To like a person for his or her looks, what
a deceptive thing that is! I have fallen for looks many times and I am far from
being victorious in this area. Thankfully God is with me to guide me away from
such superficial attractions. With God I have learned to look into the hearts
and minds of people. I do not have the prowess of God in such a task. But I
certainly have his Spirit in me, and He gives me insight into human nature.
What is evil? Anything that distracts you
from God is evil. Even if the thing is harmless in itself, as long as it draws
your attention away from God and denies Him the first place in your heart it is
undoubtedly evil.
Be your own thought police. Say, “This kind
of thinking can’t go on, as it militates against what I know about God.” Even
if it moves only a fraction off the Godly way, even if it should look harmless
and good and
desirable, discard it, kick it and demolish it. Consider it dead
and buried.
Lucifer whispers, “Don’t only think about
God. Think about other things too. You will be missing out on all the good
things in life. Even God does not mind your enjoying these things. He created
these things and He wants you to enjoy them. He is not so severe as to ask you
to stay away from these. As long as God is in you, you cannot cross the line.
You will be in control. Just experience what you want to experience. Express
the longings of your heart. This is how you truly experience life. And this is
how you glorify God by truly enjoying what He created.”
It is not in wanting but in not wanting
that strength is expressed. You should not want what you cannot have. And when
you cannot have something it is strong not to want it.
Deception is saying the unholy thing in the
holy way. It is falsehood uttered like truth. It is pain conveyed like joy. It
is hell portrayed as heaven.
What is the use of a beautiful exterior
without a beautiful interior? The exterior may only point to the interior. But
without a beautiful interior the beauty of an exterior is worthless.
Can you run away from what troubles you?
Can you fly away from every temptation? If so, will you not be running all your
life? Is it not better to confront the problem and deal with it? Is it not
better to bring in all that you have learned from previous mistakes to resolve
the problem? Is it not better to believe that you can deal with your problems
rather than believe that they are too difficult to deal with?
To see and to not reach out, to have and to
not experience, to possess and to not retain, this is strength, this is how you
overcome the irresistible impulse. You can never run away from the thing that
pursues you. But you can live with it and discard it through the knowledge of
the self.
Does the sore still itch? Does the wound
still produce a tingle of pain? Is your sleep still disturbed? Are you dreams
still unpleasant? Don't worry. Don't give it undue thought. Know this, Jesus is
at work within you. He has saved you from your sin, even if you don't feel
saved. If the Son has saved you, you are saved indeed. Believe in this and walk
by faith.
When Christ is in you, all will be well. No
matter what the conflict, no matter what the urge, Christ will have His way in
you.
Are you as incapable as you think you are?
See what reduces you to powerlessness. See it well. May be when you see it
completely you will regain the power that you surrendered to it.
It is water that you must discipline yourself
to drink. There is many a flavoured drink around. It is the Living Water that
you must thirst for. There is many a man-made god around.
The only lie in the mind of the addict that
needs to be dispelled is that the addiction is too strong to be overcome. When
the lie is rejected and the addict realizes and finds his strength, the
addiction will be broken.
When the tempting thing is pushed away it
shall tempt you even more. Abstain from a temptation and it shall tempt you
worse than before. But stay close to the temptation, look it in the eye, study
it from all angles, experience it in deep concentration, and then you shall
taste and see the littleness of it. And the more you see the littleness of it
the less its hold over you.
You can either face something that tempts
you to the core and overcome it or die trying to overcome it. Or you can run
away from it and keep running away for the rest of your life, savouring the
thought that you could not find the courage to confront the thing that most
challenged you.
The next time you want to fool around with
something, because you get a kick out of it, ask, "Is this all I can get
out of it? Is there anything else I can do with it? Can I exercise a degree of
control over it?" And then maybe you will stop and do something else with
it.
Even the decapitated head of a snake may
bite I have heard. If true, then one must beat the head into a pulp after the
decapitation, as no risk may be taken with snake heads, both real and
imaginary.
There are many beautiful forms in the
world. You may look at all of them. But there is a danger in looking at even
some of them. You may lose yourself in your desire for them. You may wander in
desert places with an undying thirst. Beauty is not all. Beyond beauty there is
something else.
Just do two or three things. Don't be
obsessed with one thing.
Don't submit to the weak desires. What
weakens you is a weak desire. Submit only to the strong desires, those that
strengthen you and make you the person that you know you have to be.
Don't beat your head about the mistake that
you made today. Let this not ruin your hope in God, who has paid for all your
mistakes. So let not your latest error pull you away from the love of your Lord
who understands your vulnerability. Rest in His undying love. But continue to
hope and strive towards betterment, for the Lord is your strength, and the
closer you draw to Him, the greater will be your strength.
Power over evil is to
be able to do evil and still be willing to refrain from doing it. It is only he
who can do evil and yet does not choose to do evil that has any power over
evil.
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