You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world, He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ~Ephesians 2:2 (NLT)
The Lord tells us there is a spirit at work in those who refuse to obey God. It’s the devil. Nobody likes to talk much about the devil anymore. Some don’t even believe there is a devil. But he is identified throughout scripture and Jesus had to deal with him and successfully resist his temptations in the wilderness shortly after the Holy Spirit descended upon Him at His baptism. You don’t have to be born in the spirit very long to realize you have a real enemy as well and those temptations he brings to your table aren’t always easy to resist. They are hand-picked just for you. Just as with Jesus, the enemy has had a very long time to watch us and determine what sin he thinks might look attractive to us. We might not be tempted to go kill somebody that has gotten on our last nerve, but we might not have a problem telling them off or cussing them out. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” ~Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV) Those words cut right through our “little sin, big sin” theories. Sin is sin and it’s a very real problem in the world. So real that God had to send Jesus to eliminate it and cut a new covenant with mankind! Now our job is to believe in Jesus's finished work and successfully resist sin ourselves. Every time we do, we get a little bit stronger and every time we succumb, our enemies grip on our lives gets a little bit stronger. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t attest to that being the truth. I don’t know anyone who found themselves down the wrong road, living outside of the will of God, that didn’t feel like getting back on the right track wasn’t going to be one of the hardest things they ever had to do in their life!
Just like the rest of the world…we used to “obey the devil” without regard for God or the consequences of our actions…we used to follow our carnal nature and walk in blatant disobedience to God. We were making messes of our lives and affecting the lives of others in negative ways every minute of every day. Thank God for His great mercy and grace for choosing to recreate us in Christ Jesus and for setting us on a path that pleases Him. Just like loving ourselves first and foremost was a choice we made every day, loving God first and foremost is going to be a choice we have to make every day as well. We do that by developing a relationship with Him. We spend time with Him, and we seek His counsel because we value His opinion. We don’t want what the world has to offer because we have been redeemed out of this world’s way of doing things. But that isn’t true for everyone and just as God was patient with us, we must be patient with those He puts in our path. Those who refuse to obey God. We are told in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (NIV) Have you had any struggles lately with what you think was “flesh and blood”? You know that person who stole your parking spot or that family member who doesn’t ever have anything nice to say about you. Well God says "they" aren't your problem! It can be hard work to separate the sin from the sinner. It takes unadulterated faith in the word of God; weak and doubting faith isn’t going to cut it. Just like the devil brings his “sweet temptations” to your table, the Lord says He has fresh manna for you every day. All you have to do is be willing to step aside with Him and get filled up. Don’t wait another minute to feed your spirit man. Just like Jesus, we have to be ready to successfully resist the enemy every moment of every day and we do that by staying full of God’s word!
But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” ~John 4:32 (NLT)
What temptation have you successfully resisted lately?
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