When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (Psalms 63:6, 7 KJV)
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: (1 Peter 4:12 KJV)
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:16, 17 KJV)
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:17-25 KJV)
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11 KJV)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2 KJV)
If you choose to pick up your cross and follow Jesus, you are going to experience red-hot resistance from the enemy.
Sometimes it is all we can do to keep from being swallowed up in our thoughts. Our circumstances can seem beyond what we can bear. The night may bring an unwelcome visitor, sleeplessness, or the morning dawns with a heavy fog of depression for no apparent reason. You can be standing over your kitchen sink with no one in the room, but you feel like you are fighting against a legion for your life. At times, we can almost feel as though we are going crazy.
It can be overwhelming, frightening, and confounding, but Peter tells us not to be surprised when the attack comes (1 Peter 4:12). Instead, like the psalmist, we are to hide ourselves under the shadow of God's almighty wing.
The world! Satan! Our flesh! We are in a battle. The attack comes from within and without, often with more than one foe at a time! It can range from what appears to be imaginary mind games to an all-out assault on your family or your business. Evil people, evil spirits, evil habits, and evil thoughts are often lurking.
The world - with all of its bells and whistles, its fancy marketing ploys, and its pressure tactics - surrounds us on all sides, tempting our eyes, taunting our flesh, and appealing to our pride (1 John 2:16-17). It sells every way but God's way.
The devil is deceptive. He does not usually arrive with fanfare, pomp, and circumstance. Imperceptibility is his aim: smoke and mirrors, facades, lighting, sound effects, gentle music. He is after you. He doesn't want to merely discourage you, he wants to destroy you.
Our flesh and its frailty is with us wherever we go. We live in a sinful world with sinful people, including ourselves. We can be our own worst enemy! The flesh wages war against the soul to keep us from doing what we desire to do to please God. Read Galatians 5:17-25 and 1 Peter 2:11.
You are not imagining anything. You are in a battle, so know your enemy and be prepared.
In the pattern of Romans 12:2, choose one scripture from today that the Lord is using to renew your mind and transform your heart and focus on it.
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