Wrestle to Win

Most Christians recognize the tangible truth of Ephesians 6:12:  "...we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."  In his younger days my brother used to wrestle competitively.  Combatants were paired with people of similar weight.  Brute strength was not as important as good technique and tactics.  In the spiritual battle which all Christians face, people take various approaches.  Some act like cocky street fighters, looking to pound the devil into submission.  Others are reticent and timid, desiring to hide from any potential confrontation.  Neither of these extremes seem to take into account the balance between our identity as overcomers contrasted with our need for humble reliance upon Christ.

If I'm going to wrestle, I want to wrestle to win.  I don't want to wrestle against forces of darkness as a spiritual exercise.  I don't stay fit spiritually to throw in the towel if the fight becomes taxing.  So how do we win?  I believe the most fundamental, guaranteed principle for victory is pictured beautifully in an Old Testament passage which I read this morning.  Let me set the stage:  after Ahaziah king of Judah, his mother Athaliah killed off all the king's offspring so she could reign.  Nice grandma, huh?  Little Joash, one of Ahaziah's young sons and heir to the throne, was saved and secretly raised in the temple.  After six years passed, seven-year-old Joash was crowned as king by Jehoiada the priest.  We pick up the passage in 2 Kings 11:12-16:  "And he brought out the king's son, put the crown on him, and gave him the Testimony; they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, "Long live the king!" ¹³ Now when Athaliah heard the noise of the escorts and the people, she came to the people in the temple of the LORD. ¹⁴ When she looked, there was the king standing by a pillar according to custom; and the leaders and the trumpeters were by the king. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. So Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason! Treason!" ¹⁵ And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the army, and said to them, "Take her outside under guard, and slay with the sword whoever follows her." For the priest had said, "Do not let her be killed in the house of the LORD." ¹⁶ So they seized her; and she went by way of the horses' entrance into the king's house, and there she was killed."

Athaliah was a usurper who ruled for six years with cruelty.  She remained in power and authority until the rightful king was crowned and established.  Joash stood by the two pillars in the temple which Solomon named Jachin ("he will establish") and Boaz ("in him is strength").  After the true king was in place, justice which had long been waiting was issued against Athaliah.  She was taken outside the temple and slain as well as all who remained loyal to her.  This is a picture of the condition of the world.  Satan, the prince of the power of the air through his subtlety and deceptions, holds claim to the earth.  When he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he offered to hand over the earth if Christ would bow down to him.  Satan worked to destroy Christ and labours still to defeat all who trust in Jesus as Saviour.  But Jesus rose from the dead and will come again to set up His kingdom upon the earth.  Satan will be thrown out and be ultimately destroyed, even as Athaliah was carried out and killed.

What is true in a world-wide sense is also true for every human heart.  Every person is born a slave of sin and is the property of this world and its ruler, under the curse and death.  When we confess our sin and repent, trusting in Christ to save us, we are cleansed and the Holy Spirit enters and indwells each heart.  The children of God are the temple of the Holy Spirit purchased with the blood of Christ.  We wrestle against the sway of the world, the power of Satan, and the desires of our own flesh.  The only way we can be victorious is when we set Christ in His rightful place on the throne.  Romans 16:20 rings true for all those who have overcome through the blood of the Lamb:  "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen."   Like Samson ripped the lion which roared against him in half, our God is able to deliver us from the snarling enemy of our souls.  The skirmishes continue, but the battle is already won.

The day of ultimate deliverance and victory cannot happen soon enough!  But while the LORD tarries in heaven at the right hand of the Father, He has not left us helpless.  He bids us stand strong and wrestle, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and rulers of wickedness.  We can only succeed when we lean not on our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge our Saviour Jesus Christ.  God has established Him above all, and in Him is strength.  Place Him on the throne and rejoice in Him!  He does not save us so we can save ourselves:  we must continually, completely, rely upon Him as our King.  I close with Revelation 19:11-16:  "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Shout for joy, those who have formerly been oppressed of the devil!  Your Redeemer lives and draws nigh, even into your hearts.  He comes quickly and His reward is with Him!

Why I Hate Porn

"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. ²⁷ For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. ²⁸ She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men."

Proverbs 23:26-28

 Imagine you are parched and thirsty.  You are so desperate to satisfy your thirst that you would even drink putrid, stagnant water if it could be found.  Then you come upon a sparkling well in which the water appears clean and pure.  But it is just out of your reach, tantalizingly close.  Leaning over you cannot cup the water with your hand, nor do you have any means to draw.  The only way to obtain this water is to dive headlong into it.  You do so only to find that the well narrows as it deepens, and it is impossible to turn right-side up!  Thrashing wildly with your body submerged, your hands are pinned to your sides as your feet flail for a handhold.  Your cries for help are silenced by the water.  It will not be long before you will suffocate and die from what you thought would satisfy your thirst.

There are many carnivorous plants in nature which contain deadly poison to trap insects.  One such type is the pitcher plant which is made up many colorful and attractive varieties.  The unsuspecting insect slips into the opening and falls into a poison which drowns and digests the victim.  If an insect attempts to crawl out, there are slippery grooves and little spines which prevent a trapped victim from doing so.  One false move and the bug falls into the pitfall, and dinner for the plant has been served.  A harlot is a deep pitfall, and really nothing more than a deep tomb in which the strongest men can fall.  Anyone who sells their body physically, on the printed page, or through digital media to stir up lust has prostituted themselves for the destruction of themselves and others.  This is one of the great tragedies of our day repeated a billion times or more with the push of a button and the turn of a page.

Porn comes at a greater cost than most people realize:  broken homes, destroyed marriages, shame, degradation of people created in the image of God, wicked thoughts and imaginations, murders, rape, incest, and child molestation.  Though not all who view pornography have done horrible crimes against others, porn is often a common thread among those who have.  It is often a secret sin which breeds deception, lies, perversion, selfishness, and faithlessness.  Pornography is treacherous and addictive.  It is attractive to the senses and temporarily satisfies curiosity.  Once fed the desires grow stronger until the hapless victim is without power to deny or resist.  The story of many a person is told in Proverbs 7, where a young man devoid of understanding who passes by the house of a known harlot.  He goes there at night when he thought no one would see.  She came out to meet him (spam e-mail, pop-up ad, website), kisses him, and tells him she has been waiting for him.  Her husband is not home, nor would they be caught while they spent intimate moments together.  What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?  Wrong:  be sure your sin will find you out (Num. 32:23)!  The outcome is predictable and certain.

As you read the following scripture, think about the seductress as personifying pornography:  Proverbs 7:21-27 reads, "With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. ²² Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, ²³ till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. ²⁴ Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: ²⁵ do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; ²⁶ for she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. ²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death."  The people who have confessed an addiction to pornography to me from a young age who regularly attended church are many, and I'm sure I haven't heard from the majority of those who are porn addicts.  It used to be a person would have to go to a store to buy pornographic material and now inconceivable abominations are available for free in the privacy of your room at the click of a button.  It is easy to clear your computer history, but not so easy to clean your brain!  How easily the mind is corrupted and polluted!  How quick the fish is hooked when he takes the bait of a skilled fisherman!

At first you might think you have discovered a wonderful thing in pornography.  But the more you feed on it the more you will need of it.  It will not satisfy you.  It will only enlarge your appetites and desires.  It will only make you disillusioned with reality and you will drown in your own perversion.  You may think you hurt no one.  I tell you the truth:  you are killing yourself.  You hurt others when you undress and degrade them in your mind.  You hurt your wife when your desire for her is sapped through your addiction.  You hurt your children when you numb yourself with sin and play the hypocrite, leading the way to their own destruction.  Don't you know that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children to the forth generation (Ex. 20:4-5)?  Satan does.  It is a sobering thought that willful rebellion against God gives the devil license to tempt and ensnare a man's great-great-grandchildren with the same sins he embraces.  Praise God that Jesus can break this chain!

What can be done?  A drowning bug cannot escape a pitfall, and man is powerless to free himself from sin.  Whether you make or consume porn, first admit that you have a serious problem.  Sin's strength is in secrecy.  Sin causes men to labour to keep it hidden and many are deluded to think they can kick this habit themselves.  This only brings hopelessness through failure.  Bringing it out in the open destroys the power of guilt sin holds over us.  Remaining accountable to other people who provide honest support is critical.  Above all, confessing and repenting from our sins to God specifically by name is paramount.  Lazarus died and was buried in a tomb, but Jesus raised him from the dead and removed the graveclothes which bound him.  So Christ will do for you if you will meet His conditions:  confess your sin, forsake it, and be born again through faith in Jesus.  He will lift you out of any pit of sin, and He will pull you from the narrow well in which you drown.  May the question posed in Ezekiel 18:31 ring in our ears, "Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?"

Break it Down!

"Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls."

Proverbs 25:28

The Word of God is more insightful than we often give it credit for.  My family and I have been reading through the Proverbs together.  It is easy to read a statement and not take time to give it deeper thought.  But below the surface lies truth so profound we benefit greatly from meditating on it.  Take the proverb above, for example.  Do you think you or your children can understand it without explanation?  It would be better to explain a single proverb in detail than reading a thousand without discussion.

This proverb uses an analogy which compares the man who has no rule over his spirit to a city broken down without walls.  How does a man rule over his spirit?  There are many correct answers:  self-control concerning temper, judgments, fear, worry, cares, and many more.  The scripture teaches us that no man can even tame his own tongue:  how much less the heart?

Now consider the term "a city broken down."  Without shelter, people would have no place for protection or rest.  It would be difficult to prepare meals or enter into productive labour.  What could be the cause of this breaking?  It could be from neglect of maintenance.  It could also be the product of assault and warfare.  King Nebuchadnezzar left not one stone in place when he razed Jerusalem.  Walls can break because of poor design or craftsmanship.  A huge earthquake, flood, fire, or some other natural disaster could cause walls to break.  Faulty building materials could be to blame for a collapsed building.  We could add many more causes to our list.

The city is not only broken down but is described as being "without walls."  What are the purposes of walls?  A primary purpose would be protection from enemies.  Watchmen would have a safe place on the high walls to observe any potential threats and warn people within the city to prepare for battle.  Not only would walls keep out enemies, but they provide safe boundaries for those within.  A wall also sets clear limits of the city to prevent confusion.  King Saul and his sons were hung from the walls of Beth Shean to proudly display their bodies as trophies of battle.  Walls give people within the city a sense of security and safety.

With this in mind, what can we know about the man who has no rule over his spirit?  The Bible teaches us that only those who submit to the rule of the Holy Spirit have the capacity to rule over their own spirit!  Only those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.  The desires and impulses of our flesh can only be restrained for a season.  But those who have crucified the flesh with its lusts through faith in Christ are fortified on this Rock of Salvation.  God has made Christians the Temple of the Holy Spirit and filled these earthen vessels with His glory.  We have protection, safety, wisdom, and help from God to honor and obey Him with our thoughts, attitudes, and deeds.  Without God's rule we are slaves to sin and Satan.  In this condition we are without protection or defense, without watchman or security, in utter confusion and ruin.  Any moment we can be overrun by sin which is more fearsome than deadly raiders who rape, thieve, kill, and destroy.

Aside from the lesson contained in this rich passage, may this process of meditating on the Word of God become part of our daily practice.  Allow and invite God to open His inspired Word to consume your thoughts as you carefully ruminate upon it.  Invite God to teach and minister to your soul as you willfully engage your mind to seek Him.  As we break down God's Word, He will build us up.  Build your church, LORD Jesus!

Delight in Discovery

"The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider."

Isaiah 1:3

Yesterday I saw a remake of "The Miracle Worker," a drama I first saw in black and white.  My mind went back to the first time I saw the unforgettable scenes depicting Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller, especially the classic dining room scene.  I found it laborious to watch.  But the struggle made the end of the film so sweet when the light inside Helen finally turned on as the water washed over her hands.  How hard it must have been to break through Helen's deafness and blindness!  Inside that head was an amazing, intelligent mind isolated from communication through normal means.  Anne Sullivan was really no miracle worker in that she used natural techniques:  she firmly believed in her methods of teaching, was consistent in her approach, and was able to love the unlovable child who was clothed with violence and every manipulation tactic.  But the change in Helen was miraculous!  She learned to speak, read, write (12 books!), and even graduated from university with a B.A.  What an amazing transformation we see from the kitchen scene to the water pump!

Who do I identify with?  You might think as a pastor that I identify with Anne Sullivan the teacher.  Not me.  I identify with Helen Keller, because the Bible teaches that in spiritual matters all are deaf, blind, naked, lost, and even dead!  I was senseless in my sin, not even recognizing God or my need for Him.  Christ is my teacher, and the Holy Spirit makes men to be born again and helps us understand God's Word.  How senseless Helen was as she destroyed everything around her!  She was stubborn, thankless, rebellious, and violent.  Yet Anne remained faithful and reaped the rewards of a lifetime friend and companion in Helen.  Though Helen was blind and deaf in body, when she was asked later about her belief in God she answered in the affirmative, "I always knew He was there, but I didn't know His name!"  The Holy Spirit had illuminated her heart and gave her that Living Water which Christ had promised to all who trust in Him.

I love watching the water scene when the "light comes on" in Helen.  How can the tears be suppressed?  See her excitement to know what things are called!  A new world of discovery opened up in an instant, and she continued to pursue truth and knowledge for the rest of her days.  I wonder if Christians are as excited about the world of spiritual truth and discovery opened to them through the Bible and the teaching influence of the Holy Spirit.  It is great to know that water is called "water," but how much greater to know WHO God is:  that He is our Jehovah Rapha (God our Healer) and Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider) and Jehovah Shalom (God our Peace) and much more!  Even still more thought-provoking, consider what wonderful days of exciting discovery await us as we grow in learning - not simply facts about God - but knowing God Himself.  Would He send the Holy Spirit to take up residence within believers to hide Himself?  No!  God did so that we might know Him intimately as He knows us.

Jesus is the Good Teacher, the ultimate miracle worker.  He does not grow tired or weary and loves us completely.  Oh, that we would know Him and delight in Him alone!  There is so much He wants to tell us on this side of eternity and we are often content with comforts and the passing trinkets of this earthly existence.  God makes every morning new:  a new date, new hours and seconds, clean beams of sunlight which cut through puffy clouds and fresh rain which causes the earth to spring forth with new growth.  Today is the beginning of a new age of potential discovery with God as we rejoice in our Saviour.  Or...we can grovel back to our old sins and blindly eat rubbish and drink the numbing poison this world offers.  May God open our eyes to see Him in a fresh way today that we might delight in our God.  What a testimony against God's people, that an ox has more sense of belonging and knowledge of his owner than some believers do concerning their God!  Let us rejoice not only in the day the LORD has made, but in the LORD who has made the day and caused His light to shine within us!