Immediately after baptism, every believer desires to be an active and committed worker of the Kingdom of God. But after sometime, afflicted by the forces of evil opposing God’s kingdom, the enthusiasm decreases. God has promised to be with us forever, then why do we start turning back from our commitment? We are faced with the forces of darkness all-around us but we deviate from the path of the Saviour Lord.
The cause of internal battle in a believer – I was asked by a believer about his walk of faith, that almost all his prayers were answered by God during the first few months of baptism. But as time passed, answers to prayers were delayed, and sometimes for very long periods for no apparent reason. Why does God do this to His children? After birth, a child is fully dependent on his mother for everything and her ears are always tuned to his cry. After some time, the need for immediate help reduces and she continues to do her work, despite the cry. At a certain age the child starts becoming able to take care of himself and manage
A believer is God’s child and is required to grow in faith. Initially, he received many blessings even without asking but later he is commanded to ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you’ (Matthew 7:7). God desires each of His children to feel the need for something, to turn to Him, seek Him, pray and then receive. Anything that is not cherished by the recipient soon loses its value. After receiving the blessings of the firstborn from Isaac, Jacob fled from his brother Esau to Haran, to Laban, his mother Rebekah’s brother. In Bethel, God appeared to him in a dream, blessed him and further assured him, ‘Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you’ (Genesis 28:13-15).
He went with nothing but God blessed him abundantly that Laban’s sons were jealous of him, accusing him of taking what was their father’s and he fled with his wives, children and livestock (Genesis 31:1). Since he was afraid of Esau, his brother, he divided all that he had into small groups, preceded by gifts of sheep and camels and other things to be given to his brother. In his prosperity, he forgot the blessing of God’s protection and stayed back alone, ‘in the ford of Jabbok’. He wrestled with God throughout the night to prevail while the aim of God was to bring him into submission (Genesis 32:24-30). Finally, ‘the socket of his hip’ was ‘touched’ by God and ‘Jacob’s hip was out of joint’, making him limp all his life after that. He was then blessed with his name being changed from Jacob, ‘the deceiver’ to Israel. The root word for this is ‘sara’ meaning to ‘struggle with’ and ‘El’ or God, this was also announced to him after the wrestling was over, ‘for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed’.
Wrestling with God in prayer can help us grow spiritually and bring about a deeper and a clearer understanding of our faith. We get equipped by God to face various challenges and tough situations that come our way in life. God wants us to remember that we are never alone in our struggles.
Everything that God does, the process of creation and all that is happening is supposed to be good and an expression of His love. God in His goodness has shared His love with all the created beings and delays or trials in our lives are to help us recognise the blessings. We struggle, for our focus is on everything else that we do not have, without realising that it may not be good for us. Also, we in our wisdom look up to God to give what we desire, rather more than our needs. When God delays to answer, we start doubting and our faith starts faltering.
God has made His way clear, ‘Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other’ (Isiah 45:22). As the Creator, Sustainer and Provider of and for all life, He desires and deserves recognition, reverence and submission. We must keep looking up to God, without being anxious, and worrying, ‘by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God’ (Philippians 4:6). The past, present and the future are all open before God and only He knows and must decide what is good for us, both now and many years later. We are not to live like a child in a toy shop, who desires everything, and when denied, creates a scene. We ask and wait for His will to be done and face all thoughts contrary to God’s purpose, defeating them in Faith and in His power.
The believers’ battle with doubt – During the temptation in the wilderness, Satan had offered to Lord Jesus ‘all the kingdoms of the world and their glory’ (Matthew 4:8-10). In return the Messiah was required to surrender to the devil and his authority and worship him. Our Lord rebuked Satan, forcing him to leave, for His submission is only to the Father in heaven. After blessing all believers with His peace, the Son of God confidently declared, ‘the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing on Me’ (John 14:30). The devil and his forces of evil have any authority over those only who surrender the control of their lives to him.
King David repented and sought forgiveness from God, for his sin with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uria. His plea was based on his sinful nature, to say to God, ‘Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me’ (Psalm 51:5). We are born with a sinful nature and our natural tendency is to sin and thus be under the control of the devil. A believer need not fear this for we are freed from this evil control. Though our sinful nature persists, we continue to receive forgiveness for our trespasses, even after our New Birth in Lord Jesus. Apostle Paul assures us, ‘He (God the Father) has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins’ (Colossians 1:13-14). We are set free but many still keep on living the same way, ignoring the voice of freedom and salvation within.
The Saviour Lord has given us the reason for the conflict in us, for there will be many within the church, believing and teaching lies. We are warned, ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves’ (Matthew 7:15). In the Old Testament the Israelites were repeatedly warned of such people who spoke on behalf of God but fed lies.
Lord Jesus has blessed us with eternal life to live abundantly in the knowledge of the Lord God (John 10:10). But the devil comes ‘to steal (our testimony before others, our faith), and to kill (causing spiritual death through sin) and to destroy’. He brings evil desires with various excuses, ‘no one will know’ or ‘everyone does it’ and much more.
Saint Jude also warns about such intruders in the assembly of saints (Jude 4-6). He gives three examples of those fallen from grace; first, the angels who rebelled against the natural order and are not now bound in ‘everlasting chains’. The second, Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding cities that had the best of everything but were destroyed due to immorality. The third, the Israelites who were freed from Egyptian slavery but went into captivity again due to their sins. We fight for our faith to save ourselves from such people who present the Scripture by distorting the truth.
The common lies preached by such false teachers in the First Century Church are still being taught. The first lie, Lord Jesus was a Spiritual Being and not man in body for God being holy cannot be born or die. They deny the basic fact of His Divinity and Humanity in one. Apostle Paul has made it absolutely clear that He ‘being God’ came down and ‘made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant’ (Philippians 2:6-7). The Son of God emptied Himself of His glory in heaven to be born as our Redeemer with the glory of a holy man that Adam was given at the time of Creation. He prayed to God the Father in heaven, ‘The glory which You gave Me I have given them (all believers)’ (John 17:22 & 5). Since our sins are forgiven and we are sanctified by the Saviour’s blood, shed on the cross, we can receive that glory. Lord Jesus declared the completion of the assigned task, and prayed, ‘And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was’. He ascended into heaven to receive this glory of God back as the Son of God.
Another lie is about His death on the cross and it follows the way the Jewish leaders of that day tried to cover the truth. The Chief Priests and the leaders, ‘gave a large sum of money to the soldiers’ to go and tell that the disciples came at night and stole the body (Matthew 28:12-13). The Roman soldiers were assured of protection from Pontius Pilate and the expected punishment of death for losing the body placed in their charge.
The third lie was and is about the body being earthly and cannot affect the spiritual. And since a human is a spirit, all sins committed in the body cannot affect our future destiny to be with God in heaven. They deny the very existence of hell and eternal damnation and the justice and judgement of God.
Saint Jude cautions us to fight against liars and grow strong in the faith ‘which was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 3). Believers during the first century did not have the Holy Bible like we have and had to depend on their memory and the written letters from the Apostles and touring preachers. Some preached the truth but many others, like even today, join ministry as a business for self-exaltation and monetary gain. To get the maximum advantage they preach what is liked by the hearers. But we must remain vigilant, without being resentful, and keep challenging these forces of evil who try to destroy our faith and lead us astray. The Holy Spirit has given us the gift of discernment to identify such lying spirits and continue to grow strong in truth and faith.
Fighting the battle of faith – Moses commanded the Jewish people to give a prominent place to the Scripture in their lives (Deuteronomy 6:2-8). They are to write the Word on small plates/sheets and display these at the door posts at all times and on their foreheads during prayer and meditate on it. Also, they are to discuss the Word of God with their children at all times to drill that into their minds to help them grow as people of the Word. Lord Jesus’ command to all believers is to ‘love the Lord your God’ with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30). It is not to be a half-hearted effort but with the fullness of our whole being, for the forces of evil always bring distractions in the form of evil thoughts, desires and deep longings. We fight these with and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are required to keep ‘building yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh’ (Jude 20-23).
· First, all this requires a deliberate and continuous effort on our part.
· Second, we are to keep in harmony with God’s love by not turning away into sin.
· The third, is to keep growing spiritually through following the truth of His Word by studying and meditating on the Word. This helps us build up our faith and also remain in the love of God. We are to grow in this most holy faith by maintaining our position on the foundation of truth, the Son of God.
· The fourth, is praying in the Holy Spirit to overcome and triumph in this continual spiritual battle. He helps us pray, for we do not know that and prays with and for us with groanings (Romans 8:26).
· The fifth, is seeking and looking for the mercy of our Lord unto eternal life. He has promised to prepare a place in heaven and take us there to be with Him forever (John 14:2-3). We must remain filled with joy and great hope of His coming again.
· The sixth, look outward to help others and show compassion to those who are misled by the deceivers. Wisdom of the Holy Spirit helps us to extend love and/or rebuke to get them back. It is keeping a watch to identify the effects of misleading and false teaching. We do not abandon but help them come back to the truth of the Word.
· The seventh, exercising diligence and perseverance for turning the deceived back is ‘pulling them out of the fire’ of eternal damnation. We hate the sin and the ‘garment defiled by the flesh’ but not the sinner. The attraction and grip of sin is very strong and it takes continuous work to help them see the light and turn.
· The eighth, is about looking upward to ‘God our Saviour, who alone is wise’ and who is able and willing to keep His children from stumbling (Jude 24-25). We look towards God our Father to guide and help us in not only to remain concerned about our own selves but also others in our family and the family of God.
There is serious deception all around us especially from these so-called teachers and agents of the devil. In difficult hilly terrain, a driver is warned to be vigilant and avoid accidents. This journey of our lives also demands us to be cautious in maintaining our closeness to God in heaven and others around us to grow in faith.
Who and what we believe in has an everlasting effect on our lives due to the importance that we give to that. And then all our efforts are catered on growing in allegiance to that. We guard whatever we feel is precious to us for fear of losing it. We must maintain our deep commitment to the Word of God and for this we look upward towards the One Saviour who has redeemed us. He suffered great humiliation and pain up to and on the cross and readily reaches out to guide and strengthen!
