Things That Are Obvious!
If we pay any attention at all to our thoughts and emotions and what is happening there, it is very obvious that there is something inside of us that is able to play with our thoughts and emotions if they are uncontrolled or left unguarded. Whatever this is inside of us, it is able to rob you of peace, joy, faith and love. It can cause you to be distrustful of everyone around you and disrupt your spiritual life. You can’t cast it out, it is in us. The only thing you can do is not allow it any opportunity and be on guard against it constantly. When we finally come to recognize that our greatest enemy is not out there somewhere but is right inside of us, we now have the opportunity to defeat it.
I believe that this enemy that is in us is what Paul was referring to in Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. That evil entered right into our flesh when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and it has been with man ever since. It is able to trouble your mind, emotions and spirit. What a wonderful victory we have when we are able to discern what spirit is working or active in the people around us; and a still greater victory when we can discern what spirit is work through us from moment to moment in our speech, our thoughts and our emotions
When you get upset and angry and you are reacting to some situation, ask yourself a question; “Am I functioning in the right spirit or am I in the wrong spirit.” I expect your answer would be; “I am in the wrong spirit!” I remember when my kids were I their teens and they would get wound up. I would tell them; “You are in the wrong spirit; go in your bedroom and don’t come out until your face is lifted up!” It worked. One day I really got out of sorts, and I was tromping around the house like a bear. Pauline was washing the dishes, she spoke up and said with authority; “Why don’t you straighten out!” I went down the stairs mad as a hornet. Then I realized she was right. I was in the wrong spirit. You know what I did? I got in the right spirit. I got my face lifted up.