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Post 54 – Contending for the Abundant Life – Spiritual Warfare
Contending for the Abundant Life – Spiritual Warfare
The word contending in the phrase “contending for the abundant life” implies that there is, opposition to your success by an adversary. So, who or what is the adversary! First, we need to recognize that we have an adversary and secondly, recognize that he wants to destroy your relationship with Jesus. Show More
Who or what is our opposition or opponent? The word Satan in the Bible means “adversary or opponent” he’s opposed to the people of God or Believers. You can spin all kinds of theological arguments about how, why, and where Satan came from. While those things may be interesting to know, the more important issue is that Satan wants you to be disqualified from God’s abundant life of blessings. For example, if you face a mugger who wants to do you harm, you’re not really interested in his socio-economic background of what his childhood was like. You just want to defeat your adversary any way you can. So it is with this spiritual battle that we all deal with.
Spiritual Warfare
In main-street Christianity, Spiritual Warfare is a topic that is not discussed enough. I don’t know why it is such a touchy or sensitive subject when the Bible is filled with so many references to your Adversary or Accuser, Satan. By the way, the term Devil is another word for Satan, they are both one and the same. Now Demons are those spiritual entities that do Satan bidding, his minions and I don’t mean the cute little yellow ones.
Perhaps in our modern society, we have relegated evil spirits to myths and fairy tales. After all, we are far “too intelligent and sophisticated” to believe in such things. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the world is filled with unimaginable evil. To be sure there’s a lot of good in the world, but you must admit there are evil people out there doing evil things. You probably have experienced some of that for yourself.
I don’t know where you fit in the spectrum of believing in evil and therefore evil forces, but let’s hypothetically agree that the root of evil lies with Satan. He is an extraordinary liar and can convince people to do all sorts of evil.
So, the question arises, what has that got to do with me? What did I ever do to make him angry with me?
The Bible teaches that God is good! I’ve heard it said many times “how can God be good and allow all the evil in the world to exist? It really is an honest question, but it is also a question that doesn’t take into account at least three important truths.
Truth number one– We live in a Moral Universe. Just as there are physical laws in the universe like gravity and electromagnetism, there are moral laws too. In Genesis 1:31 God says, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good”. Well, what was good? God created a world that was perfect and complete in every way. That perfection was not only found in the physical world but extended to the relational realm (relationships) and the spiritual realm as well. Every part of nature was in perfect balance and there was a moral order. Nothing was corrupted by sin. From the beginning, God established universal laws of right and wrong. His laws have not changed with changing times or cultures. Because God made everything, including mankind, He knows best how we are to function successfully within the world that He created. These spiritual laws of nature are meant to protect us and provide opportunities for God’s blessings.
Truth number two– God created everyone to be a free-will agent. This means that God will not force you to make the right choices or any choices for that matter. Every individual has the freedom to make their own decisions and act upon them. Even in the Garden of Eden, God allowed Adam and Eve to make the decision to disobey Him. As a result, they had to reap the consequences of violating the Moral Law. By the way, the Moral Law is best defined by the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments were condensed into two in Matthew 22:37-39. “Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. As Christians let these two commandments guide our life.
Truth Number three-There is a spiritual entity known as Satan and he has spiritual followers known as demons. Satan and his followers have the ability to try and influence you to disbelieve and disobey God. In essence to convince you that there are no consequences for violating God’s Moral Law. That’s like saying you can jump off a building and not fall downward, which would be violating God’s physical law! Well, what is true of the physical laws of nature are also true of Spiritual Laws. If you break them, you will suffer the consequences.
On an individual basis, when a person violates God’s moral laws that person also impacts those around him, family, friends, and sometimes strangers too.
As we close keep this in mind, Satan has two goals the first is to convince you to reject God. If he can’t do that, he will try to destroy your fruitfulness in God and make you an ineffective Christian.
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Post 53 Contending for the Abundant Life – Part IV
THE ABUNDANT LIFE.Over the last couple of posts our focus has been on Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. We said that seeking the kingdom means seeking the spiritual kingdom of God on earth today. This means that our behavior reflects what we believe what heaven is like. Show More
Earlier in the same chapter of Matthew 6:9-13, is a familiar prayer known as the Lord’s Prayer. It goes like this:
- “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
- Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- Give us this day our daily bread.
- And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
- And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
- For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen”.
Pay special emphasis on, “Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Can you see, we can have all of the benefits of Heaven, right now! Heaven is a blessed place, and we don’t have to wait until we pass away to enjoy some of those benefits on earth. This is what abundant life is about, experiencing God’s blessings in our lives now.
Having said all of that, there is a principle that is important to remember, God can’t bless what He does not approve of! So, it is important to know what He does approve of. This brings to mind three verses:
- Matthew 7:12, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails…”.
- Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control…”
FRUITFULNESS
So, how do I experience the abundant life; how do I enter into it? How will I know that I am on the right path? The key question you have to answer for yourself is “are you a fruitful member of God’s Kingdom”? Fruitfulness is the key to the abundant life or having more than enough.
Jesus told many parables, stories, and illustrations using agricultural terms like seeds, wheat, tares, vines, grapes sowing, and reaping or harvesting. In essence, Jesus was talking about growing and maturing. In a nutshell, living Mathew 6:33 (“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”) means that you are being fruitful, and being fruitful is the surest way into the blessings of God.
WE MUST BE FRUITFUL!
God is looking for people who are holy and sanctified.
Col 1:9-12, “9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light”.
OBSTACLES TO FRUITFULNESS
Jesus promises us an abundant life if we are fruitful. So, what are those things that interfere with our being fruitful? The parable of the sower found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15. This parable makes it clear the obstacles to maturity.
Matthew 13 1-17, Parable of the Sower
Four categories of people exposed to the Kingdom Good News…
- Seed by the wayside-
- Seed on the hard ground-
- Seed among the thorns-
- Seed in fertile ground- 100, 60, 30 fold increase… fruitfulness
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. (the lie)
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (loses focus)
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (attractions and pleasures of the world)
23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (hears the word and becomes a doer of the word)
Entering into the abundant life means being fruitful, which means to hear and do the word of God.
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Post 52 Contending for the Abundant Life III
I know that there are some Christians who believe that Christians in general should live in poverty and lack. God may call some to live in poverty as a means to demonstrate that material things do not guarantee love, peace, and joy. However, I don’t see anything in scriptures to indicate that we should be seeking the path of poverty to demonstrate how godly we are. By the same token, I don’t see anything in the Bible to indicate that we are promised lives of self-centered, luxurious living either. So, what does the promise of an abundant life, found in John 10:10, mean? What we are promised are lives of meaning and purpose. Show More
Meaning and purpose go beyond the accumulation of material things. The pursuit of money alone is actually a slippery-slide to a destitute soul. I know that this statement is contrary to the world-view today, but it is true. There are three things that will cause a person to lose sight of God; pleasure, money, and celebrity. 1John 2:16-17 says, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh (pleasure/sex), the lust of the eyes (desire for material things), and the pride of life (pride)—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”.
If we are honest aren’t, we all tempted by these three pitfalls of life? God’s will for you is to be an “overcomer”, that is overcoming the “natural” ways of doing things and moving in the supernatural to do His will.
How does one do the will of God?
The path to living the abundant life, as I have said in the last post, is found in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. The focus must be on seeking the kingdom and seeking His righteousness, but what exactly are the kingdom and His righteousness?
Seeking the kingdom
Seeking the kingdom means to recognize that our citizenship is Heaven and that we are representatives or ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Two scriptures point to this fact:
- Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God”.
By faith, believing that our citizenship is from heaven means that we live our lives in such a way that reflects the values and truths of God in Heaven. We believe that what is true in heaven is also available to us on earth. In other words, we have spiritual rights to the promises of God.
By faith, believing that we are ambassadors of Christ the King, means that we are His representatives. We speak and act, by the authority given to us by Jesus. We also are aware, at all times, that we are representing Him. Sometimes the hardest place to do this is in our own families.
Seeking His righteousness
Seeking His righteousness means to live as a disciple of Christ and follow His teachings which are given in the Bible. On the one hand, His righteousness has been transferred to us, meaning that we are immediately in right-standing with God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. This verse shows that there was an exchange, Jesus took our sin and gave us His righteousness.
Seeking His righteousness also means that we are trying to do those things that are right in His eyes. I am sure you would agree that as human beings we have an amazing ability to justify or rationalize our decisions to fit what we feel. The problem is the word “feel”! Our emotions are capable of blinding us to what we should do and say, as representatives of Christ. Our emotions, when unchecked, can lead us to do and say those things that are the opposite of what Jesus would do or say.
You might be thinking then, that it’s impossible to seek His righteousness. The good news is that Jesus has already accounted for that. When He ascended to heaven after His resurrection, Jesus sent us a helper… the Holy Spirit of God who is able to communicate with your spirit. You have spiritual ability to hear, understand and do what God requires of you. What was impossible before, because you were trying to do it in your own physical strength is now possible because you are following after the spirit of God.
Paul’s battle and victory
At the end of Romans, chapter seven and the beginning of Romans eight is a very relevant testimony of the Apostle Paul’s struggle with doing right or pursuing righteousness.
Paul talks about the seeming duality existing in him, the duality of wanting to do right with his mind and instead of doing the wrong. He likens it to a battle that he constantly loses. He explains that when he tried to live according to the Law of Moses, which according to God was the right thing to do… He wound up doing the opposite. He says, “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”.
Paul’s conclusion was that he was powerless to do what was right by sheer determination and self-control. At the end of chapter seven, he says, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death”? Paul then exclaims, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord”! Jesus is the one who makes the impossible- possible!
In Romans 8:1 Paul makes the liberating proclamation, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit”.
You see the difference is between living by the flesh (human effort) and being led by the Spirit (the Holy Spirit of God).
Join me next time as we examine what it means to be led by the spirit into a victorious life.
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Post 51 – Contending for the Abundant Life Part II
YOU MAY ASK, HOW DO I ENTER INTO THE ABUNDANT LIFE…
Entering the abundant life is a faith venture. It’s putting your faith in the one who gave His life so that you would be free from guilt, shame, and condemnation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. You must, by faith, believe that you are brand new and begin to do things differently. You have an opportunity to re-evaluate your past decisions and perhaps make some changes in how you approach life. Those thoughts and habits that have been destructive or holding you back in the past are now broken. Show More
PRIORITIES, SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM…
It is important to take the time to re-evaluate your priorities in life, and you have to do this often. It is so easy to lose sight of what is important and miss out on God’s best for you.
Matthew 6:33 makes it clear what our priority should be, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
“But seek first the kingdom of God…”. The kingdom of God is the spiritual kingdom which is in heaven AND earth. Accepting Jesus as Lord simply means that you recognize Him as King in your life and if He is your king, where you are that is where the Kingdom is. Everything that is available in Heaven is also available to the Believer on earth!
In everyday life, our focus should be on God, spouse, children, work. Some may ask, where is ministry in the list of priorities. Your ministry is to God, your spouse, your children, and your workplace. Ministry should not be something separate from who you are. Your ministry is to represent Jesus to everyone.
If your main focus is on God, He will show you how to minister to your spouse. Next, if you include your spouse as a focus, then you will be able to minister to your children. This will help you have a healthy home-front, which then will allow you to focus on the workplace and to be effective there.
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
“and His righteousness”, means thinking and doing what is right or proper from God’s point of view. You learn what God expects from the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember you are spiritual therefore you can communicate with God through the Holy Spirit.
A simple question you can ask yourself when making decisions is, “What would Jesus Do”?
This is what Jesus said when the Pharisees, the religious Jews, asked about the Greatest Commandment of the Law. Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” In other words, there are only two Laws- love God and Love others. The kind of love God wants you to express is Agape love, which is unconditional love. Love with no strings attached. This is the love that God has shown you.
THINGS SHALL BE ADDED TO YOU
“and all these things shall be added to you”. The things that shall be added are the things that you need for life; food, shelter, and clothing. Father God is a giver of good gifts.
DON’T GIVE UP!
In the last episode, I said that you will have to contend for or struggle for the abundant life. A popular saying is that “the battlefield is in the mind”! That is really a true statement. The Holy Spirit of God is in a battle with the old ways of thinking and behaving. It is not easy to break habits of a lifetime and start anew. However, as you surrender to Jesus and His teachings you will experience love, peace, and joy. Your mind will be renewed and embark on a journey that has meaning and purpose.
There are times I’ve had to grit my teeth, clench my fists, and keep my eyes on the prize… the abundant life. Pursuing God is not about acquiring things as the goal but being in a relationship with Jesus and living a
life style that will release Gods abundant blessings upon your life. -
Post 50 – The Abundant Life Part 1
Contending for the Abundant Life
Every Christian should be aware of the phrase “the abundant life”, which is promised to us, by Jesus, in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”. The abundant life means to have more than enough in this life and in the next life. Show More
You may ask, “why is salvation, which by the way, is the most important part of the abundant life, so easy to receive, but the abundant life on earth seems to be so difficult to receive”? There are two parts to the answer.
One, salvation or being saved is a gift of grace. Jesus says clearly that all one has to do is repent and believe in Him. Salvation is not earned or deserved. Think about it! What could you do to earn or deserve His gift of eternal life in Heaven? The answer is, of course, you can’t! It is a gift. That’s what grace means in this context.
The second part of the answer is found in the word thief in John 10:10a “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”. The thief is, of course, the Devil or Satan. In other words, you have an enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy the abundant life which has been promised to you! The only tool that Satan has to steal, kill, and destroy the abundant life God has promised is to tempt you to disbelieve or disobey what God has said.
Here is the rub, so to speak, God has created you and has plans for your life so, He knows what is best for you (Jeremiah 1:5a, 29:11; Philippians 2:13). You, on the other hand, have been used to doing things your own way. By the way, how has that been going for you?
So, the challenge is to let go of your ways of doing things and align yourself with Jesus who loves you, forgiven you, and accepted you into the family of God. Jesus’ promise is an abundant life filled with every good thing.
CONTENDING
It is clear in the scriptures that if you want the abundant life you will have to contend for it or in other words it will be difficult. Contending for the abundant life is hard because it means to deny yourself of doing what you want and beginning to do things the way God wants you to. Remember, He knows what you need. What you need is health in your body and mind, healthy relationships, and financial peace just to name a few important areas. All of these things come about as you become more and more like Jesus in your character. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.
Most of the time learning new things is hard. Driving a car, learning a musical instrument, becoming proficient at a sport or job. But, you know that with a little practice and time that which is difficult becomes easy, as a matter of fact there comes a time that you don’t even have to think about it… you just do it!
EXAMPLES OF CONTENDING
The Apostle Paul uses a number of analogies for the struggle of contending, I want you to notice the emphasis on self-control or discipline.
- In 2 Timothy: 3-7 Paul uses the illustration of a soldier. Having been in the Military, a Marine, I know that the keys to be a soldier are discipline, training, following directions, or orders. The same can be said of a Christian experiencing the abundant life. Nothing on this earth comes easily, but Jesus’ sacrifice was so that you could live as “more than a conqueror! Paul says in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”.
- In Hebrews 12:1 Paul uses the illustration of being in a race. The illustration here speaks of the Olympic Games in those days. Regardless of the race, it was always a question of endurance. Personally, I was a Jogger for many years, not a runner but a jogger. Slow and easy but always finishing. I would jog a three-mile course and I can’t count the number of times I felt like quitting before my imaginary finish line. Usually, about ¾ of the way, I would start thinking of why I should just walk the rest of the way. Whether you were a runner or a jogger, like me, I am sure you know what I am talking about. Here is the truth by not quitting you were building up discipline and endurance. The required character traits of a Conqueror!
- In three of the Gospels, Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves and pick up their cross and follow Him, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23. I like to think of the cross in these cases as the cross that intersects your will and His will. The only weapon the devil has is the weapon of temptation. He will tempt you to do what you want instead of what God wants for you. When the enemy of your soul comes to steal, kill, and destroy what he wants to impact is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
While we are contending for the abundant life, keep in mind that our “warfare” is not against flesh and blood people but against the spiritual powers of evil. Ephesians 6:12 states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”.
THE ABUNDANT LIFE IS A BY-PRODUCT OF SERVING JESUS!
Don’t make the mistake of putting your focus on the “abundance” and missing Jesus! The bible is clear, whom you obey becomes the Master of your life! “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves
slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16. Many have enslaved themselves to seeking riches and wealth only to be empty in their souls.Here is a curious truth about the abundant life promised by God. God has made the promise, He has all the power and authority to make it come to pass. He doesn’t need your help to make it happen. All He requires of you is to trust and obey Him. The abundant life is a byproduct of following Him. In other words, if you are in it for the abundant life only, you will miss it.
The “prosperity message” which is so prevalent today tends to focus on the riches or wealth. The focus is all wrong because it appeals to the natural desires or the flesh. Thinking this way opens you up to the temptations of the devil. Jesus says that you cannot serve God and riches, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [riches]” Matthew 6:24.
You might be thinking, “well how do I enter into the abundant life properly…” check-in for my next post for some thoughts on that.
