Romans 8:5-6 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
The temptation to sin is a
perplexing phenomenon; it thrives on attention. The more focus we place on it
in a gallant effort to avoid it, the more powerful it becomes. We are
responsible for our inner thoughts as well as our outward actions. God has judged
people for their thoughts as well as their actions.
Acts 8:22 Repent of
this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for
having such a thought in your heart.
Every thought we entertain in our minds is a seed. If we
decide to plant crab apple trees, we cannot bank on harvesting Golden Delicious
Apples. Some mistakenly believe that the secret to overcoming temptation is
focusing on it with all the willpower we can muster. The thought pattern is to
declare war on the evil thoughts going through our minds. However, those who
have attempted this method can attest that the focus and energy we put into
this eluding practice will accomplish the opposite result and only strengthen
this vile endeavor and draw us deeper into the sin we are trying to avoid.
There is not enough human willpower in our being that can stand up to the
temptation to sin. The Apostle Paul wrote: Romans 7:19 “For I do not do the
good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
The answer to this dilemma is not in human willpower
because our human nature is not strong enough to withstand Satan's attacks. The
answer is at the end of today's verse: "The mind governed by the flesh is
death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." The secret
is keeping our minds focused on the spirit and living by the spirit and not on
the flesh. This method will not produce instant results but will set us on a
path of steady spiritual growth.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the
morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
We will not be able to stamp out the fleshly works and
deeds on our human power, nor will we leave them by the wayside; the power of
the holy spirit indwelled in every believer can remove us from the power and
draw of the temptation that comes our way from Satan. If we stay mindful that
the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us, surrender ourselves, and focus on the
beauty of the Gospel of Christ Jesus, we can avoid the pitfalls that sin puts
in our path.
Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of
God are the children of God.
Deprive sin of our attention, and its power will diminish
with every heartbeat we focus our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls on God's
mission for us in Christ Jesus.
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