“Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
~ Psalm 16
I know it’s true in my own life that nothing in me is good apart from what God has done. I know how much I personally struggle to keep my mind focused and my words and actions pure and blameless. When I am not struggling it is usually because I am not following God, or He has just recently carried me through something that was too difficult for me and I am still clinging to Him. On my own...it only takes seconds to mess it all up.
Life is hard, and there are a lot of ways to mess it up for your self. I know I have made a bunch of mistakes and that thought brings to mind another point to ponder.
I know that every other person must also struggle. I don’t often see or hear about that when I am around them. Have you ever wondered if you were the only one with a sinful life or depraved mind? It’s not true. We are not unique in our penchant for sin. If fact, sin seems to be the one universal skill of humanity. And sin, by definition, is a failure to recognize God’s authority over our lives. If we lived like His will really mattered more than ours…our choices would be radically different than they often are.
So, if everyone around us is sinning in one area or another then why don’t we have a little more understanding for each other? Why do we fear more what other people might think about us…when we know God is already aware of what we have done?
God is the ultimate judge. If we are going to understand His Grace toward us as believers we need to stop worrying about what other “Christians” would think if they found out what our struggles are.
The battle between good and evil is real. It wages feverishly every moment and most of the fighting goes on in our minds. There are two enemies we must concern ourselves with. The Deceiver, whom the Bible refers to as "the Enemy", is a LIAR and a MURDERER. He hates us and wants to kill us. If God will not allow the enemy to kill us, he seeks to ruin our relationship with God and with others. He does this by appealing to our sinful desires with lies coated in a layer beauty.
These traps are always designed (by a very clever mind) to look enticing, authentic, and innocent. They are like a moist chocolate cake that is baked full of razor blades.
As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood or take up their names on my lips.
LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
~ Psalm 16
I know it’s true in my own life that nothing in me is good apart from what God has done. I know how much I personally struggle to keep my mind focused and my words and actions pure and blameless. When I am not struggling it is usually because I am not following God, or He has just recently carried me through something that was too difficult for me and I am still clinging to Him. On my own...it only takes seconds to mess it all up.
Life is hard, and there are a lot of ways to mess it up for your self. I know I have made a bunch of mistakes and that thought brings to mind another point to ponder.
I know that every other person must also struggle. I don’t often see or hear about that when I am around them. Have you ever wondered if you were the only one with a sinful life or depraved mind? It’s not true. We are not unique in our penchant for sin. If fact, sin seems to be the one universal skill of humanity. And sin, by definition, is a failure to recognize God’s authority over our lives. If we lived like His will really mattered more than ours…our choices would be radically different than they often are.
So, if everyone around us is sinning in one area or another then why don’t we have a little more understanding for each other? Why do we fear more what other people might think about us…when we know God is already aware of what we have done?
God is the ultimate judge. If we are going to understand His Grace toward us as believers we need to stop worrying about what other “Christians” would think if they found out what our struggles are.
The battle between good and evil is real. It wages feverishly every moment and most of the fighting goes on in our minds. There are two enemies we must concern ourselves with. The Deceiver, whom the Bible refers to as "the Enemy", is a LIAR and a MURDERER. He hates us and wants to kill us. If God will not allow the enemy to kill us, he seeks to ruin our relationship with God and with others. He does this by appealing to our sinful desires with lies coated in a layer beauty.
These traps are always designed (by a very clever mind) to look enticing, authentic, and innocent. They are like a moist chocolate cake that is baked full of razor blades.
The cake smells good, looks good, the icing even tastes good, and we can always quit before we have had "too much"...but the first real bite will hurt you badly and the wound will probably leave a scar.
Unfortunately, we are such carnal creatures that we only concern ourselves with the material or physical ramifications of our sin. It is the spritiual toll that we rarely ever consider!
Our Father in heaven has also warned us in scripture that our “old self” is an enemy. These are the sinful desires that begin within us and cannot be blamed on anyone else. Since birth we often WANT to do the wrong thing…for whatever reason or justification, we think we need or want something God told us we should not have. We trust in ourselves and not in God's Word.
If you have a desire to do or have something, that desire may be legitimate. Most of our desires have a righteous use…God wired us. However, we must trust Him and work to find ways to satisfy those desires in a way that is pleasing to Him…in a way obedient to His Word. Otherwise, we will attempt to meet our own needs in our own way and that will ALWAYS result in a less fullfilling life than obeying God. We must trust Him for our own benefit.
Using illegitimate means to meet legitimate desires is EXACTLY what the Deceiver’s wants for our lives. He knows that will leave us unsatisfied, confused, broken, weak or dead. Alone we are an easy prey, we do half the work for him. Slow learners I guess.
God has a much better plan for us. He asks us to trust Him and take our concerns to Him. He WILL supply our needs! Remember that this life is so very short. We can do more than survive it. With God’s strength we can overcome. His Grace is bigger than our failures.
Please get to know Him better. He has been waiting for you.
Our Father in heaven has also warned us in scripture that our “old self” is an enemy. These are the sinful desires that begin within us and cannot be blamed on anyone else. Since birth we often WANT to do the wrong thing…for whatever reason or justification, we think we need or want something God told us we should not have. We trust in ourselves and not in God's Word.
If you have a desire to do or have something, that desire may be legitimate. Most of our desires have a righteous use…God wired us. However, we must trust Him and work to find ways to satisfy those desires in a way that is pleasing to Him…in a way obedient to His Word. Otherwise, we will attempt to meet our own needs in our own way and that will ALWAYS result in a less fullfilling life than obeying God. We must trust Him for our own benefit.
Using illegitimate means to meet legitimate desires is EXACTLY what the Deceiver’s wants for our lives. He knows that will leave us unsatisfied, confused, broken, weak or dead. Alone we are an easy prey, we do half the work for him. Slow learners I guess.
God has a much better plan for us. He asks us to trust Him and take our concerns to Him. He WILL supply our needs! Remember that this life is so very short. We can do more than survive it. With God’s strength we can overcome. His Grace is bigger than our failures.
Please get to know Him better. He has been waiting for you.
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