The War Inside

I want to take a second and have each one of you imagine what is something you struggle with:

-       Weight

-       Outward beauty

-       Finances

-       Spirituality (prayer, reading the bible)

-       Standing up for yourself

-       Kindness

Ok imagine for a second if those very things you just thought of were not a struggle for you any longer.

What would your life be without those?

Let me ask you a question?  If you didn’t believe in God would you struggle with the same things?  Would you still struggle with weight, your outward beauty and self-worth, finances?

What if I told you I had a 12-step program where all you had to do was do exactly what I said and those struggles would all go away.

How many of you would want that?

If I told you there was a multi-step program that would make your struggles go away I would be lying.  I would be a liar.

The truth is the even though there are things we can do in the physical to help keep our struggles under control the problem is not a physical problem.  It is a mental, emotional, and spiritual problem.  It is a constant wrestling of our flesh verses our Spirit.

We cannot solve spiritual things with physical means.

This is why we see divorce, eating disorders, self-worth issues, financial ruin, etc with even non-believers.

As human beings we are 2 parts.  One is our physical body, the same body that was formed out of the earth and one day will go back to the earth of which we came.  The other is the breath of life that was placed inside of us by God.

That very life placed inside of us by our Creator has always been his.  He can harden your heart, he can convict you, or release you.  This is also why children aren’t born racists, aren’t born hateful, and all the other negative things we see in this life.  They posses and desire love, kindness, safety, and gentleness.

As we live this life we learn disappointment, rejection, hatred, jealousy, envy, arrogance and all the other things we deal with on a daily basis.

We learn just like the adulterous woman brought before Yeshua that others are constantly judging us.  Sometimes rightfully so, and sometimes it isn’t justified. 

How many of us expect in those types of situations we will be condemned by others?  How many of us expect to lose friends? 

When we find ourselves in those types of situations we normally build up walls for future situations.  We look for different groups of friends.  Sometimes we move, sometimes we revert and God forbid we walk away from God all together.

Galatians speaks to this wrestling within.

5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified[a] by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers,[b] still preach[c] circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!

13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

Keep in Step with the Spirit

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[d] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do[e] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.