Choose To Resist

Morning starts early for me...4:30 a.m., and I like it that way. This time of year it's usually cold outside but most of the time the sky is filled with sparkling stars. Even when the clouds are there it's good...GOD made them all beautiful! Usually I like to stop and look up into the sky and think about HIM. Thank HIM for everything HE has done for me. Sometimes I think about what it will be like when one day soon JESUS appears in the sky to take us home with HIM. It's generally all good. But...sometimes I am not so cheery. Sometimes, even that early, I'm thinking about things that aren't good. Now and again, like many of you reading this, I stop listening to the LORD and I start listening to the other voice that likes to push it's way into my thoughts. You might say that my thoughts turn a little dark. Why?...

Because everyday we walk around in a world filled with darkness. Why? Because satan is the ruler of darkness and he is roaming the earth trying  to get us to walk away from all that we as Christians know is right. And...for those in the world that aren't Christians...he is trying to keep them buried down in the muck and mire of everything he rules over. The really sad thing is...sometimes we let him into our heads and we start listening to his lies. What does that lead to? Our own private pity party! It just goes on from there! I could go on and talk about a lot of negative things but...I'm NOT going too! Why?...

Because everyday we can "choose" to walk around in the LIGHT! That's right! We can "Choose"!! We can run from everything that is evil. That's what Paul tells Timothy in...

1 Timothy 6:11-12 (New Living Translation)

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.

Whenever satan starts putting thoughts in your head that are not GODLY...Run the other way. Remember all of the good changes the LORD has brought into your life! Pursue the things of GOD and only think "Light" thoughts...not dark ones.

Philippians 4:8-9 (New Living Translation)
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

It's true what verse 9 says. When you do this...the GOD of peace will be there. As long as you entertain the thoughts that satan puts in your head...you will have a dark mind set and attitude. But, as soon as you throw the "liar" out a calmness will come over you that you won't even be able to explain.

Philippians 4:7 (New Living Translation)
Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Your dark thoughts, agitation, wanting to revert back to your old ways...will just be gone! The moment you surrender yourself...your will, mind and heart...back to GOD...HE will take it and make you whole again!

Do I write from experience? Yes, I do. More experience than I even share on this blog. By my own admission, I am obviously a slow learner. The good part about all of it is...the LORD doesn't give up on me. I may give up on myself at times, but HE doesn't. HE takes us with all of our problems that we bring with us from our past and just keeps giving us more of HIS love. Isn't that amazing? Isn't GOD Awesome?!!

Maybe you have a past like mine. Maybe not as bad and maybe even worse. Then again...maybe just different. What ever it is in your past, he will try his best to get you to go back to it. As a Christian you need to stay strong. Resist satan. What you have with the LORD is so much better than anything else you used to have in your life.

Ephesians 6:10 (New Living Translation)
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

James 4:7 (New Living Translation)

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.