Sometimes I think I'm losing my mind

Have you ever felt like you had two different people living inside your head? You know what I mean, a devil on one shoulder and a sweet little angel on the other shoulder. The devil of course constantly whispering into you’re ears tempting you to do things that you knew were wrong, and then that sweet little angel of course on the other shoulder reminding you to do what you knew to be right.

I remember growing up watching Tom & Jerry cartoons. You might remember that meddling cat Tom was always trying to catch and eat Jerry that sneaky little mouse. I remember watching one episode in particular where Tom had a tiny angel that would popup out of thin air onto his shoulder and remind him how wrong it was for him to try and catch that sweet little mouse Jerry. And on the other shoulder he would have a tiny devil that looked a lot like him, telling him how upset he should be because Jerry keeps stealing cheese and getting him into trouble with his owner. You remember that big old black lady with those big floppy house shoes and that rolled up news paper in her hand armed and ready to spank Tom because he was such a lazy cat. If you remember just about the time Tom would surrender to his tiny look alike angel who had been whispering in his ear. Jerry that innocent little mouse would walk by with a piece of cheese in his hand and poof just like that the angel and the devil both would disappear as quickly as they appeared. And off Tom would go chasing Jerry around the house destroying everything in his path.

This cute little cartoon was created by Cartoonists William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and the episode that I described a minute ago really does an excellent job of illustrating what’s currently happening right now in your head. Don’t worry I’m going to give you some bible to help you get this truth down in your spirit.

Ok, what you should do is stop reading right this minute go grab your bible and read all of Romans chapters 7 and 8. The apostle Paul does a much better job of describing this inner battle than I ever will, but don’t panic you’ve read this far so, I wont leave you hanging. I’ll give you a nugget of truth that God gave to me before I’m finished. Ok check out Romans7:22-25 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Ok, here is the truth behind Tom and those tiny little friends that often fought for his attention on his shoulders. When we made a decision to place our faith in Jesus Christ our inward man is the same as Tom’s little angel. The Greek word used for inward man is “eso” this Greek word means the same as conscience, soul and internal inner man.

Paul is saying that as a God follower my soul or inward man delights in God and his word. But then there are also the desires of my flesh that only seek to please itself. My flesh is not subject to God it only wants to do what makes it feel good. Paul concludes that he is torn from within, he admits that inside of his head his Flesh and Inward Spirit is having an all-out- war. So, then Paul reconciles these two thoughts that are so different in his head. Now listen closely to this because this is the nugget you’ve been waiting for. Paul says whenever he has a thought that drives him away from God that thought was formulated or initiated deep within his flesh. And when he has thoughts that are to do God’s bidding these thoughts are being formulated and initiated from his Inward Man, which he received the day he got saved. Now that’s a thought for another day. This however, explains how a God fearing person can do things that are not very Godly. And in the very next breath do things that are Godly. The good news is that you’re not crazy and you’re definitely not losing your mind. Here’s the truth of the whole matter, you are only………HUMAN. So then, spiritual maturity will come to the one who learns to BE more Godly and less Human.