Our Choice

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. #Bible

We here are presented with a wonderful solution to our battle with our flesh.
I remember walking through the bookstore at my church while coming to the realization that I can choose not to sin.
I, a younger Christian at the time studying through Romans and the letter to the Galatians. Which is in itself is powerful study for understanding the battle between spirit and the flesh.
It was amazing to realize that I had a choice, being born again in the awakening of my spiritual side, which was growing, especially in understanding who my Father God is, and of course Jesus my Saviour, and the Holy Spirit. Last of all, who I was becoming, as a fulfilled child of God, now living in the spirit as well as my human nature or flesh, I could see the battle raging.
The most vivid experience I have found to see this battle is when I fast. After fasting like six hours, my flesh is continually telling me to feed it. By twenty four hours my flesh is playing tricks on my mind, and at forty eight hours I'm barely holding on. They say it gets easier, though forty eight hours is the most I've done.
The battle is real and food is just one battlefield. Sin is another battlefield that can produce casualties for the Christian if not resisted.
That's where this verse becomes so important to the believer. If we did everything in the name of the devil that would produce sin at its worst.
We Christians need to strive, in whatever we do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, because it produces Righteousness.
Think about it, if we set out in the morning declaring whatever we do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus for that day, wouldn't we have a better chance of not sinning?
Well then, that's what we need to do, and in doing so we please our Father God through the Spirit of Christ who strengthens us towards success. Praise God! Yes we are thankful to God through Jesus our Lord in providing us with a defence, or a way of escape from sinning.

Wealth

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. #Bible

I really don't understand loving money. In my life I have had times of prosperity, as fleeting as they were, and times of poverty as endless as they seem.
Loving money for me would be better described maybe as the lust of money. You know when you say "I wish I could afford to drive that Ferrari, or live in a house with five bathrooms". Well maybe it isn't quite lust, but having that kind of money would be worth giving it a try.
The question then, I would be asking myself, have I began loving the money to the point it comes between God and I? I believe it would haunt me continually, of course in a good way, I would hope keeping me right with my Father God.
I would hope if God blessed me with alot of money He would also bless me with His Wisdom on how I dealt with it.
Here is where I would have my hope, "I will never leave you nor forsake you". My Father in Heaven is with me through what ever I face in this world.  I can depend on Him to protect me and lead me through the treacherous course of having alot of money, or severe poverty. God is with me, and that is the Greatest wealth I possess, and this allows everything else that is good in my life.