2 Peter 1:4
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
Those that live by the sea know the corrosive influence of the sea salt in the air. Everything that’s metal rusts quickly. So, also does being in the world corrupt us. It’s the natural course of being alive.
How do we escape it? It begins by accepting Christ. He gives us a new nature. That’s when we begin to feel an opposing force. Our new self yearns for God and His ways, while our old one is the corrupted one. Paul called this the flesh.
A Native American christian once described the struggle this way: “Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog, all of the time.” When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied “The one I feed the most.” Romans 7:14-25 describes this conflict.
Peter spoke of God’s promises that help us become partakers of His divine nature. That’s how we feed the good dog. By reading the bible, praying and being involved in fellowship.
The corruption comes by way of worldly philosophies, worldly lifestyles and addictions of many sorts. These are the things we war over. Some are difficult and life long struggles. We don’t want to become a casualty. The social pressures, the addictions can be strong. If we aren’t feeding “the good dog” we get beaten down. God intercedes often with help.
Jesus told the parable of the sower. In it there was the seed and four types of soil. Only one was good. The others couldn’t provide protection or nourishment and the seed died. As we feed the “good dog” we are escaping this corruption.
Lord, thank you for the new nature You’ve given us. Help us to keep up good nourishment and avoid the worldly corruption.