We are in a spiritual battle - daily - as we struggle against the power of evil in this world, as well as the temptation to act on the desires of our flesh. James 1 gives us some insight:
12Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.13Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
So there you have it - we recognize that we are to be connected to Christ, so that we utilize His power in our struggle against the power of evil. We have, according to verse 14, desires that will lead us astray. If we act on those sinful desires, then we commit sin, which is harmful to us and has all sorts of negative consequences for our walk with Christ. We must recognize how our flawed and fallen nature is working against us, identify our areas of vulnerability, isolate when and how we are being tempted, and resist it in the power of the Spirit. We can walk in victory - it can be done - but only in the strength of the Lord, and not in our own human frailty.
Hebrews 12 outlines some of the components of our battle against sin:
1Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,2looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.4You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
There is a popular event that takes place in Spain that is termed the "Running of the Bulls," part of the annual San Fermin festival in Pamplona. Throughout the years, there have been numerous injuries, as the bulls run through the streets along with people. There have even been a few deaths. Euronews reports that the festival dates from the 13th century and has become a global tourist attraction.
It was part of the Ernest Hemingway novel, The Sun Also Rises. His grandson, John, has co-written a book called, How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona, with 3 other gentlemen, including 32-year-old Chicago resident Bill Hillman. Hillman has been running for over a decade.
Well, it seems that Hillman was running in the event a few days ago, tripped and fell and was gored in his right leg - twice, according to the Festival website. It said that the medical report states that there is “a wound to his interior lower right thigh in the distal area near to his knee and another wound in the interior face of the lower thigh. The nerve area is not affected.” His condition was said to be “not serious.”
Well, consistent with the title of his book, he did survive the incident, and I think he'll probably be back in Pamplona next year. But, not without injury.
I thought about the irony of how someone who basically set himself up as expert at this feat of running with bulls placed himself at risk and paid a price. And, there are some hobbies in life that do carry some risk for those with a sense of adventure and thrill-seeking. There's also a word of caution about running with or toward what could possibly hurt you - in the spiritual arena.
First of all, let's talk about pride. The Bible is clear to say that the person who think he or she stands should be careful lest that person fall. We have to make sure we stay humble and dependent upon Christ in our battle to live the Christian life and to walk free from the power of sin. We must never think we have it all together and are not vulnerable to temptation and committing sin - the phrase, "but for the grace of God go I," can be a sobering reminder of our flawed and fallen human condition and our need to stay connected to the Lord. This may necessitate running or fleeing from the temptation we face.
Not only do we have to guard against pride, but we also have to make sure that we are not running toward, or dabbling in sin. What may seem a harmless practice in the moment can grow into an addiction or an obsession. The compulsive gambler or the porn addict certainly did not start out with the ambition to develop a dependency to what is extremely harmful. Satan ensnares us in small steps - in our dependence on the Spirit, we must make sure that we don't give into seemingly small temptations.
We have to recognize that there is a spiritual dynamic to our lives, and we face an enemy who is intent on destroying us - so we put on the full armor of God and rely on spiritual tools to defeat him, or rather, to release the victory that Jesus has won over him in our lives. We can't do this in our own strength; we need the power and presence of God. And, we never try to challenge Satan to a duel - we have to remain clothed in Christ.
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