Steve Johnson

What do you see when you look in the mirror? How do you perceive yourself? Someone has said, “Perceptions are reality.” Someone else said, “Whatever you think you are—you are!”

Here is a bold statement: If you see yourself as a sinner, saved by grace, you will sin and your Christian life will be mediocre at best. You will be riddled with guilt and open to Satan’s attack along that line. In other words, what we believe about ourselves determines our behaviour. One of Satan’s most successful schemes is that of keeping Christians ignorant of their true identity in Christ.

Really knowing Jesus is essential to consistency. That happens by spending time in the Word, seeing Christ in the pages of Scripture, and experiencing and trusting Him in our daily lives. This is what I want for you and me.

One of the most important purposes we can have is to live a teachable life. As Pastor Chuck Swindoll says, “Our acute need is to cultivate a willingness to learn and to remain teachable."

Ask any athlete or soldier—faith, courage, and strength in the heat of the contest or battle does not come because it is mustered at that moment. It’s there because of the preparation that precedes the battle. Joseph shows us the same is true of defeating temptation.