"Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” - 1 Peter 2:11

The verse begins with a statement about who we are in Christ: Beloved. We are also sojourners and exiles in this world because our true home is in heaven with God. This is such a comfort to us during times when we find ourselves misfits or outcasts in this world. When we are mocked or looked down upon for faith in Jesus. That is how it’s supposed to be because we were not meant to dwell here permanently. We were created to be in fellowship with God, sin broke that fellowship, and Christ has restored it. That is why Peter exhorts us to “abstain from passions of the flesh”. Our sins destroy fellowship with God and cut us off from the source of life. They “wage war” against our souls by making us deaf to God’s voice, numb to our need for Him. We resist sin, not to earn God’s love, but to prepare our souls to return home to the Lord!

Questions: 

1. Before Christ, how would you answer the questions “Who am I?” and “Where do I belong?” If you don’t consider yourself a Christ-follower, how would you answer these questions for yourself?

2. How does your identity as God’s Beloved enable you to “abstain from passions of the flesh”?

Prayer:

God, thank You that You have given me a home in heaven. You are preparing a room for me and place at the banquet table. Thank You for sending Jesus to take my place on the cross, so that my sins could be forgiven, and I am made new. My identity as your Beloved is unshakeable, no matter what happens to me in this life. I pray You would give me the boldness to live as if this is true. Give me a desire to please You and to fight against sins in my life that come between my relationship with You.  

By Yiyi Yao