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”?

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?”

In the midst of his trials, David proclaimed that God had been his help all along. God never forsook him or proved Himself unfaithful. He kept His promises.

His experience with God made him determine to stay close to God, proverbially close enough to be in His shadow. Of course, God has no literal shadow, but the idea is that if you are in someone’s shadow – then you are very close to them.

David had an expectation of what abiding in God’s shadow might bring. He knew that it would bring rejoicing. Staying close to God is not a sad experience – it is a most joyful one. Believers who have little or no inner joy are those who do not walk close to God.

He even declared, in Psalm 119:62: “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments.” While most people sleep, David determined that because of his love for God and His Word, that he would even praise Him at midnight. Just two verses later, he talks about praising God seven times a day for His Word. This was not a duty to him – but a joy.

As he walked close to God, David found another blessing. He learned that God would uphold him. David did what God wanted him to do. And when he did, God gave him the strength to do it.

Are you walking close enough to God to be in His “shadow,” and are you experiencing His joy and strength? You can!

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.

People are often tempted to think that God works and acts the way we do – but He does not. He is not human – in the sense of having a changing and fallible nature such as we have. Although He came in the flesh, He was and still is 100% God.

It is for this reason that He never has a need to repent, which means to change His mind. He knows all things from the beginning of time to the end of it. The Bible tells us that “his word is settled in Heaven” (Ps. 119:89), therefore it never needs updating.

The only time that it might be said that God will repent in the Bible, is when man turns from their sinful ways. While in their sin – God promises to judge the sinner and send them to Hell when they die – if they do not repent and turn from their wicked ways.

In Jeremiah 18, there are two verses that make this plain. Verse 8 says: “If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.” The opposite is also true, as can be seen in verse 10: “If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

God’s judgment against sin is sure – whether it be against an individual or a nation. It may not come immediately – but it will come if there is no repentance.

The same is true in salvation. If a sinner does not turn away from sin in their heart – there is no salvation. Christ died to pay for the sin of every human, but if they choose not to repent and trust in Christ as their only Savior, their damnation is sure.

This is why the Bible says: “behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). Turn from sin and come to Christ today while there is time.

Once again, in this chapter it is evident that David loved the Lord. He did not only give praise to God on Sunday, but he was determined to praise Him “continually.”

He was glad to brag on what the Lord had done for him. He called it boasting in the Lord and what the Lord did for him. He recognized that God gave him many blessings – even in his frequent trials.

This king noticed that others that loved God – he calls them “the humble” in these verses – are made glad when they hear someone praise God. He did not just think about himself when he worshipped God, he wanted to be a blessing to others – which led him to understand the need of going to the assembling of the saints (church).

Those who “worship God on the lake” or in the woods never see this blessing. It is one reason why God made the local church. The church is compared to being a Body where there are no extra parts. Each part is intended to help the body to function as it should. When parts are missing or not functioning properly, there is some degree of health lacking.

Certainly, every believer in Christ has much to be thankful for. First, there is salvation. Secondly, there is His Holy Spirit which God has put in us to guide, teach, and empower us to do His will. Then there is His daily provision – and so much more.

Are you helping the Body to be encouraged in the Lord by attending your church regularly?

The leaders of Jesus’ day knew that He had not been given Scripture training in one of the formal schools. They were surprised that He could even read the Scriptures, which is evident in the previous verse.

Many people make a similar mistake today – they think that Jesus was just another Teacher or a good man. What needs to be realized is where Jesus learned what He openly taught. He did not invent it, nor did He hear it from some other teacher of the day. No, He was taught it from His Father – Who is God in Heaven.

The fact that God told Him what to say means that His message carries a much heavier weight to those who hear it. The Bible is God’s words, and you can be sure that God does not speak in vain – He expects obedience to His words.

Jesus also gave those who heard Him at that time a way to test His words. He said that if you will do what He said, you can be sure that His words are the truth from God. The proof of their Source is that His words will be confirmed as the truth in your heart as you obey them in faith.

Obedience is also necessary to understand the Bible correctly. The Holy Spirit reveals truth (illuminates) in the Bible as we obey Him. There are many blessings in the Word of God not received by those who only half-heartedly follow the Lord.

Here are some more lessons from the Potter’s House.

1. The Potter Does Not Throw the Clay Away – The verse clearly shows that the potter Jeremiah saw was to teach an example of how the Lord works. The potter took the marred clay and kept on working with it. Sometimes, people can damage their own usefulness to God’s intentions for them through sin. God will keep on working with that person for a long time because He is patient. But if the clay becomes too hard, He will cast it away from usefulness and possibly take that one home to Heaven.

2. The Heavenly Potter Makes Vessels for His Glory – Although an earthly potter may not be seeking to put his autograph on his pottery work – God certainly is looking for vessels that will glorify Him.

We are partly responsible to help clean up our own lives with His help so that we can be used to fulfill His purpose for our lives. II Timothy 2:21 says: “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

When Jeremiah went to the potter’s house, he saw that God has the right to do with His “clay” (Israel) what He wanted. Unfortunately, Israel had become too sinful to be useful to God and could not show the world how God blesses a nation that serves Him.

May God help each of us to maintain a testimony worthy of His honor!

Here are some more things seen in this passage about the clay and the potter.

1. The Vessels Are Made from the Same Clay – The Potter starts out with the same basic material each time. It has very little worth in its raw form. This speaks of each believer – we are nothing and can do nothing apart from Him. He alone gives us value and it is best seen when we let Him do His work in us.

2. The Vessels Must Be Made to Yield to His Hands – Sometimes, the clay may resist the potter’s intentions. It may be a little hard and dry. When this is the case, He must mar it first – break the spirit until it yields. Spiritually, it will hurt (possibly physically, too – if there is continual resistance to His work in your life) but He always works with great love and has our ultimate good in mind. It is our job to let Him have His way with us – because it is “good, acceptable, and perfect.”

3. The Vessels Stay on the Wheel as Long as the Potter Wants – He is not in a hurry. Our God will take the necessary time to finish His product to conform us to be like Christ. The more His will is resisted, the longer it will spend on the wheel and the more pressure the Potter must use.

Are you on the Potter’s wheel now? The more you trust and yield to His desires, the less pressure He must use. Ask Him for grace, thank Him for His work on you, and let Him have His way with you.

Lesson’s from the Potter’s House (Pt. 1)

Joshua was a man of God who loved serving God. He spent much time in the Tabernacle with God. He was single-minded and saw what God could do, when none of the other ten spies did.

At the end of Joshua’s role as the leader of Israel, he knew that Israel would turn away from serving the true God. His last public address was a reminder to Israel that unless you work at remaining faithful to God, there is a natural tendency to drift away from Him.

In the above verse, Joshua wanted the people to know where he stood. He was determined to please God, and he was determined to do so until he died. He also wanted to ensure his children and grandchildren did the same.

All too often people know that they should serve God. They may be saved, but many are rather indifferent to serving God wholeheartedly. They do not go to church or read their Bible daily or pray. They may call themselves a “Christian” but there is little evidence for it. They have become practical atheists – all words – no action for God.

Because of their parents’ seeming indifference to the claims of Christ, it is very doubtful that their children or grandchildren will be saved or go to church. Children will most likely follow their parents’ example rather than their words when they leave home.

The only way to ensure you leave behind a Christian legacy is to set a right example in the first place. Joshua made the right choice – will you?