The Enemy in Us

“Right now, we’re playing against the Knicks,” D’Antoni said. “It’s us.”  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/sports/basketball/15knicks.html?_r=1&hpw

In case you didn’t know, D’Antoni is the coach of the Knicks!  They’ve been having problems not with the team they’re playing against, but against themselves.  Individualism is always a struggle for any team.  The moment a player thinks only of himself, everything falls apart.  That’s why many times the real enemy of a team is itself, it’s own players.

Ask a Christian who his/her enemy is, and they will quickly answer “the devil”.  And it’s true.  Peter tells us:

1 Peter 5:8  Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Yes, he is our enemy.  But most of the time he uses another enemy to try and destroy our foundations.  Who is that?  Our self.  What many Christians don’t realize that there is another enemy lurking closer than Satan himself – our sinful self, our old self.

James 1:13  When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
James 1:14  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
James 1:15  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Another enemy that we need to be aware of is our selves.  Yes it is true that our sins have been forgiven in Christ.  It is true that He has set us free from sin.  Yes it is true that His grace supplies us with the strength and power we need to overcome.  But we must not forget that deep inside this new heart that the Lord has given us is our sinful nature that still struggles to rear it’s ugly head up.  Inside us are the old desires of our flesh, still desiring to be satisfied.

The only solution, the only victory that we have is Christ in us.  Not only has He washed our sins, He has also set us free from sin.  And only in Him, only with Him, can we overcome our self.

This is why we need to fix our eyes on Jesus always.  We need to walk in the Spirit always.

James 4:7  Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:8  Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Galatians 5:16  So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Be aware of the schemes of the devil, but be aware also of the tool that he uses to go against us – our own self.  That’s the other enemy we need to be aware of.  Don’t just rebuke the devil. Don’t just shout “get behind me Satan”.  Know that a major battle of a Christian is defeating our self.  We need to ask the Lord to open our eyes that we may be conscious of our old self coming out, and praying for the power to defeat it.  We need to be dying to our self, and allowing Christ’s life and character to be seen in us.

Eph 4:22-24  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Living with Uncertainty

Earthquakes are happening everywhere!  The latest that has caught our attention is Japan, in Sendai, where not only are they reeling from an earthquake but also from a tsunami.  Before that there was an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, another one in China, in Indonesia – everywhere around us, all with catastrophic results.  We have had news of earthquakes in our country also, but not as bad as what we have been seeing in Japan and New Zealand.

Ask a geologist and he will tell you that earthquakes happen all the time, we just don’t feel them.  But It’s the big ones that really bring the worst damage.  The thing is there is no way to predict when an earthquake can come.  We all have an idea of the effect of a major earthquake.  The scary part is that we don’t know when it will strike.

Life is really so uncertain.  We don’t know, can’t tell or predict when they will happen.  Sometimes all we can do is go through the consequences.  And it’s not just earthquakes.  It’s the same thing with problems, trials, hardships – we can never tell when they’re going to come.  They just do.  So how do we prepare ourselves for disasters such as these?

Proverbs 3:25-26  Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,  for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.

Have no fear of sudden disaster.  Earthquakes, fires, trouble, trials, hardships – they are sudden disasters.  They come suddenly without warning.  Are Christians exempted from these?  No.  But God tells us not to fear them.  No matter what this world may bring upon us our hearts should be confident in our Lord.

For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.  In the midst of the disaster God is with us.  It is His presence that gives us confidence, that no matter what the circumstance we’re going through our Lord is with us, and He will see us through.  If I may borrow a line from a Simon and Garfunkel song - “like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down”.  God will lay Himself down and see us through.  Actually, God has already laid Himself down.  All we need to do is trust in Him.

Psalm 32:6-7  Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

A mistake that many make is this:  the only time they pray is when disaster comes.  No, we need to pray while He may be found!   And when the mighty waters rise He will be our hiding place, He will protect us from trouble and surround us.  Why?  Because disaster or no disaster He is our hiding place.  We are so used to hiding in Him that no matter what the circumstances may be, good or bad, we are with Him.

Isaiah 43:2-3  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Yes we may have to pass through the waters and rivers, and we may have to walk through the fire, but God’s promise is I WILL BE WITH YOU.  The waters will be there, but they will not sweep over us.  We may feel the heat of the fire, but it will not set us ablaze.  For the Lord our God is with us.

Life is uncertain.  But our God is certain.  His promises are certain.  We can entrust our life to Him.  We should.

How NOT to complain

Aside from crime and corruption, one of the common things you will see in the local news today is complaining.  OFW’s, despite the fact that they are safe back home, or waiting for rescue in hotels outside Libya, complaining that it took the government too long to take them home, or of the food they are being served, or that our country could not send planes or soldiers like the British did.  Drivers and commuters complaining about rising gas prices.  People complaining about government officials.  Complain, complain, complain…grumble, grumble, grumble.  I guess that’s what makes it “news” – when we focus on the bad things, rather than on the good things we can be thankful about.

And it’s not just on television.  In real life complaining is so much a part of our life.  Yes, “our” lives, including mine!  We like to complain about everything.  Usually it is during times when things don’t go our way.  We complain when the car in front of us is not driving as fast as we want.  We complain when our salary is not as high as our friends salary.  We complain when the food served in a restaurant is not as good as we thought it would be.  Let’s face it – we’re all inborn complainers (hmmm, I wonder if there is such a word?  Oh, there is!  Just checked with the dictionary:  A person given to excessive complaints and crying and whining).  Yeah, we’re all complainers, although some of us in our own simple and quiet ways, but we all complain.

So what is the antidote to complaining?  There’s a passage in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonica church that comes to mind:

1 Thessalonians  5:16-18  Be joyful always;  pray continually;  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ

BE JOYFUL ALWAYS.  I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed how being joyful affects how you react or respond to seemingly bad situations?  When our hearts are filled with joy we tend to see everything in a “positive” way, more calm, more peaceful.  That’s what joy does – it’s infectious.  It fills and affects our hearts.

But it also depends on the source of joy.  If our joy comes from temporary things, then that joy is also temporary.  But if our joy comes from something, or Someone, eternal, then our hearts are also eternally affected.

Psalm 4:7  You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

This is the kind of joy that fills our hearts so much that it stops us from having a complaining attitude.  Don’t leave your home with out it!  This is why it’s so important for us to be spending time, quality prayer time with the Giver of Joy.

PRAY CONTINUALLY.  Prayer is not meant to make us get what we want.  Those who pray for this reason still complain, because God does not always give us what we want.  Prayer is meant for us to refocus our hearts on the One who is Sovereign, in charge of all circumstances surrounding our hearts.  Prayer allows us to surrender, to trust, to entrust all of the situations we are in to the One who holds our life.  Knowing that God is in charge will help curb that desire to complain.

Phil 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Phil 4:7  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.  It’s important to see what God is teaching us through this verse.  It does not say “give thanks FOR all circumstances”, but it tells us to give thanks IN all circumstances.  In other words, no matter what circumstance we may be in, we are asked by the Lord to have a heart that is always thankful.  Of course bad circumstances will arise in our lives – but even when they do come we are to maintain an attitude of thankfulness.  There is always something to be thankful for, and it is not necessarily within the circumstances you are in right now.  And, there is always someone to be thankful about.  Above all, we should always be thankful for the Sovereign God we have entrusted our lives to.

When you think about it, the sequence of the passage makes sense – when we are filled with joy, and pray to our Sovereign God, thankfulness will surely fill our hearts, no matter what the circumstance.

Phil 2:14-16  Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--

Do everything without complaining or arguing.  It shows who we are, what God has made us to be, and what our purpose in life should be – to shine like stars as we hold out the word of life!

Free iPad!

For facebook users…did you receive a post that said this:  Hey “your name” I cant believe it, I actually got a free ipad to test out and keep. They are only giving away a limited supply, so I'm showing you this. There are still giving them away from the new years overstock! I absolutely LOVE the iPad :).  Ok, so did you click it?  Were you excited about the fact that you also could get a FREE iPad!  If you did, it’s either a “worm” entered your computer and sent this to all those in your friend list, or it was a deadly virus that hacked your account and closed it.  Or nothing happened.  Or, what’s worse, is that you really got a free iPad and that’s going to make me regret not clicking it!

But most probably nothing happened.  And when that happens, don’t you end up feeling like a fool for actually clicking on something, hoping to get something really big or expensive, but ended up with nothing?  Well, that’s what all of those worms or viruses do – they attract our attention, prey on the desires of our heart, and then when we click – bang!  we’re caught in their trap.  And you see it in your wall – your friends who clicked it are sending the same thing to everyone in their friend list.

That’s exactly how temptation works.  And if we’re falling into it in facebook, I wonder how we’re doing in our everyday life?
James 1:14-15 (NIV)
14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

The picture used by James here is that of a fish attracted to a bait, running after it because it looks delicious, not knowing that it is stuck to a hook.  And when the fish bites it is caught.  It ends up in the frying pan.  The same thing happens when we are tempted.  The sin looks so enticing, so delicious, too good to turn away from.  When Satan tempts us, he’s not going to show us the consequence of what we’re going to do, or the ugliness of the sin.  He’s going to focus on how good you will feel, how much you will enjoy it – even if it’s just for a few seconds.  And when we bite…bang!  We’re caught in the sin, and suddenly all the ugliness of what we did sinks in, and we feel bad.  Then the tempter becomes the accuser – He will accuse us to our face, making us feel down, depressed, causing us to fall away from God.

How important it is to temper our desires.  No, more than that, how important it is for us to surrender our desires to the Lord, and allow Him to place His desires, His will, His kingdom in our hearts.  Christians are not people who lift up their desires to the Lord.  Christians are those who live according to God’s desires for them.  “Your kingdom come, Your will be done…”.  How we’ve forgotten that aspect of the prayer the Lord taught us.

So, the next time we see a worm wiggling, or an iPad ad calling us to click.  Think twice, thrice even.
James 1:16-17 (NIV)
16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

If God has something good for you it may not necessarily come from a click of the mouse.  It will most probably come from working hard, saving up, and of course discerning well if that iPad (or whatever else you’re praying for) is really for you.

Blowing our Horn

I had a very interesting experience recently.  My car broke down and I had to borrow the L300 van of the church.  For the first few days of using the van I found out the horn was defective.  In other words it didn’t work.  And for Filipino driving the horn is very important!  Unlike in other countries where the blowing of the horn is considered disrespectful, here in our country the blowing of the horn is a necessity!  There are many occasions where we love to blow our horn.  When a car slowly or suddenly swerves towards us we blow the horn to warn them that we’re right beside them, or when they slow down at the middle of the road to talk to someone (yes, that still happens in less populated and small cities like where I live in) blowing the horn is important.  And with all the motorcycles and bikes in our roads it is so important to warn them that there are vehicles sharing the road with them!  Or even pedestrians who just choose to cross when and wherever they want to.  Of course there are those drivers who are just plain disrespectful, who blow the horn just like they talk, and just blow it whenever they want to.

And so imagine my predicament of driving a van without a horn!  It was a nightmare for a while!  Every time another car would slowly swerve my way, I couldn’t do anything but slow down.  When pedestrians would cross, I would be forced to give way.  And when driving beside a motorcycle or biker I would be watching them closely making sure that I would not hit them.

But after one day of adjusting, I found myself driving differently.  First I was driving slower, just to make sure that I did not bring myself into a situation where I needed to blow my horn.  If a car would swerve my way, I found myself giving way.  And if a car slowed down, or would not move right away when the traffic light turned green, I would just patiently wait, not able to blow the horn anyway to remind him to go.  It made me realize that there are times when we just blow our horn for such minor reasons that it becomes irritable, rather than necessary.

As I was driving I thought - this is what it must be like when we have to hold our words.  Just like cars we have a tendency to blow our horns, speak words recklessly and disrespectfully, whether it is called for or not.  Most of the time we are lead by our emotions, whether it is anger or irritation with others.  Sometimes, just like the traffic around us, people “swerve” into our space, or they may do things that we disagree with.  And we warn them, or shoo them away, with our words.

There are a number of commands of the Lord in Scripture that warn us of the misuse of our words.  For example:

Proverbs 17:27-28  A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Using words with restraint is a characteristic of a man of knowledge.  Keeping silent and holding our tongue is a wise and discerning thing, even for a fool.  There are times we need to speak, but this does not mean that we speak what we want and when we want.  It always pays to discern and pray for what words to use.

Ephesians 4:29  Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

The use of our words must come from a proper and pure motive – to build others up according to their needs.  There are reckless people who need to be corrected.  There are those who hurt us, jump start our anger, who need to be told.  Never in Scripture is it taught for us to hold our emotion, even anger, but it is clear that the words we use are to be wholesome, encouraging, rather than destructive.

Let us live life as if our “horns” were defective.  If someone tries to swerve recklessly our way, or does something we disagree with, let us discern and pray before we blow off our words out of our mouth.  It is better to be silent, patient, understanding, rather than destroy someone with our words.