"Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

We are in a war against three enemies. The Christian life can be described accurately by good words such as ... comfort, contentment, forgiveness, gentleness, goodness, hope, joy, kindness, love, mercy, peace, and satisfaction. However, these words present only a partial picture of the reality of living the Christian life. Don't lose sight of the bigger picture ... you are in a war. The Bible states that you are in a war against three fallen foes ... the fallen world, your fallen nature, and the fallen angel. You have been born behind enemy lines ... born into a fallen world. Your fallen nature is a traitor ... your flesh wars against you from inside. In addition, you fight an invisible enemy ... the Devil. These three enemies present obstacles to your living to the glory of God. You must understand your enemies. You must understand your enemies' tactics. You can win your battles if you follow God's battle instructions.

The battle lines of sin and temptation. The war against your three enemies is often fought at the battle lines of sin and temptation. You need to strive against sin. You need to know how to resist temptation. Many sins are easy to identify. However, some things may be right in one situation, wrong in another ... or right for one person, and wrong for another. You need to understand how to identify sins as sins. As Christians, we will be tempted. We will go through trials and tests. The war is dangerous. Our sins are the wounds we suffer in battle. We will be wounded. We must tend to our wounds ... confessing our sins to God. Confession is a prerequisite for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a great blessing from God. Unconfessed sins have serious consequences. Believers are wounded in the battles. We need to tend to our own wounds ... and to their wounds.

We will have final victory. We fight in a war that is already won. Jesus conquered our enemies on the cross. However, we must fight our own battles on a daily basis. God is our refuge and strength on the battlefield. "For Thou hast been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy." Psalm 61:3. Our daily battles can be won if we fight them according to God's battle instructions. Then when our days on this earth are over, we will be able to say what the Apostle Paul said near the end of his life, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7.

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IN THE WAR 1    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15    
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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.