Torch, Summer 1994

exhibiting the joy of the Lord and experiencing His handiwork in their lives. Overcoming AdversaLU· ; i:>-_ _ ...__ Though Flip Wilson made popular the saying, "The devil made me do it!", the Bible mentions three enemies that position themselves against the Christian. They are identified as the world (1 John 2: 15- 17), the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), and the devil (Ephesians 6:10-18). An evil triumvirate, their conspiracy is to render the believer impotent and ineffective. Though their tactics differ, their objective is the same: to deceive and defeat the Christian, thus destroying an effective ministry for Christ. The battle is spiritual rather than fleshly. Paul writes: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NK.JV). Spiritual battles demand spiritual resources. God has given us His Word and His Spirit. While we are familiar with the Scriptures, we may or may not make ready use of them in times of temptation. Unfortunately, our reliance on the Holy Spirit is even less a factor. Christian individuals and congregations today are overtaken with all kinds of sin and disobedience. Temptations assault us from every quarter. Weak and ineffective when left to ourselves, we often find ourselves down for the count, the enemy standing over us with his foot on our neck. God is not some kind of sadist, abandoning us to temptation and the formidable weapons of the foe. He has, in Peter's words, given us "everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). John writes repeatedly in his first epistle to those who have "overcome the wicked one." Victory is assured, not because 8 Torch of our intense efforts to prevail, but because of the Spirit's ability to stave off the barrage. Overcoming the World. According to John, the world is a system of evil, enticing the believer away from God. John says when a believer loves the world, the love for the Father is not in him. Our culture is exposed to a steady stream of enticements through music, the media, and the materialistic philosophy that prevails. How does one insulate himself or herself against the siren song? The secret is the Holy Spirit. When He is in control of the believer's life, He will prevent the love from being misdirected. He enables us to see the present in light of eternity. He reminds us that "the world is passing away." Overcoming the Flesh . Paul's letter to the Galatians enlightens us regarding the flesh. He writes, "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 5:17 NK.JV). The flesh is the sin nature that abides within every person. The unsaved can do nothing but indulge it (Ephesians 2:3). The believer can make the choice. The choice, however, is whether one is going to assign control to the Spirit or to the sin nature. One cannot choose to defeat the sin nature in his or her own strength. Overcoming the flesh can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. But, thanks be to God, verse 16 assures us: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (NK.JV) Obscured in the English translation is the absolute guarantee of one's inability to do the desires of the flesh when the Spirit is in control. Failure to avail oneself of the Spirit's help leaves one vulnerable to the works of the flesh described in verses 19- 21. It is a morbid picture of a life of dissipation and selfish indulgence. It certainly bears evidence of a defeated Christianity and ruined testimony. Overcoming the Devil. Ephesians 6:12 is a key verse in appreciating the necessity of the Spirit's help in warfare against Satan and his forces. The passage bears a strong resemblance to 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. The Ephesians passage, however, refers specifically to the "spiritual forces of wickedness." Some of the influences of Satan are listed in Ephesians 4: unrighteous anger, lying, stealing, filthy speech, bitterness, malice and an unforgiving spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32). Again, a key reference is 5:18. There Paul commands the Ephesians to be continually filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit. The discussion of Satan's opposition in chapter 6 cannot be divorced from the exhortation of chapter 5. In fact Paul concludes the context with the injunction, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:19 NK.JV, emphasis mine). Alertness to his attacks and adeptness for confronting his attacks are only possible when the Holy Spirit is in charge. Overcoming In The Spiri- - - ----- The question that remains is, "How do we avail ourselves of the Spirit that we might be overcomers?" The answer is 1 seen in four essentials: • Confrontation ofSin. According to 1John1:9, the believer maintains his or her fellowship with God through a proper attitude toward sin.