Praying in the Spirit is an important part of preparing for
spiritual warfare so we can endure and remain faithful.
Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
In a later portion of this study I will have a section
dedicated to understanding prayer as we take a detailed look at the scriptures’
in-depth teaching on this topic. Let us take a few moments now to look at
prayer as described in our command to put on the armor of God. First, take note
of the instructions to pray ‘in the Spirit’. The Bible tells us that the prayer
of the righteous accomplishes much[1],
but the Bible also warns that those who walk in rebellion to God’s commandments
have no such promise. Look at Proverbs
15:
8 The sacrifice of the
wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is
his delight.
This is further explained
in Proverbs 28:
9 He that turneth away his
ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.
As we move through these studies, take care to note how many
times God emphasizes His own word as the key to understanding, knowing how to
walk in obedience, and equipping us to have a right relationship with Him.
Again we are instructed that those who turn away from hearing His word are
counted as wicked and God will reject that person’s prayer. As we studied
earlier, those who seek the Lord keep God’s commandments – not out of
obligation, but out of a desire to be shaped into God’s nature and character.
Those who do not know God are grieved by the commandments of God for they take
him where he does not want to go – closer to God. For those of us who delight
in our relationship with God understand that God’s commandments are a joy for
they conform us to God’s character so that we can have closer fellowship with
Him. Look at how the apostle John explained this in 1 John 5:
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
For the believer, the commandments of God are not grievous,
but a delight for they are our expression of love for God and how that we know
His love toward us. We obey because we want to please the Lord, but also so
that we may conform to His image so that we may be closer to Him. Anyone who
does not love God will not desire to grow closer to Him and will look at the
word of God as a burden for they are calling us to go deeper into our faith and
fellowship with God. The word of God and the commandments given are our
instructions to guide us into fellowship with the God who created us. The Bible
says that the one who makes the Lord their habitation[2],
have the promises of Psalm 91:14-16
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
The Lord will deliver
those who have an abiding relationship with Him and this is only possible when
we conform to Him through His word. Notice the key point that applies to our
topic at hand, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him”. The prayer of
the upright is a delight unto the Lord. Those who abide in fellowship with God
are upright because of His righteousness that is given to us through faith.
This is what it means to pray in the Spirit. We are in the Spirit as we walk in
an abiding fellowship with God as we seek and obey Him through His word. Jesus
explained this in John 15:3-7
3 Now ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you. 4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the
branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they
are burned. 7 If ye abide in
me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done
unto you.
Once again it is noted
that our fellowship begins with the word of God. We abide in Christ by having
the word abide in us. Only when we abide in Christ and in the word will we have
the promise that we will be fruitful and that our prayers will be heard when we
ask. This is all part of putting on the armor of God. The armor of God grows us
into spiritual maturity and through spiritual maturity we learn how to
effectively stand firm and do all to stand. This armor is not only for our own
protection, but so that we can be used by God to effectively minister in the
lives of others. We are a defense to other believers through our walk of faith
and especially through prayer. In fact, prayer is a crucial part of supporting the
ministries of others. The apostles were used by God as the foundation of the
church, but the prayer of the saints for them were the help that supported
their efforts. Look at 2 Corinthians 1:
11 Ye also helping together
by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of
many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
We as Christians do not
realize how much our prayers affect the work of the ministries of others and
work in the lives of fellow believers to build them up in the faith. In almost
every epistle written to the church, the apostles pleaded for prayer on their
behalf. Your prayers and supplication for the saints (fellow believers) are
critical for the effectiveness of the local church and the individual lives of
those around you. Praying for those in the church is an important part of any
ministry for we are helpers together with those laboring and hopefully others
are praying for us as well. Prayer is something God will honor and reward those
who faithfully pray. Consider Matthew 6:
6 But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy
Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward
thee openly.
This passage follows
Jesus’ warning not to pray as a public display to men, but to pray in your own
quiet time alone. It is good to let people know you are praying for them
because it is a great encouragement; however, prayer is not a means to gain
recognition for Jesus warned that when we gain the praise of men, we have
already received our reward. We pray in the Spirit by walking in the Spirit,
abiding in the word and fellowship with Christ, and faithfully setting
ourselves apart to pray. We are commanded to pray with perseverance as we lift
up the saints to God. This is what it means to pray without ceasing. The
command to pray without ceasing doesn’t mean that we pray every waking minute,
but that we never cease in our perseverance to pray each day. This is difficult
to do since we tend to crowd our lives with so many temporal things that we
lose sight of what has eternal significance. We are soldiers of Christ whose
focus is on the spiritual and eternal things and we should not allow ourselves
to be drawn into the cares of the world that have no real value. Look at 2
Timothy 2:
4 No man that warreth
entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
This is the challenge of
every Christian. We battle, not only with spiritual warfare from without, but
also with our own hearts as we try to keep ourselves from being entangled in
the things that do not please God. When someone says that they do not have time
to seek God through His word, are they not entangled in the cares of this life?
If we do not have time to pray, are we not entangled in the cares of this life?
Praying in the Spirit is also what opens our eyes to the spiritual battle
around us. Anyone who has served in the military has had the privilege of guard
duty. In many ways prayer keeps the Christian alert and on guard. Through
prayer we watch. Look at these two passages:
Colossians 4:2 Continue in
prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
1 Peter 4:7 But the end of
all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
We are commanded to pray
with the mind and the understanding, and this keeps the Christian alert and
focused on what has true significance. Prayer keeps our hearts on guard against
the attacks of the enemy. Prayer supports and lifts up fellow saints. Prayer
sets our minds on the things above that have eternal significance. Prayer is
always associated with watching for the Christian who is always praying in the
Spirit will not be caught unaware but will always be seeking the Lord. Since it
is the Lord who opens our eyes, we must always be looking to Him for our
strength and guidance. Praying in the Spirit is possible in the hearts of those
who are seeking the Lord and focused on Him. It is not a prayer for selfish
ambition. We are commanded to continue in prayer with steadfastness and devotion[3].
Those who pray will be watching and will recognize the craftiness of deception
when it comes.
Let’s take a few moments to go back and look at the
scripture that explains the reason for putting on the whole armor of God. Look
again at Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
We are first reminded that strength belongs to God. God is not calling the mighty, but the weak. The Bible warns that not many whom the world considers to be mighty are called by God[4] and that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness[5]. Those who consider themselves to be strong look to themselves for power and are limited by human ability, in fact, no one that stands upon their own abilities can accomplish the work of God. Any work done by man is worthless to God for Jesus said that without Him you cannot bear fruit[6]. The apostles understood this and gloried in their weakness so that the power of God might rest upon them[7]. God gives power to the weak and to those who have no might, He increases their strength[8]. For this reason, the instructions given to the Christian as to how to stand victorious begins by pointing us to God as our strength. We are then given two ways that our armor defends us. We are taught that our armor gives us the power to stand against the wiles of the devil and that we will have the power to stand in the evil day. We will spend this portion of study by looking deeper into how the word equips us to stand in the evil day.
Before we look at how we stand, let’s look at how the Bible teaches that Satan wields his power. There are a lot of superstitious views that cause people to fear Satan, but the Bible tells us not to fear him. I have heard preachers describe Satan as a being of indescribable power; however, this gives him far more glory than is warranted and this is far from what the Bible teaches.
We should first look at Satan’s limitations before we can accurately understand his power. Many people view Satan as being an archenemy that is the opposite of God and on par with God. Satan is not an evil god; he is merely an angel and a fallen one at that. Power belongs to God and when Satan rebelled he also divorced himself from the source of power that is found in God alone. All power and authority belongs to God[9] and is given to whomever He wishes[10]. Even wicked rulers receive their authority from God for the purpose of bringing judgment upon the wicked or being used by God to show His power to overcome wickedness through the weakness of His people who are trusting in His strength.
Pharaoh was the most powerful ruler on earth during his day,
but the Bible declares that God raised him up to make His own power known to
His people[11]. In the
book of Revelation, the wicked rulers of the world will accomplish God’s
judgment for He has put it into their hearts to do His will[12].
We should not fear the attacks of the devil for we are promised that the Spirit
within us is greater than he that is in the world[13] –
Satan. We overcome the devil by drawing near to God[14].
Even Satan’s power is given for the purpose of doing God’s will. Those who have
the power of God have greater power than Satan. We are given a glimpse of this
in Revelation 20:1-2
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
It is interesting to note that it didn’t take an army to
subdue Satan. It wasn’t even an angel of great authority. When God uses high
ranking angels to proclaim a great event, they are named. God didn’t send
Michael the
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Do not be surprised by the fact that those who look upon him during his bondage refer to him as a man. Angels are often referred to as men when they are visible to mankind. Gabriel is called an angel who stands before God[15] but is described by Daniel as ‘the man Gabriel’. This is because angels often have an appearance like men and when Satan’s façade is stripped away, people will marvel that the mighty Lucifer is bound in weakness and has no more power than those on the earth.
Another misconception about the devil and his demons is that
they are running wild wreaking havoc. All angels must obey God regardless of
their stature. Any angel who refuses to obey receives swift judgment. This is
explained in 2 Peter 2b:
4 …God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
This is past tense and is in reference to the fall of Satan and his angels. The angels who refuse to obey are already bound and awaiting judgment and though Satan knows his time is limited, he also knows that to disobey is to pronounce immediate judgment on himself. The angels who were in disobedience are already bound and awaiting God’s final judgment. In Revelation we also see 4 wicked angels that are bound and will be released during the tribulation period to take peace from the earth. We also see that demons (or fallen angels) fear a premature judgment. In Luke 8, Jesus encountered a man possessed with a legion of demons who begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss but pleaded to enter a heard of swine[16]. In Matthew 8 we also see demons crying out and asking Jesus if He has come to torment them before the time[17].
Satan and those who fell with him know that there is an appointed time and they have a limit to what they can do and a short time in which to do it. There is an appointed judgment and all angels are subject to God regardless of which side they are on. Satan may hate God, but he also knows where his boundaries are. Even the ‘war in heaven’ is little more than Satan and his angels being rounded-up and cast to earth as part of God’s final time of judgment. When this occurs, man is given the warning, “Woe to those who inhabit the earth. Satan is cast down and has great fury because he knows his time is short”[18]. As part of God's final judgment, many restraints will be removed at this time. In the Bible, Satan is never spoken of as having power beyond the ability to deceive those who are willing to believe his lies and the limited power given to him to perform a specific task that God grants him permission to do.
Now that we have looked at the limitations of Satan, let’s look at his power. To understand Satan’s powers, let’s take a closer look at how this passage in Ephesians instructs us to guard ourselves with God’s armor and stand by God’s strength so that we can ‘stand against the wiles of the devil’. The definition of ‘wiles’ is cunning arts, deceit and trickery. It is very important that you grasp this principle. Deceit, seduction and lies are the powers of Satan. No more, no less. Satan does not have the power to physically harm you, force you to act nor does he wield any power over you. Satan is a caged lion that seeks to devour. He can only devour those he can convince to come into his territory by submitting to him. There is no such thing as ‘the devil made me do it’. There is no such thing as spiritual beings physically harming a physical being with the exception of God’s active will to test His people and this is very limited. In the scriptures we see those who are possessed cutting themselves or doing other harm to themselves, but those are individuals who have already yielded to the devil for he can take no one by force unless they are deceived into yielding themselves to him.
People are possessed or deceived into obeying the devil by trickery. We see this invading the church today. Contemplative prayer and ‘Christian’ yoga are examples of this. It is masquerading as a thing of God; however, those who formulated this doctrine for the church admit that it comes from pagan religions. One of the proponents of this practice declared that he believed that Eastern religions have wisdom that needs to be ‘captured for Christ’[19]. Eastern meditation calls us to empty our minds and open up ourselves to a power around us. This creates a wide open door for Satan to deceive and even take people into bondage for this form of meditation is a yielding of the mind and will and therefore the participants have already submitted themselves to whatever force is drawing them. While they believe they are contacting God, in reality they are encountering the wiles of the devil who take them captive at his will[20]. We are also warned in scripture that Satan masquerades himself as an angel of light for the purpose of deceiving and that his disciples pass themselves off as ministers of righteousness[21].
The Bible warns us continuously against deception and false teachers who secretly bring ungodly doctrine into the church. This is not warned against in vain for it is a very real danger. Centering prayer, spiritual formation, contemplative prayer, breath prayers and other titles for this Eastern meditation is a crafty repackaging of this deception so it can be passed off as a practice of light. Even the proponents of these Eastern practices in the church warn of the dangers of possession; though they do not call it possession. They warn of what is called Kundalini Arousal in the Eastern world. The dangerous symptoms of contemplative practices are burning heat or ice cold sensations up the spine, anxiety attacks, parapsychological activities, mystical revelations, sensitivity to light, sound, insomnia, manic excitement or deep depression, etc. Richard Foster warns that contemplative practices are not for the novice and that the Christian may encounter “various orders of spiritual beings, and some of them are definitely not in cooperation with God”[22].
Carl G. Jung also advocates contemplative practices but warns that many of those seeking enlightenment from this practice experience the “hellish torments of the chönyid state”. This is a warning quoted from the Tibetan Book of the Dead which is a how to book on Buddhism. Jung goes on to explain his entering in this state where he was visited by the dead, heard voices and feared that he would not return to a state of sanity[23]. As he described it, he was “glad to have escaped death”. In spite of this experience, he and others continue to promote these practices claiming that we must risk the danger to gain the enlightenment and most ‘Christian’ teachers of this movement hide the risk and present this as just a normal spiritual practice. Any discerning Christian should be able to tell that a practice that can unleash evil could not be of God.
We are commanded to meditate, but the biblical mandate is to
‘meditate on the things taught in scripture’. Look at biblical meditation as
described in 1 Timothy 4:15-16
15 Meditate upon these
things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and
unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save
thyself, and them that hear thee.
The purpose of meditation is to think upon the doctrines
taught in scripture so that we can give ourselves wholly to them in obedience
to God. We are not clearing our minds, but setting our minds upon the word of
God to understand its meaning. Biblical prayer is to pray with the
understanding[24]. When
people do not understand the scriptures, it is easy to lead them into error by
redefining words such as meditation and prayer for the purpose of seducing them
into believing a thing is of God. Most Christians hear Christian sounding words
and assume that the terminology justifies the doctrine. Satan’s doctrines use
comforting terminology to lower our guard so that seduction can be introduced
as authentic doctrine. The doctrine of demons is a powerful tool in Satan’s
weaponry. Look at 1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
This is at the heart of spiritual warfare. Many are afraid
of the wrong things. Rather than fearing the
The Bible informs us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, rulers, darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. We indeed are in a spiritual war and are called and equipped to stand against an enemy we cannot see. The war may be between heaven and the forces of hell, but it is played out in the lives of each individual man and woman as our desires fight for the submission of our will. Throughout scripture we are warned over and over to both equip ourselves for the battle and to not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes. The power of Satan is his ability to convince you to act contrary to God’s word. If you can recognize his deceptions and choose to surrender yourselves to God, Satan’s powers are completely deflated. There are two ways that Satan attacks those who are grounded in the word, but none of these attacks can harm our spirit without our submission to the devil. Satan can attack our circumstances and he can attack our feelings or desires and it would benefit our understanding to take a brief look at how this is used against us in spiritual warfare.
Attacks through Circumstances.
We are given an inside glimpse at spiritual attacks in our physical world by the story of Job. In the trials of Job we see that God first equipped Job and built a hedge around him and built up Job’s faith. Only by permission was Satan able to attack Job with any outside circumstances. Satan failed to deceive Job and was not able to manipulate him through fleshly desires, so he begged God for an opportunity to attack Job's circumstances. God knew Job’s heart and knew his faith could stand for we all have the absolute promise that we will never be tested beyond what we can endure[25]. Job lived his life for God and God was his focus. This was evident because when everything was stripped away, Job remained faithful. Job’s faith was proven true because he put his trust in God’s faithfulness even when he didn’t understand why he was enduring these trials. His faith was not dependent upon blessings, but the knowledge of the truth of God. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him”[26] was his amazing testimony of faith. Job knew with absolute certainty that God cared and was out for his good. He was so confident in God’s purposes that he was willing to die before he would abandon them or turn from the Lord. Job’s focus wasn’t on things or circumstances, but on God.
We see the reverse is true with Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. His focus was not on God, but on the blessings he expected. When Jesus’ plan did not fall in line with Judas’ desires, he abandoned and betrayed Christ so that he could fulfill his greed and his own self-interest. He stayed with Christ until it became clear that Jesus was not going for an earthly throne by which he also would reign and gain glory. Self-gain was the only thing that made sense to Judas and Jesus’ call to deny self did not offer the gratification Judas was focusing on. Out of greed, Judas betrayed Jesus for a purse full of silver. When his greed failed to fulfill him, he committed suicide. Judas’ faith was not in Christ; instead it was based on what Christ could give him. His focus was on his own fulfillment.
Like Judas, if we put our trust in things or our focus on self-gratification, we will not stand when God’s plan doesn’t make sense. We won’t be able to trust that God sees the end and works all things to our good. If circumstances are the foundation that supports our faith, we will become angry with God when trials come instead of trusting in God’s plan. Neither Job nor Judas understood God’s plan and they could not see the end result. Judas lost everything including his soul, but Job inherited rewards in heaven, became an icon of faith and found God’s best which far exceeded all that he had before the trials began. Judas sought self and what he found was worthlessness. Job denied himself and sought God and he found the Lord and the complete fulfillment that only comes from God. Job never loved the things, but his reward was God. In the end he found what he was looking for and God blessed him with the things that Judas was looking for as well.
Our circumstances can be attacked and God will use it for
our eternal benefit. By permission, the devil can attack our finances, health,
and any other part of our physical world. However, we must also be aware that
Satan can’t do these things without a physical messenger. People, disease, the
elements are tools in spiritual warfare. Satan is not a physical being and
cannot bite people or do any of the sensational things as superstition often
claims. Not all physical circumstances are a part of God’s best for our life.
When we abandon God and pursue the world, we cannot expect to remain under the
umbrella of God’s authority. Sometimes pain is the consequences of bad choices.
God can use these hardships to drive us back to Him, but they are not the best
that God desires to give us. Scripture teaches that troubles are sometimes the
consequences of sin, but sometimes they are not the result of sin at all. Only
If we are following God with our whole heart, can we be confident that
everything in our life is a part of God's perfect will for our lives. We not
only have to belong to God, but to answer the call of His purpose. Sometimes
hardship is how God directs us. Look at Proverbs
16:
7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Sometimes we are going in a direction that God does not want us to go. Even the most mature Christian can mistake emotions for the confirmation of God. When we are going the wrong way (even if we are sincerely following the Lord), God will raise up enemies to force us away from the path that leads us away from the best He has for us. When we please God with our lives and we are accurately discerning the way God wants us to go, He brings peace in our lives and even causes our enemies to be at peace with us.
God uses His word, our desires, events, people and circumstances to shape and direct our lives. We are trying to walk by the Spirit but we live in a physical world whose demands often convolute our way. This is why it is so important to recognize that we don’t war against flesh and blood. When an enemy rises up and we allow this to create bitterness in our heart, we prevent God from working good in our lives. Even when we feel like our motives are sincere, there will be times when we will get sidetracked from God’s calling. God can use our enemies to close doors that we should not go through. Our enemies will be painfully honest and often reveal what we need to see. God often uses our enemies to build our character, test our faith and direct our path. We can’t see tomorrow, but God can. We must learn to trust God regardless of our problems or obstacles. They may still be our enemies, but God can give us peace among them and use wicked intentions to accomplish good in our life.
Attacks through Selfish
desires.
Perhaps the greatest tool at Satan’s disposal is our selfish desires. All the power of hell is unleashed upon someone who will follow wholeheartedly after their desires. Hitler, Stalin and a host of others have massacred millions for the sole purpose of fulfilling their own desires. Wickedness is unleashed through the desires for power, greed, lust and any other selfish driven motive that goes unchecked. Every serial killer has one thing in common, they have an unquenchable desire that has taken over their minds, corrupted their hearts, and is ruling their lives. When we submit to our desires, our desires will drive our minds and rule our decisions. As Christians, we have the power to choose to be Spirit led instead of desire driven. Satan cannot make you do anything; he can only present to you a deception with the goal of influencing you to take the bait of sin. The responsibility rests solely upon your will. Satan exercises his power by pulling the chains of desire that entangles each person who does not live by the spiritual standard Christ has set.
Many times we hear people say that they are oppressed when
in fact they are succumbing to temptation. It is not demonic oppression; we are
being double-minded Christians. Many times Christians are torn between knowing
what is right and wanting what the world offers. Satan cannot oppress a
Christian. Satan cannot possess a Christian. By oppress, I mean spiritually. In
Christ, you have been set free. You have the power to live as a child of God.
You also have the power to submit to sin. The problem is not that we are
oppressed or are under attack, the problem is that we want to be a child of God
and live for the world. The two are incompatible. Look at Philippians 3:18-20
18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
If your mind is on earthly desires, your belly (or gratification of selfish desires) is your god and you are living in opposition to Christ. To live by desires is to make desires into your god. In this modern age we have been duped into believing that grace means we can live by our desires without consequences. The idea that we can live for sin and abide in grace is refuted throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. The grace of God is the unmerited favor of God that reaches out to us who are sinners, pulls us out of the pit created by selfish desires, and sets us on a rock so that we have the power to live for God. You can’t be a part of Christ without submitting to Christ. It is the grace of God offered through faith in Christ that breaks the chains that bind us to our desires. We are now free to live by faith, not by sight. We no longer base our lifestyle on getting everything our eyes lust after, but by living by faith – believing and trusting in God’s plan for our lives and trusting God to fulfill our desires. We believe that He who created us knows what it takes to satisfy and fulfill us; the world does not. Those who love the world claim that they are free, but not only are they not free; they cannot teach anyone how to be free[27].
The world does not have this benefit. The world lives by
desire and searches for fulfillment based on what feels good. Worldly desires
are Satan’s domain. If Satan can convince you to live by your desires, you will
be controlled by your passions and drawn by what he presents. Jesus warned the
church, “You are the salt of the world. If the salt looses its savor, where
will it be salted?” Salt adds flavor and preserves. Before refrigeration was
invented, salt was often used to prevent decay. The church has lost much of the
savor of God as it becomes more like the world. In the past, this country was
morally preserved by the flavor of the church. Now as the church decays, so
does society. The secret of cultural renewal is not in politics, but in a
return to living for Christ. If we live for Christ, we will flavor our culture
and greatly influence politics by building up leaders with a godly foundation.
Without godly men and women, there is nothing to prevent decay. If you are
living for your desires, you will be driven by your passions.
Self-gratification is a consuming passion. It spreads like wildfire but never
fulfills; it only destroys. Look at Romans
6:16-18
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
If you submit yourselves to sin, you become a slave to sin. You cannot live for the world without becoming a slave to sin. You will submit to either God or sin. You will either reap righteousness or you will reap spiritual death. Physical death is inevitable, but to die spiritually is a fate worse than death. The heat of the spiritual battle is fought at the level of your desires. It is unfortunate that we see the consequences of sin all around us, yet we are more willing to believe the devil who promotes it than we are to believe God who says, “Follow me. If you are willing to lose your life for my sake, you will find it.” Our selfish desires call us to lust for what we can get now and worry about the consequences later; whereas Jesus calls us to trust Him now so that we can reap the benefits of God in His time in this life and for all of eternity.
The one who controls your desires, controls you. You will
submit to one or the other - there is no middle ground. If you trust God, you
will submit in faith and the Bible says that your faith is accounted for
righteousness[28]. The
Bible also tells us that when we don’t trust God, we have an evil heart of
unbelief[29]. To
disbelieve God is sin, but to have faith is credited for righteousness. To have
faith is not only to believe, but to believe and trust God by acting upon that
belief. Each area of your life that you can surrender to God is an act of faith
that God credits for righteousness. Your faith allows you to grow closer to
God. When you don’t believe God and act on sinful desires, you are driven from
God. The spiritual battle is fought in our lives through our desires. Our
desires are shaped through the values we hold and are shaped in our hearts and
minds. As we grow in the word, our values are shaped into desiring the things
God wants for us and then we have this promise found in Psalm 37:3-5
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Our lives are shaped through trusting the Lord, delighting in the Lord and committing our ways to the Lord. If we are truthful, most of us have committed our ways to our desires as we try to find fulfillment rather than committing our ways unto the Lord so that He can fulfill us once our lives are complete in Him. Only then do we have the promise that He will bring these things to pass in our lives. It is not we who establish our lives upon righteousness but the Lord. We submit ourselves unto God and He brings this to pass by establishing spiritual fruit in our lives. The one who stands upon the Lord and His word will remain standing regardless of the attacks, storms of life or trials we all must endure by faith. Jesus said that the man who builds his house on the sand will fall, but the one who builds on the rock will stand. Both will weather the same storms, but one will remain unmovable and the other will not be able to stand. The strength of our lives comes directly from the foundation we have built our lives upon. To stand, the Lord must be your strength and you must endure through the power of His might.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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Return to the Bible Studies Page
[1] James 5;16
[2] Psalm 91:9
[3] Romans 12:12
[4] 1 Corinthians 1:26
[5] 2 Corinthians 12:9
[6] John 15
[7] 2 Corinthians 12:9
[8] Isaiah 40:28-31
[9] Psalm 62:11
[10] Daniel 4:17, Romans 13
[11] Romans 9:17
[12] Revelation 17:17
[13] 1 John 4:4
[14] James 4:7-8
[15] Luke 1:19, 1:26, Daniel 8:16, 9:21
[16] Luke 8:26-33
[17] Matthew 8:29
[18] Revelation 12:12
[19] Finding Grace at the Center, p. 23 Basil Pennington
[20] 2 Timothy 2:26
[21] 2 Corinthians 11:13-16
[22] Richard Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
[23] Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Carl Jung
[24] 1 Corinthians 14:15
[25] 1 Corinthians 10:13
[26] Job 13:15
[27] 2 Peter 2:19
[28] Romans 4:5, 9:30, Galatians 5:5, Philippians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 5:21
[29] Hebrews 3:12