Prayer – Lord, give me wisdom to see myself as You see
me—for You know me better than I know myself. I don’t want to see myself with
selfish desires—I just want to please You in all that I think, say, and do.
Thank You for hearing my prayers and guiding me down the right path—considering
others before myself.
Path across a bridge to the Pacific Ocean.
Near Kalaloch Beach, Olympic National Forest
Washington Coast
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then
you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to
do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit
gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These
two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out
your good intentions. Galatians 5:16-17
Meditate. Consider the forces of the Spirit and the sinful
nature.
Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Show by your
actions and words that you can let God lead you…that you can put Him first in
your life. James gives us some very convicting words from God.
If you are wise and
understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works
with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and
there is selfish ambition in your heart, don't cover up the truth with boasting
and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such
things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy
and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. But
the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at
all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds.
It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers
will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. James
3:13-18
James gave us some wise advice about selfish desires.
Additionally, Solomon and Paul give us directions from the Lord to guide us in
unselfishness. Solomon, Paul, and
Unfriendly people
care only about themselves (selfish desires); they lash out at common
sense. Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own
opinions. Proverbs 18:1-2
Don't be selfish;
don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than
yourselves. Philippians 2:3
The sinful nature of man is just what God wants us to
avoid…but He gives us free will to make our own choices. If you need wisdom…ask
God for it. I put my hope in the Lord--strengthening the bridge with my relationship to the Lord. What will you choose to do today? Can
you give up any selfish desires that you may be experiencing?
Verses of Salvation ~ I trust in you, my God! Do not let
me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. No one who trusts in
you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive
others. Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.
Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day
long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:2-5
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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