Our Moral Victories Glorify God
                              By A.W. Tozer

         For to be carnally minded is death; but lo be spiritually
         minded is life and peace.          -  -  Romans 8:6

           In  the  Pauline  epistles, the  gravitational  pull  of  the
        heart in one direction or another is called "the mind."  In
        the  eighth  chapter of Romans, for instance, when Paul
        refers to the  "mind"  he  is  referring  to  the sum of our
        dominant desires.

           The mere intellect, then, is not the mind: the mind is
        intellect plus an emotional tug strong enough to
        determine action!

           As  Christians,  our  only  safety  lies  in  complete
        honesty.  We must surrender our hearts to God so that
        we  have  no  unholy  desires,  then  let  the  Scriptures
        pronounce their judgment on a contemplated course.  If
        the  Scriptures  condemn  an object, we must accept that
        judgment and conform to it,  no matter how we may for
        the moment feel about it.

           To  want  a  thing,  or feel that we want it, and then to
        turn from it because we see that it is contrary to the will
        of  God  is  to  win  a great battle on the way to spiritual
        mindedness.

           To bring our desires to the cross and allow them to be
        nailed there with Christ is a good and a beautiful thing.

           To be tempted and yet to glorify God in the midst of it
        is to honor Him where it counts. This is more pleasing to
        God than any amount of sheltered and untempted piety
        could ever be!

           God is always  glorified when He wins a moral victory
        over us, and we are always benefited, immeasurably and
        gloriously benefited!

           The blood of Christ will cleanse not only actual sins
        but the very inward desires so that we will not want to
        sin.  A blessed state indeed, and blessed are they that
        reach it!
        ____________________________________________________________

        Yours in Christ,
        Paul N. F.