Years ago I read a book called “As a Man Thinketh” By James Allen. A small little classic, it had much to make this young man think. One of the surprising things he talked about was how someone could strive for something on the outside, while all along feeding the opposite with his/her thoughts. In such situations, they were literally fighting against themselves. And as a Christian for many years and now a pastor, I see this fight in Christians all the time. I myself used to have this same fight…let me explain.
When you ask Jesus into your heart, He comes in, the Holy Spirit comes in, you are cleaned up, released of your sins, and LITERALLY you are a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come (2 Corinth. 5:17). You are no longer a sinner saved by grace; you are now a saint, who sometimes sins. Most people, however, still believe they are their old self, a sinner, and think they still need to clean up. It is not true, but they must BELIEVE the change in their heart. So they get saved, they get excited, and they start trying to live better, kick the bad habits, treat people better, etc. But they find themselves constantly thwarted, failing over and over again. Especially when it comes to habitual sins, sins that have them in bondage. The truth is, they are free from it. But they MUST walk in that freedom.
If you are trying to live like a Christian on the outside while inside you still think of yourself negatively like you used to, you are literally fighting against yourself. You do not need to clean up to stop whatever vice. You need to embrace, in your inner mind, the fact that you are no longer that person who does that vice. Once you embrace the truth within and feed it with the word of God, you will find your faith growing and the hold these vices have on you fading. His Grace has set you free; you are free indeed; you are a co-heir of Christ. You are seated with Him in the heavenly places. You MUST walk in your new creation power, understanding that you are now a saint… You may mess up occasionally, but you are still a saint. You repent, ask God to forgive you, and get back in the game, cleaned up once again. Stop fighting yourself; feed your inner mind with the truth of God’s word…you are a new creation. Walk in it. Be blessed this week!
Pastor Brian
P.S. Our church is 1 year old, and we are having our “Homecoming” celebration after church on Sunday! The message will be mostly testimonials, and the meal is for all our members and their families, so it is probably not the best week to visit as a guest. But you can check out my latest message here; it is a critical message for this time we are in… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFjt_K2ueQ And of course, if you want to come and hear testimonials about our church and what it means to the members, and get excited with some great music, you are more than welcome…900 Cripple Creek Dr., Lawrenceville at 10:30 on Sunday. And live-streamed on our YouTube channel @TheGreatAwarenessChurch. We are 1 year old; boy, what a ride. Looking forward to Sunday when we will look back on a special year filled with firsts! Be blessed! | 
The Great Awareness Church