The War Within

Oswald Chambers, "Life without war is impossible in the natural or the supernatural realm. It is a fact that there is a continuing struggle in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual areas of life. Health is the balance between theon physical parts of my body and all the things and forces surrounding me. To maintain good health I must have sufficient internal strength to fight off the things that are external...Morally it is the same. Anything that does not strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome, thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life. But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral virtue is acquired."

I feel I am in a continual war for my soul and my body. Having MS, I am required to eat an appropriate diet, so that I can function. If I eat sugar, I run the risk of not being able to use my hands or feel my legs. There is nothing easy about that war. It is hard to eat the things that I should, but I must be very careful and maintain a sense of self control. This war is very visible for everyone who is eating that peace of cake, and asking me to have a slice as well. For those who know my struggles in this area, they see the temptations placed in front of me. They see the war that I must fight, every day. They may not fully understand, but they watch me in my battle. In watching this battle being played out, it is very obvious when I have lost a fight. It is obvious to me and to those who know me. It is the same with the spiritual battles we face everyday. While it is easy to see when I have failed with my diet, it may not be as obvious when we have lost a fight in the spiritual.

As I look back upon my life, there have always been battles at war within me. As I watch others around me, I can see the wars raging within them. When we have shared with others our struggles, it makes our weakness very apparent to them. One of the things that has made me the strongest is in sharing with others. It is in the sharing that we are held accountable and are given the strength to win the war. We may loose many fights, but we can ultimately win the war. But it is in our weakness that His strength comes through for us.
James 4:7-10, "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor."

It seems so hard to admit when we have failed. We do not need to let our admittance become a crutch, for that is not the point. The point is for us to let the truth be revealed, so that we can no longer live a lie. It is in seeing our self for who we really are, that the Cross becomes clear. It is in letting others see us for truth, that we can no longer live in denial. Everyone is in a battle, everyday. We are all in the physical battle with our health. We are all in a spiritual battle with our choices. The first step in winning the war is to hit our knees and humbly accept help that God is providing for us. We may not win every fight, but every time we admit our weakness, reinforcements can be brought in to strengthen our resistance. It is in becoming weak, that He can give us strength. It is in our shortcomings, that we can be lifted up and made strong. It is in lying to ourselves and others, that the war may be lost. I never would have been able to do anything on my own. It is admitting my weakness, that I have found His strength. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you.

http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my-utmost-for-his-highest/12/04/devotion.aspx?year=2009