WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT YOU NOW THAT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN?

SCRIPTURE: 
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you 
used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of 
the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are 
disobedient. 
(Ephesians 2:1-2)

MEDITATION:
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he compares the life of a Christian 
to the prior they lived before becoming a child of God.
He says that prior to becoming a Christian, 
we followed the ways of the world.
Paul provides the following indicators of the ‘ways of the world’.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our 
flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by 
nature deserving of wrath. (Ephesians 2:3)

Rather than listing all of the components of the ‘pre-Christian’ life, 
he sums them up as ‘gratifying the cravings of our flesh’ 
and ‘following its (cravings of the flesh) desires and thoughts’.
Later he mentioned something very important for those who ‘believe’; 
Paul says that God created us to ‘do good works’ 
and He ‘prepared us in advance’ to do them.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 
which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

This solves the mystery of our existence, doesn’t it?
We were created by God with the capacity (and expectations) to do good works.
It is difficult to understand if others are truly saved 
whenever they are not doing good works.
And, in some cases, 
it appears they have returned to ‘gratifying the cravings of the flesh’.

For instance, before being saved 
there are many who attended church on a regular and consistent basis.
However, now we see many of them who no longer attend church consistently 
and some have stopped attending completely.
Wouldn't you expect believers to increase and not decrease 
their worship time with others?

On the surface it appears that they are allowing ‘the ruler of the kingdom 
of the air’ to be at work in them as evidenced by their disobedience.
Think about it - God wants His people to worship together, but Satan does not.
Either we obey God, or we allow Satan to control us.

Whenever we allow the ‘ruler of the kingdom of the air’ to have control, 
we are not going to do good works (at least not the kind that God considers 
as good works), and we are going to fall back to the 
desires and thoughts of the flesh.

ACTION:
Who is in control of your life 
and which one do your thoughts and actions indicate is in control?
What has changed since you became a Christian, 
and what has remained the same?
Which pre-Christian desires have returned to become a part of your life?

What ‘good works’ have you forfeited as a result 
of your returning to the gratification of the cravings of your flesh?
‘Gratifying the desires of the flesh’ is not restricted to doing evil 
things, it also includes refusal to be doing what God desires of those 
who belong to Him (including doing good works).

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for not giving Your Spirit full control of my 
life. You know and I know the things that I have failed to give to You and 
the fleshly desires that have remained, or resurfaced in my life. Forgive me 
for choosing to lovingly obey You at one time, but later opting to return to 
fulfilling my selfish desires. Help me to purposely focus on doing the good 
works that You have prepared me in advance to accomplish.”