PSALM 115:1 – Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
THEME OF THE DAY: OUR TOUGHEST BATTLE. The Christian life is a war. Daily we enter spiritual battlefields with our spiritual foes having one single objective; disobedience to the exhortation found in the opening verses of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews, chapter twelve – Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).
And what is the specific exhortation? Looking to Jesus. This is how we define spiritual warfare. It is the all-out war by our spiritual foes attempting with great force and craftiness to get our spiritual eyes off Jesus. If they are successful in diverting our attention and affection off Jesus and onto the world, other people, and ourselves, spiritual defeat is certain. The evidence of being slain on the battlefields of spiritual warfare will be loss of joy, loss of zeal for the Lord, loss of peace, loss of passion for the Gospel, and a host of worldly attitudes shaping our minds instead of the Word of God.
In this spiritual conflict, there are three great foes – the devil, the world, and the person we greet in the mirror each morning. Which one would we pick causes us the most trouble? It is the last one. Ourselves. The reason why this is true is because of the proximity we have toward this foe. We spend the most time with whom? Ourselves. Think about it.
The devil is a created being so he cannot be everywhere at the same time. So, if he is dealing directly with a believer, church, or ministry in Africa, then he is not able to be dealing with us directly. I, personally, don’t believe many of us, if any, have personal one-on-one encounters with the devil. That does not dismiss his power. Remember, he has a host of fallen angels, demons, doing his bidding so he has ample “soldiers” to battle us individually.
What about the world? It is a formidable foe as well. The activity of the world diverting Christians from looking to Jesus is intense. For the most part, the church has been overcome by the world. To see this foe defeating the church on a regular basis all we need to do is see the low commitment of Christians to the church, lack of prayer in the church, and lack of Gospel influence from the church. Yet, we can “retreat” from the world in our homes (this means no internet, television, and shut-off your phone). So, yes, the world is a dangerous spiritual enemy but the worst is the person in the mirror and today’s scripture shows us the chief tactic this foe uses to bring spiritual defeat into our lives.
How does the Psalm start? A double negative – “Not to us, O Lord, not to us” and points us to the tremendous battle against selfishness. It is the craving, even pursuing, attention; the desire to be served; wanting to be recognized. Are we winning the battle? Here is how we know. Are we disappointed when not affirmed in the Lord’s service? Are we envious when others are? This battle is real and intense. The DNA of sin is selfishness. Self won’t die easily and demands a daily crucifying and that by identifying in Christ’s death on the cross. Go there often and die, die to self, so that we may indeed win our spiritual battles – looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me for the too many times I give into my flesh and do not practice self-denial.”
QUOTE: “Our greatest spiritual enemy is the person we greet in the mirror. Battle him or her relentlessly.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim