OUR BATTLES AGAINST THE WORLD

"Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts.” 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding the enemy. The world is our enemy. We were born into a fallen world. The world is not easy and it is not perfect ... it has been cursed by God. "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Romans 8:19-21. We were born behind enemy lines into a fallen world that is under the control of Satan, 1 John 5:19. Our world is ruled by Satan, John 12:31. Satan is the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:1-3. We are soldiers in a hostile foreign land.

Understanding the enemy's tactics. The world is busy and complex. However, it is only temporary. The world can distract us from the things that are important for eternity ... God, His Word, and people. We can be tempted to become so entangled in the temporary things of this world that we do not obey God. For many believers, the entanglements of the world can be measured by the clock. Life can be so busy and demanding that we can be tempted to have no time for the things of God. Moreover, our devotion can be misdirected from the Creator to the creation. Love of God can be replaced by love for the things of this world ... good or bad things. Many of the world's temptations are direct and obvious. However, many others are subtle and indirect. We ought to be growing to be more like Jesus ... but we live in a world of so many destructive influences. The people and things of this world can influence us directly and indirectly. We must be very careful to prevent the people and things of the world from squeezing us into their mold.

Defeating the enemy. Winning our battles against the world begins with knowing that final victory is already won. Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33. We can be victorious in our daily battles against the world. "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" 1 John 5:4-6. Ultimate victory over the world has been won. Daily victory can be ours if we follow God's battle instructions for our war against the world.

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IN THE WAR 2    PAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15    
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Disciplemaking 1, copyright 2003, is available free from www.MyDisciplemaker.org where you can study online or print free copies. You may copy this course, any any part of it, for free or at-cost distribution ... without change to the content ... and with this copyright policy attached. Published by www.ActsOneEight.org. Bible Quotations are from the NASB unless noted.