WINNING THE BATTLE

Ephesians 6:12

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Having been regenerated and born of the Spirit, we are no longer of this world - we are still in this world but not of this world. It takes the renewing of one’s mind to embrace this truth. 

Just when we were not yet born again, we are still prone to committing sins and suffer offenses and setbacks. Being born again does not exempt us from what this world can offer.  We would still encounter trials and hardships.  People around us may still treat us the same way when we were yet of this world. Everyday, we would still encounter people as if they were born to annoy us, test our patience, our faith and our character.  But remember, one who is in the flesh shall wrestle against the flesh, and one who is born of the Spirit shall wrestle against the spirit.

To wrestle is to fight against - one against one or one against many. There is no struggle when both parties are in agreement. But when one opposes the other, the battle begins.

We used to be friends of this world, under the authority of Satan.  Spiritually blinded, our thoughts and actions were toward satisfying the lust of our flesh. And the moment we submit to the things of God, we became enemies of Satan and an enemy will always fight to defeat and win his rival. This is what Satan is up to – winning back every born again Christian. He will use every possible circumstance to discourage us, to divide us, to weaken us and eventually turn our back away from Christ and make friends with him once again.

When we commit sins or give in to our weaknesses, Satan is just so ready to take the lead. From a dot of shortcomings, he can turn it into an oval of mistakes until we end up suffering from condemnation - doubting our stand in the Lord. How often do we hear these self defeating words “Why am I still doing these filthy things when I am already a born again? Why do I still get mad? Why do I still lie?  Why do I still worry? Am I really a true Christian?”  

If you are this person, let met tell you that your condition is not unique.  All other Christians are experiencing the same thing, but they have learned how to deal with them.  Do not take it against yourself.  You are not an enemy to yourself.  You must know that your enemy is the devil. It is the devil who is taking advantage of your weaknesses. So let the grace of God lead you to repentance and receive the anointing of ease. Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7). 

When somebody offends us or treats us unjustly, it is very easy to become negative, wallow in self pity and meditate on how others have wronged us. We can go as far as exerting efforts to get even and make them suffer the consequences.  If we give in to this, we allow deception to take hold of us, making us operate in the flesh.  Oh how the devil desires us to focus on ourselves.  He wants us to magnify the fault and setbacks and react negatively.  Just how he had deceived Adam and Eve by tempting them to eat of the tree and be like God, he confused them with their true identity before God.  When the truth was Adam and Eve need not to be like God because they were already like God - created in His own image.

See at present, this is what the devil is trying to do – confusing us with our true identity, making us believe that we are still of this world, when the truth is we have already been purchased by the blood of our Lord Jesus and we are no longer carnal but spiritual. Praise God!

Loudly, I hear of Satan whispering, “It is ok to get even, and after all, this person had treated you badly. Look at the damage he has caused you.  You missed a good opportunity because of what he has done.  You should teach him a lesson”. How comforting his words may appear. If we were to operate in the flesh, we will buy his scheme.  But thank God for we have His Spirit ruling inside of us and telling us otherwise. “Love your enemies.  Be quick to forgive.  Bless those who curse you.  You are more than a conqueror.  Be still and know that I am God.”

When faced with such circumstance, always think that the battle is not in the physical, but it is in the spiritual.  When unfairly treated and wronged, we should not take it against the person or not even against ourselves; it is not you or the other person, but the evil spirit that is taking advantage of the situation.  The person could be unbearable and I am with you.  You may even use the worst words to describe your offenders, but then again, we do not wrestle against the flesh and blood. The moment we submit to the things of God, the spiritual battle just began. The ruler of this world will try to steal us away from the presence of God and offer us sumptuous meals till we are full and deceived.

 “The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing...” (John 6:63)  If we deal every situation in our life according to what the flesh dictates, then let us be assured that we will gain nothing.  Our thoughts and actions should no longer be in satisfying ourselves, not even others – but should be aligned towards the things of above, the things of God. The focus of our actions should be in pleasing God and in glorifying His Holy Name.  Let go of our own and think of the pleasures of God. Make a decision today and believe that you exist to worship and honor God!  

So what do we do then to our offenders?  Shall we think of getting even and punishing them, wishing that they live a miserable life?  No. Just let the offenses pass.  Think of what is more beneficial to your Spirit.  I am not teaching you to become numb and be abused by others.  We have been predestinated to be like the Son and God is teaching us the easiest way to win the battle – overcoming evil with good.

Right now, if you have people who hurt, betrayed and offended you – be quick to forgive, treat them with compassion, you pray for them and you bless them in the name of Jesus Christ. When you do this, you will not only have peace, the devil will flee from you and you will set your offenders free from the powers of the enemy.  The Light in you shall overcome the darkness that is in them, they will see the power of God and bow down to His righteousness.  Through this, you shall live in victory thus bringing glory to the Son.

PRESSING FORWARD

Philippians 3:13-14

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Sometimes, God pushes us out of our comfort zone and into a growing zone. God sees that we are afraid to take a step, so He gives us a good strong push. 

When we go through things that don't make sense, things that we don't understand, we should remember that God is still on the throne. 

All our days have been written in God's book.  He has already recorded every part our life from beginning to end.  He is not the author of the bad things in our life but God knows every disappointment, every loss, and every challenge we face. The good news is our story ends in victory.  Our final chapter concludes in fulfilling our destiny - our real home.

When we go through a disappointment or a loss, let's not stop there.  Keep moving and press forward.  There is another chapter in front of us. Sometimes, we are missing opportunities because we are focused on what did not work out.  Sometimes, the simplest yet best thing to do is just to let it go and move on to the next chapter God has written.

We may not understand everything we went through.  But if we will just keep pressing forward, not letting the bitterness take root, then we will come to the chapter in our life that will pull it all together, the chapter that will make sense of it all. God will put it all together for us.

Something may seem unfair right now, it just simply doesn't make sense and we get frustrated.  But my dear, that frustration is due to the fact that God's plan for us is still unfolding.  If we stay in faith, before long, we will see how every setback, every disappointment, even a terrible loss was simple another part of our story. 

God sees the big picture.  Our life doesn't stop because of one setback or even many setbacks.  Each part of our life helps advance our story.  Connected and completed, they make up the whole of our life.  They will come together for our fulfillment.

Never put a question mark where God has put a period.  When something is over and done, let it go and move on to the next chapter in our life. Learn to shake off bitterness.  Do not dwell on unanswered questions. 

Believe that God is on the throne. And if God is in the throne, shall we not live to please the King instead of pleasing our own?  God created us for a greater purpose. So press forward towards that purpose.

REFINER'S FIRE

"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Malachi 3:3 (KJV)

Why is God likened to a Refiner’s Fire?

For a moment, let us recall the process of refining silver.

The silversmith needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are up to the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.  The silversmith not only had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver is being refined, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire.  For if the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. 

I thought of God holding us in such a hot spot and reminds me of the passage that says “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

If you will ask the silversmith how he knows when the silver is fully refined, he will tell you “When I can already see my image in it.”

Such a simple yet profound statement! Even in this existing process of refining silver, in it is revealed God’s sovereign purpose of grace through everyone of life’s adversities that He allows them to touch His own children.

We don’t usually think of our daily pains and struggles as “gifts”, do we?  Physical, financial, emotional burdens;  struggles in one’s weaknesses, lusts of the flesh and even infirmities can be part of God’s loving sanctifying plan to make us more like Jesus; to conform us to Christlikeness and to allow us to be placed sometimes in overwhelming circumstances where in our deliverance He will receive all the glory.

Paul says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

What does this really mean? First of all, Paul was not saying that God will do a magic in the very hardest times of life so at the end of the day all things are always gleaming. Many have unwittingly tried to use it in this fashion which it wasn't designed to be.

So then we must rightly ask, how is it that “all things work together for good…” ?

Romans 8:29 gives us the answer:

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

There is the cause for rejoicing; there is where our great hope lies; there is the reason for victory in the midst of trial; there is the fountain of joy in the midst of scalding tears. Every trial—even when purposed by others for our harm, God will use it for our good in that we have been “predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”

God is like a Refiner's Fire, and that makes all the difference. A refiner's fire does not destroy indiscriminately like a forest fire.  A refiner's fire refines. It purifies. It melts down the bar of silver or gold, separates out the impurities that ruin its value, burns them up, and leaves the silver and gold intact. He is like a Refiner's Fire.

It does say FIRE. And therefore purity and holiness will always be a dreadful thing. There will always be a proper "fear and trembling" in the process of becoming pure. We learn it from the time we are little children - never play with fire! And it's a good lesson!

Therefore, Christianity is never a plaything. And the passion for purity is never flippant. He is like fire and fire is serious. We don't fool around with it.

But it does say, he is like a REFINER'S fire. And therefore this is not merely a word of warning, but a tremendous word of hope. The furnace of affliction in the family of God is always for refinement, never for destruction.

I rejoice that I am being refined knowing that my Refiner’s eyes are on me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idA6fCAHVzs&feature=related