Faith-bearing Seed for the Soul
"The sower soweth the Word."

Mark 4:14

This is all-out war...

There is a CONSTANT battle going on...and guess where it's taking place?  Inside of us! 

Let's call it, "The OLD vs. The NEW."  It is a battle with the same components as most old-time Western movies...You know, the guys who wear the "white hats" against the guys wearing the "black hats."
Good vs. evil. 

Our old nature is at odds with the new nature of Christ that entered us when we were converted.  The old nature does not give up easily... it hangs on and continues to claim territory that it once owned and ruled...It wants us to go back to our old evil ways, while the new nature of the Holy Spirit works within us to bring about change to do what is good and pleasing to God.

Galatians 5:17 LB (Emphasis added)
For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires.  These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures.

So--Which is winning?

The "battle" rages on within us, but how can we measure who the victor is?  As they say, "The proof is in the pudding."  What are our lives producing? When we yield to the "old nature" and follow our own wrong inclinations, our lives produce these evil results: 

Galatians 5:19-21
Impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, and the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group-- and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing.  Let me tell you again as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God.

When the "new nature" of the Holy Spirit is victorious, we will see this kind of fruit within us:

Galatians 5:22,24
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...... Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.

It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can win this raging war.  However, our decisions, our choices determine the direction that the battle goes, with its ultimate outcome.

Romans 8:5 
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

To win this battle and live, we must...
MAKE OUR MINDS UP TO FOLLOW CHRIST!

Romans 7:24,25 (Emphasis added)
So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin.  Oh, what a terrible predicament I'm in!  Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature?  THANK GOD! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord.  He has set me free.

Romans 8:5-9
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy
Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if
the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never
did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can
never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.)

Is your mind made up?  The truth is...Yes!  One way or the other, we have made our choices and our lives will bear fruit in accordance to what we have chosen to follow...However, we are always free to change our minds for good or bad, and therefore, ultimately change the direction the all-out battle rages.  Through Christ Jesus we can overcome the old nature and live peaceably with Him and others.  Yes, it is an all-out battle, but Christ Jesus has already won it for us as we will look to Him for victory.

Rooted and grounded in the love of Christ Jesus,

Marlene JuHaros,
TexasSower@prayervine.org

a.k.a. PrayerVine

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"Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know

which will grow--perhaps it all will."

Eccl. 11:6

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