....the big three!
Scripture has a lot to say about what I call the big three.....they are the cause of every problem known to mankind. How is that for one of philip's all encompassing generalizing proclamations! :)
But.... they really are. They are grouped together.... and never in a positive sense.... they are.... the world... the flesh... and the devil. Of course, Satan is right at the top of the list since he controls the world and all its systems and works constantly to seduce our flesh... his job has been often stated in these musings.... it is.... to steal...to kill and destroy.
Included in my daily prayer is this petition to my Father....."expose any agreements I have made with the flesh, the evil one, his lies or the world system with its deceptions "..... it is a very important prayer. I need to not agree with the system. I need to not agree with any of the lies. I need to start agreeing with God and then, by His grace, start obeying what He says.
I am so glad I didn't agree with the State Tourism Dept here in Vermont ..... back 3 years ago when gas prices were soaring to nearly $2 a gallon!.... :) when they said "Gas prices are getting so high, tourists will stop driving to Vermont!" I told them that their great idea to curb all that (to give away $10 gas coupons as part of their big promo) was the dumbest thing I ever heard. They are still saying it and doing it as tourism continues to suffer in Vermont.
Except it doesn't suffer in our little B&B where we trust what God says to us and not what the State of Vermont proclaims..... read some of my past postings on the dramatic things happening in our business. This year, with gas now over $4, we are up yet another dramatic 30%.
The world says the economy stinks. We took our stand against that spiritually and are pumping $100,000 back into that economy they say stinks....we borrowed it specifically to say "no... that is not true!"
The liar says to me...."After all, Philip, you are only human....what's really wrong with putting on another 5 lbs again this month..... skip your exercise...you deserve it.... rest more you poor overworked thing you....look how old you are getting....stop working so hard......who would blame you for getting a little drunk tonight with all your pressures and problems....what's wrong with a little affair from time to time big fella!
Let me be really bad today and tell you what's wrong with that stuff. What's wrong is that God calls it all sin and the world wants to sanitize everything. God calls it adultery and the sanitized version is called an affair. What a crock! God has given us the power of self-control through His own Holy Spirit to overcome every weakness of this old flesh of mine.... even saying "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" That doesn't leave rooms for the worlds version of excuses for all those things on the lists throughout scripture.....adultery, drunkenness, carousing, selfishness, lack of self control, loving money.....etc. etc....agreeing with the world, the flesh and the devil.... not to mention blaming it on God for my just being human.....or just my chemistry or just being wired wrong. Yeah.... I guess the whole mess is God's fault.....'cause it certainly couldn't be my fault. Why...if I was God I sure would do everything different!
Surprise! We were all wired the same. The wiring got a bit messed up by Satan. We just make choices. Sometimes very bad choices.....sometimes for a long long time, we continue to make those bad choices. It is because we have come to agreement with what the big three say.... instead of agreeing with God.
Things never changed for me until I stopped agreeing with the big three and started agreeing with the ONE who created me...who loves me....who now walks and talks with me in the Garden of my Life.
It is really different!
:)
But.... they really are. They are grouped together.... and never in a positive sense.... they are.... the world... the flesh... and the devil. Of course, Satan is right at the top of the list since he controls the world and all its systems and works constantly to seduce our flesh... his job has been often stated in these musings.... it is.... to steal...to kill and destroy.
Included in my daily prayer is this petition to my Father....."expose any agreements I have made with the flesh, the evil one, his lies or the world system with its deceptions "..... it is a very important prayer. I need to not agree with the system. I need to not agree with any of the lies. I need to start agreeing with God and then, by His grace, start obeying what He says.
I am so glad I didn't agree with the State Tourism Dept here in Vermont ..... back 3 years ago when gas prices were soaring to nearly $2 a gallon!.... :) when they said "Gas prices are getting so high, tourists will stop driving to Vermont!" I told them that their great idea to curb all that (to give away $10 gas coupons as part of their big promo) was the dumbest thing I ever heard. They are still saying it and doing it as tourism continues to suffer in Vermont.
Except it doesn't suffer in our little B&B where we trust what God says to us and not what the State of Vermont proclaims..... read some of my past postings on the dramatic things happening in our business. This year, with gas now over $4, we are up yet another dramatic 30%.
The world says the economy stinks. We took our stand against that spiritually and are pumping $100,000 back into that economy they say stinks....we borrowed it specifically to say "no... that is not true!"
The liar says to me...."After all, Philip, you are only human....what's really wrong with putting on another 5 lbs again this month..... skip your exercise...you deserve it.... rest more you poor overworked thing you....look how old you are getting....stop working so hard......who would blame you for getting a little drunk tonight with all your pressures and problems....what's wrong with a little affair from time to time big fella!
Let me be really bad today and tell you what's wrong with that stuff. What's wrong is that God calls it all sin and the world wants to sanitize everything. God calls it adultery and the sanitized version is called an affair. What a crock! God has given us the power of self-control through His own Holy Spirit to overcome every weakness of this old flesh of mine.... even saying "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" That doesn't leave rooms for the worlds version of excuses for all those things on the lists throughout scripture.....adultery, drunkenness, carousing, selfishness, lack of self control, loving money.....etc. etc....agreeing with the world, the flesh and the devil.... not to mention blaming it on God for my just being human.....or just my chemistry or just being wired wrong. Yeah.... I guess the whole mess is God's fault.....'cause it certainly couldn't be my fault. Why...if I was God I sure would do everything different!
Surprise! We were all wired the same. The wiring got a bit messed up by Satan. We just make choices. Sometimes very bad choices.....sometimes for a long long time, we continue to make those bad choices. It is because we have come to agreement with what the big three say.... instead of agreeing with God.
Things never changed for me until I stopped agreeing with the big three and started agreeing with the ONE who created me...who loves me....who now walks and talks with me in the Garden of my Life.
It is really different!
:)
