Inception

I recently watched a movie called Inception, it is about a guy who gets into people's dreams and steals their ideas or plants a new idea. It was a very creative, but something about it bugged me. Basically the premise, was Leonardo had gotten into his wife's mind and planted the idea that the reality they lived in was not real, so they could get out of this dream they were in. Problem was this idea kept growing in his wife's mind when they got back to reality. It grew and grew until she convinced herself that the only way to get back to real life was to kill herself.

Today I was thinking about this movie and a sudden thought came to my mind. The devil does this. He plants ideas and thoughts in our mind. And if left alone they will grow and grow until they become actions. Sin.

2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I know the devil used this with me. And I let him. I even helped him...by letting bitterness, anger and pride build up inside of me. By thinking I could do it on my own and for blaming God for what was or was not happening in my life. The thoughts just kept getting worse and worse, but it was gradual so as I kept entertaining the devil's ideas the more comfortable I got with them and the farther I got from God. And then the thoughts became actions. Destructive actions. Sin.

And let me tell you one thought that the devil will NEVER put into your mind. The consequences of sin.

Romans 6:23 says For the wages of sin is death. Know this the sin you play around with, dabble with, or entertain in your mind will come back and eat you alive. Sin always leads to sorrow. It is not worth it.

But because of God's unfailing love and his unfathomable grace we have hope. A friend recently described grace to me as getting something that we do not deserve. A gift. And mercy as not getting something that we do deserve. Ephesians 2:4-6 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace you have been saved.

My prayer for the new year is that I will be made new in the attitude of my mind. That I will put off the old self, which is corrupted with deceitful desires and that I will put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness (Ephesians 4:22-24). That I will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. (Romans 12:2)

I don't deserve it. Forgiveness. Another chance. But I desperately want it.

So if you are reading this and you have been toying with an idea or thought. Take it captive. Don't do what I did. Don't give the devil a foothold. Because he will use it and it will lead to hurt and destruction.