Quote from Forum Archives on February 18, 2002, 9:52 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

The Bible says in Romans 7:24B-25A: "Who will rescue me from this
body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our
Lord!" (NIV) The Bible also says that "You are tempted in the
same way all other human beings are. God is faithful. He will
not let you be tempted any more than you can take. But when you
are tempted, God will give you a way out so that you can stand up
under it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, New International Reader's
Version, NIrV).

Today's message is one of encouragement. But in order to
encourage, first, we must realize our condition. I have come to
realize that I am a person who is prone to satify the urges of my
body. Now as we all know, to some extent, that is fine, for that
is how we are designed to be by our Creator. But any of you who
have lived for any period of time and realize that if we merely
indulge in our every urge, we are selfish, potentially harmful,
both to ourselves and others, and, at the very worst, possibly
even criminal in our behavior.

Now most of us do not succomb to the extremes, therefore, we are
not criminals. But it is not too much of a stretch to see that
our minds must somehow bring our bodies into subjection - that
is, we must not indulge every single urge at every single
moment.

Today's message from Neil Anderson discusses an excellent passage
of scripture that explains our tendencies and how to deal with
them. I think Neil does a good job of highlighting the major
points in Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome - a message
that is directly applicable to each one of us as well.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the truth of Your Holy Word, that teaches,
instructs, rebukes, and corrects us, so that we can become the
people You have designed us to be. I also thank you that You
give us urges, and You also provide healthy ways in which we may
control our urges.

Please clarify our minds today, convict us of our need to seek
You. Help each of us privately realize our deep inner needs, to
confess our failures to submit those needs completely to You.
Forgive our selfish and sinful ways, and draw us back to You, by
Your amazing grace. Help us also, once we admit our need, to
return and live in Your Way, that we may experience Your peace
and respond to You with praises from the depths of our spirit,
acknowledging that it is Your Holy Spirit that sustains and
completes us.

Please strengthen those who are weak today, whether their
weakness is physical or spiritual in nature. For those who are
lost or discouraged, I especially remember them, and ask that You
would touch them in a way that ONLY You can do.

Thank You, most of all, for Your never ending love, which is the
model for my life. It brings me hope, encouragement, and reminds
me to praise You every day and continually remember Your ways.
Though I understand but a fraction of who You are, I am amazed
every moment that I am in Your Presence! I praise You for Your
Excellent Greatness! Amen!

Your Brother in Christ,
Brian

If you are looking to feed and challenge your faith, visit
Crosswalk.com's Spiritual Life Channel at:
spiritual.crosswalk.com
-----------

N E I L A N D E R S O N D A I L Y D E V O T I O N A L
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

February 18

THE BATTLE OF THE MIND

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! ... There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
(Romans 7:25; 8:1).

Romans 7:22,23, pinpoints the battleground for the contest
between me and sin: "For I joyfully concur with the law of God in
the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my
body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a
prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members."

Where does my desire to do what's right reside? Paul uses the
phrase "the inner man," referring to my new self where my spirit
and God's Spirit are in union. This is the eternal part of me.
And where does sin wage its war to keep me from doing what I
really want to do? In the physical members of my body (James
4:1). Sin operates through my flesh, that learned independence
that continues to promote rebellion against God. This is the
temporal part of me. Where then do these two opponents wage war
(Galatians 5:17)? The battleground is my mind. That's why it is
so important that we learn how to renew our minds (Romans 12:2)
and to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2
Corinthians 10:5).

Paul concluded his description of the contest between sin and the
new self with the exclamation: "Wretched man that I am! Who will
set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24). Notice
that he didn't say, "Sinful man that I am !" Wretched means
miserable, and there is no one more miserable than the person who
has allowed sin to reign in his mortal body. If we use our bodies
as instruments of unrighteousness, we give the devil an
opportunity in our lives, and he brings only misery.

The good news is that Romans 7:24 is followed by Romans 7:25 and
Romans 8:1: "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
... There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus." The battle for the mind is a winnable war.

Thank You, Jesus, for knowing me, understanding me, and providing
for me a way of escape for every possible temptation.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
< www.ficm.org >.

You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil
Anderson at christianbook.com (Christian Book Distributors -
CBD).
< shopping.crosswalk.com/bye/devo_na >

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
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=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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