Have you ever watched the National Geographic channel? One thing you’ll notice right away is that a lion never goes after the herd. It’s the animal that has gotten separated from the herd that the lion goes after. The lion, like every predator, understands the strategic value of isolation.
The devil is the ultimate predator.
The Apostle Peter put it this way: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b, NIV).
And the devil is having a field day with men. When women have problems, they tend to move toward relationships. But when we have problems, we tend to move toward isolation, which makes us vulnerable to attack. And make no mistake: You are being hunted.
A Spiritual Battle
All around us, a titanic battle for men’s souls is raging between the forces of good and evil. Every one of us is on the battle field; it’s raging in our families, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities. In Ephesians 6:12, the Bible tells us that this battle is a spiritual battle—#60 on my list of 70 things every man needs to know. So, how do you fight it?
Spiritual warfare, of course, includes the conspicuous, overt battle between good and evil behavior. But most Christian men have their outward morality under control. The deeper battle is for the mind, or beliefs. The devil’s strategy, then, is confusion and disinformation—to make good seem evil and evil seem good. Just consider all of the things that we now consider normal that the Bible utterly despises!
Yet as Christians, we have what’s needed to cut through the confusion: Galatians 5:16–17 says that if you live your life according to the Holy Spirit, “then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants” (NLT).
Want to know how the battle is going for your soul? You can tell whether good or evil is winning by the fruit your life bears.
Men who are winning the battle exhibit the “fruit of the Spirit,” which Paul describes as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Men who demonstrate these qualities are “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–25, NIV). They are winning the spiritual battle, and they enjoy the favor and peace of our great God.
Two Devastating Errors
Throughout Galatians 5, Paul challenges us to cooperate with God in this process of being in step with the Spirit. Most of us realize our participation is required, but in our efforts to achieve superiority over the battle inside our hearts, we risk making two devastating errors:
A Few Suggestions
Understand that your enemy army is the fallen world, the flesh, and the devil. If you want to go deeper into how to hear the voice of the Spirit more clearly over these enemy voices, I encourage you to read my book The Four Voices.
Keep “short accounts” with God, and cleanse yourself daily from sin and temptation.
For temptation, meditate on 1 Corinthians 10:13; for sin, 1 John 1:9. And understand the difference between tempting and sinful thoughts. We have no more control over our thoughts than over the vulgar words of the man at the next table in a restaurant. We do control what we do next. Temptations are not sins, but every sin begins with a temptation. (James gives the progression in James 1:14–15.) And, of course, a man will tend to experience fewer tempting thoughts at a Bible study than, say, a bar.
Discuss spiritual warfare and the battle for men’s souls in a small group.
And last but not least, learn how to put on the full armor of God every day (see Ephesians 6:10-18) so that you can stand against all the schemes and deceits of the devil. It will be well worth your time and effort.
On your side,
Pat
P.S. Who is someone who would like to know more about spiritual warfare? Please forward this week’s email to them.
P.P.S. Next week I’ll give you six practical suggestions on how to be a faithful steward.
For Reflection and Discussion
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