Choose
Life
The mind governed by the flesh is
death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:6
Jeremy spent his days in a place so
spiritually dark that rational thought was elusive. Eventually the
darkness became so oppressive that he decided, If this is all
there is, to hell with it! He wasn’t sure how he was
going to end things…he just wanted to do it quickly…before he
lost his nerve. Jeremy entertained several scenarios. Each method was
viable. But the last thing he wanted was to screw this up!
Then, out of nowhere came a moment of
clarity, What if there’s more than this?
But the enemy was relentless… There
must not be. If there was, you’d have figured it out by now.
On and on it went, one thought after
another. Finally, Jeremy got a pistol from the lock box in his
father’s closet. As he raised it to his temple, a voice whispered,
“If you kill yourself you will definitely find out the truth. But
then it will be too late to do anything about it.” Laying the
pistol on his nightstand, he realized he didn’t want to find out he
was wrong.
†
Jeremy had been governed by the flesh
for so long that he felt his only choice was to silence the negative
thoughts that continued to plague him. Thankfully, a remnant of truth
kept him from pulling the trigger. However, today’s text tells us
that unless Jeremy changed what governed his thoughts, he would
eventually find himself with a gun to his head once more.
Although we have no choice over the
things that influenced our childhood, we can, with Jesus’ help,
effect positive changes as we mature. We can, as Paul says in Romans
12:1-3, renew our minds. God, through Paul, tells us that our minds
are controlled by the things we entertain. And although we are not
quick to admit it, there are only two kinds of thought:
godly/edifying or evil/deluded; good fruit or rotten fruit; life or
death. We have the power to choose life.
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, encourage
me by Your Spirit to choose life each day, and stand against the lies
of Satan. As I commit myself to Your care, show me what I need to do
today. Amen.”
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