MY FRIENDS, “I AM WAR WEARY AND UTTERLY EXHAUSTED AND DEPRESSED BY THIS CONFLICT”

Nov. 19, 2014

MY FRIENDS, “I AM WAR WEARY AND UTTERLY EXHAUSTED AND DEPRESSED BY THIS CONFLICT”

As a child of God I can say without any reservation, I am war weary and utterly exhausted and depressed by war, especially after such a prolonged conflict. And not from a conflict with Isis, Iraq or Afghanistan, but it’s the war that goes on from within my life each day.

Paul explains it this way; “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate…..” Rom 7:15 (NASV) “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 7:18-20 (NIV)

In addition, each day if our desire is life eternal in God’s kingdom the battles continue, there is no waving a white flag because surrender, in the wake of this conflict, means destruction. So the battle must continue, that is why Paul also tells us that each Day we must be “crucified with Christ.”

It can no longer be about what we want, or our desires. Sometimes it’s as simple as, do I get a second helping of food, or eat that piece of cake we know is not good for us, or turn to a TV program that has nothing to do with our Salvation, or get on our phones because we just have to call Mary, or John and tell them what Kathy or Bob said about Kim or Ron.

My friends, Christ has to have total access “and the life we now live in the flesh we have to live by faith in the Son of God, who loves us so much. His word tells us that His love for us is so powerful and He demonstrated this “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

So as that conflict continues from within, His love continues. “There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world’s standard. They have chosen its service, accepted its perplexities, adopted its customs.

Thus their character is marred, and their life made a weariness. In order to gratify ambition and worldly desires, they wound the conscience, and bring upon themselves an additional burden of remorse. The continual worry is wearing out the life forces.

Our Lord desires them to lay aside this yoke of bondage. . . . He bids them seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. (Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 330.)

My friends we can’t keep telling ourselves, I will just let this conflict from within continue. Paul’s battles from within he recognized but in, 2 Tim 4:6-8 (NIV) he tells us, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

My friends, even though, those battles seem to continue to rage in our lives each day, we must live like it is our last day on earth, and even though, “what we are doing, we do not understand; for we are not practicing what we would like to do, but we are doing the very thing we hate.

Somehow friends, we must allow God’s Spirit to penetrate the unknown places of our life we have never allowed him to go before, and don’t let Him leave until we can say as Paul, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me, life eternal.

So my friends today. Stay focused, remain faithful, love one another and endure till the end and never forget to STUDY&PRAY