When I accepted the gift of salvation from God, I did not
know the battles I would begin fighting. I had this naïve idea life would be
perfect and my eternity would be idyllic. I was wrong, half wrong anyway. My
time in eternity will be perfect in the company of Christ. To gain that, I have
to die to live.
It is life in this world where the battle for my mind is
taking place. While I will continue to have daily spiritual battles, my worst
day as a saint has been far better than my best day as a sinner. I have grown
as a Christian, but I am only a toddler in my walk with Christ.
For me, my salvation didn’t include any Fourth of July
type fireworks. I felt a special love and peace which wrapped me completely
inside and out. It is a feeling which I will have until I meet Jesus in heaven.
Knowing there is freedom from hell, drives my spirit to become as Christ-like
as I can.
Becoming like Jesus requires changing how you think and
live on every level of your existence. One of the first things to start doing
is reading and studying God’s Word. This means committing to an everyday, rest
of your life time alone with God. The more you read, study and meditate with
God, the more God becomes a part of you.
In Ephesians 6, Paul gave us the game plan for the fight
against the great deceiver. The tactics of the devil includes doing everything
he can to keep us from being effective and strong Christians spreading the
Gospel at every opportunity. Since satan is a fallen angel, his battlefield is
our mind. If he can deceive us into believing his lies, he wins.
Our only hope is to put on the full armor of God so we
can resist his evil plans. When fighting satan, we must speak aloud using the
sword of the Spirit. Using God’s Word, we gain control over his deception.
Always remember satan knows Scripture, therefore use Scripture to defeat him.
It is a constant fight, but God is on our side.
Robert
Dodson
March 13, 2013