THE WAR BETWEEN OUR EARS PART 2

David Allen Brown

Christian Author

Part 2

If we follow the letter of the law, we are sinning, but do you really think God would prefer that children go hungry. No, of course not but He doesn't want us to steal. He does want us to seek out other means where we can take advantage of the goodness of other Christians who can help us in our time of need. It is NEVER OK to steal. We are all commanded to share and feed the poor and the hungry so he asks us...NO...He commands us to provide for them through tithings and offerings, donations, etc.

I would hate to be in that position, but people are forced to make choices like that every day. Let me define a bad choice in the context of where we are. A bad choice is one that violates God’s will for us. We make bad choices that end well. We make good choices that end badly, but we still make choices in the space between our ears so Satan directs his entire war there.


He knows that every time he makes a suggestion on the playing field of the mind, the odds are 50/50 that we’ll make a decision that he prompted us to make. You can’t get odds like that in Vegas, so you can bet Satan is feeling okay about his chances if he can distort our thinking even a smidge.


Thinking is just as important as what we do because it’s our thought process that determines our actions. All we can do is listen for that still small voice in our head that determines what our choices should be and then choose as wisely as we can.


Satan’s favorite realm of distortion is called justification. He helps us to come up with excuses that we buy into when we want to do something that we know is wrong. We justify because we want something that we know is wrong, but we want it anyway so we come up with all kinds of garbage to convince ourselves that the lies we are telling are the best possible choices.


Do we know when something is really wrong? Yes, but we do it anyway, and that’s how we live with ourselves while breaking God’s laws knowingly. We justify our actions through some sort of slanted reasoning.


To consistently make good choices, we need two things. First, we need good information so we can distinguish right from wrong, and then we need a strong desire to make good choices. For me and for you too, we can get good information from the Bible—the word of God.


Second, we need a strong desire to turn away from choices that are bad for us. To do that, we need to realize that bad choices hurt us and good ones lead to a better way of life. Sometimes not even knowing the difference between what it’s like to hurt and not to hurt is enough to make some people choose right from wrong, depending on the choice to be made.


I could tell you a thousand stories of bad choices I made because I wanted to please someone. As a child, I wanted to please my mom and dad. At school, I wanted to please my teachers. As a youth, I wanted to please my girlfriends, and as a husband and father, I wanted to please my wife and kids. Now, as a mature child of God, I want to please Jesus, the son of the living God.


The more I please Him, the happier I become and the more peace I know in my life. Pleasing God is pleasing myself. That is one of the good choices that has turned out to be good all of the way around.


The next time you get an idea in your head that you know is wrong, then know that you are at war. Will you do the right thing, or are you going to sabotage yourself and forfeit the war? The victory is no victory at all if you lose the war.


From here on out, recognize the enemy and choose the good guy and trust God with the outcome. It tells us in the book of Revelation how the war is going to turn out. Don’t make a bad choice that you’ll have to live with forever. Make good choices. Be the general of your own army, and only take orders from the commander in chief. Choose wisely and when we can't, depend on God for resolution. He knows you and your heart. God Bless, Dave