A Battle Inside

Recently I was in my office listening to the emo-rock band, Brand New. Not too long ago they released an album with the title, The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me. Nice, huh? That title got me thinking though. That is a fairly accurate description of how I, and I’m sure many Christians, feel about life. It’s as if we live two lives and our worldly life and our Christian life are in constant battle with one another. On one hand we have the life in this world, complete with all its pleasures and possessions, its feel-goodness and gratification. On the other hand we have the life which is out of this world, our Christ-following, Law-obeying, God-centered life. The Christian life is one big paradox in that way. And at times it’s as if we are being pulled in opposite directions. But why? You have to remember that there is both light and dark flowing through us. Martin Luther put it another way when said that we are at the same time both sinner and saint. We are evil and good, sinful and pure, lost and found. The ways of this world and this culture have a huge influence on our behavior. The world tells us to do one thing, but Christ tells us to do the opposite. He was a big fan of opposites… just read the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 to know what I’m talking about. Paul wrote about this struggle in Romans 7:18-20, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” He describes this as a battle being waged within his own body. But it doesn’t end there. Paul also gives us hope and encouragement when he says that we are in this world, but not of it. We need to remember that we were created in God’s image and meant for amazing things, things not of this world. The struggles of this life, the battle to do what is right and true, are nothing compared to the glorious reward awaiting us in heaven. I pray that God would be with you as you face these battles and that you will always fight the good fight. Happy July!