Comer argues that our deepest desire is actually not to satisfy our flesh, even though that is a strong temptation and lies tell us that will make us happy. He writes: Repetition is powerful. Neuroscience studies show that repeating something makes it easier because it becomes encoded into the wiring of your brain. Take riding a bike, for example. The more you practice, the easier it gets. One day, it becomes automatic – and you don’t even have to think about it.

If we are struggling to trust him then we should consider if there is a lie behind this which we have accepted into our lives. And it’s a difficult world for non-Christians too. Society is divided, and many people are deeply unhappy. Again, like the desire problem, this issue is nothing new. There are plenty of warnings in the Bible about the dangers of the world. For Jesus, the world was a hostile place, full of temptation and ruled by the devil. The author defines the world as a culture corrupted by rebelling against God. Nobody knows where the West will go in the years to come. The smartest people can only guess. But this could be our finest hour. We could be days away from a sweeping renewal across the Western church. It’s happened before, at the moment it was least likely. It could happen again.” (p. 240) This quote hit hard. God has given humans the creative potential to imagine a possible reality and bring it into existence. The negative side of this power is that we can bring lies into existence as well.Comer also provides an expert dissection of the ‘self’ in modern terms: “ The self – not God or Scripture – is the new locus of authority in Western culture” (p.117). The solution to this is brutal and painful. The self cannot be managed; it has to be crucified. Part of this should include fasting and the confession of sins to others. The devil loves it when we ignore these disciplines. Concluding thoughts

Saint Peter predicted that Christians would be exiles. But living in exile doesn’t mean having a lonely existence. In today’s culture, an effective church needs to be a community of close relational ties, where people form deep, intimate relationships with each other. Christians should also commit to attending regular meetings with other followers of Jesus; at the meetings, people could confess to each other and offer love and support. But this is very different to the Christian concept of freedom. For a Christian, true freedom comes from choosing the path of God. Ironically, a Christian who voluntarily submits to an external authority is freer than a nonreligious person who claims to be free but is actually a slave to their desires. In other words, people need to consider their actions carefully. This is especially true when an action is repeated and becomes a habit. The role of the church is more important than ever. Christians today should return to the idea of the church as a counterculture and live an alternative life on the margins of society. Here’s the key message: We reap what we sow, and the choices we make determine the people we become.We laugh at the devil as a premodern myth, akin to Thor’s hammer or Santa Claus. We scratch our heads at the New Testament’s language of the flesh in a sensual culture where people equate feeling good with being good. And when we hear the world, we envision a spittle-spewing street preacher with a bullhorn in a public park, railing about the dangers of AC/DC and the impending rapture.”