SURVIVE TO WIN

"Death to self means Life unto God!"

The deception, by design, has been polished to near perfection. Of the last days, Jesus told us plainly that "if it were possible, they shall deceive even the very elect." If the deception has become that intense, and the enemy of my soul has been around since creation, how can I possibly be able to defend myself, much less defend, and rescue others?

The first blessing of the beatitudes was to the "poor in spirit." From the start, our thinking tells us preparedness isn't found in poverty, yet the Gospel tells a different story.

We, by nature, are self-preserving, defensive, and resilient. The operative word here is, "self!" Since the fall of man, Self has craved the deception that will make him like God! To be wealthy, and in control of his own destiny. We even teach our children to pursue such goals. Paul tells us that "the carnal mind is enmity against God," referring plainly to my way of thinking!

The Gospel sparks interest in Truth, though it flatly insults the carnal man! The Holy Spirit of God is the only agent that can convince man of his error and instill a hunger to be saved. That, of course, is how we get saved, but as Paul instructed us in Colossians, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." Only by walking in that same faith can we grow, find the ability, and stability to thrive as Christ's disciples.

Finally, the key to overcoming such odds is the recognition that carnal defeat, despair, and destruction equals spiritual security, aggression, and Victory! Death to self means Life unto God! When I am weak, then I am strong. It's quite simple: "A dead man cannot be deceived!"

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If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

~Matthew 24:24 KJV

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

~Romans 8:7 KJV

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him

~Colossians 2:6 KJV

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

~1 John 4:4 KJV

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

~2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV