Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, August 4, 2016

We are focusing on getting to know God from the perspective of John the beloved.

Today’s Scripture Focus: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3:5–7).

I have never been more spiritually aware of the reality of these verses than today! There is a war going on. And the hottest theater of battle is not the U.S. presidential race; it is not the war on terrorism; it is not a race war. The hottest battle is for the mind. There are no storm troopers, naval vessels, bunker buster bombs, or clandestine services astir seeking advantaged positions in this war. Let me be abundantly clear: The devil hates you. God loves you. The devil wants to destroy you, and if that doesn’t work, he’ll be satisfied if you destroy yourself. God wants you to live and not die. He has dispatched angels that excel in strength to protect you while He tries to convince you of this, and the Spirit is hard at work to inspire you about this. Jesus gave His life to prepare you for this. The battle is raging. Your mind is under attack. Now you have to choose a side. Will it be your human inclinations toward sins over which you’ve been struggling for years? Will it be that you will surrender those thoughts, actions, and feelings to God so He can work a miracle for you to be victorious in every way? The choice is yours. The choice is mind. As you can see, I got right to the crux of the matter early this time. Now, let me circle back.

When Jesus had a conversation with a Jewish leader about spiritual things as the man secretly approached Him one night, Jesus cut to the chase too! He did not waste a moment before telling him that if he hoped to be rescued from sin and self, he needed to submit to the miracle of new birth, which leads to new life. Jesus told Nicodemus that when we are born into this evil world, our minds are immediately under attack because our ancestor’s minds were under attack. We struggle and lose the battle against temptations because they lost their battles against temptations. As a result, Jesus set in motion a plan He and His Father put in place somewhere in eternity past. If we would only surrender to Jesus and accept all the guidance, help, and power He offers, and help others do the same; we will inherit new parentage. We receive God as our Father by faith. As a result, we miraculously gain power over any and all sinful habits, whether inherited or cultivated. I am particularly grateful about this since I often get weary in the battle against sin and self.

The good news is that our theme text is not a mere object lesson or parable. It is a promise that anyone who accepts the invitation Jesus gave to Nicodemus all of those years ago will be reborn into the family of God and ultimately receive eternal life. The key to victory in this potentially devastating battle is surrender to Jesus. If you want to win, do it now.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)