Hope in this battle. . . .

Chinese martyr Watchman Nee described how being a Christian was like having two dogs fighting inside him. When asked which dog wins, he said, “The one I feed the most.” I wish it were that simple.

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. (Galatians 5:17)

It seems to me that feeding the right one with God's Word and obedience often increases the appetite of the other, even provokes the enemy to pollute the good food or snatch it from memory. These fighting dogs seldom take a nap.

Today’s reading spells it out. I am like all believers in God’s kingdom. I have two natures, two principles warring against one another continually. The flesh is dead in that it is separated from God and seeks ‘my way’ which is the Bible’s definition of sin.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

The living entity, far from being a dog, is the new nature given to me at salvation. It is still me, yet like a hand in a glove, it only functions when I am filled with the Holy Spirit. This is God’s work. He makes me righteous, and this nature always seeks righteousness.

This constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit sometimes is marked by the flesh having its way resulting in sin. This sin must be confessed and turned from in repentance and true sorrow.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

This is the power of God to deliver me from the power of sin, even from its presence. Yet I cannot underestimate that old nature’s determination to have its way. The battle is constant unless I am trusting Christ alone for all my righteousness before God and am filled with the Spirit. For this, recognizing the flesh is vital.

This day’s devotional points to the psalm where the author describes what happened when he stumbled in envy of the prosperity of sinful people. Reading it helped me see some ways my flesh tries to rule my life...

Truly God is good. . . . to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled. . . . For I was envious of the prosperity of the wicked . . . .  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. . . .   always at ease. . . . they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task. . . .  

However this changed when the psalmist took a good look at the will of God. . . .  

I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (Psalm 73:1–28)

PRAY: Lord, how true. Even if the brutish side of me seems to be winning, You are always with me, always lifting me up, always the strength of my heart. You promise to finish the work that You started in me, and that one day, when I see You face to face, I will be like You. No more growling dog or flesh determination, only peace and joy always and forever. Let not my heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and my hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:17–18)

Pride and humility

Humility is a difficult virtue. I’ve said it before and say it again . . . just when a person thinks they are humble, they have lost it.

Pride is easier to identify. James paints pride as trusting the things of this world instead of trusting God. He goes so far as to label pride ‘adultery’ and following after the devil . . .

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:4–10)

James is one of those black and white people who call things what they are without any fudging. However, he has a redemptive spirit too, for he gives the solution to pride. He tells those who are unfaithful to God that God is always faithful to us. He opposes our pride, but He gives more grace. If my proud heart submits to Him, I am able to resist the devil — the one who keeps yammering at me to trust myself and anything else but God.

Not only that, when I draw near to God, He is right here, ready to forgive and help me out of that pride-pit into which I have fallen.

Tozer calls truth a “glorious but hard mistress” who never bargains or compromises. This world is fallen, making the path of truth a steep and difficult climb. My way is messed up by sin and sin makes the way of God not only strange, but hard to follow.

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. (Galatians 5:17)

The only way to win in that conflict is to submit to God. Otherwise, the flesh and the devil will overcome all good things and fill my life with yuck.

All that said, some days are more challenging than others. I can yield more easily to the God who makes life peaceful and comfortable than I can to the same God who tests me with all sorts of situations and predicaments that are tense and difficult. Nevertheless, the word is the same: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

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Jesus, today I feel like two things that are far from the words ‘submit’ or ‘resist’ and closer to ‘flee’ and ‘give up.’ I need grace to resist that pride that yells at me that ‘I deserve better than this,’ and more grace to submit to several challenges You place in my path, and even more grace to stand against the devil and tell him to get lost.

Envy is the fruit of pride . . .

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked . . . (Psalm 73)

The psalmist struggled with envy. He looked at people who had no interest in God and saw how well their lives seemed while his own efforts to be a godly person seemed to be in vain, without any reward. He was continually being rebuked for sin while they were at ease and increasing in riches. All he could see was his own failures and ignorance.

God showed him a partial answer when he went into the sanctuary to worship. There he realized that ungodly people would be judged by God. They were “set in slippery places” and would “fall to ruin . . .  destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!”

At that time, he compared his life of faith with them and even though he felt terrible at the moment, he was continually in God’s presence. God held his hand; “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Those who are far from God will perish as will those unfaithful to Him, but the psalmist said, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. (verse 28)

A few weeks ago God revealed that I am my own biggest idol. Now He is exposing my pride and how it interferes with obedience to His will. As I read this and combined it with a book I’m reading where the author confess his struggles with pride, perhaps the psalmist still had a ways to go.

Realizing he was envious of the wicked showed his pride in that he thought his goodness would give him an edge in life. However, the answer to pride is seldom found in comparing self with those who are worse off, or will be worse off.

The other side of this is comparing self to good people and either feeling inferior or superior when I do it. One way or the other, I’m trying to look good, to impress, to draw attention. Anything that is not bringing glory to God is most likely rooted in pride.

How then can pride be put away? God says to humble myself. I need to remember pride’s source . . .

“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.” (Galatians 5:17)

As with all Christians, those two natures or principles are continually at war. The flesh is sinful and always looking out for itself. The Spirit is righteous and seeks righteousness and the glory of God.

This fight is expressed in Fortner’s devotional reading for today. He says, “My sin is ever before me! I want to pray, but there is too much selfish lust in my prayers to call them prayers. I want to worship God in the Spirit, but there is too much pride in my worship to call it worship. I want to be completely free of all earthly care, trusting God in all things, but there is too much unbelief and selfish resentment towards God’s providence to call my faith faith or my submission submission. I want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and my neighbor as myself, but there is too much concern for self to call my love love.”

The author of the other book says that pride is simply focus on self, trying to put self in charge, on the throne, able to be and do what it wants — which can look good, but is sinful me wanting it for sinful self-aggrandizement and not for the glory of God.

Humility is vital. So also is being filled with the Spirit of God at all times so that my sinful self takes a back seat and the Lord has the reins — and the glory.

All Christians look forward to the day that this robe of flesh is replaced by a total transformation into the image of Jesus Christ, holy, blameless and without flaw before God. In the meantime, my greatest war remains with me, myself, and I.

Jesus, I am thankful that one day this war will be over and You have already assured Your victory!

Presumption and knowing God’s will

Paul is hauled off to Rome on board a ship with other prisoners. They are caught in a storm and shipwreck is inevitable. Of course, Paul takes the problem to God, then relays God’s answer to the sailors.

Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island. (Acts 27:22–26)

Years ago, the town we lived in held a plebiscite concerning practices in the local hospital regarding abortion. A Christian friend was absolutely certain that this vote would go against it, but it didn’t happen as she was sure it would. Since then, I’ve wondered how a Christian can tell the difference between the certainty of faith and the strong emotions of wishful thinking.

Paul knew. It helped to have an angel stand before him, but even if that had not happened, there is a clue in this story that helps me understand why his message to the sailors was about faith. The clue is that Paul’s emotions ran contrary to the message God sent by this angel. The angel said, “Do not be afraid.” 

Wishful thinking or any form of presumption is usually without any inner conflict. It is boldly confident and sure of itself, declaring what it wants without hesitation.

On the other hand, faith is from the Spirit of God and always opposes our natural inclinations. As Galatians 5:17 says, “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.”

Not only do flesh and Spirit clash regarding motivations and what we want to do, they clash in our emotional life too. Paul was afraid, otherwise the angel would not have told him to not be afraid, but presumption is seldom fearful. If I am over-confident and without fear, I’m apt to be operating on wishful thinking.

Another clue is in the words, “take heart,” indicating a choice to be made. The sailors could make decisions based on their rationale or on what Paul told them. In this scenario, they knew they were in trouble and that the ship would run aground. They also knew what happens to the crew in such events. To believe this promise from God ran contrary to all that made sense to them. 

This also helps me know the difference between faith and wishful thinking. Presumption makes sense, but faith often runs contrary to human reasoning, particularly to those who do not know the power of God.

It is the same with me as the sailors. When God makes a promise, I have a choice. I can listen to my own rationale, or I can believe what He says, whether it makes sense or not. This is the “take heart” challenge of faith. God asks for a choice based not on what I think, but on faithfulness of the One who is talking to me. Paul said, “have faith in God” knowing that God will do exactly what He promises to do.

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Lord, as I go through my day, let me remember and believe in Your promises. The dangers and challenges of the day will not be anything like a literal shipwreck, but there are decisions and choices ahead that could make havoc of my life. My fears about choices are not large fears, yet I know that choices have consequences. However, You promise to be with me always, to guide and direct me, and to give me Your wisdom. I need it. I cannot assume that I will know what to do and, like Paul, am seeking Your Word to me for whatever storms, small or large, might come my way. Never let me replace faith with presumption.

Darkness vs. Light

People ask why God created evil. He didn’t. Just as darkness is the absence of light, so evil is the absence of God. Take away His goodness and there is evil. The implication is that even though I’d like to coast along in my Christian life, I know that if  stop doing good, there is no neutral.

Spurgeon discusses these opposites in today’s reading. He sees this contrast right from the beginning in creation where God said,

“Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3–4)

Spurgeon brings out how this light/dark contrast affects people. Actually, every Christian knows them. We are well aware that if we had remained in our natural, fleshy state, we were subject to one extreme. It takes some time to realize it, but without the light of Jesus Christ, all is darkness.

Then, when Christ who is the Light of the world came into our lives, darkness had to leave, yet it does not go willingly. This becomes our major spiritual battle. Paul describes this conflict and struggle . . . 

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. (Romans 7:21–23)

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. (Galatians 5:17)

The Lord divided the light from the darkness. Had He not done that, my darkness and sin would remain and I would be largely ignorant of it. Only light can expose what I need to see. Yet when the Lord sends Light, conflict begins. Darkness resists light, even though it cannot overcome it. The Bible is clear that this conflict will never stop until I am “altogether light in the Lord.”

This struggle happens in my inner person, but there is also a struggle against another kind of darkness. That is, as soon as Jesus gave me light about my sinful spiritual condition and His saving power, this light also came into conflict with all worldly thinking and choices. No longer can I smugly offer an outward form of worship, or do “good deeds” without faith and abiding in Jesus. Nothing short of full light, full intimacy and full direction from Him will illumine the darkness in me and around me. The more light He gives, the more that the activities of society appear frivolous and in the dark. As I follow that light, I also am in contrast to the world.

This light also changed my affections toward people. I am drawn to others who know the Light, who know Jesus. The Bible even says that this love for other Christians is evidence of passing from darkness and death to light and life. Spurgeon points to Jesus who went “without the camp, bearing his reproach” and reminds me that God also bids me to come away from ungodly things and darkness. Just as Jesus is holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners, so am I to be a nonconformist to the world and shun sin.

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Lord, I cannot do this without You, not inwardly or outwardly. So many times I crash and burn, yet You promise to forgive and cleanse me. When life is confusing, You promise to shed light on my confusion. When darkness threatens the light that I have, You give greater light that I might overcome the darkness. You do this that I might be free from sin; You are my Savior. And in the saving, You make known that Your salvation is greater than anything that comes against it, even greater than the foolishness in my heart that persists in resisting You. Thank You for being my Light and my salvation, the only One who can deliver me from sin and lead me to victory.