The War Within – Part IV

February 17th, 2007

The War Within – Part IV

I can make decisions to do wrong:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can make decisions to do right:

• I can create actions to feed those decisions.

I can do something and feed whatever I do to create a world in my mind that says that it is right. The Bible talks about this and I will get into that in a minute, but before I do there are some words to consider:

Delusion (noun):

• A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact

Self-Deception (noun):

• The act of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself

Ignis Fatuus (noun):

• Something that misleads or deludes; an illusion
• (Also called a “Jack-O’-Lantern” and “will-o’-the-wisp”)

Galatians 6:1-10
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

February 23rd, 2007

Proverbs 16:33 says “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

April 7th, 2007

This is a perfect time to pick this one back up. I'm taking this Marriage Dynamics class and have really learned about myself. And being that this has been about as tough a time for me and my health, I could make about a mountain of excuses as to why I shouldn't and blah, blah, blah... but the fact is, I'm a liar. I'm not a born liar, which is good. I'm not chronic. But I have lied about certain things, to protect myself (from being caught IE: getting out of trouble) and my wife (or so I thought). I've repented from these actions.

I'll be honest here. I'm not exactly sure what my thoughts were six weeks ago, when this one was started. But I will tell you this, I'll do the best I can to figure it out. So I will look at this:

Psalm 12:1-4

Help, LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue that says, "We will triumph with our tongues; we own our lips - who is our master?"

OK, I think I figured out what I was thinking from before... so work with me. In Galations, it talks about being delusioned, self-deception, and Ignis Fatuus. How is this? When someone decieves themself, they are delusioned. They are a self-decieved. There is something in their life that is a Ignis Fatuus or misleading them, thus that person is on the wrong track. But as Galations says: the "one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." And that would be the difference between the two. I can make wrong decisions and support them. I can make right decisions and support them. The wrong ones, I would be self-decieved. The right ones I wouldn't. So what's the choice? RIGHT!!!