"Those who live following their sinful selves think only about things that their sinful selves want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about the things the Spirit wants them to do.If people's thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace." Romans 8:5-6
Do you ever watch the Food Network on TV? I do.
Do you have a weight problem or a health issue that requires that you stay away from certain foods?
I do.
So, I've noticed that when I watch the Food Network, which I love, it's not long before I find myself poking around in the fridge or pantry for something to munch on...even if I'm not hungry. This results in a continuous battle with my weight and keeping my sugar levels under control.
As I read these verses this morning, I was reminded once again that we have two natures - our sinful selves who crave what we shouldn't have and lean toward self-indulgence. And our spiritual selves, who...if we are Christians, have the desire to do what the Spirit (of God) wants us to do. The Spirit leans toward self-control and leads us to life and peace.
What jumped out at me today was the word thinking in the verses above. If we "think only about things that their sinful selves want" then we end up doing the very things we don't really want to do. On the other hand, if we spend time "thinking about the things the Spirit wants", then we will find ourselves doing the things we really want to do - the right things.
It's clear to me that my doing follows my thinking, so from now on, I'm going to be paying more attention to my thoughts, knowing that what I dwell on is what I act on.
Bye-bye, Food Network!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your word. It's always relevant, always wise and always steers us in the right direction. And this is my prayer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14) Amen
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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
Do you ever watch the Food Network on TV? I do.
Do you have a weight problem or a health issue that requires that you stay away from certain foods?
I do.
So, I've noticed that when I watch the Food Network, which I love, it's not long before I find myself poking around in the fridge or pantry for something to munch on...even if I'm not hungry. This results in a continuous battle with my weight and keeping my sugar levels under control.
As I read these verses this morning, I was reminded once again that we have two natures - our sinful selves who crave what we shouldn't have and lean toward self-indulgence. And our spiritual selves, who...if we are Christians, have the desire to do what the Spirit (of God) wants us to do. The Spirit leans toward self-control and leads us to life and peace.
What jumped out at me today was the word thinking in the verses above. If we "think only about things that their sinful selves want" then we end up doing the very things we don't really want to do. On the other hand, if we spend time "thinking about the things the Spirit wants", then we will find ourselves doing the things we really want to do - the right things.
It's clear to me that my doing follows my thinking, so from now on, I'm going to be paying more attention to my thoughts, knowing that what I dwell on is what I act on.
Bye-bye, Food Network!
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your word. It's always relevant, always wise and always steers us in the right direction. And this is my prayer: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14) Amen
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(Copyright© 2011 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)
5 comments:
AMEN!!!
Way to go Sister! You hit the nail right on the head. Ouch!
Love ya!
Great timing! I've had a bit of a struggle this week reining in my mind when it's wanted to run through the green pastures of my sinful nature. I don't want to stumble, I want to make it home, but just a moment of dwelling on possibilities that aren't in God's plan took awhile to overcome. Thanks to verses like this one and images like the sturdy tree in Psalm 1, I've remembered who I am and where I'm going.
Thanks for dropping by, Kristi. It's just awesome the way God is so patient with us while we learn to be more like (and think more like) Jesus. Blessings to ya!
I was just spending some time this morning reading a devotional and the bible, trying to rededicate myself to being filled with the Holy Spirit and following Him, rather than being filled with worthless things the flesh wants and following it. As part of that I pulled out your old books and then thought, I wonder if the author is on twitter. I'm so happy to find you and your blog! Thank you for sharing with us.
Eva, I'm so glad you found me and left a comment. It's good to connect with readers. I've wondered if anyone is still reading my first two books. Good to know that someone is. As you can see...I'm still fighting that battle, but that's normal. Our flesh has a mind of it's own. We just have to keep working on being controlled by the Spirit.
Hope you drop by often and stay in touch.
Jan
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