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Spirituality: Enemies In Our Mind
by
Angie Lewis
Many beliefs and ideas from the world teach us things
that might be contrary to our conscience, and yet we still listen to
these ideas and allow them to form a part of what we believe as truth.
We can either grow with the culture or we can grow with God in His
spiritual kingdom here on earth. This article will explore, in a
nutshell, three major enemies within our mind. The complete free e-book
on this can be found on my website.
1. Beliefs
Simply, what are your beliefs? What do you believe is truth for your
life? Some of us believe in our past too much instead of living for the
"here and now". Past issues can literally haunt us every single day. It
is hard to give up thoughts and beliefs that have fed our mind, but it
is useless clutter that we need to destroy. We do that by trusting in
the real source for our lives? Where is the faith?
The best way to discern what is truth is to look for the fruits. What
fruits have come out of a certain belief will let you know if it is fact
or fiction.
Beliefs, if not from the source of who you are, tend to give you false
impressions of what truth really is. Meaning, you believe things that
seem good and right but are actually wrong for you and your family. What
you think and perceive in the mind will ultimately come out in your
actions.
For instance, if I believe that it is okay to look at pornography, since
I have justified in my mind it is not the actual act of adultery, then I
will look at pornography. My mind has told me that there is nothing
wrong with it. But this does not make it right for my marriage, or me,
does it? Look for the fruits!
2. Attitudes and thoughts
Attitudes and thoughts are the offshoots of what we believe because they
form what we accept as true and what we have faith in. It is so very
important in life that we have strong, healthy spiritually growing minds
so all the wickedness and lies going on in the world will not fill us up
and form our beliefs.
Many of us are rebellious to the truth because we want to live life the
way WE WANT. What people don't realize is, there is way more to life
than what they are now perceiving, and that they can be happier, freer
and more content filled people if they accepted God's truth for their
answers!
Did you know that sin develops from having a bad attitude?
"…What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within,
out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft,
murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander,
arrogance, and folly. All these things come from the inside and make a
man unclean." Mark 7:20-23
Jesus was pointing out that sin actually begins in the attitudes and
intentions from within a person. An evil action begins with a thought,
because our minds dwell on that thought, whether it is lust, envy,
hatred or revenge. In the same way Jesus tells us that we are not pure
because of our outward acts of kindness, but we become pure on the
inside as Christ renews our minds and transforms us into His image.
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world
- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of
what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The
world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God
lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17
3. Pride – Sin
This is a biggy! Pride is a major conflict in most of our lives, we all
have it and we all use it on occasion, some of us more than others.
Pride keeps us from trusting, accepting, recognizing, loving, and living
fully! Pride keeps us from trusting in Gods wisdom for our lives. Pride
is what makes us selfish and rebellious. So you can see how pride would
hold us back from coming to our full potential, right?
Some of us have become very rich with money in our life, and we should
be careful not to let pride get in our way of listening to God's wisdom
for us because of those riches. Materialism keeps people from opening
their mind to God's wisdom; they may never come into their full
potential as spiritual believers. God wants all of His children to
prosper and be industrious and ambitious, but those things should never
come first in a person's life.
We want acceptance from others, and yet many of us have a hard time
accepting differences in others! We want to be trusted, but we cannot
trust even the source of who we are, what kind of nonsense is that? Half
of the people reading this e-book have already been through a divorce.
They never fully loved the first love of their life. Could it be that
pride got in the way of giving away their love unselfishly and
unconditionally?
He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of
men but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is
detestable in God's sight." Luke 16:15
Can you see how pride would stand in the way of our spiritual wellness?
Coming into and living our full potential is understanding, recognizing,
and applying all the aspects of who we are. This brings us into all that
we can be for ourselves and those we love.
The religious leaders knew what the Bible said but failed to apply its
words to their lives. They knew the teachings of the scriptures but
failed to see the Messiah to whom the Scriptures pointed. They knew the
rules but missed the Savior. Entrenched within their own religious
system, they refused to let the Son of God change their lives!
Bottom line: Don't become so involved in "religion" that you miss out on
Christ!
Whose praise do you seek? The religious leaders enjoyed great stature in
Israel, but their stamp of approval meant nothing to Jesus. He was
concerned about God's approval. This is a good principle for us. Even if
the highest officials in the world approve of our actions and God does
not, we should be concerned. But if God approves, even though others
don't, we should be content.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be
first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." Mark 9:35
About the Author:
Angie Lewis is the author of Journey on the Roads Less
Traveled, a book about love, life and marriage. Angie has written a new
book, Love The Man Your Married. In her book Angie shares and answers
comments and questions from married couples about marriage related
issues that affect couples today.
The book involves all areas in marriage that couples need to know and
understand and apply for a successful marriage. This book is a most
reliable resource for married couples, from infidelity issues to
complete forgiveness. It is my hope that all couples find and begin to
utilize the biblical truths for their marriage by reading and studying
this book.
If you value your relationship with your spouse, and want to read about
positive ways to save your marriage, then this book is a must read! Pick
up a copy today!
To find out more about this new book click here,
http://www.spiritual.journeybooks.4t.com and
http://www.heavenministries.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angie_Lewis
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