A battle against yourself
Acts 1:1~8 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (1~2) Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #191 He Abides with Me Every Day (#427 in previous version) You believed that Jesus is the Christ who solved all problems of life. However, the problems of life unceasingly arose. It is very likely you do not know what to do about the hardships that come from here and there and make a mess, and you fall into despair. Why is this so? It is because you are losing in the battle against yourself. If you know a couple of important things in the battle against yourself, your walk of faith will be renewed. What must you know?
1. The object of the battle Acts 1:1
If you were to receive grace from God’s Word and enjoy the mystery of prayer, nothing would be a problem. However, there are times when your feelings get hurt because of minor things, and you get scars. In situations where people respond particularly sensitively or hear hurtful words from others, every single person is hiding their own personal scars behind their background and personality. You may even discover yourself in the moment of choices and decisions when you first and foremost calculate whether it is a benefit or loss to you. In order for you to not lose hold of and enjoy the blessings you have already received, you must be able to battle against yourself well.
2. The posture you must have in battle Acts 1:14
The person who thinks and worries on a daily basis is me. When we entrust all our worries to God, God works, moving all incidents, environments and people. 1 Peter 5:7~8 God saved Israel who had no choice but to be destroyed, the world and the future through people who have realized the Gospel. Amidst persecution in which people were isolated from society and faced the death penalty for believing, the Early Church believers saw something greater. The hardships and crises that the children of God face is the opportunity of God to hold onto the Gospel all the more firmly.
3. The result of the battle
When you triumph in the battle against yourself, the evidence of God in which Christ is working always appears in your life. I, who used to wander in sins and curses, end up enjoying God who saved me. I end up explaining the Gospel to people in every place I go to with the thanksgiving and joy of salvation. The kingdom of God comes upon the field I go to. God who knows I have no power gives me the filling of the Holy Spirit. I gain the strength God gives me daily, and I am able to come out of powerlessness and lethargy.
- It is important for me to know the hidden scars and bad points I have. That area can become the channel through which Satan deceives me, and it can also become the opportunity for me to be strengthened by the power of God’s hand. Today, what part of myself am I battling against? Busan Regional Evangelism Conference Lecture 1 / 2012.5.8