Alright, are you done? Can I get back to what I was doing, the task at hand?
That is what the mind that serves Christ says many times a day to the flesh that serves the law of sin, our old Adamic nature. Its lusts and desires, its wants and cravings encroach, sometimes forcefully, sometimes slowly with great subtlety upon the work at hand, the continual glorifying of the Lord Jesus Christ in our thoughts, doing everything within its power to keep us from 2nd Corinthians 10:5.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
Many, if not most Christians will refuse to accept the truth of this constant battle, seeing themselves when their old nature rises to the surface as, if not wicked and utterly sinful, then less than what they should continuously be. As if they should be able to live daily as one who has already been glorified.
Many will attempt to blame it on an emissary of Satan. Those thoughts could in no way come from within themselves, they must be whispers from our adversary.
“Oh Jesus! Help me! Take these wicked, sinful thoughts from me!”
As if you can be separated from you.
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Gal. 5:17)
This path is the one many follow, they want the Almighty to remove that which will not be removed until after they give their account before Him, in no way desiring these persecutions that hound us, that remind us that even as we are hid in Christ, the old nature still at times rules us within our thoughts.
The lust of the flesh is not from Satan, it is you.
The lust of the eyes is not just an external vision brought in through the sight of those things of the world, it is already within you.
Nor does the pride of life need accolades from others, this we can formulate within ourselves quite easily.
And so, each day, sometimes many times a day, our thoughts stop contemplating the glory and majesty, the long suffering and eternal joy of fellowship with the Living God and goes instead down those “bunny trails” of fleshly desires.
And we are expected to realize those moments, catch them before they encapsulate us, thank the Holy Spirit within us for the recognition of them, and then get back to the business at hand. Serving Him whom we love.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1st Cor. 10:13)
The way out of every temptation is clearly seen by us, but we are never forced to take it.
If you want to blame those thoughts on Satanic influences, if you try to blame them on some external influences that “made you” follow that trail, if those thoughts that arrive daily that attempt to cause you to step off the path and, even if only in your thoughts, deter you from the task at hand, then you do not yet understand who your main adversary is.
It is you.
We really should be eternally grateful when these truths are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit you know. This isn’t just some “moral compass” of mankind that we are following, it is the will of God for those that would seek His face.
Our old sinful nature is the one we are to hate above all others and learn to live with as well.
Do not try to hide from these truths. The victory is ours, but the battle will continue until you are glorified.
