Feeding The Wolf

 

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." 

(1 Corinthians 10:12) 

 *An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life:“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil–he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you–and inside every other person, too.”The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf will win?”The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.” 

It is hard to believe that a people who God called to be a light for Him, would be involved in idol worship and sexual immorality. God punished them for their sin when 23,000 of them died. 

Paul writes to the Christians at Corinth and strongly encouraged them to not go down the same path as Israel. "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall."(1 Cor.10:12 NIV) 

The temptation to sin can be so strong. It can be addictive, to be involved in constant sinful activities. We desire totally to gratify the desires of our flesh, instead of the commitment of our heart. 

After we yield to temptation, the Holy Spirit goes to work to convict us of our sin. He can and will make us feel really bad about our disobedience. 

 If we love the Lord, we will keep our promise to Him to obey His Word. Just like Joseph kept his commitment to not sin against God. (Gen.39:9) 

By ourselves we cannot overcome the strong temptations that come our way. But having a strong relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, will help us to have the strength to say "No" to sin, and maintain that commitment. GP 

 Photo: Freephotos.com 

*https://medium.com/the-mission/there-are-two-wolves-within-and-the-one-you-feed-most-will-dominate-4587494c17f9

Beyond Temptation

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then when desires and enticed. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:14-15)

 One of the hardest fruits of the Spirit to develop is "Self-Control" (Galatians 5:23) To deny oneself of thinking, doing, or having something that is contrary to the will of God, takes strong discipline.

The Apostle Paul battled with this when he said in Romans 7:15
"For what I am doing , I do not understand, for what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do." As Christians we pledge to do the will of God, but yet we give in to our carnal desires, and end up disobeying God.

In our text, James tells us what is "beyond temptation."
"When sin is full-grown, it brings forth death. Yes some worldly activities can bring one to "physical death." But what James means here is "spiritual death" which is worse. Spiritual death is being separated from God for eternity. Only in this life, do we have opportunity to repent and turn back to God, and be restored to a saving relationship with Him.

It is worth every ounce of discipline we can generate to exercise self-control. It is always saying "yes" to God, and "no" to our fleshly desires. And if there are addictions, they can be overcome through the power of God, and our determination.

God's Word provides the warning signs, that must be heeded.
Yes, the thrill of sin is a delight for us now, but beyond temptation are the consequences that are destructive, and eternal. GP

Photo: Pixabay.com

Our Spiritual Mind Set

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:2-3) 

There are things of this life, and of this world, that I have a craving for. It is hard to have the self-control to give them up. And yet they are things that in time will corrupt my body, mind, and soul.
Is this a challenge for you as well?

Why is it hard for Christians to set their minds on the things of God, and maintain a spiritual mind set that can not be shaken?

The apostle Paul tells of the challenge that he dealt with, in his life:
"For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil,that I do not wish." (Romans 7:19)

When the desires of the flesh kick in, they take us well away from the will of God, for our lives. And after we have yielded to temptation, and given ourselves to sinful thoughts and actions, we feel guilty about it.

In spite of knowing the right that we should do, we give in to the desires that are so strong, and the temporary thrill that is such a delight at the time. But then the thought of disappointing God, and placing ourselves at odds with Him, is very disheartening.

The question is: What is the key to setting our minds on the things of God? What is it that will keep us on a constant steadfast place with God, instead of with the world?

The key is our constant abiding in the true Vine (Jesus Christ) John 15.
No one else can keep us from slipping into sin. Not only does He save us, but He sustains us.  As Christians, the old "life is dead, and is hidden with Christ in God."  With our cooperation with our Lord Jesus Christ, He will help the old life, to stay dead! GP

 Photo ID 2723155 © Michael Pettigrew | Dreamstime.com

That Which We See

"And if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than your whole body to be cast into hell." (Matthew 5:29)

These are very serious words. Words that strongly encourage us to exercise self-control, concerning what we see, what we think, and especially what we do.

For us men, Just the thought of lusting after a woman in our sights, is the seed for committing adultery.(Matthew 5:28) If you have thought it, you have done it, in your heart. We may say, that this is very strict teaching. But the reality is, if we don't take our thoughts captive to Jesus right away (2 Corinthians 10:5) they will captivate us, and motivate us to sinful activity.

The Venus Flytrap can digest an insect in about 10 days. The process begins when an unsuspecting bug smells nectar on the leaves that form the trap. When the insect investigates, it crawls into the jaws of the plant. The leaves clamp shut within half a second and digestive juices dissolve the bug.
(Our Daily Bread 4/12/2016) 

The Bible gives us warnings, such as this one by Jesus, that there are boundaries we must honor. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to control our responses, to what we see, and what we take into our hearts.

How many times have we allowed ourselves to go beyond the will of God, saying: "I can do it just this time" But it won't be the only time, will it?
It's time to take these warnings to heart! GP

 Photo ID 13128548 © Erik Reis | Dreamstime.com