As a believer are you anchored to Christ or are you tethered to the world? Reading God’s Word is one simple thing every believer should do. Scripture is the key to success in surviving in a hostile world. Without the guidance of God’s Word the believer will be tossed like a ship in a storm by life’s problems.
In life there are many things that are beyond our control that can cause us grief. More often it is the things that we can control and our unwise decisions that bring us trouble. Instead of a healthy spiritual diet we often feed our mind on a steady diet of junk food. This reminds me of the old computer adage “garbage in, garbage out”. Essentially if we read, watch and intake negative and immoral things that will effect our thinking and actions.
This garbage in can cause many headaches for the believer. Unfortunately, as believers we often neglect our spiritual diet which lets life pull is in many unprofitable directions. We feel like we have no control of our lives and find ourselves in less than desirable circumstance. But God does not desire you to live like a pinball bouncing all over the place but instead He desires you to be anchored to Christ.
Old Nature
Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV ““The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
The problem is until we receive our new glorified body we still need to contend with our old nature. Our natural rebellious nature causes us to make unwise decisions that can bring difficulty into our lives or the lives of those around us.
When you feel yourself being pulled in self destructive directions, most likely you are trusting in yourself and your own council. When you rely on your own desires and judgements your human nature will take you down roads that are dangerous and unproductive. It will convince you that you are on the good path while it leads you to trouble.
—James 1:14 NKJV “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”
Satan loves when we feed our old nature and act on our selfish needs. When we focus on ourselves instead of God, we give power to the enemy. In these moments Satan will attempt to drive a wedge between us and God.
The more he can keep you away from God, the less fruit you can produce in God’s name. When we get ourselves into trouble the enemy loves to whisper “it’s not your fault” and our old nature will happily comply and place the blame for our failures at God’s foot. Delusion, deception and discouragement are three tools Satan will use to diminish the effectiveness of the believer.
Anchored to Christ
The problem here is the believer is relying on their strength instead of God’s. As believers we have been blessed with the indwelling Holy Spirit. We need to learn to avail ourselves of this new nature instead of our old nature. Since, we trusted Christ our salvation is guaranteed.
Thankfully, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Satan knows this but he will go battling on until the final bell. Since he can not pull us out of the fist of God, he considers it a victory if he can keep a believer from being a fruitful servant of God.
Knowing that we belong to God, how do we prevent ourselves from traveling down this dark path? How can we be effective workers in His name? Thankfully, we do not need to rely on our own strength. We are fortunate to have an anchor in Christ. With this anchor we will never be pulled away from God. Through God’s grace we have hope and joy. God will provide us with the strength we need to serve Him.
Indwelling Holy Spirit
To be successful, as a believer is is important that we avail ourselves to God’s resources. One major resource we have as members of the body of Christ is that we are in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit. In order for it to direct our steps in life and take advantage of God’s counsel we need to energize ourselves with the teaching of God’s Word. By feeding ourselves continually with scripture our mind will be focused on Christ.
In this way we are focusing on God and not the desires of our heart. For the believer will not find success by making a list of dos and don’ts. You will not find success by trying to make your old nature walk righteous. The core of being a Christian is not about our actions but about our relationship with Christ. Our relationship is strengthened by communication with God through prayer and the study of His Word.
Where you will find success is by feeding your mind with scripture. Through the daily intake of scripture you are feeding your new nature and focusing your mind on God. Through His Word you will be anchored to Christ in thoughts and deeds. By providing your new nature with substance you will have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help you navigate life.
—2 Thessalonians 3:5 NKJV “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.”