The War is Won

God has already won it

But as in any war, sometimes the enemy doesn’t realize they’ve been beaten

So, now it’s time for us to win some battles (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Not for salvation, but for the benefit of God’s unfolding kingdom

Sometimes we choose the wrong battles.  Sometimes we focus on one battle that we think is the one thing holding us back from winning a war (forgetting the war has already been won) so much that we neglect what might be more important battles. 

If I want a specific area of my life to conform to Christ but I just can’t seem to get it there, maybe I need to look at all the other areas of my life and evaluate their conformity to Him.  Sometimes we want to get to the top of the mountain so bad that we forget that it takes one step at a time. Once we’ve climbed ALL the steps, only then can we reach the top. And recognizing the order of that climb seems to be one of the most important lessons for reaching that summit. 

For example, if one of my goals is to end lust in my life, I must first ask, “Do I have the full strength of the Spirit at my disposal?” because lust is probably the most difficult area of life to conform to Christ.  How do I know I have that full strength?  By evaluating if the rest of my life conforms to Christ.  If I have the strength to be disciplined in my Spiritual life (in Worship, Instruction, Fellowship, Evangelism, and Service), and if I regularly practice at least some of the Spiritual Disciplines, and if I exhibit the fruits of the Spirit daily (Galatians 5:22-23), then it is likely that conforming my struggle with lust to Christ is no struggle at all.  When I am truly loving God with ALL my heart, all my mind, ALL my Soul, and ALL my strength, and loving my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-40), then lust will fade away like the morning fog as first light pierces its soft veil. 

Fighting temptation is more difficult than seeking Spiritual nourishment. That’s why Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6)—righteousness is a matter of drinking deep in the Spirit, not fighting something off. “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things”—the power to win over temptation included—”will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

So to fight lust, or gluttony, or any other such temptation head-on will find you broken and beaten, but to take up the full armor of God and be immersed in the call of the Great Commandment will find you forgetting you had the struggle to begin with. And it would seem that any struggle, any temptation, any battle would succumb to the power of the Spirit once you subscribe to the priority of drawing near to the source of that power. The more light allowed to penetrate your life, the more darkness must flee it.  

12 I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. 13 I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one.14 I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. 1 John 2:12-14 (NLT)