Spiritual Battles

Are you a fighter?  I do not, and I repeat do not like fights and do not like to fight, even with words.  It's takes a lot out of me when someone tries to argue with me, or pick on me, even if it is a child, I would rather run than fight or stand up against someone over whatever it might be.

There are battles that we sometimes have to engage in whether we like to or not and I am speaking of spiritual battles.  Battling for ones faith.  You might call them struggles instead but in essence we are fighting the good fight of faith, to hold on to something that is ever so important to us and eternal life.

It depends on how far along we are in our walk with the Lord, I am not sure about that, but I do know it is a real battle and that can't be denied.  Maybe after we are a full blown Christian it becomes easier, I  don't know about that either, it seems to me that my battles over sin are getting more severe all the time and my faith is being tested all the time and I am OK with that, just wish it were easier.  So let's see if I can find some Bible texts to help me understand this subject.

James 4:1-3  "Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?  You lust and do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight and and war, yet you do not have because you do not ask.  You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."

Your probably saying, what in the world does that have to do with a spiritual battle?  Well, here is the way I
I have interpreted this for my own situation.  I don't usually have words with anyone if I can at all avoid it.  So I see it as warring and fighting for my spiritual life and usually it is something that Satan has overcome me with previously, like appetite or something similar.  If I don't ask for help, then it seems to me that I am depending on my own power to fight the temptation.  We usually ask amiss because it  is something pleasurable that we want to do.  Right?  I was wasting my time doing an unprofitable pleasure when I should have been spending my time studying for my blog.  Most people wouldn't think anything of doing a Sudoku puzzle as sin, but it was taking my time away from God, because I am addicted to them, so the struggle was real and justifiably so.  It took me several days to conquer and in the mean time, I was struggling with my worships and working on my blog.  Here's the text that convinced me.

1 Timothy 6:12  "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

I am so thankful God is patient with me, sometimes it takes a lot to jolt me to reality and this was one of those times.

I really appreciated this little study, it has meant a lot to me just to know that God really is working in my life to get me ready to dwell with Him eternally.  I want to be ready and I hope that you do too.  It may not be a puzzle that's keeping you from reading and studying His word, it may be many other things, I will let you be the judge of that, but please don't let anything get between you and your Savior.  He is very anxious to save you and be with you forever.  Grandma Joan