Winning your daily battles
~ Rev. Dr. Kh. Khaizakham
Our churches are growing. Each year we set up big projects, raised our budget and receive a propelling mandate at the end of the year. However "growing" would be an overly exploited adjective if we consider the individualistic approach to "finishing well" mentioned by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7. The magnified use of the word "i". In fact, the most formidable challenge is winning our personal battles everyday. In that scenario, Christian life is a life in a battlefield.
Setan's tacit weapon is to make us self-occupied. You see, when a person is born again, a new spirit has been placed in him (her). This new spirit reflects the image of God. But the old self, which has been plagued with self derogatory enthuse has not been kept away with. The devil doesn’t have any real power. A headless subject already defeated at the Cross. So his only weapon is to revive the old self in you. And he does it subtly and cunningly by reminding you of your past, how sinful you are and how unworthy you are. He plants such thoughts in your head to confuse you about your new identity or give you an identity crisis!
[Romans 7 and Galatians 5]
- Defeated life : Old self (Sinful) led life
- Victorious life : New self (Spirit) led life
One distinct quality a born again believer has is the unwillingness to live in sin. Like, how Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to teach them metaphorically that those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. We ought to have a personal intimacy with God daily.
As a believer, one should a live a defeated life or a victorious life. Remember, your worth is found at the Cross.
Bible verses : I John 2:15-16; I John 2:2; John 13:16-20
My advice to the members of the church is to hold upon a particular Bible verse/song(s)/great book(s) as a treasure that would shed light in your way of life.
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Man sees the flesh. God sees the spirit. And once we accept Jesus Christ, He sees us already complete in Christ. Our identity in heaven is sealed. The question is then, "how shall we let that completeness pour out in our practical life?"
Robert Murray McCheyne famously said, “The greatest need of my people is my personal holiness".
God's way for us is to be constantly vigilant so that we prove ourselves to be the workmanship of God and a new creature in Christ.
Three personalities here that we can take a lesson from :
- Samson, habitual sinning
- David, momentary lapse
- Joseph, consistent life
Samson, blessed with an undeserved strength. His lust for worldy pleasure and self-confidence (the Bible records that he prayed only twice) cost him dear. He was defeated along with the enemy. God ordains us to stand strong and finish well. His precious life was wasted. This was not God's plan.
David, a man after God's own heart. The bible records: "David, the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah". A grave sin that carried unnecessary weight in the life of David. My advice to the church, especially to the youth, is to be very mindful that your life will not be scathed by this unworthy mark of an ill-thought sinful life. Hear that you may be free from what you want to do with your life but you are not free from the consequences.
Joseph, from an abandoned brother to sitting in the highest office. He was always aware of the presence of God so much that the Bible mentions in particular that "the Lord was with Joseph". He uplifted God in his life even in pain and humiliation.
As a believer, our gift and talent can be the very pitfalls of our failure. We are always more vulnerable than what we think we are. Let us, therefore, be always on alert.
Bible verses : I Corinthians 10:12; Judges 16:18-21; II Samuel 11:1-5; Genesis 39:6-12; Job 31:1; Matthew 1:5,6; Genesis 3:9
