Enjoy a Transformed Life
ICS Daily Devotions
1 John 2:15-16 (NKJV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
Satan showed Jesus the world and what it could offer as a form of temptation. All temptations come through the eyes and work through our emotions so that we would succumb to them. Longings, strong desires, impulses, and passionate cravings, whether for material goods or validation from people, come through our senses.
Governed by sinful nature and senses, the “old man” is a slave to sin, dictated and driven by the need to gratify oneself, often instantly. Many people are in debt because they use their overdrafts to satisfy their instant desires for material goods. The “old man” ’s security is established on possessions and achievements. His understanding is darkened, and his thinking is closely associated with the world’s values and principles.
Mammon was our god before receiving Christ. We took pride in our assets, achievements, and lifestyles. In the story of the rich young ruler (Luke 18:8-23), Jesus asked him to give everything away and follow Him. Jesus wasn’t against him possessing great wealth and power but was dealing with the god of mammon in his life because no one can love God and mammon simultaneously. Therefore, to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, he would have needed to give up serving the god of mammon. Sadly, the rich young ruler had great wealth, and his security was in his wealth, power, and social status. It was too much for him to give up. Many are still struggling with the same problem today.
We were in the kingdom of darkness dictated by our sinful nature, and Satan was our god. We identified in our doing and sense of self-worth. We were tormented emotionally because we felt insecure whenever we fell behind others. This insecurity caused us to behave irrationally and harshly towards others and even to live immorally just to be accepted or be known as people of significance.
A polar bear belonging to the Russian circus had been in a cage since he was young. When the circus went bankrupt, and he was released into the Arctic, instead of running away from his captors, the bear continued to walk in the imaginary cage, waiting to be fed. Similarly, are you still living in the “old man” and old lifestyle after receiving Christ? The devil attempts to deceive us that we still belong to his kingdom, but the Apostle Paul teaches us to live our lives differently since we have been freed from the bondage of the evil one, moved into a new kingdom, and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. To live out of our being in Christ and enjoy a transformed life, we need to have faith in the new creation realities.
Semon Series: Faith in the New Creation Realities
