Let’s Begin the Conversation

Welcome to the first chapter of our journey through ROW Against the Flow. I’m excited to dive in with you and invite honest reflection, real dialogue, and shared growth.

Chapter Focus: The R.O.W. Principle

This chapter introduces the R.O.W. principle—Repent, Obey, Worship—as a practical, biblical framework for navigating the currents of spiritual warfare in everyday life. Through stories, scripture, and down-to-earth examples, we’ll explore how to:

• Recognize the unseen battles that shape our days
• Turn from distractions and idols to realign with Jesus
• Build a rhythm of repentance, obedience, and worship that keeps our hearts open to God’s work

You’ll find analogies (like the Brazilian steakhouse!), practical steps, and reflection questions to help you put these ideas into practice—whether you’re reading on your own or with a group.

Let’s Talk: Conversation Starters

I’d love for this space to become a place of honest conversation and encouragement. After reading Chapter 1, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments:

• Where do you notice yourself “drifting” or needing to “ROW against the flow” in daily life?
• What does it look like for you to keep your “green light” on for Jesus?
• Which part of the R.O.W. principle—Repent, Obey, or Worship—feels most challenging or most life-giving right now?
• How have you experienced the need for repetitive reliance on Jesus, especially when you’re tempted to believe He’s “tired” of your repentance?

Feel free to answer one question, all of them, or just share what stood out to you. Your story and perspective matter here.

What’s Next?

• Download the full book or follow along weekly: If you want to read ahead, the full PDF is available for free. Otherwise, check back next week for Chapter 2.
• Invite a friend: These chapters are designed for group discussion—consider inviting someone to read and reflect with you.
• Stay tuned: Each week, we’ll explore a new chapter, with prompts for reflection and prayer.

Thank you for joining the journey. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts, questions, and stories as we ROW against the flow together. Let’s encourage one another as we seek deeper freedom and joy in Christ.

Chapter 1 – The R.O.W. Principle

Have you ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse where they serve you all the meat you can eat? If not, let me describe it for you and those who have been to one can cheer me on. My friend, Fuego treated me to a night at one of these restaurants and I quickly found it was hard to keep up with the servers. They walk around with sword-like skewers of all kinds of beautiful aromatic meat and offer it to guests. At this restaurant, they had a small paper sign that they put on your table, and with it you could indicate whether or not you wanted them to stop by and offer you meat. When your sign was flipped to the red side up, that meant you did not want to be offered any meat. When you turned it over to green, you were asking them to come and present their wares. Now, listen here, I am 6’4” tall and weigh about 220 pounds and I do not back down from any challenge. My goal was to keep that green side up and eat as fast as possible. I did not eat everything offered but I made a huge effort to get Fuego’s money worth.

I want you to consider with me the way Jesus offers His life and freedom to you. Do you have your green sign on display? Is your YES on the table? 

My goal since Christ got hold of me at age 18 has been to keep my YES on the table. “Jesus, you have the green light, I am yours, and I want the freedom that you offer. You are the way the truth and the life.” In a world, where the Spirit of God is searching the world for those who would worship Him in spirit and in truth, imagine Jesus walking around looking for those who would respond to Him. I want to be the place He stops and serves me. Is that your desire? Maybe, you are hoping that He stops at somebody else’s table?

Now the analogy certainly breaks down. It might not take uncommon imagination to guess that I did not feel well after that steakhouse experience. I won’t go into too much detail about meat sweats or the sounds my body made to attempt to digest all that meat. And of course, gluttony is not close to godliness so there’s another strike against me. 

But Jesus is a proper feast isn’t He? Isn’t He? 

Have you believed anything different? I know you have heard the whispers that He is holding out on you; that He doesn’t have your best interests at heart. Keep exploring with me as I show you a way to stay current with Jesus when everything is pulling against it. This is everyday spiritual warfare.

I want to offer you a practical framework I created for living out our faith daily: the R.O.W. principle. This simple yet powerful concept will help you navigate the currents of spiritual warfare and maintain the freedom King Jesus won for you. 

He deserves our worship but we often get distracted and end up worshipping at the wrong altar.

Understanding R.O.W.

R – Repent: Turning away from sin and idolatry

Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus. — Acts 3:19-20

Repentance is more than feeling sorry for offending God. It’s a decisive turn away from sin and toward God. It involves recognizing our wrongdoing, confessing it to God, and making a conscious decision to change our direction. To confess a sin means you agree that it was indeed rebellion.

O – Obey: Obey the Gospel – Jesus the resurrected Messiah of Israel is true Lord of the world.

“If you love me, you will obey my commandments.Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.” — John 14:15-17

Obedience is the natural outflow of our love for Christ. It’s not about following rules to earn God’s favor, but rather aligning our will with His out of trust and devotion.

W – Worship: Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service. — Romans 12:1

Worship is more than singing songs on Sunday. It’s a lifestyle of honoring God in everything we do, recognizing His worth and responding with our whole lives.

So how do we keep worshiping Jesus in the midst of everything going on in life. How do we keep our eyes on Jesus and believe the truth of the gospel that Jesus the Christ is the true Lord of the world?

Often times when I meet somebody new, I tried to describe my work without using the word, Pastor. “I lead a group of people in my city who are trying to take seriously the claims of Jesus because if he is who he says he is, we have a lot of explaining to do.” If they give me a half second, I’ll say “because through his life, death, resurrection and ascension to the throne of the universe he has been declared Lord of ALL”

Now, do I live every moment recognizing and confessing that Jesus is Lord? Is my YES always on the table? Green Light always on for Jesus? Absolutely not, and so I’ve got to develop a life of repentance. I find myself at the wrong altar multiple times a day. I find that “successism” (the need to succeed to feel worthy) is a very compelling religion and I organize my mood by how others think I’m doing. My emotional life can be very telling about what altar I’ve been worshiping at. So I turn from “successism” and I obey the gospel looking to Christ and the way he was victorious and then worship Jesus. He gives me my identity. He alone tells me if I’m good enough, and because of his sacrifice by his blood, I am made pure and holy, and acceptable to Him.

Applying R.O.W. in Daily Life

The R.O.W. principle is more than just a concept; it’s a dynamic framework for engaging in the spiritual battle. It is how we actively navigate the currents of life and spiritual warfare, ensuring we stay aligned with King Jesus.

Recognizing the Need to R.O.W.

Have you ever found yourself drifting? It’s subtle at first. We often find ourselves pulled off course by the strong currents of our culture, the pressures of daily life, or the pull of our own disordered desires. The R.O.W. principle provides a vital corrective. It helps us recognize when we are off course and offers a clear path to realign ourselves with God’s will and truth. Just as a rower must constantly assess their direction and pull against the stream to reach their destination, R.O.W. helps us counteract the forces that seek to pull us away from Jesus.

The Cycle of R.O.W.

R.O.W. is not a one-time event or a checklist to complete. It is a continuous cycle—a rhythm of repetitive reliance on Jesus. We may need to engage in this process minute-by-minute, as we encounter various temptations and challenges throughout the day. This consistent practice of repentance, obedience, and worship is essential to maintaining our “green light” for Jesus and ensuring we don’t fall back into old patterns.

R.O.W. in Spiritual Warfare

When we face spiritual attacks, R.O.W. becomes our essential battle strategy, equipping us to stand firm against the enemy’s schemes:

• Repentance (R): This is our first line of defense. We must immediately and specifically Repent of any footholds we have given the enemy through sin or agreement with lies. Repentance closes the door to spiritual darkness and restores our alignment with God.
• Obedience (O): We Obey God’s word and stand firm in the authority Christ has given us. Obedience isn’t just about doing the right thing; it’s about actively submitting to the Lordship of Jesus and resisting the enemy’s attempts to undermine our allegiance.
• Worship (W): Worship is a powerful weapon against the enemy’s lies. By turning our eyes upon Jesus and acknowledging His ultimate worth and victory, we declare our loyalty to Him and defeat the enemy’s attempts to distract us with false gods.

Practical Application

Repent:

• Practice daily self-examination, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of offense. Don’t let sin linger unconfessed
• Confess specific sins to God, not just general wrongdoing
• Make concrete plans to increase alignment with the Creator.

Obey:

• Study Scripture regularly to align with God’s heart.
• Start with small acts of obedience to build your “obedience muscles”
• Seek accountability from trusted Christian friends

Worship:

• Develop a daily habit of praising God, even in difficult circumstances
• Look for ways to honor God in your everyday activities
• Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, recognizing all good things come from God

As a pastor, I’ve spoken with hundreds of people who fear that God is tired of their repentance. They seem to think that they should be embarrassed to come once again about the same offense they were confessing before. Do you find this troubling as well? 

You might think that the occasion for repentance is the worst day of your life. “I’m so ashamed” you say “I am struggling so much with this” you say.

Hear me out! Could it be that it’s not your worst day but in fact your best day? Could it be that Jesus loves you and knows your weakness and is not ashamed of you? Could it be that He is not tired of your repentance, in fact, the repetition of your repentance emphasizes your reliance on Him. This is just reality. This is truth. We ARE reliant on Him! 

So again, could it be that this is the best day of your life where you cry out to Jesus thank Him for forgiving you and restoring the relationship? We need repentance repetition- “Rep Reps” – Developing repetitive reliance on Jesus is an honest path forward even when the enemy whispers that God must be tired of you. Life is Repentance and in Repentance we have Life. Put your YES on the table!

Conclusion

The R.O.W. principle is a powerful tool in our spiritual arsenal. With practice we align ourselves with God’s will and resist the enemy’s attempts to pull us off course. Remember, just as a rower must continually pull against the current to make progress, we too must consistently apply R.O.W. to grow in our faith and stand firm against spiritual attacks. 

This might be a morning exercise or a minute by minute one as the current rages.

Reflection

1. Drawing on the steakhouse analogy, are you actively keeping your “YES” on the table and your “green light” on for Jesus, or are you hoping He stops at someone else’s table? Explain.
2. The chapter highlights how easily we can worship at the “wrong altar,” such as “successism.” What specific “altar” (idol) do you find yourself turning to, and how can applying the R.O.W. principle help you recenter your worship on Jesus?
3. The chapter emphasizes “Rep Reps,” or repetitive reliance on Jesus through repentance. How can embracing the truth that God is not tired of your repentance change your approach to confessing recurring sins?
4. How can you incorporate the R.O.W. principle into your daily routine?
5. Think of a recent spiritual struggle. How might applying R.O.W. have helped in that situation?
6. Which aspect of R.O.W. do you find most challenging? Why?

Prayer Focus

Heavenly Father, As we begin this journey of understanding spiritual warfare, we come before You with humble hearts. We acknowledge our fallen nature and how our sin offends You.

Holy Spirit, examine our relationship with You—are we holding back, or truly worshipping in spirit and in truth? Reveal the Father’s love to us.Jesus, open our eyes to the truth of our condition apart from You. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and listening to the enemy’s lies.

Thank You, Father, for not abandoning us in our brokenness. Thank You for Your plan of redemption from the very beginning.Holy Spirit, give us discernment to recognize brokenness in ourselves and the world.

Lord Jesus, thank You for breaking the power of sin and death. Help us grasp the freedom You won for us on the cross.Give us strength to resist temptation and stand firm in Your truth. Protect us from spiritual forces that seek to exploit our weaknesses.As we learn about spiritual warfare, give us courage and hope in Your presence and power.Teach us to apply the R.O.W. principle daily. Help us to repent, obey, and worship You alone.

We pray all this in the mighty name of Jesus, who has overcome sin and death. Amen.

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