Pride of Life - from The Battle Of The Mind - by Bill Loveless

Turn on the TV, pick up a newspaper, or read a magazine and immediately you will be bombarded with the world’s thinking. Remember that Satan is the god of this world, and he is using all that the world offers to influence you to compare, to succeed, to win, to be strong, to be self-sufficient, and most importantly, to be independent. Satan uses our culture to entice you to want bigger, better, and always more. This infernal message, designed to sow discontentment, is the primary one you will receive from the world. Why? All that the world can serve up to you, as it says in 1 John 2:16, is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful PRIDE of life.

In addition, world events, politicians, etc. can invoke fearful, angry, and anxious thoughts. I know Christians that can’t get past their anger about what the government is doing or not doing. They let politicians and governmental action (or inaction) steal their peace and rest in Christ. They just “wallow” in their “stinking” thinking. I believe we would be surprised to know how deeply our culture influences our thought life and how much it can trigger fleshly thoughts of lust, envy, anger, anxiety, etc.