Two Extremes

There are two extremes of human attitudes, which end up as liabilities to the work of Christ, rather than as a blessing. Satan tempts us in our thoughts with the sins of inferiority and superiority. Our misguided beliefs about God, the world and our self shade the thoughts in our mind. This also affects our words and actions.

Some of us are insecure, and shrink from the limelight, rarely volunteering to help in church ministries. We end up disparaging, censuring and condemning our abilities and our feeble attempts to serve. We doubt God's love for us. We fail to walk in the will of God, because we believe that we cannot accomplish what He is calling us to achieve (Proverbs 23:7).

On the other hand, there are those with prideful thoughts who exalt themselves and brag about their accomplishments (Galatians 6:3: Romans 12:3). We have spiritual pride and remove our self from fellowship with the Body of Christ, because we look down on them and criticize their efforts for the Lord. We think that we are too good to function in God's true calling for our life (James 1:26).

Jesus pointed out that what is in us, comes out of us, either good or bad (Matthew 12:35). If we listen to Satan's lies, we will live in defeat or arrogance. God's Spirit deals both with inadequacy and pride in the authentic Believer (Hebrews 4:12). The balance between these two extremes is to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Christ can heal us and deliver us. We can function through God's Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and directs our every step (Galatians 2:20; John 16:13; Romans 8:14). We no longer struggle to live in this world. God's Spirit replaces our carnal disposition with the divine nature and mind of Christ (2 Peter 1:4; Romans 12:2).

Prayer:

Father God, after our spirit is Born Again, allow us to surrender to the transforming work, which Your Spirit accomplishes in our soul. This way we will cooperate and exhibit more and more of Your spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Remind us to place our mind on spiritual and eternal issues, not on earthly aspects (Colossians 3:2). Help our mind to dwell only on what is factual, moral, accurate, divine, positive, admirable and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8).

Thought for the Day:

If we focus on the negative, we reap death; but if we focus on the positive and spiritual, we will enjoy rest and peace. - Romans 8:5-6

Persevering in Temptation

The soul of an unregenerate sinner is full of decay and corruption. Degenerate thoughts and ideas penetrate our mind through the things we read, watch and talk about. Sinful desires then display themselves in our thoughts, emotions and actions. We live our life in this dung heap until we allow God to move in and save our spirit and renew our soul (Romans 12:2). As we grow in Christ and remember the degradation of our former lifestyle, we hardly recognize our former self. Old things have passed away, and God made everything new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our mind begins to meditate more on eternal issues; and carnal, earthly considerations take a back seat. The petty issues of life no longer affect us and we wonder why we were ever so tangled up in them in the first place. We distance our self from the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and the values of our unsaved friends. Once in a while, however, something will occur that will drag our thoughts away from God and back to the worries of life.

Satan comes along with his art of deception and puts doubts in our mind about the truth of God’s Word. The world distracts us with a temptation to sin, to lie about or to take advantage of someone, or to opt out of a commitment we made. Our flesh captures our attention with an opportunity to indulge our self in some unwholesome activity. Each of these enticements comes to cause us to grieve the Holy Spirit and to distance us from our intimate relationship with God.

There is no temptation that we face that is not common to everyone. God is always faithful to provide us a way to escape these roadblocks in our walk with Him. He gives us supernatural power to stand up under the attacks and to walk victoriously through each inducement to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). He simply requires that we look to Him for deliverance. Nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-36).

The temptation is not the sin. The first thought comes from Satan. The idea only turns into sin if we entertain it or agree with it or act on it. There is nothing we can do to decrease or increase the love, which God has for us. His love is a free gift and is not dependent upon our behavior. We can grieve Him and break His heart, but nothing will sever His love for us (1 John 1:9). If we live in habitual sin, however, we belong to Satan, not to God (1 John 3:8). Our only hope is to truly repent of our sinful lifestyle and to submit our life and our will to God (John 3:16-18).

Think about the life of Israel in the Old Testament. Even in the New Testament, the Israelites rejected Christ as their Savior. This nation disappointed God a multitude of times, but God did not go back on His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Romans 11:26). God gives His armor to all of His Saints to prepare us for battle with temptation (Ephesians 6:10-18). As we put on His armor each morning before any temptation ever gets a chance to attack us, we walk in victory all throughout the day.

The first piece of armor is to accept Jesus as our Savior. He is the Truth, and He is the belt that holds our life together. Then, we put on the breastplate of holy living, which protects all of the vital aspects of our life. We walk in peace, which comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This fully prepares us to stand victoriously in the Lord and the authority of His power (Ephesians 6:10).

In addition to all of these protective elements, we hold up the shield of faith in Christ to stop the fiery arrows of deception and temptation, which Satan shoots at us throughout the day. We put on the mind of Christ as our helmet (Philippians 2:5). Finally, we take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. We follow Jesus’ example on the pinnacle of His temptation, and we quote scripture to Satan when he tries to deceive us (Matthew 4:8-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Prayer:
Father God, remind us that the only way to withstand temptation and to fully walk in Your Spirit is to read and study Your Word, to spend time communing with and listening to You in prayer, and by trusting in Your Spirit’s guidance moment by moment throughout the day. Help us to die daily to our fleshly desires and to walk in Your Truth as authentic followers of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:31, Galatians 2:20; 3 John 1:4).
 
Thought for the Day:
If we put on the armor of God every morning before breakfast, God’s Spirit will help us to persevere in holiness throughout the day.