Firewalls of the Thoughts (Part Three)

We said in the previous posting that being alert and self-controlled demand effort from us. If you walk through a dark alley in a crime-ridden area, do you walk dreamily, thinking about the lovely day or the nice evening ahead? No, your thoughts are focused on your surroundings. You are aware of every sound and you are ready to run or fight – you are alert. If you’re not and someone attacks, you’ll easily be overcome.

The flesh wants to sin and it’s only through being alert that we would notice her poking out her ugly head and, through self-control, we’ll succeed in not sinning. Everybody has a weakness in the flesh on which the devil aims his temptations. For a long time I’ve been tempted in a certain area and I’ve lost many times. My standard prayer has become ‘forgive me Lord’. When I sinned I wasn’t productive in ministry and didn’t feel like doing anything for the Kingdom. It would form a cycle of being free alternating with being overcome by sin. During the latter I was weak and powerless. While I was sinning in that area, Satan was happy and left me alone, but when I stopped it, he attacked me in other areas. The easiest way to have peace from these attacks was to start sinning again. Therefore these idols were the ones bringing me release instead of the Lord.

Why was it like that? Why didn’t I live in constant victory? Being a teacher of the Word I knew the Word and even proclaimed it over myself in times of struggle. I also blamed the Lord for not setting me free. I’ve prayed 1 Corinthians 10:13 a million times and then blamed the Lord when it did not work. As I prayed and thought about my predicament, the shocking revelation shook me. I couldn’t be set free because I desired what my flesh offered me. Even though I loved the Lord, I loved my idols more. 

Then the Lord showed me the passage in Joshua 7 where the mighty Israel lost against the small city of Ai because Achan took some of the idols devoted to other gods, in direct disobedience to God’s command. If I wanted victory, I had to get rid of idols, which meant I had to consider anything that is not of God unimportant, cut it out of my life, not fall back on it for comfort. I did it and suddenly praying 1 Corinthians 10:13 worked. As I consciously resisted all temptations to attend to idols, I started to pray ‘the Lord is my shepherd who will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear’. This weakness in my flesh lost its power over me. I still get tempted, but victory comes easily.

Then I discovered that negative depressive thoughts, regret, rejection, self-centredness etc. (anything that hinders me to focus on the Lord) are also temptations that the Lord can easily deal with when I pray 1 Corinthians 10:13.

How about you? Do you find comfort with your idols or with the Lord?

Psalm 91:1: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall rest under the shadow of the Almighty.” Get out of this world into Father’s presence. Psalm 91 is all about protection, but the condition is that we live in that secret place close to the Almighty. If we choose to be there in stead of where the flesh wants us to be, we’ll be safe.

Please enfold me into your loving arms Almighty Lord.