The God Shot: 1 Peter 2:11

"Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in, like an exile or an outsider? In those instances, did you feel overcome by the desire to defend or prove yourself? Just verses earlier, Peter told these believers to knock it off with the malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Those are all sins we can commit with our mouths. So here when he tells them to abstain from the passions of the flesh, that covers a broad range of sins. It certainly includes malice, deceit, hypocrisy, and slander. These Christians were living under the rule of Rome who persecuted, taxed, and even killed them. Peter says the bigger battle is the one our souls fight against our flesh. So today, don't let your mouth win the battle. It was meant to praise God. He's where the joy is!