Tug of War

I recall playing tug of war in elementary school. Boys against girls, teachers versus students, and other various arrangements. The goal of the game was to tug harder than the opposing team. This game was competitive and labeled as war because both teams had the desire to win, but only one could come out victorious.

I often find myself in this same tug of war and the opposing forces are my flesh versus spirit. The Bible instructs us to walk by the Spirit and refrain from gratifying the desires of the flesh. How do you do that when the world is cheering your flesh (sinful nature) on? Giving you a false sense of empowerment and superficial support to do everything that goes against the Spirit of God. Galatians 5:17 states, For the flesh, desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” When I was a slave to sin, I willingly competed on the side of the flesh. Sin did not seem like an issue because it is so normalized in society. As a born-again believer, conviction makes it difficult to sin without remorse. It’s like tugging for the wrong team knowing that you belong on the other side.

When I got saved, I thought my flesh would get on board with my spirit and the war would cease. As I started praising God, worshipping, obeying, and praying my spirit got stronger. I felt empowered. Meanwhile, my flesh conspired with the enemy every time I considered giving in to temptation. I felt like my mind was going from one side of the rope to the other. The Lord revealed that I was struggling with double-mindedness which is conceived by deception. Galatians 5:19-21 goes on to say, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” This scripture perfectly outlines the ways of this world which are encouraged by the media, the entertainment industry, and people who are consumed by darkness. The Lord calls us to be set apart, to be the salt of the Earth, and be the light in the midst of darkness. This is impossible when we do not consistently seek God's truth.

After being in this constant war I realized the battle will not end until Jesus returns, however, we are already victorious if we live and are led by the Spirit. I found that the double-mindedness was dismissed as I started seeking God. As a babe in Christ, I would pray, worship, and read the Bible. I was doing everything right, except I was operating out of legalism versus relationship. I had to learn to have a heart of worship, seek the Kingdom of God, and long to be in God’s presence. This required a lifestyle change and an unconditional surrender. I had to pray for the discipline to draw closer to God even when my flesh did not feel like it. God showed me that the only reward my flesh would receive is death, whereas, the Holy Spirit has the reward of everlasting life. I choose life because I refuse to go through the motions, breathing, while spiritually dead. God granted me a new perspective and continues to remove the scales from my eyes. God's truth makes me intrinsically motivated to study his word, incline my ear to wisdom, and reverently obey him by living according to his Spirit.

I am learning to make the decision daily to stay on God’s side and die to the flesh. It’s not always easy and there are days when I fall short, but God’s grace is so sufficient. The enemy still pulls on the side of my flesh trying to get me to give in to his schemes, but the Holy Spirit produces fruit that gives me the strength to defeat the devil and my flesh. Fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There may not be many people on the sidelines cheering me on… but I have the greatest support of all, my Heavenly Father. Devil, you may have thought you won this war, but you are gravely mistaken. You can keep tugging, but you will not win!

Dear Reader: There is a spiritual war going on and the opposing forces are the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. The enemy tries to get you on his team through temptation, attacks, and deception. Do not fall victim to his schemes by choosing to participate in his agenda. Stand on the word of God and start by studying it. The devil thinks he is victorious because he knows God's word better than many people that claim to be Christians. It's time to go deeper in your walk with the Lord. Seek the Kingdom of God and all his righteousness. This is a daily war and you cannot afford to let your guard down. It's time to pick a side. Choose wisely.