In your physical fitness training, you will have to continually increase your resistance if you hope to increase your strength. If you are a body builder, you will need to add weights and repetitions; if you are a runner, you will need to increase speed or distance or incline. So, as a card-carrying member of God’s Gymnasium, you can expect resistance. And the more RESISTANCE you can endure, the greater your spiritual growth.
Here is a biblical principle of spiritual growth:
Whenever you begin to move with God to change things in your life, you will be met by resistance—from within and without! Specifically, your enemy the devil is going to get very upset with you. He will attack you internally by doubt, fear and discouragement. He will attack you externally by slander, ridicule, even threats. One thing is clear: opposition (RESISTANCE) is inevitable.
At times like this you may need a work-out partner. Whenever the devil’s attack comes, don’t try to fight it alone. Find someone to pray with, to join you in the battle; someone to encourage you and keep you working out when you are tempted to give up. (When Elijah was so discouraged he said “Lord, take my life; it’s not worth it; I’m alone,” God sent him Elisha.) And remember: Jesus sent the disciples out in two's.
As you stay in God’s Gymnasium, don’t be surprised when you encounter RESISTANCE. But expect God to send help! “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10).
But of this you can be sure: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Greg,
ReplyDeleteYour last point about having a "workout partner" in our regimen at God's gymnasium reminds me that in our technological world most of us have the capability to text one another via our cell phones. We don't get a busy signal or a message telling us that the party we seek to speak to is not available right now. We can just write a message and just send it off and if the recipient of the message has their phone on them it will let them know an attempt is being made to contact them.
Friends will recognize each other's cell phone numbers and will at least read the message. If we text them that we are in need of prayer they can acknowledge they will pray or give us a call momentarily if avavilable to do so. There is a lot of flexibility with this.
I encourage my friends to set up a prayer "perimeter" with other men for mutual guardianship over each other's purity.
The results have been good.
Stan