Sunday, February 15, 2009
Should I Keep it Real?
Tonight as I spoke to a friend, I found myself "keeping it real". She assured me that this was okay and that it is a good thing to expose the enemy by revealing the areas of our lives that we have allowed him to control for so long (not her exact words, but basically). Unfortunately, after ending the phone call, I began to second guess whether or not my honesty was a smart move. Another trick of the devil? I believe so. How does he or why do we allow him to exercise so much control over our lives. It would seem that it would be so simple to just deny him access, ignore his attempts and move on. But, why isn't it? Why do we know the truth, yet continue to be tempted to do that which is against all things of God. Perhaps it is because we do have a choice and making the right choice is a true sign of obedience to God. Meditate on this: 1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Does this mean that we are consciously making a decision to allow the devil access into our thoughts and ultimately our lives? Because the devil is cunning by nature, his attempts to tempt us are often very subtle. This makes it imperative that we study and meditate on the word of God daily so that we can recognize and expose the enemy for the destroyer that he is.
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I certainly do not think that people consciously make the decision to allow Satan to infiltrate our world and reek havoc in our lives, but the Word of God clearly warns us that that is bound to happen if we do not take the proper precautions to guard ourselves. Satan is sneaky and his ultimate goal is to destroy God's beautiful creation. Not to give him any credit, but it is what it is. It is wise for us to know this and heed to God's word regarding how to stay steps ahead of the enemy's traps so that we will not get entangled in them. Romans 12:2 from The Message gives us great insight on the importance of renewing the mind: So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.- Romans 12:2 The Message
ReplyDeleteWe can make excuses for the wrong that we do, justify why do them, and even look for others to join us in what we are doing, but I believe the answer to your question "Why do we know the truth, yet continue to be tempted to do that which is against all things of God.", is that we love ourselves more than we love God. That may sound harsh, but think about this. Would you continually hurt someone who loves you unconditionally, someone who wants only the best for you and can and will give it to you, someone who gave up something so precious so that you can come and be with them, someone who would never force themselves upon you but gives you the right to choose, and someone who never shuts you out of their life but leaves the door open for you to come and rest and receive what your heart longs for. That Someone is Jehovah God, and only He can be all of that to each one of us. We don't even love ourselves the way God loves us, and without Him we won't know how. It's a learning process and a lifelong journey that He is eager and patient enough to take us on. Let's learn to love Him more.