My hypothetical friends
I’m going to start with the second half of today’s entry… Wow! In both examples, I can’t help but think, What could those people have done to help themselves? Neither was an example of their own choices having established a stronghold in their lives; both were clearly suffering.
Yes, I was feeling a little protective over our hypothetical woman and young man, and I kept re-reading to see if there was something they could have done to help themselves. All Neil gives us is the phrase: Instead of resolving that conflict…
How does one resolve these things? The only thing I could think of is that they needed to get help from a counselor or a pastor. While it’s true that they were innocent and undeserving of the pain inflicted upon them, getting help is a choice we can make for ourselves (albeit a really tough one).
I suppose Neil was giving us examples like these to point out that we do have choices in some of these circumstances. He writes about our environment and atmosphere being strong influences on us. I can see how allowing one’s self to become defeated and live in fear will lead to a less than joyful life in Christ.
I did, however, have a hard time with the prayer at the end, hoping it wasn’t aimed at people in painful situations: …don’t allow the enemy to deceive me into weak-willed actions…
All that having been said, the idea of actions turning into habits which then turn into strongholds is an important one. It makes me motivated to be all the more diligent in battling the thoughts and actions which seem insignificant, but could be the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
We’ll hang in there and see where Neil takes us tomorrow. How did today’s entry hit you?
When Michele and I took Neil's course "Freedom in Christ" many years back this lesson was the biggest life changer for me. I knew about taking thoughts captive, but it was freeing and motivating to see the natural progression if I don't stay on top of my thought life.
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