Calling All Christians! -Pt 3

Read 1Peter 1:13-16

I love how the verses above go hand in hand with today's topic: dying to the flesh. Follow along with me on this:

"Prepare your mind for action" I can not begin to tell you how often battles have raged in me (before I was saved and afterwards) against addictions and strongholds- and the toughest ones are always in my mind. When it comes down to it, this is often where the war is waged and battles, both small and great, are won or lost. When I was addicted to cocaine, I often found that if I actually rode the physical withdrawals out long enough, I would begin to dwell on the high in my mind. I also soon learned that with drugs such as cocaine, that the MENTAL withdrawals can last up to a year and a half! The battlefield is always in the mind, and just like we would work our bodies out in a gym to get bigger and stronger, we must work out or train our minds to be strong in the time that we need it the most. Satan will attack at strategically placed times: often when we're tired, alone, or in uncomfortable situations. He will whisper soft thoughts of doubt, deceit, or deception into our minds, sometimes only a little bit at once- but letting it build up over time until we crack. Our counter punch to this is memorization of Scripture, discernment, and prayer. Once again, mental maturity comes over time and through CONSTANT one on one time with God. You simply can not step into the ring with an eternal opponent with no training and not expect to get clocked over and over! Take the time to find out where your weak spots are, how you react to them, and search God's Word for answers. Talk with others who have been through similar situations and hold each other accountable.

"As obedient children..." Three words that God has been giving me over and over lately have been: thankfulness, obedience, and praise. We must change our thinking to thanking God for everything in our lives: trials and blessings; our jobs and children; our finances (no matter how much or how little), and so on. We are to praise Him at all times, in the good and the bad. One Scripture that really hit me this morning was Luke 6:46: "Why do you call Me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?" (NASB) I've read that Scripture a thousand times over, but today it stuck out. I was really battling my flesh early this morning, I had over an hour of down time before an early morning meeting, and I found my mind wandering. I immediately pulled out some old notes I had from a conference and found that verse. Hey, better late than never, right? The way I took it was sort of like if I viewed myself as a hypocrite or not. What I mean is, I claim to be this righteous and holy man of God, and I know I am, but if I (we) live in secret sin, we're lying to ourselves, to God, and to the world. (1John 1:6) Obedience. We must seek it in the same way that we would expect it from our children, yet with greater fervor. The best part of this is that Jesus has gone ahead of us in every situation we will face, He's been there. Not only has He experienced the full temptation of being human, but he cleared the way for us to stay in constant contact with our Father through it all, and not have to worry about God abandoning us when we need Him the most. Jesus knows what we're up against, and He has provided a way through it all whenever needed. (1Cor 10:13)

I could go on for much, much longer in all of this, but I won't. Just know that as long as we're still breathing air here on earth, we will be in a constant battle with our flesh, you can count on it. However, God's Word is infinitely more powerful than anything the enemy can throw at us, but there will be times when you will have to stand strong on His promises and fight back. Get into the Word daily; pray regularly; change your friendships and surroundings if needed (I even went as far as throwing away all of my secular Cd's and cancelled cable TV); and if you don't have a mentor and/or accountability partner, now is the time to start looking for one. We're not going to beat the flesh on our own, but if Jesus is already alive in you, then the chains have been broken. The key is drawing so close to Him every single day that the lusts of the world will supernaturally begin to fade out of your life. Trust me, I've been in the trenches in multiple areas as well, and it is only now- almost five years after my salvation, that I am finally getting an understanding of just how desperate I am for Jesus. Former lusts have faded almost completely out of my life (but I'm also aware that the enemy is always looking for another opportunity to destroy me), but I also realize that apart from Jesus, I (we) can do nothing. (John 15:5)