12/04/2017
Are you concerned because you are constantly at war within yourself? Does it bother you that there is a struggle going on inside you between good and evil, holy and unholy, or salvation and damnation? Well, take heart because although this conflict is the natural state of man, we have a champion who not only helps us realize the good within ourselves, but helps us to achieve it by defeating sin.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."”
John 16:33 ESV
These words of Jesus bring us great reassurance. We often limit this verse to simply meaning physical tribulation, but it speaks of much more than that. Everything that comes against us in the physical world has a direct impact on us mentally and spiritually... while everything that comes against us mentally and spiritually has a determined influence on our physical wellbeing. These attributes are interwoven, and so intertwined that it is impossible to pull on one chord without moving the others.
As I read my devotional message this morning I was pleased to hear Oswald Chambers speak to this constant struggle. He spoke to its existence, but not much was said about combating it. Here is what he said:
“Life without war is impossible either in nature or in grace. The basis of physical, mental, moral, and spiritual life is antagonism. This is the open fact of life.” - Oswald Chambers
This struggle is as natural as taking our next breath... there is nothing wrong with you when you are constantly having your faith challenged, face hardship, or struggle against bad thoughts. This is what it means t0 be alive, and God doesn’t want us to be without the tribulation... He wants us to confront and defeat it. This is what strengthens the various natures within us; our bodies, our minds, and our spiritual beings.
Each year I take a flu shot. This is a small injection of the dead flu virus, but it triggers my body to produce antibodies that will be ready and waiting should I come into contact with the living virus. I argue that it makes my body stronger. It prepares me for what lies ahead and protects me from greater harm. The tribulations in our lives do much the same thing, and this includes the challenges to us in every manner... including our faith. These come in order to trigger a reaction within us that will prepare us for the greater fight, and to help us win the war...
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'”
Revelation 2:7 ESV
I had cancer. Being sick affected me in a physical sense; it made me feel terrible, and as I fought it, I also found that I had to fight against depression, malaise... and to determine how I would involve my faith in the struggle I was facing. In the end I was able to defeat my cancer. I thank God for this every day, because one of the greatest outcomes of my battle against cancer was the victory I experienced in my faith. By confronting adversity in my physical world, I was able to marshal my spiritual forces, and by leaning on God I found the comfort and healing I needed. This inoculation strengthened me and later allowed me to walk with my son as he too faced cancer in his body.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV
I love these verses from Proverbs. They tell us to that by leaning on God in a spiritual manner that we receive moral and physical healing... we “turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.” This is a reinforcement to our understanding of how God has constructed us. We are not meant to be spiritual alone, or likewise simply physical. We aren’t meant to know only good, but to understand bad and how to overcome it. We experience mental turmoil as the result of these challenges and in the end we are stronger in all aspects of our existence... physical, mental, moral, and above all else, spiritual. Jesus Christ is our flu shot in a world rampant with evil, and physical disease. He strengthens us and through Him we grow strong and find eternal life.
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:22-23 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the hardships in my life because they draw me closer to you as I seek help in my times of distress. I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who is my inoculation against sin, and my preparation in the battle against evil and various physical and mental challenges. Holy Father, it is by your grace I have been saved, and in your mercy I am comforted. Give me peace and rest in you Father, and as the larger troubles emerge in my life, let me build upon the resolve I have been preparing in you... and defeat them by your presence. I am not alone Lord; you are ever with me, and in me. Give me strength on the day of battle, and lead me to victory through Jesus. In this I praise your name, and in this I lift your banner high for all to see. Holy, Holy, Holy, art thou my God and Lord.
Rich Forbes