- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 18,404
THE ENEMY WITHIN (1)
'... endure hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' 2 Timothy 2:3
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!' From the moment you gave it up for Jesus (and even "whilst you were still far off"!), the Holy Spirit took a Dyson to your insides, hoovering up the mess and spring-cleaning your soul.
Trouble is, we like a bit of mess. We know where things are in the mess, we know how to manoeuvre in the mess, and we've grown to live with the mess. Yes 'the new has come' but we're still trying to hang on to a bit of 'the old' without God finding out. So we have lustful thoughts brushed under the carpet, selfish attitudes stuck behind the back of the sofa, and the kitchen sink brimming with last night's guilt and shame. So, here are three spring cleaning tips:
1) Sterilise shame. Scrub out the sin which is getting in between you and God. Pray for strength and forgiveness, for new starts and strength to carry them out.
2) Dirt-free your brain. Stop clogging your brainwaves with filth and choose (over and over) to start focusing on hygienic thoughts.
3) Freshen up your friendships. Spray a little forgiveness fragrance over friends that have caused a stink.
What now? Spring clean time. Take time today to write "1...2...3" down a page in your notebook, and list the things in your life that match up with the reading. Go on. Good. Now what are you going to do about it?
written by Bob Gass
'... endure hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ' 2 Timothy 2:3
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!' From the moment you gave it up for Jesus (and even "whilst you were still far off"!), the Holy Spirit took a Dyson to your insides, hoovering up the mess and spring-cleaning your soul.
Trouble is, we like a bit of mess. We know where things are in the mess, we know how to manoeuvre in the mess, and we've grown to live with the mess. Yes 'the new has come' but we're still trying to hang on to a bit of 'the old' without God finding out. So we have lustful thoughts brushed under the carpet, selfish attitudes stuck behind the back of the sofa, and the kitchen sink brimming with last night's guilt and shame. So, here are three spring cleaning tips:
1) Sterilise shame. Scrub out the sin which is getting in between you and God. Pray for strength and forgiveness, for new starts and strength to carry them out.
2) Dirt-free your brain. Stop clogging your brainwaves with filth and choose (over and over) to start focusing on hygienic thoughts.
3) Freshen up your friendships. Spray a little forgiveness fragrance over friends that have caused a stink.
What now? Spring clean time. Take time today to write "1...2...3" down a page in your notebook, and list the things in your life that match up with the reading. Go on. Good. Now what are you going to do about it?
written by Bob Gass
