To him who overcomes . . . —Revelation 2:7
Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life.
Health is the balance between the physical parts of my body and all the things and forces surrounding me. To maintain good health I must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external. Everything outside my physical life is designed to cause my death. The very elements that sustain me while I am alive work to decay and disintegrate my body once it is dead. If I have enough inner strength to fight, I help to produce the balance needed for health. The same is true of the mental life. If I want to maintain a strong and active mental life, I have to fight. This struggle produces the mental balance called thought.
Morally it is the same. Anything that does not strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome, thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life. But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired.
And spiritually it is also the same. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation . . .” (John 16:33). This means that anything which is not spiritual leads to my downfall. Jesus went on to say, “. . . but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” I must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness. Then it becomes a delight to meet opposition.
Holiness is the balance between my nature and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ.
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December 4, 2013-JDV
Lord, you have taught me to “give up, surrender” and let You engage the challenges of my life. Then I read the devotional form Chambers and he says we must be at war all the time; that we must fight to maintain a spiritual and moral balance. He also says that I am to fight to overcome the things that come against me, and yet I am told that You have already won the battle. Which is it Lord? Do I fight or surrender? How can I build moral and spiritual balance? Do I fight and struggle with the things that come against me, or do I give up and surrender my fight to You?
And God says…”Many life lessons are simple and paradoxical. Through Jesus, you have life that comes from His death. You are at your strongest when you surrender and rely on Me. You are the most wise when you come to Me as a little child. As the Apostle Paul wrote; “When you want to do the right thing, you actually end up doing what is wrong. You struggle to do the right thing and then time and time again do the wrong thing. There IS a war going on inside of you. But once you realize that Jesus has already won all your battles, the struggle is transformed into a victory party. The real struggle is for you to surrender, to give up yourself. The fight is not a fight that you take on, it is a surrender to Jesus……so that He can fight on your behalf. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and everything else you require, need or desire shall be provided.”
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