In this portion of scripture, Peter is admonishing us to no longer think as we did when we were living in sin, but to ARM ourselves with the mind of Christ so that we may cease from sin. All the time we spent living in sin and chasing after the desires of our flesh is sufficient for the rest of our lives. The outcome of chasing the desires of my flesh and the passions of this world is never going to be different; it's never going to get better, forever keeping me bound. The end is always going to be the same: me hating myself, steeped in shame and misery, separated from my family and God. I don't know about you, but I've had enough of that to last a lifetime.
I arm myself with the mind of Christ for daily battles and to walk in freedom. You too can walk in the freedom Christ died to give us. You do not have to stay stuck in a lifestyle that brings pain, misery, shame, embarrassment, and isolation from family and friends. There’s new life in Christ, free from all these burdens.
Once we decide to be men and women of God, we are warned that people will think it ‘strange that ye run not with them anymore’ and because of it ‘speak evil of you.’ I would be lying to tell you this doesn’t hurt and hasn’t been the cause of many tears and crying out to the Lord because of the way family and so-called friends have treated and spoken to and about me because I no longer talk or act like I used to or engage in the same activities and pursuits that left me bound and empty and tell them how they themselves are headed to destruction but can be set free from their chains.
Despite the pain and hurt of this treatment, I view this as a justifiable cost, given what Jesus endured to set me free from drug addiction, homelessness, incarceration, despair, mental anguish, self-loathing, and prolonged spiritual death. Peter says that this is the ‘whole reason the Gospel is preached’ is so that you too can live according to God in the spirit, free from every addiction, shame, chain of depression, hate, jealousy, feeling unworthy, unwanted, and hopeless. My friends, Jesus Christ is the only place where we can ever hope to find this kind of freedom and the peace that comes with it.
If you've been there and done that, stuck in a rut for too long, you can break the cycle. Cry out to Jesus; you can be saved, you can be delivered, and you CAN walk in the Spirit and overcome in the name of Jesus!
