Romans 12:2 NLT, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
Isn’t it funny how often you hear people say, “I wish God would let me know what I need to do”, yet their actions speak differently? I mean, take for instance, John Doe. John Doe is a good man, has a good education, a good job, and provides well for his family. He’s a loving father and husband. He’s faithful to church every Sunday and Wednesday and he’s always in the altar crying and seeking God. Looks good doesn’t it? Well, let’s look closer. Let’s see what God sees.
John Doe wakes up every morning at 5am. He gets a quick shower, brushes his teeth, grabs his briefcase, breakfast and coffee and rushes off to work. With his Christian music blasting, he prays for God to help him be in a witness, but at work, he overhears some buddies of his talking about a party they attended. As they boast of their lude behavior, John knows he needs to walk away but something within him wants to listen. John begins to get visuals in his mind. He knows it’s wrong, but as long as he doesn’t act on them, he should be fine, right?
During lunch, he grabs a quick meal, tries to relax just a bit before heading back to the mind grinding, number crunching career he chose and went to college for. He closes his eyes, has his CCM blasting, but when he closes his eyes his mind begins to wonder. Before he knows it he's began to fantasize about things he shouldn't. He looks over at his Bible in the passenger seat, but says, "No I can handle it." Though he feels guilty he justifies himself thinking, "I'll never actually do these things."
5 o’clock hits. John races out the door, endures the traffic until he finally pulls in at his beautiful home in the suburbs of Whereverville. "Hi honey, I'm home!", he kisses his wife, grabs his kids in his arms and asks them all about their day. Seated for dinner, this close, loving family, sits giving God praise for the delicious meal set before them, completely unaware that the enemy has his sights set on them.
Later John and his family enjoy some quality time together. It would seem they have it all together. It would seem this family would be indestructible, but the enemy has a fool proof plan that he's mastered for centuries.
That night, once everyone is in bed, drifting off to sleepy town, John lays awake and in the quiet, he hears God speak. “John, my son, satan is laying traps for you. Today, you gave ear to a conversation you should have walked away from and closed your ears from listening to me. When the battle intensified with visuals, you allowed lustful desires run freely in your mind. Listen to me, son, if you don’t take these thoughts captive and caste them out, they will overtake you, cause you to become dissatisfied with your wife and family and cause you to begin looking elsewhere for what I’ve already given you. Get up! Come downstairs and spend time with me now. Let me sanctify your mind and help you put your armor back on. The enemy has set his sights on your family and he's begun with you. Let me give you the thoughts you need to think.”
Right now, John has a choice to make.
There are a lot of homes being torn apart today. Many families that we'd say would never be torn apart, are being torn apart. Why? Because the enemy is perfecting his tactics daily. He has no new tricks, just new people to try them on and guess what. He's so subtle that we don't take him seriously in the beginning. John is a good man. He sincerely wants to please God but he's not taking the necessary steps to do that. We are in a war and that war is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickedness in high places. There's a real devil, Satan. The bible says he desires to sift us as wheat. (Luke 22:31) Do you know what that means? In Luke 22:31, Jesus warns Simon Peter about his arrogance and self-confidence. When wheat was sifted during the time of this instance, it was thrown in the air. The wheat would fall and the chaff would blow away. Jesus was warning Peter that Satan had his sights set on him. He had requested to show God and everyone else that Peter was nothing more than chaff among wheat. That he wasn't all he said he was and would never be much more than just mouth... all talk!
Today, Satan has his sights set on each and everyone of us. He desires to embarrass us before the Father and each other and ultimate destroy us. Sin gone unchecked will lead to destruction. You may think you're strong enough to handle things, but you're not. We must put on the mind of Christ and allow Him to renew our minds daily. We must put on the full armor of God, take every thought into captivity that exalts itself against God, take the enemy seriously. There's too much at stake!
1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT
"Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. "
