The War Inside of Me

The war inside of me

There are two distinct Jerry's - in me! If you’re concerned that I suffer from some personality disorder, have no fear. I am a spiritual man, made alive to God by the Holy Spirit, and a natural man, with an active sinful nature.    The spiritual nature in me loves God, is empowered by faith, loves others, lives to serve eternal purposes, is gentle and kind. The sinful nature, loves the things of this present world, is prone to fear, and is resistant to the will of God.

At night, as I quiet my mind and pray, thinking about the day now past, sometimes I rejoice in obedience and sometimes I feel regret, knowing that I have allowed the sinful nature to become dominant. Am I a real Christian? Absolutely. Christ Jesus has called me into His holy family and the Spirit of God lives in me. But, the sinful nature does not surrender easily, nor is its defeat automatic. Some teachers imply that a religious experience, a program, or a ritual  will bring instant victory and beautiful perfection in thought, word, and deed. How I would like for that to be true, but it isn't. It is a deception that leads to disillusionment and despair in the lives of many who hunger for true holiness. The sinful nature is overcome - day by day - by learning the Truth and by 'breathing in' the life of the Spirit. The Scripture says - "Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy." (Ephesians 4:20-24, NLT)  “Put off” and “renew” are a decision for today, tomorrow, and every day until we are at home with Christ.

Have you ever come home from a 'mountain top' experience- a spiritual retreat, a great time of worship, a week's vacation - and felt so full of God that you thought that temptation would never touch you again?  Filled up with love,  with joyful peace; overflowing in faith in those times it feels as though the ‘world, the flesh, and the Devil’ are distant memories, but vanquished. Times of renewal are just that.  Then, life begins to wear on us.  People pressure us. Temptations come at us. We grow tired. And, "I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." (Romans 7:21-23, NIV)  Devout Christians who work and serve at Christ’s call, will become drained, wearied, even bruised and bloodied.  Jesus, Himself, grew tired and knew when He needed to withdraw from the crowds to pray and rest. 

Here’s the challenge.  We must not believe the lie that we are victims, helpless, and defeated. Why?  Because, in Christ, sin and the sinful nature are already defeated, their power to condemn us broken. Paul’s reflection of the struggle with the sinful nature found in Romans 7 is not the last word.  In Romans 8, we are taught that our imperfection is exactly the reason that Christ died! If we could determine to be good enough on our own, we would not need a Savior. Our sinful nature is robed in His perfection. So, we are not condemned.  The Spirit comes to lead us to new ways, transforming us into the children of God. "Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:12-15, NLT)

Put on the spiritual nature today. Let the truth of God change your way of thinking. In prayer, breathe in the life of the Spirit, which renews your hope and gives vision.   Take up the cross of Christ, which is the high and holy calling of all who follow Him, and suffer the death of Self gladly.    "And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.  This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours.  This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon.  In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." (Ephesians 6:10-18, The Message)

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10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord)

The sun comes up,
it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass

and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes.

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger.

Your name is great and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing,

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find!

And on that day when my strength is failing,

The end draws near and my time has come.

Still my soul will sing Your praise unending,

Ten thousand years, and then forevermore.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

O my soul.

Worship His holy name!

Sing like never before,

O my soul,

I'll worship Your holy name.

Jonas Myrin | Matt Redman

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