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Hey there Joy fam!
It is a beautiful day to be alive! I pray that this post finds you doing well and growing in the Lord. There is always more to learn. Speaking of learning, God has been teaching me so much about the daily battles we fight. This battle is one that seems to wage constantly. It is the battle against sin. Every day, each human struggles with sin. Whether it seems like someone does or not, trust me, we all do.
Let's think about battles. Typically, in a battle there is a leader of each side. You may call them the general, sergeant, or major, etc. But everyone knows who the leaders are, and why they are fighting the battle. Every individual should be armed with the proper gear, guns, weapons, helmets, and other equipment for the battle. This insures order and strength to the whole army. During the battle, the soldiers chose to follow the orders of there leader. And typically, whichever side has more strength, wins.
Now, in contrast, let's look at a different scene. Perhaps, the soldiers have no leader. They have no one to follow through the difficult and scary parts of the battle. They do not have on the proper gear and are extremely susceptible to gunshot wounds, and they have no way to fight back. This means chaos and disorder for the whole army. Their battle will be lost because they are so much weaker than their opponent.
Which army is smarter? The one who has a leader and is prepared? Or the one who has no leader and is not prepared? I should hope you said the one that has a leader and is prepared.
You see, these same principles apply to all of us as Christians. We need to be following our leader (God) to dodge the bullets of our enemy (Satan). We need to have all of our equipment (God's word, prayer, worship, etc.) to fight back and win the battle.
Ephesians 6:12 says,
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
It is another basic principle that whoever is more prepared before a battle, will beat their opponent. Therefore, we need to be prepared. How can you do that?
First off, always put on the whole armor of God, every morning! This will keep your mind fixed on Christ during the first part of your day. The following numbers are steps you can use when you feel tempted or frustrated with sin.
1. Is this something that honors God? Ask yourself: "Is this a selfish thing?"
2. Will this greater God's kingdom? Ask yourself: "Will others see me in this action and be reminded of Christ?"
3. Line it up with the word of God. Test if it aligns with truth or goes against it.
4. Rebuke Satan and the temptation. Speak scripture aloud. Speak truth over any doubt in your mind.
5. Pray. God will never give you more than you can handle when you run to Him, and not to your own strength.
Never put yourself in situations that cause you to stumble. The sooner you recognize what causes you to give in to sin, the sooner you'll be able to flee from it. If you know you start getting angry easier when your tired, get your rest. If you know you start swearing when you listen to bad music, turn it off. There are practical ways to overcome temptations to sin as well.
When you fail, God will always be waiting with open arms for you to run to Him! But, never give up my friend. We are in a battle against the king of lies and we will not let him win! Can I get an amen? Jesus has won the victory! So turn to Him for the way out of the temptations.
I want to challenge each of you to intentionally wage this battle against sin each day. We are not supposed to conformed to this world! We are supposed to be transformed through Christ. Don't let your heart become calloused to sin. Let it be molded by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thessalonians 5:22-24 declares,
"Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."
We are called to be set apart. To be different! So walk in confidence knowing God will win battles for you because He is the greatest leader you could ever ask for.
Please reach out to us at our email (thejoysblog@gmail.com), Instagram (thejoysblog), or the comment section below. We would love to know how we can best pray for you! Let us know if you learned anything from this post and how God is working in your life.
Remember whose you are! <3