Don't Take the Bait: Living Beyond the Physical World
In a world filled with distractions, temptations, and fears, it's easy to get caught up in the physical realm and lose sight of our spiritual purpose. But as followers of Christ, we are called to live beyond the physical—to see with spiritual eyes and walk by faith, not by sight.
The enemy often uses physical things to trick us and bait us into fear, doubt, and sin. Like a clever fisherman, Satan dangles attractive lures in front of us, hoping we'll take the bait. But we don't have to fall for his schemes. Through Christ, we have been given a great victory and the power to resist temptation.
As the apostle John wrote, "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16). These worldly enticements may seem alluring, but they lead us away from God's best for our lives.
Jesus himself faced every temptation we face, yet did not sin. As it says in Hebrews 4:15, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." Because of Christ's victory, we no longer have to live in fear of this world or Satan's accusations. Death no longer has a hold on us.
The key is learning to see beyond the physical and live our lives in light of eternity. On the cross and through his resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan and conquered death once and for all. As Paul wrote in Colossians 2:13-15:
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
Satan has been disarmed. His accusations against us have been nailed to the cross. We are forgiven and set free. Now we must learn to walk by the Spirit rather than gratifying the desires of the flesh.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Even the apostle Paul struggled with doing what he knew was right. In Romans 7 he laments, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." We all face this battle between flesh and spirit. The good news is that we're not alone in the struggle.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to counsel, guide, and empower us. Jesus promised that the Spirit would be our helper and would remind us of everything He taught (John 14:26). As we spend time in God's Word and in prayer, the Spirit speaks to our hearts and gives us the strength to stand firm against temptation.
We also have the body of Christ—our brothers and sisters in the faith—to encourage and support us. We're not meant to walk this journey alone. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Satan wants us to feel isolated and afraid. He whispers lies that we're not good enough, that God can't really love us, that we'll never overcome our struggles. But these are just more of his baits and tricks. We must choose to listen to God's truth instead of the enemy's lies.
In Matthew 10, as Jesus was sending out his disciples, he repeatedly told them, "Do not be afraid." He reminded them that God was with them and would give them the words to speak. He urged them not to fear those who could harm their bodies, but to fear only the One who held power over their eternal souls.
Jesus' words still ring true for us today. We don't have to live in fear of what others think of us, or of persecution, or even of death itself. Our lives are in God's hands, and nothing can separate us from His love.
The apostle Paul beautifully sums up how we should live in Galatians 5:13-26. He reminds us that we are called to freedom—not to indulge the flesh, but to serve one another in love. He contrasts the acts of the flesh (sexual immorality, hatred, jealousy, etc.) with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
Paul exhorts us: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). This is the key to resisting Satan's bait and living beyond the physical realm. We must daily choose to walk by the Spirit, crucifying our fleshly desires and allowing God's love to flow through us.
Living this way isn't always easy. We will face trials and temptations. There will be times when we stumble and fall. But we serve a God of grace who is always ready to forgive and restore us when we turn back to Him. As we learn to trust Him more fully and lean on His strength, we'll find ourselves becoming more and more like Christ.
Remember the story from 2 Kings 6, where Elisha's servant was terrified by the enemy army surrounding them? Elisha prayed for God to open the servant's eyes, and suddenly he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire—God's angelic army was there protecting them! In the same way, we need to ask God to open our spiritual eyes so we can see beyond our circumstances and trust in His sovereign protection and provision.
So let's not take Satan's bait. Instead, let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let's immerse ourselves in God's Word and allow His truth to transform our minds. Let's encourage one another daily and spur each other on toward love and good deeds.
As we do, we'll find ourselves living with a new perspective—one that sees beyond the physical and temporal to the spiritual and eternal. We'll experience the abundant life Jesus promised, full of love, joy, and peace. And we'll be equipped to fulfill our mission of sharing God's love with a hurting world, inviting others to join us on this incredible journey of faith.
Don't settle for less than God's best. Don't let fear hold you back. Take hold of the freedom Christ has won for you and step into the life of adventure and purpose He has planned. The best is yet to come!
In a world filled with distractions, temptations, and fears, it's easy to get caught up in the physical realm and lose sight of our spiritual purpose. But as followers of Christ, we are called to live beyond the physical—to see with spiritual eyes and walk by faith, not by sight.
The enemy often uses physical things to trick us and bait us into fear, doubt, and sin. Like a clever fisherman, Satan dangles attractive lures in front of us, hoping we'll take the bait. But we don't have to fall for his schemes. Through Christ, we have been given a great victory and the power to resist temptation.
As the apostle John wrote, "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16). These worldly enticements may seem alluring, but they lead us away from God's best for our lives.
Jesus himself faced every temptation we face, yet did not sin. As it says in Hebrews 4:15, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." Because of Christ's victory, we no longer have to live in fear of this world or Satan's accusations. Death no longer has a hold on us.
The key is learning to see beyond the physical and live our lives in light of eternity. On the cross and through his resurrection, Jesus defeated Satan and conquered death once and for all. As Paul wrote in Colossians 2:13-15:
"When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
Satan has been disarmed. His accusations against us have been nailed to the cross. We are forgiven and set free. Now we must learn to walk by the Spirit rather than gratifying the desires of the flesh.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Even the apostle Paul struggled with doing what he knew was right. In Romans 7 he laments, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." We all face this battle between flesh and spirit. The good news is that we're not alone in the struggle.
God has given us His Holy Spirit to counsel, guide, and empower us. Jesus promised that the Spirit would be our helper and would remind us of everything He taught (John 14:26). As we spend time in God's Word and in prayer, the Spirit speaks to our hearts and gives us the strength to stand firm against temptation.
We also have the body of Christ—our brothers and sisters in the faith—to encourage and support us. We're not meant to walk this journey alone. As it says in Ecclesiastes 4:12, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."
Satan wants us to feel isolated and afraid. He whispers lies that we're not good enough, that God can't really love us, that we'll never overcome our struggles. But these are just more of his baits and tricks. We must choose to listen to God's truth instead of the enemy's lies.
In Matthew 10, as Jesus was sending out his disciples, he repeatedly told them, "Do not be afraid." He reminded them that God was with them and would give them the words to speak. He urged them not to fear those who could harm their bodies, but to fear only the One who held power over their eternal souls.
Jesus' words still ring true for us today. We don't have to live in fear of what others think of us, or of persecution, or even of death itself. Our lives are in God's hands, and nothing can separate us from His love.
The apostle Paul beautifully sums up how we should live in Galatians 5:13-26. He reminds us that we are called to freedom—not to indulge the flesh, but to serve one another in love. He contrasts the acts of the flesh (sexual immorality, hatred, jealousy, etc.) with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control).
Paul exhorts us: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). This is the key to resisting Satan's bait and living beyond the physical realm. We must daily choose to walk by the Spirit, crucifying our fleshly desires and allowing God's love to flow through us.
Living this way isn't always easy. We will face trials and temptations. There will be times when we stumble and fall. But we serve a God of grace who is always ready to forgive and restore us when we turn back to Him. As we learn to trust Him more fully and lean on His strength, we'll find ourselves becoming more and more like Christ.
Remember the story from 2 Kings 6, where Elisha's servant was terrified by the enemy army surrounding them? Elisha prayed for God to open the servant's eyes, and suddenly he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire—God's angelic army was there protecting them! In the same way, we need to ask God to open our spiritual eyes so we can see beyond our circumstances and trust in His sovereign protection and provision.
So let's not take Satan's bait. Instead, let's fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let's immerse ourselves in God's Word and allow His truth to transform our minds. Let's encourage one another daily and spur each other on toward love and good deeds.
As we do, we'll find ourselves living with a new perspective—one that sees beyond the physical and temporal to the spiritual and eternal. We'll experience the abundant life Jesus promised, full of love, joy, and peace. And we'll be equipped to fulfill our mission of sharing God's love with a hurting world, inviting others to join us on this incredible journey of faith.
Don't settle for less than God's best. Don't let fear hold you back. Take hold of the freedom Christ has won for you and step into the life of adventure and purpose He has planned. The best is yet to come!
Melvin Vandiver
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