The Enemies of our Soul

Each of us here have three battles that we cannot avoid as believers in Jesus Christ…  the first battle is with ourselves, or as the Bible describes it, the flesh or sinful nature.  We recognize early on in life the maxim that the Apostle Paul cried out about in Romans 7, “the things I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do….  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature.”     I’ll never forget one pastor who put it this way, the greatest battle that we face is within our own souls.

The second battle we cannot avoid is the battle with the devil.  The Bible clearly teaches that “our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  (I Peter 5:8)   “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly regions.”  (Ephesians 6:12)   There is a devil and he opposes the saints on earth…  

Our third battle that you and I as believers cannot avoid is a battle with the world and its system or values.  The Bible again warns us that we cannot love the world and God.  “If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world… comes not from the Father…”  (I John 2:15-17)   Sex, greed, envy, pride, and the other deadly sins are aroused by the world and its system…    Our souls, the devil and the world are the battle fields we deal with every day.

Our weapons against these enemies are not of the flesh, but are of God Himself.  He is the one who equips us to stand against the enemies of our soul and live a victorious life in Christ Jesus.  Through the word of God and prayer we are able to take a stand.  It is with that idea the Apostle Paul reminds us to "be strong in the Lord and the might of His power."  (Eph 6:10) So let us look to the Lord for everything knowing that He is the one who can help us overcome.