THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

“And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.” - Luke 22:62

I have a problem. There is someone I have trouble with. This person has caused me so much difficulty through the years. This person has gotten me into trouble time and time again. My problems with this person is not an occasional disagreement, but a daily battle. I am, of course, referring to myself. Yes, I am my own worst enemy. My enemy is the man I see in the mirror every day.

I wished I could say that my inner battle has decreased through the years, but that is not the case. I battle my sinful flesh every day. When I walk in the Spirit, I enjoy victory. At other times the flesh is victorious.

When I walk in the flesh, I can be unkind to people. When my sinful flesh is in control, my attitude is a problem. Let me just cut to the chase: when I walk in the flesh, I am impatient, proud and selfish.

Someone may argue that I am being too hard on myself, but, apart from God, I know myself better than anyone. Like it or not, in your flesh, you're not much better either.

I find great comfort in knowing that the Apostle Peter was a man who struggled as well. Peter let his mouth get him into trouble. In fact, I've often said that Peter opened his mouth often enough to change which foot went in.

While Peter probably meant well, he was very impulsive and careless. He didn't really consider the gravity of a situation until it was too late.

The man I see in the mirror needs a lot of work. Do you feel the same way about yourself?

The fact is that my sinful flesh will not improve one bit. Self-help books, self-improvement lectures and positive thinking won't eradicate the deeds of the flesh. Some think that Christian growth will improve the flesh. That simply isn't so.

We need to face the fact that we'll struggle with our flesh all the way to the grave. However, that does not mean that we have to be slaves to our flesh.

Here are a few things to ponder.

1. DEAL WITH SIN

It is important to practice daily repentance. Stay clean before God. Specific, regular confession of sin is vital to victorious living. Don't take sin lightly. Be brutally honest with God and yourself concerning personal sin. It is easy to spot sin in someone else's life, but recognizing your own sin is often more difficult. The only way to deal with sin is to honestly bring it to God and have Him deal with it.

2. DIE TO SELF

Secondly, there is a need to die to self. Paul wrote that we are to put to death the deeds of the flesh through the power of the Spirit. We need to be merciless about our own sin and our sinful flesh. Billy Sunday said, "One reason that sin flourishes is that it is treated like a cream puff instead of a rattlesnake." We should treat sin like a rattlesnake. If a rattlesnake were in your home, you wouldn't go to bed until it was found and destroyed. Treat sin the same way. Paul wrote that Christians should offer themselves as sacrifices to God. A sacrifice to God is to be slain. A dead person makes little trouble. A dead man doesn't get into an argument. A dead person is not vain. Dying to self requires unconditional surrender to Jesus. It is a consistent yielding to His Lordship. It is refusal to be selfish or conceited. Dying to self requires that we give up all that we feel entitled to. We give up all we have to Him. We simply live obediently to His Word thereafter. Paul wrote that he died daily. We must die to self daily!

3. DWELL IN THE SPIRIT

Paul wrote that if we walk in the flesh, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. You can't be full of yourself and full of the Spirit at the same time. God will only fill a clean, empty vessel. We need to practice daily repentance so we stay clean before God. We need to be emptied of selfishness as we die to self. A clean, empty vessel is one that God will fill. The Bible instructs us to be filled with the Spirit. That particular Scripture tends to indicate that we need to be continuously filled. You see, we tend to leak. Without vigilance, the flesh crawls off the altar and tries to take control. It is a constant battle. Being filled with the Spirit is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment occurrence. Without spiritual diligence, we find ourselves walking in the flesh instead of walking in the Spirit.

Yes, the man in the mirror has been a problem for me. I struggle greatly with this guy. I'm glad that the answer for the man in the mirror is the Man in the middle --- the One who died on the middle cross of Calvary. Just as Christ made me new within at conversion, soon He will change the outer man --- and free me from the sin nature that hinders me so.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!