God’s Word is living and active. We can wield it as a church that will never cease the fight.
“Someday the church can relax her guard, call her watchmen down from the wall and live in safety and peace, but not yet.” – A.W. Tozer
The church of Jesus Christ is in a constant battle with the spiritual forces of darkness led by Satan himself. Even though Jesus has already defeated Satan by dying on the cross, Christians must always be on our guard so that we do not fall prey to the schemes of Satan.
Like the church, every Christian is at war with his or her own sinful nature. This is a war that will not end until we reach heaven’s gates. The healthiest human has enough lethal bacteria in their body to kill them in less than 24 hours. Thankfully, the human body has been granted the God-given ability to wage war against the bacteria, allowing the body to survive. Our bodies have to fight the internal bacterial enemy day and night.
In the same way, we fight our sinful nature inside us day and night; the fight never ends. We fight or we die. We should never expect to reach a point in the sanctification process where we no longer have to fight for our faith. In fact, the closer we are to God the harder the fight may become.
“The power of the Holy Spirit is not optional but necessary. Without it the children of God simply cannot live the life of heaven on earth. The hindrances are too many and too effective” – A.W. Tozer
God has given us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to empower us to overcome our Satan and our sinful nature. Without it, we would be overrun by our desire to sin, unable to follow Jesus Christ.
The renewing power of the Holy Spirit has set us free from our sin and has given us the power to say “NO” to Satan and our sinful nature. It isn’t always easy, but God promises that He will always give us a way to escape from our temptation to sin.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Key Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 119:133; Ephesians 2:10
Featured Songs: He’s Always Been Faithful by Sara Groves; Good, Good Father by Chris Tomlin; Touch the Sky by Hillsong
