Make a difference – Day 9

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 1 Peter 1:14

In the worldwide fight against evil, we have to know our enemy and know our weapons. Would a soldier go into battle without a gun? Similarly, would a follower of Jesus fight spiritual battles without the Bible? Each must have instruction and training for ultimate success.

Education is greatly valued and desired in our society, because it provides a new understanding of life and benefits on different levels. Ignorance is not always bliss, in spite of what the old proverb says. Ignorance puts you at a disadvantage and you often miss out on good things, because you don’t know any better.

A similar thing happens when we become children of God. We embrace the gospel, and are born again into a new life and a new understanding of power when we give our hearts to Jesus Christ. He transforms our spiritual darkness as he fills us with his Spirit and gives us power over the evil desires of our old self. He removes our ignorance as we grow through reading the Bible and we consciously turn from that time of lawlessness, when we ruled our own lives and did things for our own gain according to our own will.

Peter knows the pressure Christians experience in the face of persecution and that everyone has weaknesses that distract them from God. He encourages us to keep God’s values, so as not to slip back into old ways. Just like the dieter will gain back all the lost weight if constantly slipping back into unhealthy eating habits, so the Christian is in danger of losing his foothold and focus on Jesus, by slipping back into corrupt ways, or when tolerating or embracing things that do not honour him.

We don’t always recognise those wrong things in ourselves that lure us back and harm us, but just as we had to make a conscious decision to follow Jesus, we have to make a conscious decision to turn away from our old life.

We must be pro-active. Paul advises his readers to “put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). By doing this, we will follow Jesus’ perfect example. John says, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Later, he says, “We know that no child of God keeps on sinning, for the Son of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.” (1 John 5:18)

What encouragement!