WAR WITHIN! Devotion 1 of 23 Every person that is born again experiences a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit -- the "old man" and the "new man." The "old" man" is to be "put off," and the "new man" is to be "put on" (Eph 4:24-25; Col; 3:9-10). This is required because of the conflict that exists between them.
"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" (Rom 7:23).
There is a complicating factor in salvation. If you are not aware of it, life will become confusing, and you may even be tempted to think you have never really been born again. In Christ, we receive a new nature, but the old nature, received from Adam, is not eradicated. Until we are liberated from our "vile body" (Phil 3:20-21), we have to contend with a part of us that is NOT regenerated – our bodies being the chief unregenerated part, and the emotional and rational natures that resides it as well.
The Scriptures state this experience in this way. "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Galatians 5:16-17, NKJV). This series of lessons deals with this experience. What I will be speaking about is involved in the good fight of faith, and the battle is intense.
This series of devotions is based upon the seventh chapter of Romans - particularly verses 14-25. "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I . . . 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 . . . I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me . . . 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." (Rom 7:15,18,19,21,23).
CONFLICT IS NOT A STRANGE THING
We should consider conflict to be a strange thing. From the very beginning it has existed. Light had to be separated from the darkness (Gen 1:4). The waters above were separated from the waters beneath (Gen 1:7). On earth, the waters and the land were separated (Gen 1:9-10). Celestial bodies were separated from terrestrial ones (Gen 1:14; 1 Cor 15:40). And why so? Because, as an environment for the maintenance of life, these things could not be mingled together. They had differing natures that could not be blended together. Thus a division was made between them. They existed simultaneously, yet in their essential nature were separated from one another.
In the beginning the Spirit of God, noted for precision and orderliness, "moved," or brooded, upon the face of the deep. At that time, the earth was "without form and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep" (Gen 1:2). There was an ultimate confrontation: a Spirit of light moving upon a domain covered by darkness. The Spirit, who searches out the deep things of God, brooding upon an unordered domain. Such an arena was not a suitable one in which the mighty God could work, and therefore over the next six days, order and precision were inducted into the realm, and life was deposited in it. Thus we are introduced to both chaos and order, formlessness and form – and these are always in competition with one another.
INTRODUCTION
A desire for favorable and pleasant circumstances is inherent within man. The desire for favorable and pleasant circumstances is part of our makeup. It is as though we long for the tranquility that characterized the beginnings of our race in Eden. A preference for trouble can be developed, but it is contrary to our nature.
Sin has made us vulnerable to the wicked One. Craftily, the devil persuades people to act out of harmony with even nature. Sodomy is an example of living in contradiction of our basic constitution. Drunkenness is another, with other indulgences that cause the mind to become virtually useless. The enjoyment of pain and trouble are also unnatural propensities. Made in the image of God, we cannot be truly content with struggle, adversity, and trial. David expressed the deep-seated desire of all humanity when he said, "O, that I had the wings of a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest" (Psa 55:6). The compelling effects of hope speak to this part of us, enabling us to overcome conflicting influences within and without. That is why it is written, "For we are saved by hope . . . " (Rom. 8:25).
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the ray of hope that penetrates the fallen domain of this world.
-- Tomorrow: