Devotion

Emotional hormones, specifically at this age, tend to bounce off the walls in dramatic form. These emotions cause different reactions depending on one's feelings. In multiple cases, you can use self-mutilation as an outlet of escape. Whereby the emotion is unknown, your feelings become messed up, and self-mutilation is the result of that. We was given foreknowledge and the capability of control to overcome these things as they present themselves in our lives.

2 Peter 1:3-5 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. 4Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

What exactly has He promised?

1 John 2:24-26 24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is what He promised us—even eternal life. 26I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.

Everyday is a new day and also a new battle. Our arch nemesis, the father of lies, will tempt, torment, and delude you by any means possible. Ways he does this are innumerable. Forms of addictions, obsessions, harming oneself, sexual sin, all those forms are included. We, ourselves, cannot stand up to the battle of sin on our own given strength, we are flesh, therefore weak. Paul wrote about just how weak the human state is when absent of God's strength, in saying, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." Which says even the lesser of God's knowledge, wisdom, and strength is numerically significant than the wisest, most strong human. Acquiring His strength in our lives is about taking a step off the edge of faith, and freefalling in knowing that, though we have a sin problem, He in His entirety is flawless. If we accept that we can move a mountain solely in our own strength, we've also accepted no hope. No hope paves the pathway to many different ruinations. It's the root that sprouts branches of depression, apathy, and loneliness. It is sailing to the ends of the earth in expectation to fall. It is the emotion that drives us to harm ourselves instead of others, yet we can't grasp why exaclty we do this. Consciously, a decision is made, our minds react to that decision with our actions. Actions brings consequences that are often regretted. With such regret comes the lack of hope. How do you get hope?

1 Peter 1:3-7 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Faith is the substance for which is hoped for, and of that which is unseen. Without faith, there is no hope. Without the invisible, nothing can be seen.


Randy Ragan
5/5/2008