At baptism, God's chosen people metaphorically die in a watery grave and are resurrected, receiving an earnest payment of their sanctified, glorified futures. From that moment of their death, they are torn continually by two realities—the pulls of the carnal fleshly nature (leading to death) and the pulls of God's implanted Holy Spirit, leading to eternal life. We live in these two realities simultaneously, vigorously putting to death the noxious, carnal nature. The apostle Paul, decades into the sanctification process, despaired of the deadly law of sin scuttling his intention of obeying God's spiritual and holy law, which he fully supported and upheld to the best of his ability, but understanding that he badly needed the power of Christ. For most of us living in these unstable times, the cares, fears, and deceptive comforts of this world often distract us from our higher purpose of following God's purpose for us, crafted before the foundation of the world. As God's people, we must be as steadfast as Paul and Peter, having a strong vision of the reality of God, enduring tribulations, appreciating God's refining of our faith as more precious than gold. Sadly, like Demas, we are also subject to the continuous pulls of the flesh, the world, and Satan the devil. Like Moses, we must continue to focus on the spiritual reality rather than pressures of society and the world. If we look at our lot physically and carnally, we may feel inclined to blame God. But the presence of adversity does not mean God is absent, and the presence of persecution does not mean God has abandoned us. Unlike Demas, who focused more on present circumstances, our focus has to be upon where we derive our strength.