Overcoming the Enemies of a Christian - Enemy #2: Self
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I heard a poem years ago that I think clearly
describes the next enemy in the parable of the Sower. I was not able to find it on the net, so I
will label it as anonymous for now.
An
Enemy
An
enemy I had whose scene, I stately strove to know.
For
hard he dug my steps unseen wherever I might go.
My
plans he balked, my aims he foiled, he stopped my onward way.
When
for some stately goal I strove – he quickly said me “nay”.
Come
forth I cried, lay bare thy guise. Thy features I would see.
But
always to my straining eyes, he dwelt in mystery.
One
night I seized and held him fast, the veil from him did draw.
And
gazed upon his face at last, and lo… myself I saw!
-anonymous
I apologize
for not writing on my blog very frequently.
Just like you, I have to deal with the busyness of life, the challenges
of staying encouraged, and other things that come in my path. I know that it is quite a challenge to try
and offer some advice for overcoming the enemies that we face as Christians,
and I would love for you to add your constructive inputs to this discussion.
In our story from Matthew 13, and verses 5
& 6, it states “Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there was
little soil. The plants sprouted quickly
because the soil wasn't deep. But when the sun came up they were scorched. They
withered because their roots weren't deep enough. In verse 20 it reads the seed
planted on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and accepts it at once
with joy since he doesn't have any roots, he lasts only for a little while when
suffering or persecution comes along because of the word he immediately falls
from faith” (God’s Word translation)
The problem with the first seed that was
sown by the farmer was that it fell on hard ground and stayed on the surface
and the birds of the air snatched them up.
In that case, the enemy was an external enemy. The birds of the air were an example of the demonic
attack that tries to steal spiritual truth from our hearts and minds. The problem this time is an internal enemy. The problem is with the soil itself. The soil
was too shallow.
We talked last time about what happened in
the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. When
they gave in to the satanic temptation to disobey God – the Bible says that
when they chose to disobey God – they would die (Genesis 3:3). When they ate from the tree that was in the
middle of the garden they did not die “physically”, but they immediately died “spiritually”. They lost their spiritual relationship with
God. They became embarrassed, convicted,
ashamed, and they ran and hid from God, rather than fellowshipping with Him in
the garden. Romans 5:12 tells us “Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; And so, death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Every person since Adam and Eve
now is born with a sinful nature.
The Bible refers to this nature as “self”, “the fallen nature”, the “Adamic
nature”, “the flesh”.
Before we talk about the solution to
overcoming the fallen nature - let me illustrate the concepts of the human
predicament. The big circle below represents
your life. The Bible tells us that we
are triune beings. We have a spirit,
soul, and body. They are illustrated by
the 3 concentric circles.
Image by
Lee Malden
When Adam and Eve sinned, the Holy Spirit
left their spirit and their nature changed from being innocent to being sinful
and fallen, and a void was left in their heart.
Image by
Lee Malden
God created a resolution for the predicament
of mankind. He drove Adam and Eve out of
the garden so they would not live forever in a fallen state, and then He set
into motion the plan of the ages! The
Bible says that at the perfect time, Christ came to provide a means to
restore spiritual fellowship with mankind.
He came to show us how to live a life in communion with our Heavenly
Father and by His death – He paid the penalty for our sin, by dying on the
cross. He now invites every person to
admit they're in a sinful state, rely on Him for salvation and forgiveness, and invite
Him into their life. When you do this –
you become a new creation in Christ!
Image by
Lee Malden
I want you to notice that even though you are given a new nature in Christ
when you are spiritually reborn as a Christian, you still have the old
nature. We will be freed from the old nature
once we die and go to heaven. Until then
we are asked by the Bible to not give in to our old sinful nature, but to
respond by the new nature in Christ. Listen
to the words of Paul in 1st Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body and
bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I preach to others, I
myself should be a castaway.” Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 “If any man will come
after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
I’ve got a question for you. If we have two natures inside of us as Christians,
which one will have the greater influence in our lives? This is an important question to
consider. As Christians, we have a great opportunity
to accomplish spiritual victories, if we do not allow the fallen nature to
influence us. Someone once said that if
you want to know which nature will win – it is the one that you feed the
most!
How do you feed the new nature? You feed it by reading the Bible and Allowing
the Bible to get into your heart. You feed
the new nature by putting the principles of the Bible into practice. You feed the new nature by not letting the
old nature determine how you respond to the circumstances of life, but you let
the new nature motivate your response.
You feed the new nature by getting together with other like-minded
believers and learning how they have been able to do it.
How do you feed the old nature? I guess that is a very easy answer. Our fallen nature is our default response. The fallen nature is often the strongest motivation within us. You will more than
likely follow the sinful nature if you follow the pattern that most people follow
around you. Most of the media gives you examples
of how to respond to the fallen nature.
We need to be patient and to allow the
Spirit of God to help us determine how we respond to the situations of life
from the new nature. We need to make a concerted effort to feed our minds on
better things and not respond so quickly and allow the nature of Christ to
guide us.
An
Enemy
An
enemy I had whose scene, I finally came to know.
For
many years he dug my steps, wherever I would go.
My
plans he balked, my aims he foiled, he stopped my onward way.
But
Christ came to give me power, to quietly tell him “Nay”.
Come
forth I cried, lay bare thy guise. Thy failures I would see.
I
bowed my head, opened my heart, and in Christ I became free.
That
night I seized and held him fast, the power from him did draw.
And
gazed upon a new nature at last… and lo, The Lord I saw!
-Lee
Written by Lee Malden 2022
For more information: email lmalden@hotmail.com
Very good poem and explanation of the three parts of man! Thanks
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