The Nature of How we Fight...

Chapter Nine:


The beginning  of Ephesians 6:12 the Apostle Paul tells us, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood....".  Paul uses the world "wrestling" for a specific reason. While we may think of it as a recreational sport or something done for fun, Gurnall points out "Paul uses it to convey the notion of a bloody and lasting war between the Christian and his implacable (unstoppable) opponent. Two things make wrestling a sharper combat than others...it is a single combat, a one-on-one contest, and it is a close combat (fight)."  Note that Paul starts out this verse by saying  "For we...".  He is pointing out that Satan's quarrel is with every believer, and regardless of one's position, pastor or layperson, all must wrestle. 

We will find ourselves in many encounters with the enemy, and his comrade, our old nature. We will be challenged by and have to wrestle with either one, or both, of these opponents as they look for every opportunity. Our sinful nature continually strives to regain lost ground.  Even Paul had to contend with Satan. He said to the Church at Thessalonica, "I would have come several times, but Satan hindered me." (First Thessalonians 2:18). 

Paul also writes about having to contend with his flesh, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:15-20). 

It's important for us to remember that God's sole desire for us is that by growing closer to Him, and being taught by the Holy Spirit, we will learn how to crucify our flesh (our old nature) and discern when the enemy is nearby.  Our spirit is made that much stronger every time we choose God over either of them.  The result is that we can have such a strong spirit that these two enemies begin to have less and less influence in our lives.  How encouraging!  Let's set this goal for ourselves, knowing God wouldn't ask us to do something that's unattainable. Let us strive to be like Paul who said " I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus", (Philippians 3:14).    

          

So, how would God have us wrestle? First, we must go to God in prayer asking Him to stand behind us, as God waits to be called upon to help.  Second, we must have stayed in training,  making sure we didn't do anything in our lives that would give the enemy an opportunity to take a handhold. "Wrestlers strive to fasten upon some part of the body which will let them more easily throw their adversary.... Strive to put off the old man. Observe what it is and mortify it daily;  it is a favorite handhold of Satan's. He will beat a shameful retreat when he finds no iniquity in you to catch hold of - and he dare not touch that in you which is holy", Gurnall tells us.  In order to not allow a handhold for the enemy, spend time in the Word and in prayer as it will help you refuse the offer of sin when it arrives.

Third, remember that your only offensive weapon is your Sword, the Word of God. Use Scripture as the Holy Spirit brings it to mind. In wrestling, we are to use our advantage wisely. In normal wrestling once your opponent is on the ground, the referee calls foul if you strike him when he is down. This is not the case when wrestling with our flesh. The objective is to keep it down once it's down. We must not let it wiggle free as we release our pressure upon it, nor give it a chance to be replaced by another sin. Take comfort in knowing that you are a wrestler, and that it's a sign that you are fighting the enemy and your flesh, and the more times you come out the victor, the stronger your spirit man becomes. 

Finally, as it is for our defense, we must keep our armor in good repair so that there are no holes for the enemy to harm us. If a part of our armor was damaged in the last skirmish, then we discover what caused the opening (where did we walk in the flesh and allow it to occur?) and go to the Lord in repentance, seeking and finding forgiveness, which returns our armor to its original condition.  

Gurnall believed it necessary to specifically point out when we are not to wrestle, and that is when our wrestling is against God. "When we wrestle against Satan, we wrestle for God; it follows then that our refusal to wrestle against Satan is a passive resistance against God."  Those are pretty sobering words! He warns us to make sure we do not wrestle against God in any of the following ways:

First, we are not to wrestle against God's Spirit. Genesis 6:3 speaks of man striving against God. Out of love, He pulls us back from running headlong into danger, or possible ruin. His desire is to save us from destroying ourselves. When we go against His trying to protect us, we in essence are fighting against Him.

Second, we are not to wrestle against God's providence. We are never to question why He does things a certain way. It is His place alone to decide whether to extend mercy or justice and we must never question it.  If you do question it, this is referred to as contending or reproving Him (Job 40:2). 

Contending against God is the area where Gurnall gives us a very stiff warning, "Contend with the Almighty? Reprove God? You had better cry with Job, 'I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth' (Job 40:4)....If God cannot please you and your heart rises against Him, what hopes are there of your pleasing Him? Love cannot think any evil of God, nor endure to hear any evil spoken of Him. ....Love will allow you to groan when afflicted, but not to grumble. When you complain, you reveal a mutinous spirit against God, and stab love to the heart."  

Complaining about what God has done is bad enough, but what about when we willfully oppose Him?  God, in His mercy, uses every means he can to draw us to Himself, but if we continue to resist, we are wrestling against the very mercy He is extending. If we continue in our stubbornness, we take the chance that He will remove Himself from us entirely. This is not a place anyone should want to find themselves.

Third, we are not to wrestle by our own set of rules. We must not disregard how He wants things done and substitute our own way. Unfortunately, we often decide we want to do something and we go against God's warning regardless.  This is often seen in how we wrestle against sin.  Some wrestle with sin but do not hate it as they wrestle lightly but not seriously. "Until the love of a sin is quenched in the heart, the fire will never die.", says Gurnall.   

Or while wrestling against one sin, we embrace another that we think is not as bad. What we don't realize is that if we only use our conscience to try to hold the sin in check, it "grows as wild as a trapped stallion....conscience cannot restrain it, can no longer hold the reins, sin will continue to have its way until one runs to God for help."  Sin must be dealt with, completely, as the Lord reveals it to us.

Gurnall closes with a word of encouragement to those of us who are wrestlers. "Wrap your weary soul in this promise. There is a place of rest reserved for the people of God. You do not beat the air, but wrestle to win heaven and a permanent crown. Here on earth we overcome to fight again. One temptation may be conquered, but the war remains. When death comes, however, God strikes the final blow. We know peace is sweet after war, pleasure after pain. But what tongue can express the joy that will flood the creature at the first sight of God and his eternal home? If we knew more of that future blissful state, we would worry less about our present conflict."