Our pastor asked us “Who is winning the spiritual battle in your life?” I loved that question and had to share it with you. It’s so practical and a reminder that yes we are in a daily battle. If we don’t think so we’re in denial. In Mathew 12 Jesus follows this discussion up with talk about being identified by our fruit. I think a great way to do a self-assessment about who is winning the battle in my life is by looking at what type of fruit falls off my tree when someone bumps into me. What are the actions we display that mirror Christ and what are the words we speak? Instead of being in denial about a battle we are all surely in, let’s make use of the strong weapons God has given us. These are not worldly weapons such as the world offers to numb our pain or distract us from the truth but God’s mighty weapons. These equip us to knock down strong holds and destroy Satan’s lies that have bounded us. Let’s use the truth that we can find in the Word of God to fight the lies we have believed. Let’s replace the lies with truth and examine what state of war we are in.
We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. ~ 2 Corinthians 10:4
Maybe we think we know the truth yet we’re extremely blinded by Satan’s lies so much so that we really have no idea what’s going on. Clearly in Mathew 12 the Pharisees had no idea what was going on. Jesus was there healing people (Math 12:24) and they thought he was satanic. Jesus was trying to do good but they were so bounded in the lies of Satan they wrongly accused him to an extreme. I wonder if I do this in my own life. Perhaps I accuse God of withholding good from me or not allowing a blessing to come into my life. Than I am the one to blame because I don’t believe, so I don’t trust. Maybe it’s because of a lie I’m believing. What blessing am I losing out on? Do I end up opposing God? I must be because if we are not for Him we are against Him. Believing in Satan’s lies can result in missed blessings but it’s also exhausting because we are fighting against ourselves. When we deny the truth or deny making the choice to really see it, we are fighting against ourselves because we know He has good plans for us. But somehow we have come to believe that choosing our own immediate satisfaction or resolution in our current situation is best. Choose God’s mighty weapons today, let’s give up our fight and banish the lies. Let God fight for us through prayer and His Word. I bet you’ll bear the most passionate fruit that will ever fall when someone bumps into you!
“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.” ~Mathew 12: 33
in the clay,
Chantal Dube