His Will....My Will?

Jeremiah 17:10
I, the LORD, search the heart. I test the mind. Even so to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

It is important to always remember just who is your fiercest foe in this new life of relationship with Jesus. You may be thinking to yourself, "I know who my No.#1 enemy is....the devil." well, he is close to the top of the "enemy" list, but he isn't No.#1. That honor would be reserved for you own selfish desires. we read about the power of sin in our lives in Romans 7:15 --For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that is what I do.

That is why, in the Twelve Steps, the first three steps lead me into this new relationship (I guess you could call it "being saved) through my surrender of will and life over to the care of Jesus. I must practice this discipline of getting "ME" out of the way....a.k.a. "my stinking desires." When I allow my desires to be submitted to the devil, he uses them against me. One way of looking at this, is that he becomes the puppet master over my life. Truth be known, whatever controls your desires controls you. That is why I must strive to learn how to resist the devil and not give into my desires that will lead me in a slow turn back to old ways and habits.
Here are some things we can look to in this new life.

1.) I must know and understand what is right:
The way I find out what is right, is through receiving direction from the study of God's word. Yep. You guessed it. The Bible. We gain understanding by not just the study of Scripture, but through the application of what we read, in our everyday life. It is by the Holy Spirit who is alive and well in every believer, that we move in the Power given to us by Him.

2.) I must desire what is right:
The devil loses tremendous influence when I cultivate a desire for what is right. Letting this be the preeminent focus of my heart and will in my day-to-day living. Here's a little tid-bit for you----Wrong desire is not a sin---Acting on wrong desire is sin. When I start desiring what is right, I will gain an advantage over the enemy.

3.) I must do what is right:
It is one thing to what what is right. It is an all together other thing to cultivate a desire to do the right thing. Funny part in all of this, I can still do the right thing even when my personal desire is in opposition to doing it.

That is why, with Jesus as my Lord and Savior....
With Jesus as the guide of my will and life.....
I must surround myself with others who are living in relationship with Jesus.
I must go to meetings....
I must get a sponsor.....
I must give myself to these steps.

God on you......
mb