I believe at the heart of every battle we face in life lies a stark choice. Will we trust what God says, even if we don’t understand it, or will we believe the lies of the enemy that God has motives that are selfish and venal and that He doesn’t have our best interests at heart? Will we believe God or will we believe our own thoughts and desires? Which voice will we listen to?
When I was 40, I was diagnosed as diabetic, and I faced a stark choice. Would I carry on with the same eating habits which had led me to this place or would I be brave enough to change how I lived life? That choice has to be made on a daily basis; there is never a day which goes by when I do not have serious choices to make regarding what I eat and how I live.
In the same way, every day we are called to live by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) I don’t think that trusting God is as easy as we might like to pretend. God is continually stretching our faith, taking us out of our comfort zones, urging us on to new challenges. This is so that we don’t rely on ourselves, but continually learn to rely on God (2 Cor 1:9), but it usually involves a battle within. We often don’t talk about these battles, for fear of seeming unspiritual or weak, but we need to be honest with ourselves and with other people and also be accountable. You know your weaknesses, the things that trip you up, those sins that entangle you and cause you to stumble, but are you willing to admit to those things and ask others to pray for you and hold you accountable? I have a friend I will text when I am struggling to think the right things so that she can pray for me and can remind me of truth I might not otherwise be able to access at that time. We all need help to overcome temptation, and the good news is that ‘no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.’ (1 Cor 10:13)
The Borg in Star Trek told all their adversaries that ‘resistance is futile.’ This is not the Biblical view. We are not in this battle alone. The enemy says that we are: as Casting Crowns sing,
‘Sin tries to make you hide,
Whispers that same old lie:
“Keep all your pain inside
‘Cause no one will understand.”’ (‘Loving My Jesus’, Casting Crowns)
The truth is, however, that we have a high priest who is able to help us in every way because He knows all about temptation and internal battles and He gives us brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us, come alongside us, pray for us and carry our burdens (Gal 6:2). Don’t give up; don’t give in. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4) God’s Spirit within us is able to help us to make the right choices when we’re faced with the stark choices.