Sunday, February 21, 2010
I love the movie "300"... Before you get me wrong, I am not promoting movies that contain extreme violence, sex and nudity. I believe that as Christians we are to dislike the things of the world, but we also can't be legalistic about things.
Anyways, there is a really awesome analogy based on the 300 I wanted to share. I find it interesting how in the movie, the men that join the army of the Spartans lead by Leonidas are said to be the strongest and most equipped of all Spartan men. In other word, they did not pick the amateur or the inexperienced. According to the movie, Spartan men were trained since they were young in the arts of war and combat and they went through very intense training. Other civilizations envied them because of how great they were in war.
The key thing here is that they trained and were prepared and never stopped training. We should be the same in our walk with the Lord.
When I first came to Saving Grace I thought I had it all figured out, I thought life would be simple and would be a smooth ride. Little did I know that it would be more like a Six Flags roller coaster instead. People who are in the world and come to salvation are sometimes lead to believe that because they said the prayer all of their problems have been solved and when the first trials, hardships or even rejection from friends and family come they give up and go back to their sinful nature. That is why it is important to disciple new believers and teach the importance of having a strong prayer life.
I have been working out for the last few weeks and have realized that it is hard to mantain and healthy balanced lifestyle, I am often tempted to be lazy and not go to the gym. It is the same with our walk: We need to prepare ourselves Spiritually to survive in the daily Spiritual Battle we go through.
I like the way that the apostle Paul uses the analogy of someone that competes in the greek olympic games of the day in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain [it]. And everyone who competes [for the prize] is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a perishable crown, but we [for] an imperishable [crown]. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as [one who] beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring [it] into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Having a set time with God has always been a struggle of mine, I am a big fan of sleeping in late, even if I have to get up early, it's as if my bed is a magnet and it pulls me and won't let me get up when on time and I wind up being in a rush to leave. That is why I have learned that I need to feed myself Spiritually before anything else. I encourage you to challenge yourself to do this, first thing you do when you get up: thank God for the day and dig into the Word.
Even in the Psalms, King David made mention of it several times, here is one of my favorite examples: Psalm 55:16-18a
As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace from the battle [that was] against me,
Lately, I have had this eager desire to dig in the Word of God more and learn as much as I can and that has taught me so much about being prepared for the enemy's attacks. I have experienced in the past the lack of spending that quality time with God and how that hurts my walk. I love the way my pastor asks people he counsels whenever they come in with a problem, he will ask them if they have been praying and reading their Bible and many times people say no or maybe once when they were at church on Sunday but then left it to collect dust through out the week and he will tell them that is where they should start.This book, as much as it might look like normal book to many, is the key to everything. It contains any possible subject and is our best weapon against the enemy, just as Hebrews 4:12 says
For the word of God [is] living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that [it is] good. But now, [it is] no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will [to do], I do not do; but the evil I will not [to do], that I practice. Now if I do what I will not [to do], it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.
In order to fight sin we need to be in the Word: studying, praying and remain faithful. No matter where you are in life, you are not free from the attacks of the devil and will continue like that forever. Good thing for us is that we do have help, we have God, our wonderful Father and Maker to carry us on our back.
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