TUESDAY: RENEWED DAY BY DAY

Nov 15, 2022
3 min read

Lord, my heart is still filled with sinking thoughts which I don’t enjoy. Please explain these things to me!

2 Corinthians 4:7-12

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;

persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

These are the lies Satan wishes me to believe:

Satan wants me to believe there is no hope. When I am afflicted, the deception of Satan is belief that I have been crushed, and I should give up running toward God. However, as long as I am running, I am running toward God and away from Satan’s lies. As long as I am running, I am not caught or “crushed” by Satan. When I find myself feeling crushed, I will run to God!

Satan wants me to dwell on doubting and blaming God. When I am perplexed, I have questions. Satan wants my questions to be those of despair and doubt or blaming God for my situation. God wants my questions to be of inquisitiveness or asking Him what I should do next. When I find myself in despair with questions, I should ask God what do to!

Satan wants me to believe God has forsaken me when I am hated by others. Jesus says others will hate me because of Him (Luke 6:22). Satan wants me to give up on Jesus when I am persecuted. Jesus says others are actually aiming at Him with their persecution, and I am receiving this persecution because of my belief in Him. When I find myself feeling forsaken, I should praise God that I am suffering for Him (Colossians 1:24).

Satan wants me to believe my destiny is not with God. When I am knocked down, Satan wants to convince me that I am down for the count and will never get back up. Jesus wants me to know that He has already defeated death, and because He arose from the grave, I have eternal life. When I find myself feeling destroyed, I should thank God for my eternal life!

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: Paul concludes that I should not lose heart when these things happen to me. My outer self is wasting away, realizing the deceptions of this world are a lie. My inner self is being renewed day by day as my trust in God grows stronger as I understand His truth even more. When I look at this world, the things I see are transient, or temporary; when I ask God to tell me about His Kingdom, I learn about eternal things.

Lord, help me to keep focused on the eternal things today, and let the temporary things slip away.

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman