Going To War

In previous posts I've blogged about reserving the chastity of your soul for your Creator. While Satan was defeated at the cross he continues to make every effort to hold his ground. I dare say every Christian has areas of weakness that Satan wants to play upon. These areas are strongholds of demonic insurgence. We cannot be unaware of what is going on here. To be uninformed is to be unarmed.

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This is how it works; We have an area of weakness .... most likely a moral issue (check the Ten Commandments). We could site an adoration of the creation ... lust, hatred, arrogance or discontent to name a few.

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So lets talk about a common problem like over eating. We are not so concerned about over eating until we check the numbers on the scale or the fact that our clothes don't fit so well or that we are feeling less then attractive. We know that the solution is probably diet and exercise and so we give it the old college try with little to no success. The thought of dieting or exercising more is overwhelmingly depressing. We feel ill. In fact some days we feel ravenously hungry or dull and muzzy headed ..... we end up snacking to perk ourselves up ..... the blues or depression can make you hungry ..... acute grief or illness will probably work the other way. Somehow we think there must be some way to be at a healthy weight without being sick first.

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Now I have prayed about this and here is what I have discovered. Feeling under the weather is a devise that Satan uses to frustrate my efforts. When we do not feel well we tend to self medicate. This is innocent enough unless you are trying to lose weight. Call it an evil spirit or bad energy .... Satan and the demonic are the realm of sin, illness and disease. They wish to appear benign but they want to keep you blind, frustrated, upset, and guilty. They want to put a wedge between you and God and they want you as a Christian to look like a fool before the world.

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You may allow this to happen or you can go to war. If evil spirits bring guilt, depression, anxiety, stress, addiction, illness and disease our weapons of war include the truth found in God's word, faith, prayer and the fruits of the Spirit. Step one, repent. This is God's word .... believe it and start praying. Even unintentional sin is a violation of the law. You have an insurgence of the enemy in your life ... a stronghold that has been established. You have allowed this to happen. Perhaps unintentionally ... you simply didn't know and Satan had you fooled and tied up tight before you realised.

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I have an acquaintance who violated the law unintentionally. He was not given hard time but he spent two years on a work farm. In the Old Testament even unintentional sins or sins of ignorance required a sacrifice. When the law is broken restitution must be made. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. But it is taken into consideration when consequences are meted out. Willful and premeditated infractions are more heinous and do require stiffer penalties but the grace of God is available to all who repent. There is not help for you until you repent.

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Repentance involves a turning from sin. We reject the sinful thought or deed with it's demonic connections and we ask for the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit comes the fruits of the Spirit that replace the fruits of evil. "But the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, and self control .... against these things there is no law." At this point you may experience a brief altercation or even a lengthy struggle. Satan has made inroads into your life and he does not want to give up ground. You may even experience physical pain. Or little, seemingly benign temptations .... the camels nose. Jesus said, "If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Better to enter life maimed then to enter hell all in one piece." Jesus was trying to impress on us the gravity of sin and temptation.

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God's creation is good but if something has become a temptation for you don't flirt with it, get it out of the house! And be sensitive to others. Do not take advantage of your brothers weakness. Jesus also said, "it would be better for you to have a millstone tied around your neck and be dropped into the sea then to cause one of these little ones to stumble." Do not be guilty of setting a temptation or stumbling block before a weaker brother. Allow God to Shepherd you in these matters.

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I dare say everyone is struggling with something. Being aware of your area of need will help you avoid tunnel vision or seeing only someone else's problem. "First take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye." Look at what the bible says to you about how you should interact with that family member, friend, enemy or coworker. Most likely this will be helpful because your natural instincts will be quite different. Be in prayer for yourself and them. Wish them ill and the measure you use will come back on you ... that's a promise.

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Finally worship. Satan is unlikely to be able to keep a stronghold in your life if you are praising, adoring and rejoicing in your God. Maintain the joy of your salvation. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered!" This will bring you cheer and improved health and will overthrow a foul mood are physical complaint. However, God may allow you continued struggle or to be oppressed in an area of your life. He does not always remove a difficult circumstance or an area of weakness or temptation. This is training in humility and all about the glory and prerogatives of God. If it were all so easy we would be glib towards the struggles of others.

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The Apostle Paul experienced this with his "thorn in the flesh" ... three times he asked for God to give him relief from "this messenger of Satan." But God's answer to him was, "my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." and so St. Paul opted to rejoice in his sufferings and weakness because his area of insufficiency became Gods strength in and through him and God accomplishes even more through us because it is plane to see that his arm has done what we could not do. As Paul was weak his detractors were amazed and even jealous at his results .... those more well meaning reached out to help him and found themselves helped because they opened up to Paul and his message .... Paul's weakness kept him humble and dependent on God day by day .... those who tried to thwart his message found it irrepressable even from prison cells ... the lie of self sufficiency was not a temptation for Paul because of his thorn in the flesh ... he knew that apart from God he could do nothing and this knowledge gave him a reliance on the God who moves mountains. This is a God who uses the weak. This God is our God....and we are at war.

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Love Divine

Love Divine, all love excelling,

Joy of heav'n to earth come down:

Fix in us they humble dwelling,

All thy faithful mercies crown:

Jesus, though art all compassion,

Pure unbounded love thou art;

Visit us with thy salvation,

Enter ev'ry trembling heart.

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Breathe O breathe thy loving Spirit

Into ev'ry troubled breast;

Let us all in thee inherit,

Let us find the promised rest:

Take away the love of sinning;

Alpha and Omega be;

End of faith, as its Beginning,

Set our hearts at liberty.

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Come, Almighty to deliver,

Let us all thy life receive;

Suddenly return, and never,

Never more thy temple leave.

Thee we would be always blessing,

Serve thee as thy hosts above,

Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,

Glory in they perfect love.

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Finish, then, thy new creation;

Pure and spotless let us be:

Let us see thy great salvation

Perfectly restored in thee;

Changed from glory into glory,

Till in heav'n we take our place,

Till we cast our crowns before thee,

Lost in wonder, love and praise. Amen.

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~George F. LeJeune, 1887, #460 Trinity Hymnal

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