All of Life Is A Spiritual Battl

A man declared dead was found breathing in the morgue on Monday of this past week. A medical examiner in Raleigh, N.C. studying a body in a morgue was startled when the man took a shallow breath.

Larry D. Green 29-years-old had been declared dead by Emergency medical technicians. Green had been pronounced dead almost two hours earlier, after he was hit by a car.

Medical examiner J.B. Perdue was called to the accident scene but did not examine Green then. Later, he was documenting Green’s injuries when he noticed the man was breathing.

“I had to look twice myself just to make sure it was there, that’s how subtle it was,” Perdue said. Green, 29, was taken to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, where he was in critical condition Wednesday.

Several members of the Franklin County emergency medical service have been suspended pending an investigation, said Darnell Batton, the county attorney.

Can you imagine waking up in a morgue because you were pronounced dead? There is something worse than this. Waking up dead and being lost eternally while thinking you had eternal life waiting on you. Sometimes it is just as difficult to determine if a person is spiritually alive.

Jesus spoke of a Pharisee who made the mistake of thinking he was spiritually alive, but he was dead.

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." NIV

Striving to live a life of faith solely depending upon the arm of the flesh without the Spirit of God to give life to what we are doing is the surest way to spiritual death. The Pharisee had all the signs of spiritual life. His vital signs looked great—he wasn’t a thief, an evildoer, an adulterer, he fasted twice a week and all paid his tithes. Jesus gives us a glimpse of what it will be like in eternity with those who believe they are spiritually alive, but are dead.

21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' NIV

Physical death is when the spirit is absent from the body, so it is with spiritual death. James says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). However, even good works may be misleading. The Pharisee was doing good deeds, but he was motivated by the spirit of self-righteousness and not by the power of the Holy Spirit. His body was animated by the strength of his fleshly deeds but spiritually he was brain dead.

What is the difference in a fleshly walk and a spiritual walk with God? One way experiences the power of God; the other experiences the failures of the flesh. One way leads to life; the other leads to death. One way seeks self-righteousness; the other way seeks God’s righteousness. One way ends in tears of regret; the other way ends in tears of joy. One way follows the guidance of the Holy Spirit; the other way follows the direction of the demons.

Jesus says it this way, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:5-6 NIV). Paul writes, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:8 NIV). It is the Spirit of God that breathes life into God’s people. Without him we are hopeless.

The Holy Spirit has always been the one who led God’s people to victory. The battles God’s people won in the Old Testament were won by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit sought to lead Israel in the days of Isaiah.

While God was working to salvage Israel, she grieved the Holy Spirit. Do you know what grieves the Holy Spirit? It’s when we refuse to come to him that we might have the abundant life. It is the kind of grieving one does for a wayward child, as the child strikes out on her own rejecting the values of Christian parents. The Holy Spirit grieves when we strike out on our own to live life free of God. When we grieve him he becomes our enemy who fights against us in order to challenge us to return to God.

The children of Israel were led out of Egypt by the power of the Holy Spirit. He fought Israel’s battles in the Exodus. I want you to listen to the story of those who lived under the power of the Holy Spirit in the following verses. In these verses Isaiah seeks to remind Israel how God conquered her enemies by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you see the difference the Holy Spirit makes when he fights for you? The Holy Spirit is either fighting for us or against us—it’s our choice. The Hebrews were in a hopeless situation without his presence. We are in a hopeless predicament without him. Keep in mind; if he exerts this much power against our enemies, how much is against us when we strike out on our own without God.

Throughout the Bible we observe an ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit of God. It begins in Eden with Eve’s temptation and continues through the book of Revelation, as the saints are martyred. It is the same battle that rages in your soul. You must not make the mistake of trying to fight this spiritual war with the wisdom of the flesh without the help of God’s Holy Spirit. It will surely mean your spiritual death.

The only way to grow spiritually is to recognize the struggles of life for what they are. They are spiritual battles. It makes little difference whether it is natural disasters, family problems, financial problems, health problems, problems that accompany aging, employment problems, personal problems or church problems.

We would like to disengage from the battles, but disengaging is just as dangerous. Too much comfort is dangerous. Literally. Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley did an experiment some time ago that involved introducing an amoeba into a perfectly stress-free environment: ideal temperature, optimal concentration of moisture, constant food supply. The amoeba had an environment to which it had to make no adjustment whatsoever.

So you would guess this was one happy little amoeba. Whatever it is that gives amoebas ulcers and high blood pressure was gone.

Apparently there is something about all living creatures, even amoebas, that demands challenge. We require change, adaptation, and challenge the way we require food and air. Comfort alone will kill us. (Chris Peterson, "Optimism and By-pass Surgery," in Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control [New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1993])

Spiritual battles fought against the forces of evil that reside in the heavenly realms.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. NIV

Don’t be afraid to recognize your battles as spiritual battles. It may be hard to imagine that you are fighting the forces of darkness, but the battle is an everyday reality. A failure to face our struggles as spiritual battles will leave us defeated. We must engage in spiritual battles despite the sometimes fearful and seemingly overwhelming odds against us.

The demons are more powerful than you will ever be. They are highly skilled at using the weakness of your flesh against you. This is why depending upon the strength of the flesh to save you is hopeless. A pretense at religion is no help. Your only hope is to place your life under the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. NIV

The Spirit of God must captivate our every thought to bring us into obedience to Christ. In Eden Satan challenged Eve’s knowledge of God. She sought to listen to her fleshly instincts rather than God. The fruit looked good enough to eat, and as an added bonus would make her as wise as God. Yet it brought death. If only she had turned to God? What a difference it would have made? She chose death. Fleshly decisions always lead to death, for it puts the spiritual powers of darkness in control of our lives.

Focus is extremely important when the demons attack. Make absolutely sure you don’t focus on the demons. If you do, you will grow fearful and anxious. Anxiety leads us to act irrationality. Do not let the sometimes fearful and seemingly overwhelming odds against us to take our focus off of God. Keep in mind that you must engage in battle with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The challenge of the demons is used by God to help us become better people. We must understand that these battles are designed to instill the challenge for change. If there is no pain there is no gain. It is important to understand that God uses these battles to take us to a higher level of Christian living. Initially, Paul focused on getting the thorn Satan’s messenger penetrated him with out. But his thorn actually took him to a higher level of living as he was forced to solely rely on the sufficient of God’s grace to salvage his life. It made Paul focus more intently on God’s will. In doing so he was taken to a much higher level of living.

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. NIV

Spiritual development is dependent upon us engaging our minds in the spiritual battle. The demons have set themselves against the knowledge of God.

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. NIV

Do you notice in the verses that we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God? This is done as we all the Holy Spirit to our very thoughts captive and brings us to obedience to Christ. Christ calls this repentance—we have to reprogram the way we think. We reprogram a computer to do what we want it to do. God wants to reprogram our minds to obey him.

There is no way you can be filled with the Holy Spirit without intimate contact with the word of God. Through continual study, God's Word transforms and strengthens our minds and hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah wrote to Israel to help her find her way. The words he penned were to refocus their minds on God. They had grieved the Holy Spirit by refusing to heed the word. Isaiah sought to focus them on the power of God to deliver them from their enemies. Listen to God as he pleads with Israel through Isaiah’s pen. They are suffering and weeping because of their sins, but listen as God speaks of his desires for them:

19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. 20 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." 22 Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"

23 He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful. In that day your cattle will graze in broad meadows. 24 The oxen and donkeys that work the soil will eat fodder and mash, spread out with fork and shovel. 25 In the day of great slaughter, when the towers fall, streams of water will flow on every high mountain and every lofty hill. 26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted. NIV

What a heart-rending plea from God. Earlier, Isaiah sought to remind Israel how God had given her enemies his Holy Spirit to overpower them. The Holy Spirit had actually fought against Israel, but here he seeks to tell them how anxious God is to hear their prayers of repentance.

God is just as anxious at this very moment to do the same for those who will come to him in repentance—to those who are willing to die to an old way of thinking—to those who wish to be born again by through thee water of baptism to receive the indwelling of his Holy Spirit. Baptism is death to self so that we can be resurrected to a new way of living by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-6; Galatians 3:26-27).

A Spiritual Transformation Is Needed

Spiritual transformation of the mind is a long-term endeavor. It involves both God and us. It is a transformation that takes training. Training comes as we exercise our hearts to embrace what we have learned from God’s word. Training comes as we purpose to discern God’s will in our circumstances. Training comes as we depend upon the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to guide us, and his power to protect us.

We need to know the stories of the Bible well enough to reflect upon them in crisis. There are important guiding principles that run through every story of the Bible.

Every principle mentioned here has to do with trusting God. We must ask ourselves, “Am I really trusting God? Am I willing to put all of my cares and concerns into his hands and let him deal with them and me?”2

The key is living for God today, while we trust all of tomorrows to his care? Satan wants us to worry about tomorrow’s battles while overlooking the concerns of today. Worrying about tomorrow will not change tomorrow. However, if we trust God today, he will transform our lives to fit his plan for tomorrow. Trusting God today will allow you to risk what you have today because you are trusting God to meet your needs tomorrow. Do you think God’s mercy is saying anything less to you or to me than it was saying to the Israelites?

Your security lies in your relationship with God. The moment we turn to God in submission, as he pleads for us to do, we resist the devil. We draw near to God, and at that very moment he draws near to us. Actually, God is never that far away. There is no greater resistance of the devil than to turn to God saying, “Father, I’m trusting you.”3

Exercising our hearts to move on what our minds know, so we can move toward trusting God, is like exercising our bodies. Heart muscles are strengthened each time we move toward trust in God. The stronger we become the more likely it is that the devil will flee from the power of God that is at work in our hearts and lives.

If our lives are moving toward trusting God, when the devil penetrates us with a thorn we will simply become more trusting, and more secure. This is essential to our survival. The devil will attack again and again. He knows your weaknesses better than you. He will use them to his advantage. You need God’s protection. The whole armor God provides is our only hope. When we put it on, we can stand in his protection.

King Hezekiah lived in the days of Isaiah. Isaiah prayed for Hezekiah when Hezekiah was deathly ill. God extended the king’s life fifteen years. God stood beside him as Hezekiah was engaged in many battles against God’s enemies.

6 He [Hezekiah] appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: 7 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. 8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles." And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said. NIV

Hezekiah succeeded because he refused to trust in the arm of flesh. He refused to be afraid of his enemies. Instead he trusted in God to fight his battles.

God wants to send his Holy Spirit into your life to fight your battles for you. Will you entrust your life to him?

Will you be baptized into Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and receive the gift of protection that only God’s Spirit can give you (Acts 2:38).

There is no way you can survive without God’s help. Want you think seriously about giving God control of your life for your own protection.

1 Charles Stanley, The Source of My Strength, Nelson, 1994. pg. 45

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid, pg. 59

Bible Study Questions

1. What did you think about the story of the man discovered to be alive in a morgue after he was pronounced dead?

2. How does the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 compare to this in the spiritual realm?

3. How can this happen to us today?

4. How does James describe physical death in James 2:26?

5. What is spiritual death? Can one be spiritually dead while doing good works? (Matthew 7:21-23)

6. What is the difference in a fleshly walk and a spiritual walk with God?

7. What part has the Holy Spirit always played in the life of God’s people? (Isaiah 63:7-14)

8. What is the difference in the Holy Spirit fighting for you, and the Holy Spirit fighting against you?

9. How are all battles in life spiritual battles?

10. How hard is if for you to imagine that you are facing the forces of darkness? (Ephesians 6:10-18)

11. What are the benefits of engaging in battle? (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

12. What part does the Word of God play in our battles? (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

13. What hope did Isaiah hold out for God’s people who engaged in spiritual battles? (Isaiah 30:19-26)

14. What five things are required to succeed in battle? (On page 7)