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
Sin
is a grave and deadly force. It can fall on you like a sweeping wave of
undaunted resistance. Pushing away all thoughts of life, hope and love. Like a
mighty and villainous army it takes no prisoners and destroys everything in its
path. Sin can also be more crafty and secretive in its approach. Instead of an
outright attack on your soul, it approaches slowly from the shadows and in
guerilla warfare fashion takes small victories at a time. Each time it advances
closer to the overthrow and destruction of the kingdom of our heart. (1 Pet.
2:11) Sin wants the throne. It wants to use our bodies and minds to do its
bidding for the kingdom of darkness. (Rom. 6:12) But we mustn’t let it. We must
wage war against our sin. The rightful King must reign.
While
we may not recognize it, there is a battle raging all around us and in us. It
is a battle in which the victor will claim the worship of your soul. We were
created to be worshippers of an infinite God who can and will satisfy all
desires for worship through His infinite attributes. Our sin broke this conduit
of worship and instead left our soul searching for something to worship. Finite
objects, people, relationships, roles, etc. have all tried to fill the void in
our souls for worship but all have left us wanting. So our heart continued to
search and latch on to anything that might satisfy. Each object of our worship
fought for the right and authority to be the ruler of our heart. Then one day
the Spirit of God came with the power and might of the gospel of Jesus and won
the throne of our heart. He has claimed the right of our worship. Jesus has
won, but our sin is still fighting.
In
guerilla warfare-like action our sin is trying to usurp the throne. Every day
we face battles of temptation to worship other kings. This is our flesh, the
remnants of sin in our hearts, fighting the reign of God. The flesh and the
Spirit are vehemently opposed to each other. (Gal. 5:17) They have opposite desires.
Every time we worship something other than God we are abdicating the throne to
a lesser king. This fleshly king rules in evil tyranny, placing your heart, body,
and mind into its self-destructive slavery. In Christ we can oppose this sinful
militia and tyrant. God’s Spirit brings freedom, grace and life, and His words
give us the weapons of truth and faith to go to battle (Rom. 8:13). We must put
our sin to death (Col. 3:5) and let reign of the Good King continue.
Every
Sunday we gather together with the people of God to wage war on our flesh. As
we lift high the name and banner of Jesus Christ, we declare to our flesh who
we worship and bow down to as King. We go to war in worship through singing His
praises and declaring His truths. Our confession of sin shines light on the
areas in our hearts where we have let our flesh and our sin reign so we can see
where we need to go to battle. The preaching of God’s word fills our arsenal
with weapons for the continued battle. (Eph. 6:17; Ps. 119:11) The sacrament of
communion reminds us of the sacrifice and love of our King and the greater
feast and joy we will have under His rule (Rev. 19:9), and worshipping with our
brothers and sisters brings unity and encouragement as we fight the war side by
side. Sunday’s are a weekly military campaign for the King. It’s a gathering of
His forces for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging the troops, and a
refreshing of supplies for the coming week’s battles. So come Sunday and gather
for war with the people of God. By the power of the Spirit take up your weapons
of praise and truth, and refresh your heart with His love and grace. Then go to
war against your sin and flesh with joy because while we may not know this
battle’s outcome, we know who has won the war!
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