Welcome to the blog of Pastor Alton Stone, from Simpsonville, SC. Pastor Stone is a retired Ordained Bishop of The Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee with over 45 years of pastoral ministry.

Monday, September 11, 2017

The Battlefield And The Victory (Part 1)

Paul refers to the battle that takes place in your heart and mind daily:

Romans 7:22, 23 NIV "For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members."
 

Paul was speaking in these verses of the carnal desires of the flesh which war against the mind and try to make it a slave to the sins of the old carnal nature.  

Paul continues by explaining that through Christ you have been set free from this old nature with its sinful desires, thoughts, and attitudes. You are now empowered to serve God with your mind and heart:


Romans 7:24, 25 "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Paul then explains how sin has been deprived of its
power over you. The power of sin which once ruled your heart and mind has been broken, and you are no longer a slave to the sinful desires of your carnal nature:

Romans 8:2, 3 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

Jesus destroyed the works of the devil and set you free from the power of sin. Sin no longer has dominion over you. Once alienated from God, you were bound by your own stubborn, selfish will to live your life to please the flesh. But now, through Jesus, your heart and mind have been cleansed and set free from the power of sin. Your heart and mind are continuing to be renewed daily because you have been reconciled to God:

Colossians 1:21, 22 "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight."

Your mind, which was once under Satan’s control, has been set free from his power. God placed His Spirit within you when you were born again. Your old sinful nature has not been rehabilitated, rather you have a brand new nature. All things are new. You have a new heart and a new mind with new attitudes and desires.

Jesus paid the price so you can have a one-hundred percent victorious mind. Satan no longer has power over you. He does not have power to make you sin. He cannot control your mind, thoughts, will, and emotions. He has no power whatsoever over you except what you allow him to have. 

Sadly, Satan is creating havoc in the hearts and minds of many believers who do not know that they can have power over his attacks.  They are in a constant state of turmoil. They are continually being bombarded with fear, worry, doubt, and confusion, yet they do not understand that it is Satan who is attacking them.

Many believers are being tempted with carnal desires and lusts of the flesh. A fierce battle is raging within them. Satan has a vice-like grip on their minds and they are unable to be free of his tormenting spirits. As a result, their minds are filled with fear, guilt, and condemnation.  They are living a defeated life. 

Many believers are victims of depression. They are gripped with a sense of hopelessness, frustration, and despair. They are spiritually immobilized, unable to release their faith, to think clearly, and to cope with the problems and circumstances they are facing.   In some severe cases, their minds are in such turmoil they consider suicide.  

These defeated believers are tormented, frustrated, and confused. They are unable to take authority over these satanic forces because they do not know where Satan is attacking or how to defeat him. 

There is no reason why God’s people should be defeated. There is no reason why they should be confused, worried, fearful, anxious, depressed, or oppressed in their hearts and minds.  There is no reason why you should live this way.  

Jesus did not pay the supreme price and give His life as a sacrifice so that you could live in victory over the enemy only fifty percent, seventy percent, or even ninety-five percent of the time.  Jesus paid the price at Calvary so that you can have a one-hundred percent victorious mind one-hundred percent of the time!
 

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