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The Battle Within
Did you ever notice that there are times in your life when you absolutely know the right thing to do, but you don’t do it. You are faced with a choice to do what you know down deep inside is right. But for some strange reason you do exactly what you know you shouldn’t do. Did you ever wonder why you somehow know both the right choice and all the wrong choices.
As a believer we seem to have a problem. Whenever God tries to direct us on making the right choices, ‘somebody’ is suggesting other options. Now I know we would like to blame the devil for that. In a way he is the problem. But those other options to God’s correct choice are coming from within you. Every person consists of a spirit, a soul (which is our mind, will and emotions) and a physical body. When a person receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, a spiritual birth takes place. Your old spirit, which was dead to God, now is alive unto God by the indwelling of God’s Spirit. Your new spirit which now has the very nature of God in it resides on the inside of you along with your old nature (your soul). The problem is that for many Christians their soul remains pretty much unchanged and unaffected by the spiritual rebirth. For example, if you had a problem with a bad temper prior to receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. After your new rebirth, your soul will still want to continue to display a bad temper every chance it gets. As far as God is concerned your soul, your old nature or as the word refers to it “your old man” must be put to death. God also expects us to accept that by faith and act accordingly.
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Romans 6:2-7
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:11
Even though we are to consider our old nature (the way we used to think and do things) dead, it is still very much alive and in tune to the world. On the other hand your new born again spirit is dead to the world, but very much alive to God. Now these two natures are like having two people living inside you that will never see eye to eye or agree on anything.
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Galatians 5:17
Well you’re probably thinking. That’s just ducky! I was having enough trouble trying to deal with one nature, now I have two! Well the good news is this. It’s this second nature, your new born again spirit that will allow you to overcome that ugly first nature. Your soul (your old nature) cannot be changed by worldly methods, but only by the Word of God. Your old nature is not pleasing to God, and it will never submit to Gods way of doing things.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:7
The Apostle Paul had the same problem. He struggled with trying to make the right choices, to do the right thing. Eventually he realized what was happening. He finally understood how to live a victorious life. He learned how to overcome his old nature. He realized that ‘through Jesus Christ our Lord’ he could overcome and be set free of his old nature.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:18-25
If you are having a problem overcoming your old nature. If you feel there is no way to overcome your smoking habit, or a bad temper, drugs, fear or whatever is troubling you. Then you need to understand two things right now. You are not alone, and with Jesus Christ in you, you will overcome. When I said you are not alone, I mean just that. Look at these people that had problems in their lives, but went on to do great things.
And as I mentioned, Paul knew the Lord and yet struggled with his old nature.
Make a Quality decision!
You need to settle one thing here before we go on. With Christ in you, there is no way you can lose! Failure is not an option! You need to make a rock hard decision, etched in stone and not open for discussion. That decision is this.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
You not only can overcome! You will overcome! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is your strength! Say to yourself, “I have the Joy of the Lord in me, and that Joy is my strength!”
.…..for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
The devil knows that when you are presented with choices in life, your old nature, if given a chance, will try to get you to go against God. It will do this by suggesting ‘other options’. Keep in mind that your old nature by now has become very adept at doing this. If you listen to your old nature and choose wrong, then you open the door for the devil. Someone once said, “If you give the devil a ride, pretty soon he will want to drive”! Make no mistake about it. The devil will use your old nature to “get into your life”, to destroy your walk with God, and to make your prayer life ineffective.
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:14
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10
So what about my soul?
Did God forget about my soul? If he had given me a new soul at the same time he gave me a new spirit, I would think and act just like he does! I wouldn’t have all these problems that I’m trying to overcome now!
Well think about this for a moment. If God had changed your soul, you would be nothing more than a mindless robot. You would have no choice but to follow God. God wants you to follow him because you want to, and because you love him. Not because he forced you to follow him. That is why we have had the right to choose ever since the Garden of Eden.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. Deuteronomy 30:19
In next months article, we will talk about how to overcome your soul, your old nature and to put on the new man, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Love in Christ,