20-DAY CHALLENGE: LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (DAY-12)

20-DAY CHALLENGE: LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (Day-12)

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

BIBLE PASSAGE:
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 life 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 tell if others are truly saved
whenever they are not doing good works.
And, in some cases, it appears they have
returned to (or never left) ‘gratifying the cravings of the flesh’.

For instance, before being saved there are many
who attended church on a regular and consistent basis.
However, we see that many of them 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.

Some claim to be followers of Christ, but are
still holding on to some favorite sins of the past.
We need to invite the Holy Spirit to assume control
of our life (thoughts, words, actions, habits, attitudes, etc.).

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 good works),
and we are at risk of falling back to
the desires and thoughts of the flesh.

ACTION:
Who is in control of your life, and who would
others (and especially God) assume 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 participate in 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 for accomplishing.”