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Morning Devotional...


The World, the Flesh, and the Devil

"You once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh"

(Eph. 2:2–3a)


Dwelling on past sins in order to wallow in guilt or to revel in nostalgia is never a good idea, but Paul intends neither of these things when reminding readers of their condition before knowing Jesus (Eph. 2:1). Instead, the apostle wants to draw a contrast between life apart from Christ and life in Christ so as to magnify the power and grace of God in salvation. Laying the foundation for this contrast, the apostle continues describing life outside of Jesus in Ephesians 2:2–3, painting the bleakest of pictures for unredeemed sinners.

We were dead apart from Christ indeed (v. 1), but it was a state of spiritual death that did not render us incapable of action. We were all too capable of transgressing that which is holy, "following the course of this world ... the prince of the power of the air ... the passions of our flesh" (vv. 2–3). Here Paul reveals the three great powers that enslaved us completely before we knew Jesus and which we must continually rebel against in the course of our growth in holiness — the world, the flesh, and the Devil.

"The course of this world" (v. 2) refers to the ways of culture and society that oppose the Lord. There are ungodly trends in the world — materialism, naturalism, desire for instant gratification, and more — that once ruled all of our passions but are now defeated in Christ (John 16:33; 1 John 5:5). No longer our ruler, the world still appeals to our remaining sin, so we must maintain our guard lest we fall back into bondage.

In ancient times, the term air often referred to the spiritual realm of angels and demons; thus, "the prince of the power of the air" is Satan (Eph. 2:2). This leader of all that opposes God stirs up trouble all over the world, and he even endeavors to infiltrate and disturb the church (4:26–27). The Devil is fierce but easily put to flight when we resist him by the Spirit, as Jesus has triumphed over him (James 4:7; Col. 2:15).

Finally, "the passions of our flesh" and "desires of the body" (Eph. 2:3) refer not to our physical bodies, as if our corporeal form is in itself wicked. After all, God created all things good, including our bodies (Gen. 1:31). The apostle is speaking of our fallen nature, which Christ has subdued. It is a resilient foe, however, that remains until our glorification. We must therefore seek daily to mortify it and deny the sins that seem the most appealing to us (Rom. 6:12–14).

Coram Deo

Paul makes a subtle shift in Ephesians 2:1–3 from "you" (the Gentile Ephesians) to "we" (Jews like Paul and the Gentiles), indicating the universality of sin. John Chrysostom writes, "All are included. It is not possible to say that anyone is exempted" from the presence of sin and the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the Devil (ACCN T 8, p. 122). But in Christ we have the power and desire to resist these foes, so let us do so today by the power of the Spirit.

Passages for Further Study

Deuteronomy 12:29–32
John 8:33–37
Galatians 5:16–26
1 Peter 5:6–11


From Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship of R.C. Sproul.  http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/world-flesh-and-devil/

Thank you for the good Thoughts for this week, Buddy.

Darrel and I picked up Jeff, Diane and Abby and we all went to Guymon, Oklahoma last evening and ate at Hunny's, a place where they serve barbecued ribs, polish sausage and fried chicken, with all the side dishes, and you use paper and plastic ware, along with lots of paper towels!  It was good.  Then we decided to go to a movie, as it was still early.  We saw Best of Me, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks.  I really enjoy his books.  The movie differed significantly from the book, but it was good, and even the guys liked it.  They really preferred to see Fury, but it started an hour later, so they went with us girls!    I really enjoyed the evening; it had been years since we did "dinner and a movie." 

This evening our pastor is hosting our small group.  He is cooking a pork shoulder and we are bringing side dishes and desserts.  Should be a nice fellowship evening.

Time is flying by and we need to begin packing for our next adventure--to Burma (Myanmar) this time!

Thank you so much for the devotional today. It really spoke to me.

And, Janet, y'all enjoy a wonderful trip.

It's a matter of praise that I awakened in time to be at church. Thanks be to our Lord.

Y'all have a good rest of the day.

Ruth Ann

Buddy, thank you for the great devotional this morning.   

I'm still moving back and forth between the PC laptop and the MacBook - still can't get the mail to work on the Mac.

Another chilly and cloudy day, but after all, it is the last week of October.   

    Good evening to all.    i JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU ALL A VERY SHORT REPORT ON Noreen.   she IS VERY DOWN RIGHT NOW BUT SHE STILL HAS STRONG Faith and why she is down is because that she has an other infection in the same leg and it is called  Staff  Lococca Aureas and this is a cousin to Mersa.  They are treating with a much stronger amount of the same drug that they had her on for the other infection.

My son Danny is going to see the surgeon again  today for his eye problem and it is very serious so we ask that you all will continue to pray for both of these and that Danny will give his life to Christ.   God's richest blessing's to you all.      Gordon and Noreen.

Hi everyone.  We are to be in the 80's again today but it was a cool morning.  At coffee this morning the DIL of one of our men stopped at McDonald's to tell up one of our men had suffered a massive heart attack last Wednesday and that he was being taken off of life-support at 5 pm today.  We appreciated her kindness in letting us know.  Pat has gone for her massage and the housekeeper s are here this morning.  Not sure whether Pat will want to go out to lunch but will wait until she is home before making my lunch. 

Buddy, thanks for sharing the weekly devotional with us.

Janet, it sounds like dinner and movie night was very enjoyable.  The last movie I saw in a theater was Titanic.  Pat goes once in a while with a couple of women friends. 

Ruth Ann, glad you were able to get to church as you wanted. 

Jeanne, can you call Apple for assistance in setting up your MacBook.  I called them once and they were very helpful and your new computer should be under warranty.

Gord, so sorry for Noreen that she has to fight off another terrible infection.  She has certainly had a bad time.  Hope the surgeon can give Danny some hope that his eyesight can be saved. 

Larry, my Mac is not new.  It's the one my daughter replaced when she upgraded, so it's definitely not under warranty.     I may end up contacting Apple, but even the OS is obsolete so I'm not sure how much help they would give me.  So far the only problem I've had is with my Gmail and I can still use the PC for that.

After weeks of temps in the high 80s it seems more like Fall today.  The leaves are raining down, and the wind is blowing, but not too hard, so Janet won't complain today. 

Our Connections Group last night was very enjoyable.  We talked about the sermons we heard over the past two weeks and different ones shared how they impacted them.  Very relaxed evening.

We have been to exercise, got home and sat in the hot tub a while, showered, etc. and now I have the laundry going.  I want to get the house cleaned and KEEP it that way until we leave.  I like coming home to a clean house.  Of course, we always bring dirty laundry, but I don't mind that at all.  Laundry is one of my favorite tasks since I have a lovely washer and dryer.  Have you thanked God for your washer and dryer lately?    

Gord, tell Noreen I'm sad to hear of another infection....not good.  But God is able to take care of that, too.  And I will  pray for Danny's salvation foremost, and also the healing of his eyes.  Our eyesight is so precious!

Ruth Ann, thanks for the good wishes on our trip.  God bless you!

Gord, I apologize for not answering your message.  Please be sure that I did pray and am continuing to pray for Noreen that if it's the Lord's will she be quickly healed and for Danny for salvation and healing also.

It is so easy to become distracted by worldly things.   

Gord:  So sorry to learn of Noreen's difficult infection.  Prayers for her recovery. 

Larry:  I notice that you did get a "mixed reaction" to your note on missionaries.  They feel the commandment to go out and preach the gospel and do encounter peril in some cases.  Bless them, they are doing what I have not even thought about in my lifetime. 

Take care all.

Hi, friends,

It's good to be with y'all in this nice spot called Christian Photographers. Thanks, Pat, for providing us with this great place to share.

I'm rejoicing today. Prayers for God's guidance for my grandson have been answered. He's such a fine Christian man, teacher, and father. And, today, he passed his orals and will shortly receive his master's degree. Then, this afternoon, he spent the time with their two little ones carving a pumpkin.

I'm invited to eat dinner with some friends, so will leave for the restaurant as soon as I see if my son who lives out of the country can get his call through.

Y'all have a wonderful rest of the day. Remember, I pray for all the prayer requests, and that God will guide each of us through our lives.

Love to all,
Ruth Ann

Hi everyone.  It has been a busy morning as I took Pat to her doctor's appointment about her shoulder and it was a long wait.  The doctor said it was the arthritis in her shoulder that she had aggravated with the yarn untangling.  She got some medicine to try to help and some exercises to do.  Pat didn't have time for breakfast before we left so after the appointment we went out and we split an omelet, which was very good.  Now I don't have to make my lunch.  It is another very pretty day.  We are home for the rest of the day. While I waited for Pat at the doctor's office I stayed in the car and was able to read my discussions.  So I am only going to make very limited remarks today in response to other postings.

Ruth Ann, nice accomplishment for your grandson in passing his orals and sure he is very relived to have that behind him. 

Jeanne, try going to Gmail via your browser if you haven't.  I find that works well.

I had another rather intense workout today.  Kristi is trying to get us in condition for our trip!  The first of November we are starting a new challenge called "Sustain; maintain; don't gain!" through December.  She will weigh us each week and those who don't gain, or whose muscle mass goes up will receive a reward--NOT FOOD! she said.       Love that girl!

Beth called and is missing me, as I havent been to see her for two whole days!    So I will take her a drink from Sonic and visit her this afternoon.  I will read to her while I'm there.  I think how terrible I would find it not to be able to hold a book or Kindle and read any more.  So I know she misses reading terribly, as she has always loved to read.  TV just isn't the same as reading a good book!

It feel a little more like Fall today, still lovely, crisp weather.  And the sunrise this morning was spectacular!  I praise God for his handiwork!

Please pray for Michele Formhals, the pastor's wife from my church in California. She is the one who has had cancer so many times. This time they have given her 6-8 more weeks to live if that. Hospice starts with her today.She is ready to go home and be with the Lord, she said her goodbye's to her two children last night.Please life up the family.the kids are 18 and 14.

Hi, friends,

I am literally here in the dark. It seems one of the circuit breakers affecting half of my apartment has tripped. So, they've called Maintenance. I won't be able to cook my supper (thank goodness for peanut butter and candles) . Neither can I see my way into the bathroom.

Well, it's time to start my message again. As I suspected, it was a breaker that had tripped. So, now I can cook, use the computer plugged in rather than on battery power, and I won't fall going to the ladies' room!

I went to cast my ballot during early voting today. I like to do it that way so I usually only need to stand a few moments to wait for a ballot terminal instead of in a really long line.

Then, I had grilled fish for lunch. That's one of my most favorite meals.

Marilyn so sorry to hear this about your former pastor's wife.

Well, I must go, I'm expecting a telephone call.

May our Lord be with us all today,
Ruth Ann

Marilyn, I pray our Blessed Lord will support and comfort the family of Michele Formhals through this difficult time.

Hi everyone.  Today is going to be a busy one for me.  It is going to be a nice morning but our weather is to change and turn colder starting mid-afternoon.  Pat and I will be gone all morning so she can have her appointment at 10:30 with the specialized shoe store that is about an hour away.  Yesterday afternoon, when I went out to get the mail, I saw my neighbor out in his yard and we visited for about 30 minutes at his fence.  When I turned to head to the post office box my legs didn't work and I immediately fell to the ground.  I wasn't hurt at all and was able to get right up.  It was really a strange event but think it was due to standing with my knees locked for such a long period.  The only effect of the fall I feel this morning is a sore spot when I move my big toe and there must have been a twist that I didn't realize.  It is nothing serious.  This really shook me up as it is the first time I have fallen in a very long time and I was shocked at how uncontrollable it was.  I just need to be more careful. 

Janet, It sounds like your exercise program for the next two months will be a challenge but I know you can do it.  I am sure Beth does miss your frequent visits. 

Marilyn, that is so sad about Michele's situation but good that she can accept it.  I believe it was only about two months that Stacey was under Hospice care.  She led us to believe it was that serious but I think the doctors had told her she didn't have long and that is why she had signed all of the papers for Hospice.  It was a loving act on her part towards us to not put us in the position to make the decision. 

Ruth Ann, glad you have power again. 

Larry, when we were trained for our Color Guard we were told to never lock our knees as that would block circulation in our legs.  One of the gals found out the hard way that it was the truth when her legs "fell asleep".

Yesterday we got into the upper 50's and the rest of the week will be getting cooler - with Saturday maybe as high as 40 with rain showers and in some areas possible s**w showers.   What a way to start November!   

When my girls were in chorus in H.S. one of the girls did that (locked her knees) and fell off the riser!  The embarrassment hurt worse than the fall!    Larry, I am so glad you weren't hurt when you fell.

We have been to our workout, are trying to find insurance on the house (State Farm canceled us because of the claim three years ago!)  Grrr!  They love it when you are sending them money, but they sure don't like paying any out when you need it!

Our Abby came by yesterday for a while.  She was in town to visit the chiropractor.  Always a joy to see our granddaughter.  And I spent a while reading to Beth yesterday, too.

I need to get crackin'.  Lots to do!  (Yeah, I know---what else is new?   

Hello friends: 
Marilyn Thanks for comments about the recent death in our family.

Janet: Yes I am private with a lot of things and this dates back to my childhood, I found that keeping issues to myself was the best solution.

Our daughter Sue had lost her Husband to death 16 yrs. ago leaving her with a young daughter. She was with her present companion for 14 yrs. and it was Sunday October 12/14 that she became engaged and was going to be married May 2015. But the Lord had other plans as it was October 20/14 that he suddenly passed away leaving a whole in our hearts.

Ruth I am so sorry about the death in your family.  Yes, I'm sure his passing has left a big hole in your hearts.

I do understand about wanting to keep things private, and I hope you know I love you and meant only to be kind in my words.  I knew when you were ready, you would tell us what you wanted us to know.  Best wishes and lots of hugs to you! 

Thank you for posting this Ruth, John and I are praying for Sue as well as for you.

Michele passed graduated to heaven today at 1:33.  She opened her eyes to Jesus and to be in the  presence of all His glory.

And is healed and out of pain.

Hi, friends,

Wednesday was an odd day for me. I didn't feel very well, so rested all morning long. Finally I was able to take someone to the doctor, but rested as much as possible. Now, it's past midnight and I'm still awake...go figure.

I've come to believe that sometimes when we graduate to heaven, we have received the ultimate healing.

Ruth, my condolences to all family and friends.

Larry, I've come to fear falling, for something almost always gets damaged in the process. Do take care.

Janet, lots of activity for you. Try to pace yourself.

There are others I haven't mentioned, but know I love you and pray with you and often think of all persons who post in this discussion.

Much love to all,
Ruth Ann

Graduating to Glory is awesome!  Sometimes I almost envy those who get to go ahead of us.  But I am not in a big hurry to leave, as long as God has plans for me here, I am content to stay.  Our sorrow is never for the one who is promoted to heaven, but for those left behind who miss them dearly.

Ruth Ann, you seem to have a lot of activity, too, even though you have a lot more physical challenges than I.

Almost time to go to the gym.  Then I hope to accomplish a lot more than I did yesterday!

Hi everyone.  It is a cool 46 degrees this morning with a high of 65 degrees mid-afternoon and then cooling again.  However, it will be a sunny day with no rain.  We did get a little rain yesterday and it was cloudy and gloomy all day. 

We did get to the school store and it was pretty impressive the knowledge the specialist exhibited in analyzing her foot situation and finding the proper inserts.  The process will have to be tweaked over the next few weeks so more visit there will be necessary. 

Today I only have my Thursday men's luncheon and we are meeting at the Asian buffet that the men like.  It is not my favorite place to go but I don't pick out the places, it is a joint decision each week by whoever attends the luncheon as to where we next meet.  I am glad to have a light day as still dealing with the weariness. 

Jeanne, I certainly learned my lesson and had I been standing on concrete and fallen over as I did on the grass I could easily have broken bones, probably my hip.  I don't have osteoporosis but the next thing down, osteopenia.  Sure hope the snow stays away from your area for awhile. 

Janet, that cancellation of insurance after claims seems to be a common practice.  Our consumer advisor on the radio sometime ago was talking about homeowner's insurance and that the companies share the claims experiences with the other companies writing the policies.  Sure hope you can find someone who will cover you with a reasonable premium.  Glad you got to spend some time with Abby.

Ruth, so sorry for your daughter Sue and all of your family.  We just can never know when it might be our time and thus the reason to live each day to the fullest and not worrying about what has happened or what might happen. 

Marilyn, Michele can now live without pain as she had certainly suffered for along time.  Thanks for sharing this. 

Ruth Ann, as my heart continues to weaken I have become less steady on my feet and have really slowed down walking.  I do try to be careful and had no idea my legs were not going to move when my head did.  Falls at our age are something to be dreaded and avoided if possible.  Hope today finds you feeling better than yesterday. 

Janet, I agree with your comments on grieving and you said it much better than I could have even though I was thinking along the same lines. 

A beautiful, sunny morning.  At least, it looks beautiful.  The temperature, at about 9:30 is 42 degrees. 

Ruth, I am praying for the Lords' strength and peace for the family.

It is cloudy a sure sign of fall and we have heard on the radio that snow is on its way perhaps this weekend.

Thanks for your prayers as the road ahead for Sue is trying, if people would mind their own business there wouldn't be so much stress, all of this is primarily caused by 1 person. Sue has managed so far to hold her temper but in a very short time it will happen.
Sue did pick up her daughter and they had a wonderful evening together 

Larry: I sure enjoy how to make a point of acknowledging all of our posts.
We need you to keep well.

To everyone else that I missed keep well. Now I have to fill out some medical forms.

   Hi to all.   We Finlay got home last night at around 8 00 p. m. and that was such a very hard trip for Noreen.   She is having a very hard time as she now has a block in her leg and she cannot put any weight onto her leg she has to use a walker inside the house and then when she goes out any where she has to use a wheel chair.  She also has an other infection called Staff Locos Aurea's so the surgeon could not believe that this has happened.    Well please keep praying that this will clear up as there are just to many things   could happen if it does not.

Thank you  and God blessyou all.   Gordon and Noreen.