Power Point - October 3, 2005

October 3, 2005

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

--Ephesians 6:12

I once read in Decision Magazine, published by the Billy Graham Association, of someone who wrote this: “I thought God had saved me from my sins, but since I became a Christian I have had struggles within me that I have never had before. I didn’t know I was such a sinner. I’ve never struggled with sin like this before.”

Billy Graham went on to say that this is actually a condition to be thankful for. You see, before we met Christ as our Savior we weren’t struggling with sin and temptation. We simply gave in automatically and we were dominated by its power in our lives. But when we came to faith in Christ, we received a new life that suddenly went into conflict with the old.

Our struggle is not with physical battles alone anymore—it is with spiritual battles. There is an infernal enemy who seeks to do us harm. But not only do we have an infernal foe, we have an internal foe—ourselves. Temptation is actually a call to stand up and fight. And when we find ourselves in the throes of temptation, it’s time to do spiritual battle.

All of us are tempted in all seasons of life. Temptation is the solicitation to take a God-given desire and fulfill it in a God-forbidden way. When you determine to follow Christ, you will meet resistance. Know that struggling with temptation and sin and overcoming is a great victory to be had. And in order to overcome, you must trust that He will empower you.

“NO MAN KNOWS HOW BAD HE IS UNTIL HE HAS TRIED TO BE GOOD.”

--C.S. LEWIS