Stephen spoke this morning on the battle we face, reminiscing about school assemblies from his youth when the hymn ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ made him wonder what exactly the Christian life entailed! Sometimes, even as Christians, we are very aware of the battle within, wondering which way to turn as we feel conflicted between our own desires and God’s ways.
Rom 7:14-25 TNIV shows us that Paul was aware of this conflict in his own life. We often feel that there is ‘another law at work in me’ and that we are a ‘prisoner of the law of sin.’ We desperately need rescue! Thankfully, God delivers us through Jesus (see also Rom 8:1-2 TNIV, Gal 5:16-23 TNIV).
The Christian life is not ‘a walk in the park’, a pleasant stroll that is always easy. We have to be actively engaged in the warfare and can only win as we abide in Jesus (see John 15:1-8 TNIV), for He is the Victor and any victory we win will be through Him. The battle is not necessarily won instantanously but is a growing experience, a gradual change as we learn to walk in God’s ways.
‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ (Words: Sabine Baring-Gould, 1864. Music: Arthur Sullivan, 1871.)