A little lesson in electricity

Yesterday I spoke a little about 'pre-planning' for temptation. I touched on the idea of the 'planning' of our response to temptation when it comes because it WILL come and we need to be prepared. Minds are a powerful thing, but most of the time we use our minds for things that only defeat us, pull us down, or keep us twisted and conflicted. The mind has to be prepared for service - it has to be prepared for obedience. These things don't come naturally to us - they are conscious choices. The unconscious mind is a powerful thing - doing things by 'memory' that we don't even know we are doing. If you have ever been a nail-biter, did you consciously say, "Now is a good time to bite my nails. I think I will give it a go right here and now"? Most likely you were engaged in some other thing and in a moment of conscious awareness you noticed you were chomping on those stubs! We cannot rely upon the unconscious for obedient choices - these come more from our conscious awareness!

So prepare your minds for service. With complete self-control put all your hope in the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ comes. In the past you did not have the understanding you have now, so you did the evil things you wanted to do. But now you are children of God, so you should obey him and not live the way you did before. Be holy in everything you do, just as God is holy. He is the one who chose you. (I Peter 1:13-15)

In terms of electrical circuits, there are little 'resistors' that are placed at key locations in the circuitry. As electricity travels through the wires, there are really three components at work. The wire allows electrical current to flow without any limitation. The coating on the wire acts as an insulator, not allowing any escape of the electrical current. The resistor is what controls the actual flow of the electricity so only a certain amount of electrical current reaches the electrical outlet. In terms of our minds, we have all manner of thought bouncing around in there. Without both the resistor and the insulator in place, no telling what will escape! The resistor actually heats up as it is engaged - because it is controlling the escape of the electrical current, allowing an even and 'metered' flow of current. In terms of our brains - we need an even and 'metered' flow if we are ever to accomplish what we might call 'self-control'!

The greater the resistor's capacity, the greater the current that can flow through it without the resistor becoming damaged. The same thing is true in our minds. We need a 'great resistor' if we are to resist some of this stuff that causes us to get all 'tripped up' in life. The more we apply the Word of God in our lives through actively recalling it when temptation comes our way, the greater the 'resistor' will be to control the 'current' of activity that might come forth! We don't always need to 'engage' the resistors in the electrical current, do we? They are 'built in' and do their job because they have been strategically placed where they are needed. We need 'strategic placement' of God's Word in order to resist some of the stuff that attempts to get us all twisted and out of control. We 'build in' safeguards by actively studying the Word, applying the truths contained therein, and then relying upon the Spirit of God to bring them to memory when 'resistance' is needed most.

Holiness isn't ethereal. It is real! It is accomplished by allowing God's 'governance' over our lives. He acts as that 'resistor' that keeps the current at a steady flow so we don't get to the point the circuits of our lives are overloaded or fried. Just sayin!