ICS Daily Devotions
Rubbish In, Rubbish Out
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Just as faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fear also comes when we lend our ears to negative things. We need to be aware that spiritual warfare is real and there are competing forces at work. Who or what we listen to will dominate our thoughts, shape our beliefs, and influence our actions. In other words, rubbish in, rubbish out.
No one is above these attacks. The devil is working overtime to use every opportunity to kill, steal and destroy. As a matter of fact, he not only launches his campaigns when we are weak, he is doubly active when we’re strong. Very often, after a victorious battle in the natural, he insidiously carries out his dirty work in the spiritual. It is warfare, after all. He whispers suggestions of ineptitude, unsightliness, inadequacy, stupidity, futility, etc. to demean, damage and fester the soul.
Whilst we are at it, let us flip the coin for a moment. It is rather easy for us to think that we’re on the receiving end of this situation. But, have we ever stopped to think that we can be a source of distress to others as well? In the heat of anger and frustration, are we always careful with our words? And are we truly gentle and nice, or do we just happen to be happy? How do we conduct ourselves during unguarded moments of annoyance?
If we are honest, we all have been harsh and unkind with our words towards others at some point, especially – unfortunately – to those who love us and whom we love. We tend to show a less varnished version of ourselves to those who are close to us because we know deep in our hearts that we will be forgiven by them.
In truth, man can be cruel. We carry a sin nature that comes out unbidden when we’re caught unaware. This is the reason why we need to quickly get into the Word of God. The more we fill ourselves with the Living Water, the more we are cleansed and renewed, and embody Christlikeness. God has already given us a Spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind, but we still need to do that which is necessary: we must fill ourselves with the things of God. It isn’t just hypothetical, it truly is rubbish in, rubbish out. And in this case, if we do it right, it would be Christ in, Christ out.
Sermon Series: From Despair to a New Assignment
