Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness with God.
When I was in high school, I remember being faced with a tough decision. One choice was clearly the right one, and the other was not. Can you guess which one I chose? The latter. Why? (Well, because I haven't always been a pastor. Just kidding!) Was it because I didn't know right from wrong? Or was it because I was oblivious to the consequences? No, I knew what I was doing, and I knew the potential consequences. And guess what, I did it anyway. Can you relate?
I'm willing to bet that you and I are very similar in the fact that we struggle with things that we know are bad for us, yet still find it easy to give in to temptations. Well, you and I are not the only ones. You see, even Paul struggled with this. In Romans 7 (MSG), he writes, "I know that all God's commands are spiritual, but I'm not. Isn't this also your experience? Yes. I'm full of myself-after all, I've spent a long time in sin's prison. What I don't understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise."
It is important for us to realize that there is always a battle between our flesh and the Spirit of God. If you have put your faith in Jesus, then you are outside of sin's ultimate punishment, death. However, James, the half-brother of Jesus, says that when sin is fully developed, it gives birth to death. A lot of times, we think of an actual death. Yet, sin, or our flesh, can put to death a marriage, our health, our finances, our peace of mind, etc. That's why it is imperative for us to pay close attention to what Paul says in Romans 8:6, "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."
As you read and pray today, please consider taking some time to meditate. Doing so gives you the opportunity to begin recognizing which thoughts are governed by the flesh and which are governed by the Spirit. As you do this, you will begin to learn how to discard thoughts of the flesh and replace them with truths and freedom from God's Spirit.
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.