I am the temple of the
Holy Spirit...
I
Corinthians 6:19,20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you,
Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a
price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Whose Side Are You On?
Joni Eareckson Tada
"So I say, live by the Spirit,
and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is
contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful
nature. They are in conflict with each
other."
Galatians 5:16-17
“Remember that old game of
Tug-of-War? Line up the strongest guys
on your side, wait for the signal, then dig your heels in, strain hard, and
pull till it hurts.
“I think of Tug-of-War when I consider
the average Christian's daily experience.
It's like two forces that wrench you in a fierce contest of
push-and-pull-the Holy Spirit pushes you up and the flesh pulls you down. It's a constant struggle to crucify the flesh
and keep walking in the Spirit. To
starve the old and feed the new. To
reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God.
“And who wins? It depends on whose side you choose to
be. In this contest you are either on
one side or the other and never in the middle.
Every day you're either following the claims of your fallen nature or
believing the promises of God. Who
prevails in this contest depends upon the attitude you adopt toward either
side.
“Every moment of the day, each
decision you make, every choice and every thought is a chance to crucify the
old and encourage the new. Remember, you
can't be neutral; you can't remain in the middle. You are either walking in the Spirit or
you're not.
“Lord, as I begin this day, I want to
choose You and Your promises. As each
hour, each moment passes, help me to keep choosing to walk in Your Spirit and
thereby starve the desires of my sinful nature.
I praise You for the difference You will make in my life.”
We see a lot of women who say that
they are Christians – but they’re really struggling with their sexuality, and
have been unable/unwilling to submit that area of their life to the Lordship of
Christ. They all say the same thing –
they feel so far from God. Most of them have stopped going to church – because they
know what they’re doing is wrong. Others
go, but feel empty and distant from the fellowship of the saints. When we ask them why they think that is they
seem to be clueless! We explain that
they’re in a battle for their spiritual life!
They’re playing tug of war with God – and they’re on the losing
side! He will never let them rest in sin
– if they are truly His children – and they’ve come to Him on His terms – then the
Holy Spirit resides in their heart – and they can never be at peace when they’re
choosing sin over submission. I know – I’ve
been there myself. God never stopped
tugging – and I eventually lost my battle and “let” Him win. I surrendered – and submitted – and my
relationship with Him was restored and renewed. Choosing to change sides isn’t easy – there are
so many enticing opportunities on the other team’s side – but I know from
experience that there can be no peace for me there. How ‘bout you? Whose
side are you on today? Sharon
Silent Voices International
355 K Street, Suite H
Chula Vista,
CA 91911
619-422-0757
svoices@pacbell.net
www.silentvoices.org
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