Revelation 12:17 “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
We know from countless experiences in the Bible that the dragon (Satan) is always at war with God’s people. It is a constant struggle. We have ample assurance that Jesus is by our side helping us in the fight but what happens when Jesus’ desires for our life come into conflict with our own desires. Yes my friend, you end up ‘fighting with yourself’. Your desires may be good or they may be bad but whatever they are it’s a battle. Good desires (for example, you’re impressed by God to go somewhere and you just plain don’t want to) are met by the devil with opposition, Satan presses upon you the need to follow your own desires, “don’t go”, he says. Bad desires (smoking, gambling etc) Satan meets with approval. He urges these desires upon you with such strength you feel it’s impossible to resist. So here are the two stakes, good is met with opposition while bad is met with approval, so like the devil.
While the devil is always on hand to discourage and tempt, Jesus is also always on hand to encourage, strengthen and help. It becomes a struggle as to which master we want to serve. Jesus offered salvation, love, forgiveness and a mansion in His heavenly, peaceful, beautiful home. The devil on the other hand offered death and destruction. The devil knows the final destination of his followers and he delights in the fact of ‘the more, the merrier’, one less person he has to burn for, but this fact Satan goes to extreme measures to hide. Never in a million years would he reveal the truth about his government and that my friends, is why he is the master of deceit.
Jesus’ government on the other hand is open, nothing is hidden. Jesus makes it plain that the path is rocky, and the way is rough but the end thereof is eternal life.
So the question is my friend, whose path do you want to follow? Whose side are you on? At this stage in the world’s history there can no longer be any ‘sitting on the fence’, the ‘fence’ my friends, is gone, it’s now heaven or hell. Of course everyone wants heaven but the pain and suffering that marks the pathway is extremely undesirable. Let’s take a quick look at the two sides, contrasting their characters and where they put you in their ‘big plan’.
There’s enough Bible evidence to prove the statements we are going to address, so let’s keep this as simple as possible.
Let’s start with Satan.
Firstly he started in heaven, deceiving the angels, lying, fighting and causing discord in heaven. After his downfall his main purpose has been to fight against God and God’s government. He is a murderer, not only with the Son of God but also down through the ages he has urged people on to cause the most horrific crimes. He takes control of his people urging them on to destroy not only themselves but others in their path. Satan then delights in their downfall, laughing and rejoicing in their demise. There is no heaven awaiting their resurrection, no compassionate Saviour, only the second death and the fires of persecution. But enough about Satan, I’m really starting to shudder at his hideous nature. Let’s move on to a God of love.
Let’s talk about Jesus.
Firstly Jesus is the Master Builder, the Creator, He made man equal and free. He never uses forced control and He always uses love. Jesus offered His own life as a ransom for man and His love for man goes deep. Jesus knows that life on this planet is hard, especially with Satan in your ear, so He has placed into position ‘help meets’. There is always help of some description on hand. If necessary Jesus Himself comes to our aid, we are never left to battle the devil alone. Jesus’ government offers salvation, forgiveness, love, peace and finally a heavenly home where peace and happiness reigns supreme. But there are a few obstacles along the way. Character builders, refining us, drawing us in closer to God and moulding our image into a reflection of Jesus. This process is referred to in the Bible as gold being refined in the fire.
Affliction is never approved by God but it is used as a means of training. A soldier can never go into battle without training and a general would be court marshalled for doing so. It’s the same with God, we have a battle to fight and a fight to win and win it we will, but first the training.
So let’s go back to ‘fighting with yourself’. Yes, it’s hard but think of what we are doing. We are in the army of God, we are at the forefront of the battle, fighting against Satan and his principles. Put everything into the fight my friend, not one iota do we relinquish to the devil. Call on Jesus moment by moment for strength and endurance, Jesus will never fail. Hold your head high friend we are on the war path for God, encourage your fellow traveler, by your example many can be pulled from the pits of despair.
Fighting against your natural desires can often be double trouble, not only are we resisting our natural inclination (whatever it may be) but we also have to fight the devil. Whenever we are trying to correct our character Satan is always at hand to counterattack. Be on guard my friend, recognise the devil in the detail and your fight will be much easier. Try to block the devil, don’t listen to him. The first reaction isn’t always the right one, so stop and think about what you are hearing, use reason, often you can see the picture clearer if you think it through. Your fighting abilities just got stronger and always call on Jesus, He is a ever present help in trouble.
Be of good cheer friends, the battle is almost over. Keep fighting for a little longer and the victory will be ours. Heaven is our home.