For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.(NIV) Gal. 5:17-21

Have you ever been in a situation when you had to compliment a female friend’s new hairdo when you actually thought otherwise but you had to say what you said in order to prevent hurting her feelings? If you have ever been in a situation like this, you were made to speak but, not from your heart.

Well that sounds scary right? Or, can you recollect the numerous times you have had to make conversations and put up smiles with people whose presence you do not actually enjoy? In those situations too, you had to train your mind to exercise loads of self-control and you did not act according to what your heart really desired.

There are times we, as human beings, act out what our hearts truly want us to do. These actions depict our true self. There are other times we act out of the control of our minds because what our hearts really desire are unpleasant. The bible makes us understand that the desires of the heart of men are full of sin and woefully unspiritual. Paul describes a similar condition in which he found himself in Rom. 7 [“… For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it…” (V19-20)]

In accordance with these definitions of ’mind' and 'heart’ I have given, I would like to suggest: In as much as God expects us to use our minds, aided by the Word, to control our hearts; full of its evil feelings, to attain self-control (Gal. 5:23), the higher form of righteousness, if not the highest, is when we achieve acting righteousness directly from our hearts without any inward battle with ourselves- the point when our hearts have been so transformed to the effect that our hearts sincerely desire righteousness and not evil. This is where God is driving us to. And If God himself does not orchestrate this changing process of the heart to occur, our minds would soon be exhausted out of usurping authority over the stubborn heart. We would then be surprised at ourselves at the level of sin we can operate at (Matt. 12:34). Even the apostle was surprised (Rom.7)

Well, I saw an article on the net entitled “Isn’t it strange?" from which I would like to borrow two sentences just to illustrate what we are considering.: “Isn’t it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the bible but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GLEY book? … Isn't it strange how short 2 hours seem so long when you are at church and how short they seem when you are watching a good movie?... isn’t it strange…?”

If you find it strange too, it is just talking about you and me; our true selves love sin. Our hearts are treasures of sin. We need God’s help.

HYMN:

Just as I am Just as I am,

though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fighting and fears within, without,

O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 

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