KEEP FIGHTING – JESUS WINS
Jenna Worsham
Today’s Scripture: “He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.” Psalm 55:18, ESV
Theme: God eternally redeems me from the eternal battle for my soul.
THE BATTLE
Every day is a battle between good and evil. Human bodies are subject to physical needs, sickness, problems, and sin. There’s no escaping the broken parts of life. If we succumb to the pattern of the world and reject Jesus, the battle isn’t fierce. The unsaved march with the enemy unopposed towards death. Yet when we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts, our bodies become both temples and battlegrounds. There are two forces, our own sin nature and a holy God at war within us. But there is hope. “And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5, NLT). That’s you and me, if you believe.
IT’S TOO MUCH
The battle is against serious opposition “...For many are arrayed against me” (Psalm 55:18b, ESV). The battle is too much for us. We get tired. We are hungry. We are filled with grief, depression, anxiety, and we are discouraged. I may have started the battle against evil by choosing Jesus, but it’s one that I can’t win on my own. It is more than I can do.
What’s your current battle? Our battles against sin will change over the years. I’ve found that once I am able to overcome one sin habit or pattern, a new challenge emerges. I look back and see that the new thing that I’m struggling to improve has been a problem all along. I just didn’t see it. I struggled with language, gossip, clean living, contentment, pride, materialism, daily Bible reading, prayer, and now with observing a weekly sabbath. I’m not saying I have all of those things figured out. What I am saying is that I know I couldn’t have improved even one of them on my own. Thinking of the paths away from temptation or toward good habits God provided, I realize that without His provision, I’d still be where I started. It was and is all too much for me.
REDEEMED
We learned this week that when we are tempted to sin, God will provide a way of escape. Not only will He redeem us for all eternity, but He will start redeeming our lives from sin now! While the battle with temptation can be won, there will be troubles that overwhelm us. Sometimes pain or loss will be so significant we can’t breathe. Maybe sickness, natural disaster, or violence affected you profoundly. This deep trouble is not God’s will for us. It is part of the broken, sorrow-filled world we live in. We know that at the end of our story, when the earth is redeemed “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4, NLT). While there will be death, sorrow, crying, and pain now, we have a promise that those things are temporary. We enjoy God’s presence now and will enjoy it fully and perfectly (without sin or trouble) in eternity. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, ESV).
Make It Personal: What’s your current battle against temptation and sin? Pray over the situation and ask God to show you a path of escape. What overwhelming trouble or pain are you facing? Invite God to draw near to you in your grief and suffering. He cares and wants to comfort you, and He walks with you through the difficult (even impossible) situations you face.
Pray: Dear Father, thank You for winning the ultimate battle. I know that the battles I fight against sin are insignificant in comparison. Yet I know that my effort and faithfulness please You. Help me to keep fighting and to take the way out which You have promised to provide in each tempting situation. Thank You for continuing to grow my character and my ability to run from temptation.
Read: 2 Peter 1:10-11; 2 Corinthians 3:4-5; Psalm 55
Weekly Memory Verse: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV