Thoughts on life, love and faith by Plasticmind.

A number of years ago, fewer than I care to admit, I finally came to the point where I saw the Christian life clearly and I was faced with two great paths: self-denial and self-indulgence. Decisions could either be made because it was what I wanted, or because it was what I knew was right. Fortunately, the two often coincided in my life; but without a conscientious choice the outcome would be left to the impulse of the moment--very dangerous.

So which path did I take? I was afriad of sacrifice; I was afraid of where that road would lead; or more honestly what the road may require. I enjoyed moderate indulgence. Taking that road, however, plunged me into a realm I had not known previously. It was a place where Sathan, who had in times past tempted me physically, was tempting me intellectually. He approached me with the reasoning, "If you live a self-sufficient life, why not thing self-sufficient thoughts?"

You see, I still acted righteous and did "good" things in the eyes of men; but it was hypocrisy because at the base of my decision was the fact that I was doing what I wanted to do. And of course, a philosophy of life has a way of changing even the strongest of habits, especially at college where hundreds of voices innundate, calling different directions. The Bible makes it clear--a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

So the entire struggle stemmed from the day I said no to self-sacrifice; some of the strongholds have remained thanks to godly parents. Sadly, though, I had to go through the process of tearing down beliefs before I realized that the only reason I was tearing them down was because they were as vacant as an abandoned house; my actions had long since moved out and so why believe something you're not acting upon. I have only just begun to realize that one or the other must go--the faith not demonstrated by actions or the actions not based in faith. After examining both...

EMPTY ACTIONS MUST GO... I CHOOSE FAITH!