2 Corinthians 4:16
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”
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Your worldly self-talk and demonic entities are well versed in the scriptures and skilled at manipulation of meanings. One particularly effective ploy is to take part of a scripture and present it as the whole truth. This tactic was being brought against me not to long ago and most likely you.
I was dealing with a frustrating problem of not being able to keep students returning consistently to each weekly class. Of course, I could have fallen into the obvious thoughts accusing me of some oversight or ineffective teachings on my part. These types of accusations tend to be a minor distraction in the whole of things. They are easily discounted by asking the students and reviewing recorded sessions.
This was NOT a minor distraction but a full out assault.
The “half truth” was well placed in a moment of mumbling to myself. I was grumbling about the frustration of almost having to restart every class with “catch-up reviews.” How tiring it all was and at my age, I should just step back to enjoy letting others feed and teach me. After all, I was retired and becoming a pew warmer seemed a good choice. The bible does say the “outward man is perishing” and perhaps I should just accept it. (or should I?)
That statement felt like it was confirming the truth that my years on earth are taking a toll. Yes, I am not as strong as I once was and yes, I do tire faster than I remembered. Then it must be the word of God confirming my feelings and thoughts, right?
There is a time to pray concerning the specific problem but sometimes that is not enough. Often there is more than our worldly comprehension reveals. The scripture in Romans 8:14 “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”, reminds us to be led. It is better to follow your inner witness and pray for discernment and understanding beyond the obvious problem.
God is so gracious, merciful and patient with us when we get tripped up and fall into the maze of deception. While this is not “theologically” proper, the Lord often leads me in a time of instruction and correction to which I can easily relate.
Prayer Journal Excerpt
As the Lord brought this part of the scripture to my thoughts, “our outward man is perishing”, I sensed I had been filled with negative thoughts envisioning a wasting away to death. The question was posed to me, “do you see my words saying death?” Of course, the answer was no but the Lord did not wait for my answer.
It was suddenly so evident that those words were actually saying “ the outward man in My presence is getting less.” It was not with me at the center but Christ. The longer we walk with the Lord, the less influential the outer man becomes. The strong temptations and lusts decline naturally as the body strength declines.
There is more to my word, do not stop there.
The Lord brought the word “yet” to my focus. This word is connecting the first part of the sentence with the second part. It became clear the word yet means “as” or “while”. The “the outward man in My presence is getting less” WHILE the Lord is doing something else.
The Lord said “you are losing or declining in what you DO NOT need to allow you to increase in what you DO need. Less of You allows more of Me to live with you.”
“yet the inward man is being renewed day by day”
{ End of Excerpt }
The twisted truth and lie suddenly became powerless and the oppression of “age” lifted from me. Indeed, in our walk with the Lord we are able to grow both in favor with God and man, as did Christ. The promise of “the latter shall be greater than the former”, is just one of many truths found in God’s word.
