February WOW: Part 3

The Internal Tug-of-War

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish.” Galatians 5:6-7

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Oh, it’s great to have Coffee Hour with you today and share from my heart to yours. I pray that the tug-of-wars we witness today will resonate in your mind, body and souls and help you let go of the rope and allow His Spirit to pull you into victory! Grab your coffee and join me in the front row of some tug-of-wars.

I just had a thought: tug-of-wars are inevitable, but they are also avoidable. In order for there to be a tug-of-war, there has to be a volunteer!

Let me introduce you to the participants in this tug-of-war and I hope you can try to get a mental picture: You, or I, and our flesh/desires, tangled with our emotions which have buried our spirits, are on one side of the rope; and The Spirit is on the other end of the rope. The participants are always the same, namely the flesh, and The Spirit, but the tug-of-wars, or the battles, may vary.

Look around. I don’t know about you, but I can see family members, friends and co-workers in all sorts of tug-of-wars, all different in intensity, all the same battle: flesh versus Spirit. Some of the ropes are super thick, and some, not so thick. You would think that the longer the tug-of-war goes on, the thinner the rope. Not so! The longer we feed our flesh, the more it cries out for more! It’s a never-ending, never completely fulfilled being and the more you feed it, the more it takes!

The flesh and the emotions tend to fight and pull on the rope using the same methods: longings and lies, taunting the spirit that is buried with words that threaten the self-esteem, poke at the delusion of control and all in search of acceptance and perfection. And they do it so loudly so as to drown out the voice of The Spirit on the other side of that rope in the tug-of-war.

To the right there are the tug-of-wars with addictions, all kinds of addictions to things that feed the flesh but have also ensnared the emotions, convincing one that the need is greater than the ability to let go. Wow, there’s the rope of food, alcohol, prescription drugs, illegal drugs, pornography, power, money . . . the ropes go on, threatening to pull us in at any moment.

How can we avoid that tug-of-war? Well, I must say that everyone has participated in a tug-of-war, voluntarily or involuntarily. But how can we stop picking up that rope, feeding the flesh? We must heed the call of deep crying out to deep. His Spirit beckons our spirit to join forces and win the battle over flesh.

Oh how thankful I am for the promises that remind us this tent we live in is temporary: For we know that when this tent we live in - our body here on earth - is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home He Himself has made, which will last forever. (1st Corinthians 5:1 Good News Translation)

What if we were to treat the cravings of our flesh as a labor pain where we know they are going to continue to strike but we breathe and pray through them, not even picking up the rope to participate in a tug-of-war?

I would venture to say that then, you are walking with The Spirit and your journey has just become easier! But when you do find yourself in a tug-of-war, remember that deep cries out to deep; His Spirit will empower you to let go and join forces.

Entwine my spirit with Yours, Abba Daddy!

Evinda