Heart Attitudes

Flesh

Self-Controlled Christian

• Anxious
• Easily Irritated
• Impatient
• Inflexible
• Bitter
• Easily Hurt
• Jealous
• Unforgiving Spirit
• Proud (assumes best of self and worst of others)
• Critical
• Self-Righteous
• Self-Centered
• Loose Tongue
• Unfriendly
• No Joy-Unhappy
• Love of Money (coveteous and materialistic)
• Love of Self
• Love of Pleasure
• Envious
• Intolerant
• Undisciplined
• Formal, Calculated, Controlled
• Anger (demanding rights)

Ouch! That hurts. I could name for you all the ones I struggle with, but I would hate to bore you with my personal struggles with sin, and yes, these are sin. Seeing this list hurts me because it's a visual image of what's really inside my heart; the ugliness, the filthiness, the wretchedness...must I go on?! I do so desire to be clean and to walk in TRUTH, humility, freedom from sin, holiness, and victory.

"Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin... For that I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but I hate that I do...For I know that in me nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice... For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (emphasis mine.) Romans 6:6-7, 7:15,18-19,22-25, 8:1-2

Paul expresses exactly what goes on in the minds of believers every day. Our flesh and spirt war against each other and it's exhausting trying to fight, wouldn't you agree? Don't you find yourself struggling with the same old sins you confessed yesterday, last month, last year? Honestly, I do. Sometimes they creep in slowly, but other times they rear their ugly head and I can't miss it and I think, "I thought I had gotten victory over that one. Here it is again." And again I confess and repent (which only God grants the ability to do according to 1 Tim. 2:25) and ask Him to help me again today to walk in victory and truth according to His Word. The Truth of His Word says that because I have been crucified with Christ and have died with Him and He lives in me, then I have been freed from the law of sin and death. I alone choose to sin. God doesn't make me do because He can't tempt anyone. I can't say the devil made me do it, although he provides the temptation, I alone choose how I will walk, respond, act, or react. He has given me everything I need to walk in truth ("His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness..." 2 Peter 1:3) and to overcome sin. "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord." (Zech. 4:6).

Spirit

Spirit-Controlled Christian

• Sweet Spirit
• Tenderhearted
• Kind
• Gentle
• Lowly in Heart (esteeming others better than self)
• Sacrificial
• Servant's Heart
• Enjoy Jesus (not endure religion)
• Christianity (a delight not a duty)
• Poor in Spirit
• Mourn (godly sorrow)
• Meek (yielding rights)
• Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
• Merciful
• Pure in Heart
• Peacemaker

It seems I don't find myself in this column as much as I do the first one. I long to follow hard after Jesus and to walk as He does and to exemplify His grace in my life.

"Oh God, help me to desire all that You desire and to walk as you did. I need your grace. Grant me repentance that I may walk out all the Truths in your Word. Because you are holy, I need to be holy. I want my life to look like the above list and not the previous one. You gave your life as my ransom, so I ask you to help me to choose righteousness." Amen