ICS Daily Devotions
Live out Who You Are in Christ
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.
It was Satan who showed Jesus the world and all that it has to offer as a form of temptation. Temptations come through the eyes and work through our emotions to make us succumb to them. Longings, desires, impulses, and cravings for either material things or people all come through our senses. The “old man” is governed by the sin nature and is a slave to sin. It is dictated and driven by the need to gratify the self, at times instantly. By gratifying their desires for luxury goods and to maintain particular lifestyles, many people have end up in debt.
The “old man” takes pride in its possessions, achievements, and lifestyles. Mammon was our god before we received Christ. When Jesus asked the rich young ruler to give everything away and follow Him, He wasn’t against him possessing wealth and power. He was dealing with the god of mammon in his life because nobody can love God and mammon at the same time. Therefore, he had to quit serving mammon and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Sadly, he could not give it up because that’s where his identity and security were. Many are still struggling like him today.
The “old man” ’s security is established on its possessions and achievements. Its understanding is darkened and thinking closely associated with the world values and principles. But all worldly pursuits are deceitful, because life will still be empty after you have obtained them. It is vanity of vanities because all these are perishables, unable to be carried into eternity.
The “old man” lives in the kingdom of darkness, dictated by the sin nature with Satan as its god. Because the “old man” ’s identity is in “doing” and its sense of self-worth, it is tormented emotionally because of the insecurity of falling behind. It can make people behave irrationally at times, be harsh towards others, and even live immorally just to be accepted and applauded.
A polar bear who has been caged all its life was found unable to survive in nature. Behaving just like it was still caged, it failed to adjust to its new environment and lifestyle. How about us? Are we still living in the “old man” and its lifestyle after we have received Christ? The devil will attempt to deceive us into thinking that we still belong to his kingdom, but let’s not be like the polar bear! Instead, let’s live our lives differently once we have been set free from the bondage of the evil one, moved into a new kingdom and become a disciple of Christ, and let’s start living out of our new being in Christ.
Sermon Series: Living out the New Identity in 2022
