“Let us beware allowing our spiritual comforts to rise and fall with world news or the changing world situations. We who lean upon Jesus and trust in the watchful love of a heavenly Father are not dependent upon these things for our peace. For children of the new creation, the darker the night, the brighter faith shines and the sooner comes the morning.” These are the words of A.W. Tozer, written over fifty years ago. They are eerily relevant to our world today. I am amazed and thankful, even awestruck, at how those who dedicated their lives to God continue to speak to us long after their time on earth has past. In this era of terrorism, disease, and constant unrest, followers of Jesus should not allow the circumstances around us to affect the purpose of our lives.
Philippians
Refuse to be a Victim
Satan is subtle in his attacks. Most often we don’t attribute our struggles to the work of the devil. I don’t know at what point we began to lose the recognition of demonic activity. Everything that is true, good, pure, and peaceful is of God (Philippians 4:8). That means everything else is not of God, which in my system of beliefs, points to the devil. Until you learn to recognize your enemy, you will never be able to defeat him. Instead we live in a state of blissful ignorance, unaware of the attack, and incapable of defending ourselves against it. In other words, we become the victim.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere you create around you will dictate the manner in which you will live. If you fill it with things that are pleasing to God, your life will reflect His beauty. If you fill it with things opposed to His will, your life will be shallow, ineffective, and virtually useless for the Kingdom. The choice certainly seems easy, but what exactly does it mean to “create the atmosphere” around you? Everything we allow into our minds adds to the atmosphere around us. The words we choose to speak add to it as well. The actions we take are the final element that goes into creating the atmosphere that surrounds us.
Come and See
What is it God wants to do in your life? God says, “This is what I have for you; come and see!” But we respond, “Oh no Lord; not me!” Why is our faith so weak that we cannot believe that God can do whatever He wants to accomplish in our lives? Why is our vision so small that we can only dream of what is possible through our own strength? Paul said in Philippians 4:13 that he could do all things through the strength of Christ. All things! He didn’t say some things or easy things, but all things.
Selfishness
One of my favorite Christian authors is Calvin Miller. I’ve recently been reading his excellent little book entitled, “The Disciplined Life”. One of the things he said that really struck me was, “The difference between what God wants for us and what we ultimately become rests in how we break the thrall of those appetites that chain us to selfish lifestyles and selfish life goals.” My studies this past year have convinced me that selfishness is at the heart of all sin. Perhaps this is not a revelation to you and might even seem rather obvious. But how often do we look at our lives and consider ourselves selfish? Until we come to that realization, I submit we are all living in delusion.