Each day we are faced with a portion of evil, something we have to overcome. Each day Divine grace is given to enable us to overcome the evil.

Let us say someone cheats us. We then have a decision. We can act in our adamic nature and become furious, raving and ranting, anxious for revenge.

Or we can sit down and pray and ask the Lord for wisdom.

Do you see that we are choosing between the life of Adam and the life of Christ?

If we yield to our old, malicious nature, Adam will be strengthened. If we look to the Lord, keeping our mind in the heavenlies where it belongs, then Christ becomes our life to a greater extent.

Let us say we are faced with a powerful temptation in the flesh. We want to leave our wife or husband and run off with someone else. In the meanwhile Satan is attempting to inject deception into our mind.

We can give in to our flesh, making all kinds of excuses why we are doing the right thing in forsaking our partner and children. Or we can pray until we gain the strength to reject the satanic temptation and do what is honorable and godly.

If we yield to our flesh, Adam is strengthened. If we overcome the temptation, Christ becomes our life to a greater extent.

We can choose to fill our day with pleasure, plans to make more money, lust, the acquiring of material goods, entertainment, and so forth. Or we can make certain we spend time each day waiting on God and meditating in the Scriptures.

We can attend church once in a while or we can meet regularly with fervent disciples, building up one another in the Lord. In our day in America it sometimes is difficult to find fervent disciples. Then we need to pray for Christian fellowship.

We can set our mind on things above where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Or we can dwell constantly on matters concerning our life on earth.

Believe me, Satan will do everything in his power to keep us concerned about life on earth. He will threaten us, tempt us, put ideas and plans in our head, bring us into unusual situations either pleasurable or frightening, and keep on with this night and day until we spend little time in prayer, little time meditating on the Lord and looking to Him.

I know one couple who are just about to sell their business. For the last twenty years they have been just about to sell their business so they will have some time during the day to serve the Lord. Every time they start to sell, something happens that causes them to hold on until that problem clears up.

I do not expect it ever will be true of them that Christ is their life.

We will serve the Lord after we sell our business. We will serve the Lord after Christmas. We will serve the Lord after Easter. We will serve the Lord as soon as the summer is over. We will serve the Lord after Thanksgiving. We will serve the Lord as soon as we retire. We will serve the Lord as soon as our relatives return home. On and on it goes and Christ never becomes our life.

To be continued.