Everyday is a battle for resurrection life, but do I fight to win? Each struggle, each slip of the tongue, each action that does not speak grace is not small. Each entanglement is life threatening.
But it seems small, doesn’t it? It’s just a little impatience, the crescendo of a voice. It’s another bite when stress is choking out the breathing. It’s a fleeting thought that says, ‘I would have done a better job. It should have been me.’
And yet, it’s the little everyday sin issues we sweep aside because they’re not “big” that threaten our redeemed, resurrection life.
If Ephesians 6 is correct, then daily we are fighting against the evil principalities of the heavenlies, but do we notice? Do we mark it as just a bad day and move on? Or do we see it as a fight for life and freedom and the glory of God?
Do we fight back?
Are we girding ourselves in the truth with the Word as our weapon and His righteousness painted like a banner across our chest?
Are our feet ready to walk in peace as our arms thrust forward the shield of faith extinguishing the lies of darkness?
Do we know our head is covered in salvation? Have we prepared our minds for action?
Because this resurrection life is not an idle, comfortable, sit back and relax kind of life.
We are a redeemed people. A redeemed people with an enemy so vicious, though we’ve already won, he’ll assault us with his arsenal of lies and defeat any moment we let our guard down.
With an enemy so cruel, what is our hope?
We who have believed have been regenerated: that is to say, a new nature has been given us,–the name of Christ: and this nature delivers us from the power of sin.
- L.M. Hadleman, How to Study the Bible
Stand firm in the truth. Through the power of Christ, the name that defeated death, we too can defeat sin and live this life in freedom no longer succumbing to the yoke of slavery.
The power is not in us, but Him.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57
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