Church Notes: Fight 2

For the second week of the Fight series (week 1 here), we attended the service at VCF Alabang to also meet with some friends. This series is anchored on the verse in Timothy 6:12: “Fight the good fight of faith.”

The topic of the preaching is Where the fight happens. While the word easily conjures up military battles or a fistfight, the fight in this context happens in the mind.  Pastor Ariel explained that man is a tripartite being -- body, soul and spirit.  1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The body is easiest to understand because it's tangible, the physical self.  Spirit is the eternal part of man that is reconciled to God once the person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Soul is the mind, will and emotions.  I had a bit of difficulty grasping this at first because I have always associated spirit with soul but I have since looked it up and found many resources that explained this in greater detail.

As humans, the fight or conflict really happens in the mind/soul/will.  We are all subject to temptation and most of it starts by seeding doubt into our beliefs. In many instances, it starts with a question like "did God really say...?" and takes the form of lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.  When Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden or Jesus in the desert, it was for these three.  And it's the same areas we are tested today.  

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:16)

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13) So while we are in this world, this testing does not end because the devil is just waiting for an opportune time.  But there is a way to equip ourselves to overcome temptation, which is to quote scripture.  It's what Jesus did.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

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