The ironic vanity of it all is that we think man can fix the world, when indeed man is what is broken.

Philippians 4:8 

I have written in a previous post that we cannot control what thoughts come into our minds but we can control what we do with them once they are. All of us are tempted and those temptations always start out as thoughts.  We all have had thoughts come into our head that we did not like.

While we cannot control what thoughts come in to our minds we can impact the frequency and severity of both positive and negative thoughts coming into our minds.   The material we read, the programs and things we watch on TV and the internet, the conversations we participate in all will increase the frequency of thoughts similar to them entering our heads.  This can work both positive and negative.  

From the negative side of things we will also have more difficulty dealing with and ridding our minds of such thoughts.  They have found a resting place and a playground.  They are on familiar turf and are far more difficult to convince to leave.

On the positive side of things we can apply the lesson that Philippians 4:8 teaches us.  Paul is not only telling us to not think about bad or negative things, but rather he is much more telling us to think about good or positive things. 

This passage of scripture admonishes us to be proactive in this type of thinking.  We aren’t just being encouraged to think about good things when we find ourselves struggling under the force of temptation.  We should think about the good, the holy, the noble, the pure things at all times, training our minds in this form of thinking.  This mental exercise is a part of the “renewing of our minds”.  

A proactive approach to this will help reduce the frequency of bad and negative thoughts coming in to our minds.  It will reduce the severity of their impact and it will prepare us to deal with them more effectively.

From Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Worry and stress can lead to an unguarded heart. Likewise, rejoicing in the Lord helps guard your heart. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord in all things. We are to rejoice and know that the Lord is near.   He is not distant or unknowing of your needs at anytime. With God near, what do we have to worry about? Who is greater than God?

Instead, we should confidently be thankful to God in everything,  both what seem good and bad.  Present your requests to God who is standing right next to you.  Present them in a spirit of thanksgiving.  Why would you be thankful if God was not going to take care of your request for you?  Oh, but He is going to take care of it. 

Living this way allows you to experience the transcending peace of God.  This protects and guards our hearts from temptation, fear, and disobedience.  Certainly as we live in this world we need our hearts to be guarded.

Eliab, leader of the people of Zebulun; Elizur, leader of the people of Reuben; Abidan, leader of the people of Benjamin; Abiezer, leader of the people of Dan.  Do you know any of these people.  Are these names you recognize?

These individuals were leaders of their tribes – a significant position.  This was a position of responsibility and honor.   Yet I doubt very many know about them or recognize their names. 

Our real significance in life comes from our position in relation to God, not in relation to people.  We may hold a position of power, responsibility, and power in this life, but what lasts is the position we hold in our relationship with God.  That which will be remembered through eternity is where we stand with God.

There are two pillars to build a belief in God upon; both involve nature. One is the law of nature, specifically human nature. The other is the physical nature, creation around us. These two pillars form the basis upon which we can build our case for the logic surrounding belief in God.

Physical nature, all that we see around us tells us much about the existence and even the character of God. We must be careful relying solely on creation to build our belief and understanding of God. While creation is magnificent, amazing and powerful, all of which display characteristics of God, it can also be harsh and chaotic, certainly not attributes that should be ascribed to God.

The old-timers understood the Law of Nature differently than we do today. They thought of the Law of Nature in regard to mankind. We today more often think of the term in regard to laws such as gravity. Is it really a law that a rock falls to the ground when released from your hand? Does the rock have a choice in the matter? On the other hand we decide whether we are going to obey the law that tells us not to steal.

All humans are selfish and sinful by nature.  Our human nature was corrupted in Adam and Eve when they sinned and it has been passed down to each and every one of us.  Now, don’t go laying a bunch of guilt on Adam and Eve for your condition until you realize that God has provided a deliverance for you through Jesus Christ.

Because of this we struggle with temptation and sin.  Paul understood this when he wrote Romans 7:15-24. Here is a part of that passage.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. …I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

Unfortunately, pride keeps us from experiencing the victory that God has for us.  We try to overcome sin on our own.  By doing so, we are in eeffect saying, I can take care of this myself.”  We set ourselves up as our own god. 

Psalm 10:4 says, “The wicked in his proud countenance foes not seek God…”.  Why not?  Becasue in his mind he does not need God.  Conversely, Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.

God wants to exalt us or lift us up as He states in I Peter 5:6,7.  God’s willingness to ‘exalt us’ is connected to our willingness to be humble.   As we humble ourselves by accepting and confessing our inability to handle our problems, temptations, and sins and in turn give them over to God Then He lifts us up.

It is in our weakness that His strength is made perfect.   When we are the most humble, the Holy Spirit is the strongest in our lives.  He produces fruit in our lives.  Galations 5:22-23 tells us about this fruit.  One of them listed is self control.  Wouldn’t you like a little more of that when dealing with temptation and sin?