Dance with the Spirit

CHAPTER 8
DANCING SOLO
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8: 5-8)

When we are young adults, we often believe that if we, ourselves, control our more basic instincts and be a “good” person, we will be accepted by God. We do not know the depth of influence that a sinful world can influence our thinking and ways. If sin reigns in our life then God cannot. If sin is foremost in our way of living, then there will be no vital force of life in us.
Jesus came to the earth to take away the sins of the world. The world is the playground of Satan, the one who conjures up sin. We must have Jesus within us to replace our sinful nature with his. If sin is allowed to rule in our life, we will surely die. If we compromise with this idea then we will not recognize sin and it will overtake us. Dancing solo without the strength of God leads to destruction and death.
The unbridled imagination can conjure up demonic fantasies based on natural inclinations void of God’s plan. When we turn away from God we find ourselves alone – dancing solo – in our own folly. The Prince of Darkness is lurking in the shadows waiting to pick up our hand and dance us to his banquet table. “Come feast at my table,” he suggests, “it feels good and you deserve it.” The greatest deception of all is when Satan seduces man into believing that he can exclude God from his life and dance solo.
In this dance of folly, we turn our face away from God. We cannot see the direction He is pointing for us to go. We cannot hear the cues He is giving for our dance because we are too busy listening to the carnal beat of the Fallen One’s drum. The tempo picks up and we find ourselves dancing in a whirlwind caught up in a cyclone of sin. We begin dancing in the rapture of the flesh.
When we participate in illicit sex and go to bed out of God’s holy domain, we become bedfellows with Satan in a ménage a trois. For those unfamiliar with this French term, it means there are three people in bed engaged in sexual activities. If we go to bed with someone against the rules God has laid down for sexual conduct, there are three of us in that bed – the two engaged in sex - along with Satan.
Flee from sexual immorality. "All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. "(I Corinthians 6:18)
How many illicit relationships are going on as you read this book? How many motel rooms are being rented for an immoral rendezvous? How many people are entertaining thoughts of having sex outside of God’s domain at this moment? I am afraid the answers would astonish us. How many families are torn apart by the careless decisions we make? The ways of the flesh are temporarily soothing - immediately gratifying.
Sexual relationships inside God’s domain are healthy, holy and beautiful. Sexual relationships outside God’s domain are unhealthy, unholy, manipulating, confusing and usually end up with someone getting hurt. In this worldly dance, we dance to the tune of chemical abuse, sexual conquests, accumulation of worldly possessions, manipulation of people, and assimilation of ungodly knowledge. Our spirit is mirroring the image of an ungodly world destined for destruction. If we continue on this rebellious rampage, we will self-destruct, and with the souls of many, we fuel the fires on the shores of Sheol. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1)
More about Dave Larsen:
This was the dance Dave Larsen chose – rebellion to the laws of God and man - a dance that led him down the path of destruction. Dave liked to raise a glass or a bottle, as long as it had alcohol in it; he liked drugs, he liked the company of women and he liked
the excitement involved in holding up drive-in businesses, or breaking into someone’s home.
"For as I have told you before and now say again even with many tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." (Philippians 3:18-19)
Too many of us attempt to fill unfulfilled hollow parts of ourselves with worldly pleasures, accumulations and knowledge. We rationalize our behavior. Some of us may bargain with the Lord. “I follow most of your commandments Lord.” We pat ourselves on the back for following most of the Lord’s commandments and make excuses for the sins that we need as crutches. We compromise our beliefs to include “partial” sins and gray areas, forgetting that we must not trifle with sin lest it overtake us.