THURSDAY'S DEVOTION

Ephesians 2:1-2  - “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.”

Do you think you are “doing your own thing”, or are you “following the crowd”?

Do you get irritated with the idea of someone else “controlling” you?  Have you said, “nobody tells me what to do”! 

When we are “dead in trespasses and sins”, we are on the “course of this world”, that is according to, under the authority of, dominated by, and under the rule of the spirit of this world, which is the devil. We do not possess spiritual life and, just like a person who is physically dead does not respond to physical life - i.e., he does not get hungry, thirsty or feel pain - so a person that is spiritually dead does not respond to spiritual life.  Spiritual death is what separates us from God, who is the Author of Life.

One paraphrase explains it like this:  “Your former lifestyle was controlled by a set of values inspired by the adversary, who misleads those who have not come alive to God”. (Johnson)

There are three things that are used to “influence and control” the unbeliever (and even believers) to walk against God’s plan of for them:

1.  The “course of this world” that produces values and attitudes against the will of God because of the influence of Satan in it...

2.  The “flesh”, which still may have the “scars, habits and feelings” of a life lived apart from God.  Although your nature has changed on the inside (in your spirit, which is the real you - II Cor. 5:l7),  you must learn how to live from a new “control headquarters” - influenced from within, instead of without (Rom. 12:2)...

3.  Satan, who is the “ruler of the darkness of this world”.  Although He, unlike God, is not omnipresent (that is, he cannot be in all places at one time),  he seeks through his demons to bring people under his influence.