At this point, Gurnall tells
us how to use our sword against lusts. "An enemy we must fight consists of
an army of lusts, captained by Satan and commanded to occupy our heart....There
is no doubt about the cause of (this) holy war - it is against the only enemy
God has who claims the right to rule His world. For this reason God calls all
mankind - some by the voice of natural conscience and others by the loud shout
of His Word - to join with Him 'against the mighty' (Judges 5:23). He does this
not because He needs our help but because He prefers to reward obedience rather
than to punish rebellion.
This noble war is not only just, it is also difficult. Our
stubborn enemy is strong and will do everything he can to try our skills to the
limit. Cowards can never hope to overcome him. When sin loses ground it is only
an inch at a time, and what it holds it will not easily let go...Spiritual
warfare against lust is enlistment for a lifetime career...Fighting with men is
child's play compared to repelling demons and lusts: 'He that is slow to anger
is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a
city' (Proverbs 16:32)."
When we are without spiritual
arms and abandoned by God, we have no hope of overcoming the enemy or the lusts
that dwell within our hearts. But for those of us who have God on our side, the
one who hands us the consecrated sword for our defense, we have great hope
because we have been given a weapon whose cutting edge can stop any enemy. We draw our sword in faith, knowing that it
can conquer any enemy we have. Gurnall will now tell us how to overcome our
enemy by effectively using this weapon in four specific ways:
First, we must ask ourselves
if we have a true picture in our minds of what sin is truly like, its
deformity, its wickedness, its craving for power that it should not have? We
must ask ourselves what do we truly think about sin? Do we secretly allow it
into our lives? Do we wish we could have at least a small bit of it as it's so
enticing, or do we really see it for what it truly is, a life-sucking enemy that
seeks to rule all of our spirit?
Gurnall
tells us, "The naive man sins because he believes Satan is offering him a
good thing and takes it into his life as Jacob took a wife to his bed before he
had studied her face. In the morning he found Leah instead of the beautiful
Rachel. Thus when the sinner's conscience wakes up it is too late - in bitter
disappointment he sees a hell instead of a paradise. Now Christian, so that you
will not be cheated of your heaven, focus on God's Word and recognize the ugly
shape of sin without her deceiving masks."
Do we recognize who the
father of sin truly is? It is none other than Satan himself, the one that God
has disowned. God's Word tells us that He despises sin so much that He has
expressed His hatred of sin in the Old Testament by way of sending horrible plagues and judgments
that thundered from the fiery mouth of His most holy law against every form of
it that He saw. Sin is found at the
doorstep of its father, Satan.
"Satan conceived sin in the womb of his own
free will - and as soon as it was born, he threw it down for mankind to feed.
How pitiful that whereas God made man to serve and enjoy Him, he chooses to
carry around his evil master's child in his arms... Satan is clever, he
sharpens our appetites by sins garnished with appealing temptations which
(our) conscience cannot easily recognize
and reject.", says Gurnall. We need
to have the same type of hatred for sin that God holds, and we must pursue it
with the sword He has given us until we have executed the judgment He has
written upon it, its utter destruction!
The Scriptures tell us that
sin is the transgression of the law (First John 3:4). Satan's sin deliberately
takes aim to dishonor God, though it cannot do as he wishes. So, he sets his
sights on God's children instead. Satan seeks to defile us, he seeks to shatter
the peace we have within our souls and he seeks to cause damage in whatever ways
possible.
Second, we must make sure we
have scriptural answers to the false reasoning Satan will use in order to
entice us. He cleverly displays sin under an attractive covering of reason,
urging us to accept his offer. It is during this time that we cannot use our
own reasoning to defend ourselves, but we must use our sword, the infallible
Scripture-arguments which are the only thing that can protect us and bring down
our enemy. "The only place we can find an answer to repel Satan's
sophisticated attacks is by choosing to be mighty in the Scriptures... Like
Apollos, we can stop the devil's mouth and choke his bullets with a word
seasonably interposed (inserted) between us and temptation."
Gurnall goes on to tell us
how to do this. We must be aware of Satan's sneaky tactic of getting us to
believe that giving into a small sin will not really hurt us. He is smart
enough to know that we wouldn't willingly do a great sin or several small sins,
but he believes he can entice us with just one little sin. He goes on and on so
that his strings of deception weave a net so tightly about the Christian that
only the truth of God's Word can break the snare. In addition, if we embrace
one small sin it makes it less possible for us to stay free of other sins. If
we yield in one area, we lose ground and what we lose, Satan gains. Gurnall
warns us, "Thus if you say yes to one sin God will give you over to
others. The Gentiles gave themselves to idolatry and God gave them up to
beastly lusts. (Romans 1:21-29)."
We must also remind ourselves
that we cannot sin and obey God at the same time. Even if our intention was not necessarily to
sin against God, the outcome of our actions or words could very well have us do
that very thing if we are not careful.
Gurnall explains it well when he says, "You are Satan's servant if
you defend his kingdom in one small castle against God your Ruler. And it will
not do any good to say you did not intend to sin. For example, your aim might
have been to make profit, not to take Satan's side against God. But even though
covetousness has not been your intention, the end of your committed sin will be
the charge against you on the last day."
We also need to be careful of
the sins that Satan tempts us to do in secret.
We read in Scripture of Saul knowing he should not consult with the witch at
Endor, who was well known to use occult practices. Rather than going to her wearing his princely garments, he went to her in disguise. He was hoping she could bring up the spirit of Samuel, the prophet, back from the world of the dead to tell him the outcome of the imminent battle with the Philistines on Mount Gilboa (First Samuel 28:7). He knew consulting this witch was forbidden by God, but he believed he could do it in secret and have no consequences. Scripture tells us the next day both he and his two sons died in that battle.
There is no committing sin in secret as God knows every secret
sin. Proverbs 15:3 reads, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good." God is also called the revealer of
secrets (Daniel 2:47) and He will bring to light those hidden things of
darkness (First Corinthians 4:5). We may think we are wise in our ability to
hide our deeds from others, but nothing is truly hidden. The one who hides his
sin by having like-minded people commit it along with him is a fool thinking he
can hide it from God. He entices a crowd
to join him in his sin, thinking that it will take away the shame or make it
permissible, but he is only taking along those who are looking for an excuse to
commit sin themselves. None will be able to hide their secret sin from our Holy
God.
Third, we need to ensure that
we have hidden the word of God in our heart. This was David's refuge. God's Word is not only stamped with divine
authority but it also will be what judges us at the last day (Romans 2:16). Our
lives will be opened up before God and will be used to judge us. If we cannot
stand before the Word now when it is open to us, what will we do when it is
opened by God's Son, Jesus Christ? At
present, reading the Word convicts us and hopefully brings us to repentance for
those things we are doing that are not pleasing to God. But on the day of
judgment, His decision will be irreversible.
It is wiser that you repent now, knowing that
your sincere repentance will blot any blemishes you have made from God's
remembrance. He has promised us that if
we repent we are forgiven. Psalm 103:12
tells us, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." If we truly repent, God will forget our sin
and not hold it to our account. The
thing that Gurnall brings to our attention, one that is a very sobering matter,
is that if we don't repent God will have
no choice but to pronounce judgment, no matter how deeply it grieves Him. He
is a God of justice and cannot show favoritism to one and not another. All of us are equal in God's eyes.
Another blessing of hiding
the word of God in our heart is that "we will have a rare antidote for the
poison of sin; for the chains of love are stronger than the chains of
fear...The man who is a prisoner of the command - and bound to good behavior
only by chains of fear in (his) conscience - may somehow have these removed, and
then he will shake off his obedience too. But one who loves the Word, and the
purity of its precepts, cannot turn traitor. When this person sins, he makes a
wound as deep in his own heart as in the law, and trembles at displeasing
God...Blessed fear is the daughter of love! But now to kindle your heart with
love for God's Word, think on these two truths - the Word is your most faithful
monitor and the sweetest comforter you have in all the world.", says
Gurnall.
He goes on to say, "The
Word is your most faithful monitor. Scripture tells you plainly where your
faults are and will not let sin lie upon you; instead it points to the enemy
who stalks the very life of the soul. It discovers every design which Satan and
your lusts plot against you. This protection is one thing which made David love
the Scriptures so dearly: 'Moreover by them is thy servant warned' (Psalm
19:11). Besides warnings of danger, God's Word shows you how to escape it...How
much should you then reverence Scripture which has saved you from the enemy
many times?...God's Word offers such necessary intimate counsel every day that
you should not be ashamed to love it without reserve."
In addition, we find that the
Word is our sweetest comforter, "When you are bogged down in the quicksand
of guilt, how puny this world's pleasures and treasures become! A person can no
more comfort you than a man on the seashore who sees his friend drowning but
cannot get out to him. The Word alone can walk on these waters and come to the
soul's relief...There is forgiveness with the Lord Jesus. No matter what the
trouble, this truth brings comfort to saints. You know how a cool spring is
welcome in a parched desert. And when you recall what sweet refreshment you
have had from God's wells of salvation you will cry out with David: 'I will
never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me' (Psalm
119:93). It is no surprise that Satan tries to stop your well of comfort; but
it is more than tragic if he can persuade you to do it yourself.", warns
Gurnall. How true these words are!
Satan will win if he can
convince us to not go to our Heavenly Father for comfort. If you find this difficult to do, I strongly
suggest you seek the Lord as to what is hindering you. The Love of the Father
is what will bring an end to any fears that we have and that are easily used by
the enemy against us. Remember First
John 4:18 which tells us, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love
drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is
not made perfect in love." God is
the only one who can give us that perfect love. When we experience God's
love, Satan can no longer use fear against us!
Fourth, and last of all,
Gurnall tells us to remember that the Word of God has promises to encourage and
empower Christians to perform their vows to God. Remember God's promise "Sin shall have
no dominion over you" (Romans 6:14). Gurnall goes on to say, "But to make
this promise serve your need, you must humbly and boldly press it believingly
at the throne of grace. What the precept commands, the prayer of faith begs and
receives. In other words, first conquer heaven and then you do not need to fear
overcoming hell...Do not forget, you are warring at God's expense, not your
own...But if you have decided to steal victory in your own strength, expect an
overthrow. It will be a mercy, for defeat will bring humility with it but
victory will only increase pride in your own strength...But the humble man
knows better; a host of mighty warriors count for nothing unless God is with
them."
In the last chapter, Gurnall will
tell us how to use the sword of the Word against the afflictions, trials and
struggles that we face in this life.
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