June 08


Choices


If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death, but if the Holy Spirit controls your mind there is life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (NLT)


This is why the spiritual disciplines are so important. This is why they call the spiritual disciplines the spiritual disciplines: it’s tough out there. Spirituality is a moment-by-moment thing, and it comes with submission. Most often, it means a grueling wrestling match on the mind’s floor. It takes focus, training, and attitude straightening. We need to get our head in the soul’s game of life if we are to pin Self or tie it to the mast. Self, you see, yearns to follow the siren’s call.

Our emotions can be such sirens. There are times when they sing to us from a crusty shore, their calls even stronger than we imagined, so attractive yet so destructive. I agree with Beth Moore. The mind must rule the heart and not the other way around. The will, that strong powerhouse of the soul must come under the Spirit’s control and not the flesh’s. For us, this is not a one-time choice but a daily battle to choose to do the right thing, pick the right words, and think the right thoughts.

Self is a vicious dictator. Uncaring, unrelenting and uncontrolled, this despot will push us into destructive behaviors. We can’t let it win. If we are to find peace in our lives, self must bow to the Spirit’s rule.


Lord, please help me make good choices—choices to love You, choices to love my neighbor, choices that lead to life and peace.