I Samuel 14:47
“Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.”
This verse is a good analogy to the christian life. Not that we’re in constant conflict with others, but we are with other things. When we come to Christ, the wall of sin that separated us from the Lord, is gone and He is so close to us that He is within. Like moving into a fixer upper, there are constant projects that are under taken.
Paul in Romans 7 speaks of it this way, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want”, (v. 19). The Lord not only lays out the ideal in the bible, but He puts the desire in us for that ideal. We yearn for it. Unfortunately, even though we are born again, we are still living in this fallen form which has it’s own set of desires. A few verses later (v. 23), Paul says this, “but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members”.
It’s a war. Not with others, but with our old nature. It wants one thing, but our new heart craves for the good. How do we fight this? Long ago a native american christian named Sitting Bull was asked this question. Here was his response, “Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins I answered, the one I feed the most.”
How do we feed the good dog? The first christians showed us in Acts 2:42, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” We need to hear the bible taught. Hebrews 5:14 describes this as the way to maturity, “But solid food is for the mature, the ones by constant use having trained the senses for distinguishing both good and evil.” Solid food is the complete Word of God (Acts 20:27). We access the Bible through our own study and by our pastor. Their are other means, but those are the necessary ones.
The second necessity from the Acts passage is fellowship. Our primary friends are to other believers. It’s like being a Navy seal. While they may have other friends, much of their lives involves seal work. So, their friends would mainly be other seals. Our faith is our primary commitment. To have a strong faith, other believers are to be involved in our lives.
Prayer is another aspect of the christian’s life. One type of prayer is the most important. It’s the relational part. He is our Father. We are to have a loving relationship with Him. The majority of this is worship. As we walk through this world, we marvel at His amazing creation. It’s like an art admirer walking through the Louvre. They are in awe at the great works of art. Nature is complex and beautiful. The great inventions of people are only possible because God made us and the laws of physics. The wonder of dogs and cats and how they bring us such joy. The savory food that we enjoy. Everything is from God. This part of prayer is the natural wonder we feel as we praise Him for His great creation.
The second part of prayer is the asking. Some feel guilty about this. Many cling to the half truth “God helps those that help themselves.” Yes, God wants us to be responsible, but He also wants us to pray. Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened unto you.” We are being disobedient when we don’t pray. It’s not an option. Jesus was our model. He prayed often.
Why does God want us to pray? This life was meant to be a partnership with God. Revelation 3:20 portrays a beautiful picture, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Good friends have as a highlight of their time a meal together. Our life is to be that intimate with God. The longer we walk with Him, the more real this becomes.
Yes, there is warfare in our christian experience. He brings up areas in us that need work. Much of it has to do with our lack of patience and our need to love others. His love is boundless. Our love will never come close to that. However, it’s to be ever increasing. I recall the old praise song verse, “More love, more power, more of You in my life.” Because of that, we battle our selfishness.
Lord, thank You that You’ve given us a new heart. It wants You and Your ways. Help us to have victory over our selfishness.