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"accepting the Lord in your
hearts," as many religious leaders
emphasize. Living right before God
is
overcoming wrong habits of act–
ing, thinking and feeling.
It
is
developing-with God's help and
his written revelation-sound men–
tal, emotional and spiritual traits of
character.
"To him that overcometh [sinful
pulls and habits] will 1 grant to sit
with me in my throne, even as 1
also overcame [temptations to sin],
and am set down with my Father in
bis throne," said Jesus Christ (Rev.
3:21 ).
"Be not deceived; God is not
mocked," emphasizes Scripture,
"for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
We sow bad habits, we reap sick–
ness, sorrow and eventually death.
The ultimate author of all bad
habits is Satan the devil. Sorne
deny bis existence. But he is very
real. He has influenced the way this
world has lived throughout history.
The apostle Paul put it plainly in
Ephesians 2:2:
" ... in time past [before repen–
tance] ye walked according to the
course of this world, according to
the prince [Satan] of the power of
the air, the spirit that now work–
eth in the children of disobedi–
ence."
Satan broadcasts into human
minds wrong moods, feelings and
ideas to which humans can
respond.
With what results? "Among
whom also we
al/
had our [con–
duct] in times past in the lusts of
our ftesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind ..."
(verse 3)·.
But God calls sorne in every age
to a life of overcoming these lusts
and desires. For these called-out
ones, the change process (repen–
tance and conversion) is to be so
far-reaching that only the power of
God joined with human will and
effort can produce a new man or
woman with totally new habits.
Notice the way to begin breaking
bad habits:
"Let the wicked
forsake his
way,
and the unrighteous man bis
thoughts:
and Jet him return unto
the Lord ..." (lsa. 55:7).
"Repent," said Peter in Acts
2:38. That means a change in life-
30
style and an about-face in thinking.
For a wholly repentant individual it
means demonstrating total surren–
der to God by being immersed in
water, or baptism. This pictures the
death of the old man and bis wrong
habitual ways and the emergence of
the new man--one desirous of for–
saking bis old habits and of totally
going God's way. (Write for our
free explanatory booklet
A/1 About
Water Baptism.)
lt Takes God's Power
Then God promises the gift of the
Holy Spirit to help a newly con–
verted person understand right and
wrong and develop right spiritual
habits and altitudes.
Converted humans then begin a
lifelong process in which they are
to ..put off concerning the former
[conduct of] the old man [the old
sinful habits], which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts; and
be renewed [note, this is a process]
in the spirit of your · mind;
and ... pui on the new man, which
after God is created in righteous–
ness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22-
24).
"Let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness [foul habits] of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting [again, a
process] holiness in the fear of
God" (11 Cor. 7:1).
Many bad habits and emotions
are too deep, too powerful, to be
overcome by human power alone.
Why? Because they are spiritual in
nature. God has set in motion spir–
itual laws (Rom. 7:14), and they
cannot be fully fulfilled (as good
habits) by human power and effort
alone.
In addition, Satan and bis evil
host of fallen angels (demons) work
to discourage humans from chang–
ing their wrong habits or sins (see
Ephesians 6:10-18). And social
organizations and customs often
militate against making such
changes.
God knows all these difficulties.
That is why human beings are
offered such fantastic rewards of
rulership in God's kingdom for
overcoming.
God offers ..exceeding great and
precious promises [his Holy Spirit
among them]: that by these ye
might be partakers of the
divine
nature,
having escaped the corrup-
tion that is in the world through
lust''
(II Pet. 1:4) .
"(For the weapons of our war–
fare are not carnal [in our own
strength], but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strong
holds;) casting down imaginations
[or reasonings], and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:4-
5).
Scripture commands, ..And be
not conformed to this world [with
its wrong outlook and habits]: but
be ye transformed by the
renew–
ing
of your mind ..." (Rom.
12:2).
Character development involves
meditating
on doing what is right.
The book of Psalms is full of mate–
rial on which to meditate. See also
a grand summation of what our
minds should center upon in Philip–
pians 4:8. Character involves
doing
what is right, not just agreeing with
what is right.
If
you are a hearer
but nota doer you deceive yourself
(Jas. 1:22).
Overcoming sorne bad habits will
be possible only through humbly
yielding to God and asking him for
your needs
daily- like
getting
strength from eating food severa!
times a day.
" ... work out your own salvation
with [godly] fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in you
both to
will
and to
do
of bis good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13).
But what if you slip? Get total–
ly discouraged and momentarily
want to give up? That's the atti–
tude Satan would like you to fall
into!
..If
we confess our sins [falling
into bad spiritual habits that violate
God's law], he [God] is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteous–
ness" (I John 1:9).
In this human life, you may nev–
er totally overcome all bad habits or
sinful pulls. But God wants to
know the direction you have irrev–
ocably chosen to go in your mind
and life.
When need be, overcomers are
instructed to seek help and encour–
agement from proper sources:
..Brethren, if aman be overtaken in
(Continued on page 44)
The PLAIN TRUTH