• The Battle


    The Bible tells us that we are in a battle everyday of our lives.  Like every athletic competition you will ever be in, this battle will have a winner.  It's the hardest and most important battle you will ever fight.  It's a battle that many choose to ignore or just don't realize what's going on around them.  Although everyone is an active participant in this battle, we're not all on the same team.  Many of your friends and fellow athletes are fighting this battle on the other side.  It's a dangerous fight to be in because it isn't easy to tell who is on what side.  The boundary lines are not always clear.  There is much deception.  People you think are on your team will deceive you and drag you to the other side.  This battle is for your soul.  You better be ready to fight every day because satan is.  The Bible says he, "prowls around like a roaring lion."  He will deceive you with peer pressure, or thoughts like, "everyone is doing it", or "It's no big deal", or many other excuses that people make.  We fight this battle every day through every decision that we make.  The Bible tells us in Colossians 3:2 to "set our minds on things above, not on the things that are on earth."  The things that your friends or society says are important, acceptabale, or fun are not what God says are important or acceptable.  When you give in to the things of this world, satan wins the battle.  When you go and drink with  your friends, satan wins.  When you practice sexual impurities, satan wins.  When you do drugs, satan wins.  When you're disrespectful to others, satan wins.  When non-believers watch you make poor decisions, satan wins big time. 

    What can we do?  We need to hold each other accountable.  The Bible tells us that we have to live in this world, but we should not be of this world.  It tells us that we will experience trials and temptations.  God has a perfect plan for our lives if we follow Him.  I've always said that one of my biggest fears in life is that when I come to the end of my life God shows me, "This is what I had for you, if you had been more faithful."  Let's all strive to be more faithful and live the life that God intends for us to live.