The Enemy Within

Romans 7:14-25 "For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin."

I have been reading a book called "The Enemy Within" by Kris Lundgaard. I highly recommend every born-again believer read it. I have been learning so much about this civil war, as we call it, between the Spirit and the flesh. It annoys me to say the least, that I know I am "free" in Christ and yet I continue to sin. Why is it so hard to NOT sin? Well, this book has helped me explore the scriptures and recognize the enemy within me and how this internal civil war is really being waged.

I now realize how little attention I have paid to this enemy called our "flesh". The fallen nature of humanity was sort of a secondary, non-consequential idea in the back of my head. But as I have studied to find the cure to my "Christian Sin Problem" - that is, the problem of being a Christian, but still struggling so intensely with sin, I discovered that I am my Christian sin problem. Positionally speaking, I am saved. God redeemed me through faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. I was convicted of my sins, confessed them, repented and surrendered my life to the Lord. But salvation and sanctification as we all know, are two separate things.

Salvation is the positional change in our relationship with God.

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." - Ephesians 2:13

Salvation means that our souls are no longer dead and we are no longer bound, without options, to sin and its eternally deadly consequences.

"All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trangressions - it is by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:3-5

Salvation is activated by the Holy Spirit in an act called "faith" and it is NOT a work of ourselves.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Sanctification is the act of working out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) Both salvation and sanctification are matters of faith - faith being defined as "Choosing to live as though the bible is true regardless of emotions, circumstances or cultural trends."

I have been frustrated by how simplistic and yet horribly difficult it seems to be to "walk by faith". Until I read this verse:

Philippians 2:13, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."

Combine that with the fact that faith is a gift from God in the first place and not something that comes from within ourselves (so no one can boast), and what we have here is a reality that brings me to my knees. I CAN'T be good. It is not in my nature to do anything good or righteous or holy whatsoever.

Romans 3:10-12 "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

But does that mean I do whatever I want just because my flesh is evil? In the words of Paul, "By no means!" Given this truth about how my flesh is evil, relentless, and absolutely depraved, and yet nothing I "do" can possibly fix it or counteract it, then I must surrender myself to the grace and mercy of God.

I've concluded, on this side of heaven, that there is an endless supply of things in my heart that need His grace and mercy through the sanctification process. Depravity brings me to my knees every time I think about it. When one impurity has been burned out, another surfaces. I am a desperate woman. One who, apart from Jesus Christ, is helpless, hopeless and purely evil. It is by grace that I have faith to be saved. It is by grace that I have faith to be sanctified. Not even the air I breathe comes to me apart from His grace. My only "job" is to realize that if I pray, read scripture, go to church, minister to others, share the gospel, feed and clothe the poor, help my neighbors, or any other "Christian" act, I can claim no victory of my own over my flesh. I can claim no glory of "good deeds done". There are no accolades for my "works". I can only claim His grace and praise Him, praise Him, praise Him. For HE alone gained victory.

We have an enemy within. That enemy viciously fights against God with everything it has. So I pray, before we blame Satan for the temptations of the day (and He is obviously still at work), that we'll remember the enemy we carry with us every single day throughout this earthly life - the enemy that never calls a cease-fire, never tires of battling against good and righteousness, and never lets up in the quest to destroy. Victory is certainly ours through Christ, but every bit of it is a gift. We have nothing good in ourselves to boast of and claim as our own work.

Today, I pray that when we have faith to battle against our flesh, when there is victory in a choice between good and evil, that it will be in those moments that we fall to our knees in gratitude for the work He has done in that moment. And when we sin, I pray we still fall to our knees, reminded of how very real and very intense our enemy is.