Romans 13:13-14 (NKJV) Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
Self-confidence is what makes us think we can battle and struggle with the spiritual strongholds in our lives, and prevail. We take on the, "I can do it" attitude and find defeat at ever turn. Why? Defeat is so common because we are not strong enough or sufficient in ourselves to gain the victory. Although that might be offensive to our flesh, it's true.
It's only in the Spirit life that we find strength to conquer those strongholds that the flesh has set up in our lives. Our flesh, our old sinful habit patterns, loves to be coddled and fed. But the Bible tells us that the flesh doesn't please God ever: never, ever. It needs to die! We need new habits, habits of dependence upon Jesus and habits of yielding to the Spirit in all things.
It's in the Spirit life that we see the walled cities of sin come tumbling down. We begin to see the giants fall like flies. We begin to possess the wonderful and glorious experiences that God has promised to every believer. It's in the Spirit that we thrive in the spiritual victory that is already ours in Christ.
Choose to walk in the Spirit today, not fulfilling the lusts of your flesh. It's one of the quickest and most effective ways to lose your self-confidence, replacing it with Jesus-confidence!
In Grace,
Pastor Ed
Response
My favorite verse would have to be Isaiah 41:10. The Lord spoke to me through this verse when I was trying to get up the courage to call for help for my drinking. I was not yet a Christian but believed and had a Bible. I was sobbing every time I picked up the phone for about an hour. I just could not make the call. I cried out to the Lord to show me a scripture that would help me to make the call. I opened the Bible to Isaiah 41:10, Do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. NAS. Still have that Bible and have that page marked. I was able to make the call, although still crying so hard that the people thought I was suicidal, but the Lord got me through it! He had to help me again later to stop the drinking but through Him I was finally able to stop. Reading that scripture was the first step on my road to recovery and to making a commitment to Him!
No comments:
Post a Comment