Past
failures, abuse, and disappointments will color our attitude about our self,
our life, our world and our relationships. These perceptions may not be
accurate; they may hint at the truth, but they are also tainted by Satan's lies.
He
causes pride to rise up in our heart so that we will use destructive thoughts
and behavior to protect us from hurt, judgment and vulnerability. We use
control, manipulation, anger and other negative traits to get what we want.
This
provides the devil with another door to further influence and even to regulate
our thoughts, words and actions (Ephesians 4:26-27). He uses important people
in our life - driven by jealousy, insecurity and ego - to throw us out of
balance, cause us to doubt our self, and to negatively influence our decisions.
We
are easily offended, and we harbor unforgiveness, which hinders God from
filling our entire being with His fullness (Ephesians 3:16-19). The only way to
combat this drift is to trust in the Lord, rather than to depend on our human
reasoning (Proverbs 3:5-6).
When
we allow God's Spirit to fill us with His compassion for others, we learn to view
life from their point of view. This enables us to love friends and adversaries
alike (1 John 4:20-21; Luke 6:35-36). We walk in the Spirit and that prevents us
from living in the flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).
We
feel God's love more deeply, and we attract friends who actually care about us
rather than using us for their own advantage. Our intimacy with God increases
and grows beyond the limits of our finite imagination.
Prayer:
Father
God, we want to learn to consult You each moment of our day, and to follow Your
plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). When we draw near to You, we can resist the
devil, and he has to flee from us (James 4:7). Then, the "hungry lion"
may no longer steal, kill and destroy our relationships (John 10:10).
Help
us to love You with a heart of full devotion, not distracted by the temptation
of worldly pleasure, praise, glory or benefits. We want to do Your will in
everything we say and do each and every day of our life. We give You the glory
for every positive consequence we receive from our efforts in life, and we
return all the praise we receive back to You.
Thought
for the Day:
Jesus
Christ redeems us and protects us from the schemes of the devil, by enabling us
to live our life worthy of His calling upon us (Ephesians 4:1); when we praise
Him now because of everything He does for us every moment of our life, we can
also look forward to an eternity in His presence, enjoying Him for who He is.
