Inheritance Through Faith and Perseverance (Evening Prayer 1/22/2020)

For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt. For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and that produces vegetation useful to those for whom it is cultivated receives a blessing from God. But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is worthless and about to be cursed, and at the end will be burned. Even though we are speaking this way, dearly loved friends, in your case we are confident of things that are better and that pertain to salvation. For God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you demonstrated for his name by serving the saints ​— ​and by continuing to serve them. Now we desire each of you to demonstrate the same diligence for the full assurance of your hope until the end, so that you won’t become lazy but will be imitators of those who inherit the promises through faith and perseverance 
-- Hebrews 6:4-12 (CSB)

This passage was shared with me by a church member recently when I was doing a pastoral visit at his home. It had been perplexing him, and it perplexed me, too. What exactly does the author of Hebrews mean here? I went to my CSB Study Bible for help, and here's where it lead me.

Are we to think that these "dearly loved friends" are leaving Christianity and returning to Judaism or whatever religion they previously adhered to? I don't think so, because the author seems to indicate in v.9 that he is speaking rhetorically, and he/she is "confident of things that are better" in their case, specifically. That sounds like the audience knows that Christ is better.

If that's not what he/she means, is it possible that these hearers had heard the gospel, maybe even liking it, but ultimately strayed away? This certainly happens, as we see in the parable of the sower that Jesus tells throughout the Gospels. Yet, look at the way the author describes them: enlightened, tasting of heaven, sharing in the Holy Spirit, tasting God's good word, and the powers of the coming age. That's a description that can only belong to a saved person. No nominal "Christian" that is going to fall away would be described in such terms--especially when it talks about sharing in the Holy Spirit, which only happens in the life of a believer.

Is it discussing the work of sanctification (or being made like Jesus daily), rather than our salvation itself? Again, I don't think so: why wouldn't we be able to repent of our apostasy if this were talking about our growth in Christ? Peter did exactly that repentance from rejecting Jesus in John 21.

So, what does it mean? I think it is a warning against turning from Christ and to continue relying on Christ. The author seems to be indicating that if we have a life that "receives the rain" (i.e. is surrounded by the gospel and things of Christ) and yet "produce thorns" shows that we never were enlightened or Spirit-shared. The author warns us as believers to remain in the faith, to have faith and persevere, which is evidence of our salvation in Jesus. Our faith and deeds are evidence that we have been saved (James 2 goes in-depth here); let us remain in the faith and never fall away!

Father God, hold us close. We know that if we are believers, you will not let us go; do not let us even desire to be released. May we abide in you as you abide within us. 

They Covered Their Father's Nakedness (Morning Prayer 1/22/20)

Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. Noah, as a man of the soil, began by planting a vineyard. He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, he said:

Canaan is cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. 

He also said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

Let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Let God extend Japheth; 

let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem;

let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died. 

-- Genesis 9:18-29 (CSB)

Nobody is perfect, ya know? Noah is often lifted up as a hero of Scripture and as an example of how to live a life following the Lord, and rightfully so. Noah was the only one following God when the time of the flood came, and is a great example in many ways of the Christian life. However, Noah was also a human with a sin nature, and in this tale, he sinned. He got hammered and stripped naked in view of everybody.

Now, in this moment of shame and embarrassing behavior, anyone could have two real options: help Noah or hurt Noah. Ham chose to laugh at Noah's embarrassing situation, highlighting his father's sin with a sin of his own. Shem and Japheth, however, chose to help their father, which was the correct choice. 

We, too, are faced with a similar opportunity each day. We can either help or hurt anytime another is in a bad situation--by their own doing or by no fault of their own. When we choose to help them get out of that situation, we are making the same choice that Shem and Japheth made: the choice to love. To help others is to love others, and that is what the Christian life is to look like. It's, frankly, what Christ did when He came, lived, died, and rose again--all on our behalf. He chose to love us, to help us, rather than to hurt or ignore us. Our plight was and is a direct result of our sinfulness, and yet Christ still loved us enough to come to our aid. 

Will we chose to follow the example of Shem, Japheth, and Jesus today? Will we choose love by choosing to help, or will we choose to hurt?

Father God, help us choose to help today. Help us choose to love. We know that is the way that you would do, because it is the way you have done. Aid us in becoming more like you today. In Christ's name, amen.

Testing and Rebelling

     How do we handle ourselves when we find ourselves in a place we don't understand? How do we approach the Lord when it seems like times are too hard, or we don't feel that we have all we need, or things just could not get worse. Exodus 17:1-7 shows the nation of Israel in a place similar to that, and I think they give us an excellent model of how not to approach such times:

The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”

“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”

But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 

Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” 

-- Exodus 17:1-7 (CSB)

     The Israelites were travelling, as the Lord commanded, but there was no water where the Lord sent them. So they got mad at Moses, which then prompted Moses to remind them that it was God who had brought them to this place in life in the first place. That's the same as us; wherever we are currently in life, it is because God brought us there or allowed us to wander there ourselves. Nothing is beyond His scope or His vision; we are never apart from His presence and never blocked from His guidance.
     This didn't stop the Israelites from grumbling and complaining about the situation, though. I get it; there's not any water, and water is necessary for life to continue. It had to have felt like Moses was leading them out into the desert to dehydrate and die of thirst. They even started to long for the "good ol' days" when they were enslaved by the Egyptians, where they at least had access to water. I guess they figured that a terrible life with water was better than no life at all. So they kept complaining at Moses, and Moses did not know what to do. How was he to handle this situation?
     He turned to the Lord. He called out for God to help, knowing that God was totally aware of their plight and that it was God Himself who had lead them there. They had no rebelled and gone somewhere they were not supposed to go; it was totally through Moses's faith in God and His guidance that they had ended up in this predicament. God's people were on the verge of literally dying out, but God had no intention of that happening. He was not going to allow His covenant people to die out. His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would not be coming up short, and certainly not in a place that God Himself had led them. He led His people to a place of testing, and they responded by testing Him. They failed His test of faith.
     So Moses called out, and God answered with a plan. It wasn't the assumed, normal plan either. I'm sure Moses assumed that God would lead them to a place with more water, like a river or a lake. We often assume that God's plans will be pretty predictable, too. I know that I often think I can plot out God's answers and next steps for my life, and yet time and time again, I am proven wrong. God almost always surprises me with the next step on His journey with me, and He surprised Moses here, too. God brought their salvation in an unexpected and unforeseen way: He brought water from a rock.
     There is a ton of parallel here with Jesus in the New Testament. He's the Rock we stand on (1 Corinthians 10) and our source of living water (John 4). He is the salvation that came to us in an unforeseen way, as a baby in a boondocks town that grew up to be a street-preaching rabbi that literally died in our place to provide salvation to us. We do not have to go find our living water and our salvation; just like the Israelites, our salvation came to us in our hour of need, and we simply need to trust Him for salvation.
     This is not a one-time deal, though. We do not trust Jesus to save us once, and then live the rest of our lives. Trusting in Jesus as our salvation may be initiated and secured when we place our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, but our daily walk with the Lord is meant to be a daily step of faith. We daily find ourselves, like the Israelites, confused and frustrated. We don't always understand our circumstances and we don't always see how it will work out for good. Yet, we always have a choice to make: to grumble like Israel, or trust that our Savior is the Rock of salvation every day in everyplace. We must not test (Massah) or rebel against (Meribah) the Lord; we must trust Him.
     Hebrews 3:7-4:2 puts this Old Testament passage into a New Testament context; we cannot allow a sinful, unbelieving and distrustful heart to turn us away from God. We must have confidence in Christ. We must encourage our fellow believers to keep the faith. Hebrews 4:2 clearly shows that Israel had heard the gospel, same as us in the church today; they simply did not combine the good news with daily, practical faith in the moments of everyday life. When they did that, they rejected the rest available to them: both in the immediate rest we find in placing our burdens on Christ and in the future rest we have in eternity with Him. Their lack of faith showed a lack of heart change by the gospel, and revealed them to be frauds in the faith.
     Will we trust our Lord daily, while we still have time to walk with Him and rest in Him, or will we doubt and test Him until the end of our days? The choice is ours to choose faith, and I pray that we will each do just that.

New Year, New Beginnings

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. -Genesis 1:28-30

This time of year is often associated with new beginnings. I saw it said on one post that since New Year's Day falls on a Monday, this year is the ultimate fresh start: new year, new week, yada yada. 

I personally love the new year because I tend to be a list-making, goal-setting, type-A sort of person. This time of year is made for someone like me: I can make all kinds of lists and goals and organizational charts, and it's culturally acceptable to do so (instead of simply just nerdy)! 

Here's the thing, though: I am not always super hot at following through on all my plans. I tend to start well, and then stumble and bumble along my way until December 31 rolls around, and then I start again.

This is not dissimilar to how Adam and Eve handled God's plans for them at the ultimate beginning, back at the beginning of creation. God laid out for them some very simple commands and guidelines, and Adam and Eve did well with them...until they didn't.

That's how sin entered the world. It's how everything got all topsy-turvy, and following God's commands has been a tricky enterprise ever since. We are by nature inclined to disobey and rebel against His good plans for us, and that's why all of us needed Jesus to save us from our rebellion through His death and resurrection.

That's the good news, though: through Christ, there is grace for us! Adam and Eve may have fallen short of following God's commands, but that doesn't mean that they were cut off from following God after their first failure. They were not out of opportunities for obedience.

God graciously gave Adam and Eve further chances to fill the Earth and subdue it, and they did. There is evidence in Genesis 4 that Adam raised his two sons to be a shepherd and a farmer, thus subduing the earth and everything in it (both plants and animals!). Further, Eve gave birth to these two boys, and several other children, thus doing her part to be fruitful and fill the Earth.

Adam and Eve may have failed to follow the Lord perfectly when the serpent tempted, but they did not fail forever. God had enough grace to give them further opportunities to obey, and He has enough grace for you and I as we start the new year. We will set our goals and resolutions, and we will likely fall short of them. I will probably not go to the gym as much as I should, and I will probably not make my quiet time every day, but you know what: God has grace for me. 

We do not become perfect overnight upon our salvation; rather, we become more like Christ through daily dying to self, repenting when we stumble, and leaning on the God of grace to give us strength to grow closer to Him. 

So don't quit on your resolution to take care of your body this year when you miss a day or two at the gym. Don't give up on starting a Bible reading or prayer habit. Don't surrender to laziness when you miss church one Sunday. Instead, remember the grace of God and continue on. That's what the daily Christian life is about: continually striving toward holiness while clinging to His grace when we inevitably fall short. That is the God-glorifying life, and that's how we need to spend our 2018. 

Maybe (Just Maybe) We Have Hope

We all have days where we feel a bit less ourselves, ya know?

Maybe we haven't been having a great time at work.

Maybe we were out of strawberries at the house when we made our morning smoothie.

Maybe we're afraid of failing those we love.

Maybe we have failed those we love.

Maybe we can't find Pikachu on Pokemon Go. 

Maybe we didn't get the job or the acceptance letter.

Maybe we didn't get that second date.

Maybe we didn't get a first date.

Maybe we won't get another date.

Maybe we can't get ourselves to the gym more than two days...a month. 

Maybe we missed our chance.

Maybe we overestimated our chance.

Maybe the doctor had something hard to say.

Maybe we finished a great show on Netflix and don't know what to do with our weeknights.

Maybe we haven't gotten a call back.

Maybe we're wondering if their phone works.

Maybe we know it does, and don't want to admit it.

Maybe we watch too much cable news and read too many Facebook posts and get discouraged.

Maybe we feel like the world is crumbling around us.

Maybe none of these sound like anything you've ever imagined, so maybe your life is peachy.

Maybe you're lying.

Maybe life has been handing you lemons, and you just don't know what to do with them because you don't have enough sugar and sweetness in your life to make this lemonade something you can drink.

Maybe you just need some hope.

The good news is this: we have hope.

I just spent the past six nights hanging out with my church family, loving on some elementary-aged kids. Let me be clear: this does not sound like an ideal week for me. Small children are not my favorite people to be around, and the idea of devoting my nights this past week to such activities kind of made me shiver. Yet, I knew before it even began that it would be a great week, and it was.

This past week was Pinckard Baptist Church's Vacation Bible School, and it was a blast. The kids had a ton of fun, and seven of them made a profession of faith! Yet, it was more than just a fun and spiritually educational time for the kids. For me, at least, it was a chance to dive deeper into my own faith.

The theme this week was "Submerged: Finding Truth Below the Surface," a theme based on Psalm 139:23-24, which says:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.

This idea of God searching and testing our hearts lead to some fantastic themes each night. The points of the nights were as follows:
Jesus knows who I really am. 

Jesus knows my worth.

Jesus knows I need a Savior. 

Jesus knows my purpose.

Jesus loves and accepts me.

Maybe you need to hear one of these truths. I know that I did. The beautiful thing that God showed me this week was that Psalm 139, if you read all twenty-four verses, will lead you to each of these truths. 

It shows us that Jesus knows who we are, even when it seems like no one knows who we are or even cares to learn. Sometimes we can feel invisible, or maybe we feel like everyone knows us, but no one knows the real us. The good news of this passage is that Jesus sees deep inside us and knows exactly who we are, who we have been, and who we will be. We're not invisible to Him, and we cannot put up a fake version of ourselves. He knows us for who we really are. 

It shows us that Jesus knows our worth, even when we feel worthless. Maybe no one else sees us as valuable. Perhaps you feel used, or maybe you've done something that makes you broken. The good news of this passage is that Jesus not only knows us for who we really are, but He also knows our true worth. He made us, after all, in His precious image and in His precious, remarkable, wonderful plans. That's who we are to Jesus: preciously, remarkably, and wonderfully made.  

It shows us that, yes, we need a Savior. God has made us as His special imagebearers, but because He sees us as who we are, He knows that we're sinners. He knows we've lied, stolen, cussed, disobeyed, disrespected, lusted, and coveted. He knows we're made to worship Him and have chosen to worship our phones, our popularity, our problems, our situation, our jobs, or anything else that consumes our minds. The good news of this passage is that this isn't a mystery that needs to be figured out by Jesus; He already knows.

It shows us that Jesus knows our purpose. Maybe we feel like we don't have a purpose, or maybe we feel like our sinfulness has ruined that purpose. The good news of this passage is that Jesus has a purpose for every single one of us, and He can lead us to that purpose. How, you may ask? Why, by loving us.

Yes, this passage shows that Jesus loves and accepts us. We're His precious creation, full of purpose and worth. He knows us totally and fully. We have all sinned and failed to live up to that distinction, yes, but that does not keep Him from loving us and accepting us. He will test us and search us for anything wicked, offensive or idolatrous in us, and when He does, He is willing to root it out. He is willing to restore us to our purpose. He is willing to remind us of our worth. He is willing to save us, and that is because He knows, accepts, and loves us. In fact, He loved us so much that He died to save us from sins, if only we believe and confess Him as Savior and Lord. That's love and acceptance.

So maybe you feel hopeless today. Maybe it's been a downer of a day, week, or decade. Regardless, I want you to know that we do have hope, and that hope is found in Jesus. We have hope in a Lord that knows us fully, that knows our worth, that knows our purpose, that knows our sins, and yet also loves and accepts us as His own. 

Maybe, just maybe, this will bring you some hope.

Maybe Certainly He knows He can.

Endings (Part 5): The Essential Church

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I finished my time there by teaching through a series called "Endings." These six messages attempted to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I taught six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the fifth statement: The church is the Body of Christ living united, loving, and doing life together as a family.

That's the church of Jesus Christ in a sentence, but what does that all mean? Why do exchanged people that are following Jesus in love during a war need the church? Let's break this sentence down:

1. The Body of Christ: The church functions like a body. A glance over at 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says as much:

For as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ.  For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 

-1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (HCSB)

We're a unit. Every part of the body, every person, has their own unique roles and parts to play. We have the same Spirit and the same Jesus and the same gospel; this should lead us to act together in support of those things we have in common. Ephesians 4 takes it a bit further:

But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head—Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.

 -Ephesians 4:15-16 (HCSB)

We are fitted together so that we can grow together, building each other up so that we can all be the follower of Jesus that we are made to be.

2. Living United and Loving: As we move as a body, leaning on one another to be able to live this Christian life, we do so as a united and loving body. A body cannot function properly unless it is in agreement. 

One time, I was playing basketball with my brother, and I decided to drive to the basket. My head, arms, torso and right leg were in agreement on how that should happen; my left ankle was not. The result was that all of my body later agreed that my ankle should not be that swollen and painful. This is the kind of damage that can happen when a body part isn't in agreement with the rest of the body: pain and a loss of progression. It's hard to drive on the basketball court with a rogue ankle, and it is hard to fight the war with three fronts as a body with rogue parts.

This is why Jesus prayed this for the church:

I pray not only for these,

but also for those who believe in Me

through their message.

May they all be one,
as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.
May they also be one in Us,
so the world may believe You sent Me.

I have given them the glory You have given Me.
May they be one as We are one.

I am in them and You are in Me.
May they be made completely one,
so the world may know You have sent Me
and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Father,
I desire those You have given Me
to be with Me where I am.
Then they will see My glory,
which You have given Me
because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.

Righteous Father!
The world has not known You.
However, I have known You,
and these have known that You sent Me.

I made Your name known to them
and will make it known,
so the love You have loved Me with
may be in them and I may be in them. 

-John 17:20-26 (HCSB)

He prayed for us to love each other and be so in sync with each other that we are as united as He is with the Father. A Trinitarian-level of unity is pretty united, if I must say so myself. That's how He says that the world will know that we are His and that the Gospel is for real! Hebrews 10:24-25 goes on to say that we must encourage each other in this, "more and more as the day draws near." We must pursue an other-worldly unity that shows the gospel to the lost, and we do it together.

3. Doing Life Together: There are so many passages that could explain how the church lives united and loving as a body. Galatians 6:1-5 shows how to bear each others burdens, while Matthew 5:14-16 tells us to "shine before men." The best passage, though, to look at is Acts 2:42-47:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers.

Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved. 

-Acts 2:42-47 (HCSB)

This is how we live life together: learning about God, talking about God, praying to God and breaking bread in the name of God. That's what the church does: follow Jesus together. They generous give to each other. They care and love for each other. And did you happen to read the last part? "And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved." They were being united, showing the gospel by living life together, and that brings more people to Jesus.

4. As a Family: The Church is a body that lives life together in unity and love, yes, but there is a deepness to it that I believe one more passage helps with, and that is Ephesians 2:19:

So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, 

-Ephesians 2:19 (HCSB)

We're a family, members of one household. Yes, we're exchanged. Yes, we are following Jesus. We love God and neighbor. We fight a war on those three fronts. However, as we do all of that, we're not alone. We have a home base, a group of people that care and keep up with us. That hold us accountable. That play games and laugh and cry and scream with us because they are family.

The church must maintain all of this to be successful at supporting one another on the mission we are all on. We have to be there for each other. We have to support and rebuke and encourage and disciple and coach another. After all, that's how we will all make it to the end.

Endings (Part 4): War on Three Fronts

As those close to me should know by now, I have recently resigned from my position at Victory Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. This post is not about that. Rather, this post is about what I want my legacy to be at VBC (or really, anywhere else that I ever teach and minister).

I finished my time there by teaching through a series called "Endings." These six messages attempted to drive home the six main things I have tried to teach them over the past fifteen months that I have spent as their student minister, and would be the six things that I would focus on more than anything if I were to remain there indefinitely. Thus, I taught six statements that sum up everything I am about. This blog series will communicate that to whomever else would like to know my heart.

Here's the fourth statement: We're in a war on three fronts.

You see, we're exchanged people who follow Christ in loving God and people, but any Christian that has been at this for a while knows that it isn't easy to live the Christian life. Why is that? Quite simply: we are at war, and little at war is easy.

Ephesians 2:1-3 is a crucial passage for this topic. These little verses contain three fronts in which our war is waged. Let's see if you can find them:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. -Ephesians 2:1-3 (HCSB)

Did you see the fronts? Let's explore them a little:

1. The Ways of the World (v.2): our first problem is that we are in a fallen, sinful world full of fallen, sinful people. The people around us are not pursuing God, and therefore are not pursuing a loving, righteous life. They have no desire for their own holiness, and have less desire for yours. They will long for you to sin alongside them, pulling you off the road to glory and into the murky waters of worldliness. We must stay on guard against this, remembering that sinners sin and want others to sin with them. But it isn't just other people that lead us to sin and turn from God.

2. The Ruler Who Exercises Authority over the Lower Heavens (v.2): There is an influencer of souls in this world, and his name is Satan. He and his armies of darkness are our adversary, and they have been given a certain amount of authority and reign on this planet for this time. These dark forces are active and evil, moving on the hearts of people all across the globe to turn from God and fall like themselves. They influence those of "the world" and those of us who are exchanged and following Jesus. However, one more front exists in this war.

3. Our Fleshly Desires (v.3): Not only does the world and our enemy want us to sin, but we ourselves want to sin. Our flesh is broken and sinful just like the flesh of every other person on Earth. We are no better than any other; v.1 of this passages states that "we were dead in our sins" just like all humans. That is why the exchange had to happen: we were sinners following the ways of the world and the adversary, all while loving sin ourselves. We must never forget that our flesh longs for sin, and this is why we must be made holy by Him who can do so.

Our growth in holiness happens as we follow Jesus, but it isn't overnight. We must work and scrap and fight, relying on the Spirit to help us. That is why Ephesians 6:10-18 is in the same book as verses 2:1-3. This passage tells about spiritual warfare and the "armor of God" that allows us to fight the good fight. I urge you to look it up. Read it. Study it. Put the armor on.

Our flesh is yearning to throw us off a cliff, into sinfulness. The world is pulling us towards the same cliff, begging us to join them. And the adversary is behind us, waiting to kick us off the edge when we hesitate. We're in a war on three fronts, and in order to follow Jesus, we must fight. We must strive for truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and prayer in the power of the Spirit and the Word of God. That's our fight; that's our war.

Will you take up arms? Will you fight?