While the tendency is to look at things outside of ourselves in this spiritual war, we certainly do not want to forget that sometimes we are our own worst enemy. All sin springs from our own minds.

Temptations will come to us almost entirely through our minds – although some external influences can be very strong. Getting victory demands that we watch our selves first and how we “watch” for the devices of the enemy.

One important way to get victory is to start the day right. Doing so does not wait until you have had a cup of coffee or read your Bible. It starts before that. Most likely, your thoughts are already on what you intend to do through the day before you get out of bed.

This focus on your duties of the day can provide a sufficient distraction to get your mind off of God and His will for you. Instead of this habit, talk to God in your first waking moments – before your feet touch the floor – and give the day to Him and make yourself available to do His bidding. He may have you witness to someone at work or someone who crosses your path throughout the day.

Instead of giving God part of a day – after you made your own plans – why not serve Him the whole day? It will require getting in your Bible at the start of the day and getting in some prayer, too.

Are you ready for a better victory in your “good warfare”?

In the last blog post, it was mentioned that believers in Christ are engaged in a war. It is not a war with physical weapons, but one of the heart and mind.

Satan and his hordes constantly seek to weaken the impact that Christians have in their lives and in the world. There are many ways he tries to do this.

Christians can become so busy with daily activities that they forget about “seeking first the kingdom of God.” The same activities can cause believers to cease being “sober” or “vigilant.”

At the same time, they can forget that Satan is seeking to “devour” you. All he wants to do is to make you ineffective in the kingdom of God and to destroy your joy and testimony. When you lose your focus on the war, you become ineffective and powerless to accomplish anything for God. You have become a casualty in Christian warfare. There is no victory for you.

If you are reading this and believe that you have become a powerless casualty, you can be restored quickly and made useful again to God in this spiritual war. Simply confess the sin to God, ask His forgiveness and He will give it. Then, start doing what you know He wants you to do as given in the Bible and ask for His help to do it. Victory in Jesus is still available to those who want it.

In the news lately, we hear much about “wars and rumours of wars” (Mt. 24:6). War can certainly – and drastically – change the way people within an area live, especially if there is action or bombs or missiles striking there. The people of Israel, Iran, Ukraine, and Russia can vouch for this.

Christians also are at war – although it is primarily a spiritual one. Paul tells us that “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal” (II Cor. 10:4) or physical. Of course, most of us prefer peace and getting along with others.

Despite the desire of peace, we are living in a world that is contrary to God. It is also at war with us to try and force us into its mold. We must always remember that the Bible tells us that “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name” (Ex 15:3). It means that He is always in opposition to forces in this world that seek to turn people’s eyes from Him to another “idol” of some kind. Lately, that idol is the god of self.

Young Timothy, a preacher, was told to “war a good warfare.” This Scriptural admonition is not just for preachers, but for every believer. It must be remembered that Christians are only rewarded for victories against the flesh, the world, and the Devil. I John 2:15 warns believers that we must “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Compromisers will not be applauded or rewarded for their lukewarmness and worldliness when we stand before our Captain – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is looking for faithful individuals who will take up the Christian armor (Eph. 6:10-18) and be faithful until they meet our Lord.

Are you getting victories daily over the enemies of God spiritually?

Paul declares further what is needed to be a “living sacrifice.” It requires being different from the world from which we have been redeemed.

The world has many habits, practices, sins, customs, lusts, and more that the believer in Christ should avoid. The life God wants us to live is found in His Word.

The secret to being “transformed” so that acceptable service can be performed is through the “renewing of the mind.” This takes place by spending much time in the Word and prayer, and fellowshipping with other godly believers. It is the Holy Spirit Who works through the Bible.

The blessing of such a transformation is that as it takes place, the believer will see that His will for you is truly “good, and acceptable, and perfect.” In other words – it is the best life that you could possibly have, and it is one without regrets.

An abundance of rewards also await those who are His servants. They will be given out after the Rapture – which could take place any day now.

Will you live for yourself, or seek to be the “transformed” “living sacrifice” God can use for His glory?

Paul first encourages believers to be a “living sacrifice” to God, and then he tells them why. He calls it a “reasonable service.”

Many reasons could be given as to why it is “reasonable.” They certainly would start with the fact that we do not deserve it; and secondly, God did not have to put His Son on a Cross for us.

God could have let all of us simply go to Hell and pay the price we deserve for our sins. After all, we are told that “the wages of sin is death” (Ro. 6:23).

In love, God sent His Son to redeem us by dying on the Cross for us. Then, He made salvation as a gift through faith (Eph. 2:8,9) and did not make us earn it. In fact, He rejects all attempts to make us pay for it – or even part of it. Once faith is put in Christ for salvation, all our sins are forgiven and erased.

We should also consider being a “living sacrifice” because He put us into His family and made us joint-heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ (“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,” Ro. 8:17).

God’s redemption of us also includes eternal life with Him, the removal of sin from our natures when we see Him in glory, and a perfect and sinless world in the future. What more could He have done to make His gift of salvation wonderful?

Considering all these things and more – it certainly is reasonable! He will not make you make that decision, but it should also be mentioned that He adds “abundant life” and blessing to those who make that choice!

Yesterday, it was seen from this same verse that Christians are to be a “living sacrifice” to God. We are to let Him direct our lives in every way.

The rest of that same verse gives us some further insights into what it means to be that “living sacrifice.” The words “holy” and “acceptable unto God” are added.

The word “holy” emphasizes that we should seek to be separated from sin to God. The word implies that we are to avoid sin completely so that we may be God’s servant – a clean vessel ready to be used by Him. Romans 6:6 tells us: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

The words “acceptable unto God” means that we must know what God expects of us. It can only be learned by having a good understanding of the Bible. It requires daily reading, studying, and meditating on His Word so that we can remember what He teaches.

Obedience is also required. We can only be obedient if we fulfill His Word without changing it to suit our liking. When He says we should go to church – it means go to church regularly. When He says we should tithe – that is what it means.

Only simple obedience can make us “acceptable unto God.” He means what He says. Anything less is not sacrificial, neither does it meet the requirements for being “holy.” Remember that a “living sacrifice” has no will of its own.

Are you living a holy life that is “acceptable unto God?”

As you read the Scriptures, you will occasionally come across verses and statements such as the one above. Although it is not often taught, it still is a valid New Testament principle for today.

The Apostle Paul beseeches (asks) the readers of this letter, because of the mercy that God has shown to you through Christ, to willingly yield yourself to Him to accomplish the will of God through you. Believers are to offer their bodies to His service and not do what they want with their lives.

To present your body to God means that you must tell God that you are ready to do what He wants every day from now on. You must be willing to live for His glory and not your own. Because of our sinful nature which we will continue to have until we die, this dedication to His service needs to be done daily.

The words “living sacrifice” means that there is no going back on your word. An animal to be offered as a sacrifice in Bible times had no future plans or goals – others made those decisions for it.

Although God will never force you to obey Him, you will find your life more pleasant and blessed if you keep on following Him and His Word. To be faithful, you will need to spend considerable time in the Word every day and in prayer. It is how you learn His will and get power for service. Attendance and service in a local church is also expected.

Are you a “living sacrifice” for the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, will you yield to His will today?

Yesterday, I talked about how and why meditation is so necessary to receiving God’s blessing. It is also essential to the growth of the Christian. Psalm 1:3 talks about the extent of the blessing and growth to be received through meditation when it is performed daily.

The illustration of that blessing and growth is likened to a tree planted near a river. A tree in this case would have a constant supply of water, which would result in a lot of fruit.

The tree also would not lose its leaves prematurely because of the constant abundance of water. It does not need to fear drying up.

Daily meditation on God’s Word is promised to result in success in whatever you do. This success is conditioned by the doing of those things the Word says – as you learn of them.

It does not mean that God will bless all your plans – as some people suggest. Instead, it means that as you meditate daily on the Word and apply those Biblical principles, your plans will be molded to God’s plans. Only when they conform to His plans will you see success.

Do you want that kind of success? Daily meditation is the key. The joy of living a life following His plans is that there are no regrets.

In these verses about running a race for the Lord, Paul lets it be known that he does not live his Christian life to practice. He consistently makes every step count.

He was serious about living for the Lord and he did it every day. His life was not lived haphazardly or carelessly. He intended to win his race and be his best for Christ. He faithfully held “forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

In order to run faithfully every day, he needed to discipline his body. He determined that his body would not tell him what to do, but his mind would – guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word. An Olympic runner does the same. Getting careless with self-discipline could cost you the prize. It could cost you the crown you would like to have in glory. We must bring our bodies into subjection – and our thoughts – with His help.

In II Timothy 4:7,8, Paul declares near the end of his life – under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that he won the prize. He says: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

If rewards for faithful service are to be won, Christian, you need to be busy doing His will now. There is no time to lose. We need to run our race for the Lord, and with His help – today. Remember that rewards for past service can be lost and given to someone more faithful: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (II John 8).

It would be a shame to lose what rewards were already gained by growing lax in our love and service for Christ as we get nearer to His coming. Will you be counted faithful when He comes to take us home to be with Him?

When Abraham’s and Lot’s cattle became too many for them to live together, Abraham gave Lot the first choice of the direction he wanted to go. Lot looked toward the greener grass of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham looked to God for guidance and He revealed that all the land around him would one day be his – and his ancestors. Abraham was looking to God for direction and God blessed him.

Lot had little spiritual insight and soon lost all he had except for his two daughters. He left Sodom later only with the clothes on his back, his wife and two daughters. As they left the city, his wife turned back and turned into a pillar of salt.

Abraham was not looking just for greener grass, but for a city whose Maker and builder is God. This is where our eyes need to be. He often built altars and worshipped God frequently.

People without Christ in their lives, as well as Christians not serving God, will also find that one day they will lose all the material possessions they ever had. Believers cannot lose salvation, but many will not have any rewards – and probably not a mansion, either.

The Bible tells us not to be a friend of the world (I Jn. 2:15), but to seek first the kingdom of God – like Abraham. Because he did, God richly blessed him.