Eyes of the Heart, The: Seeing God's Hand in the Everyday Moments of Life by Tracie Peterson

Author:Tracie Peterson [Peterson, Tracie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Books & Bibles, Churches & Church Leadership, Pastoral Resources, Worship & Devotion, Meditations, Religion & Spirituality, Spirituality, Devotionals, Christianity, Clergy, Ministry, REL074000
Amazon: B006MXSOKC
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Published: 1992-09-02T05:00:00+00:00

18

The Fleshly Wrestling Association

Picture, if you will, grown men cavorting in leotards and capes. Masks or elaborate makeup shield their identity. No, it’s not the ballet, it’s a televised wrestling match. These men stand toe-to-toe, matching brawn for brawn, blow for blow. The crowds pay outrageous money to see these spectacles, and the television announcers make more noise and fuss than women in labor.

Watching wrestlers throw each other into the ropes or do the death slam or whatever they call it is not exactly my cup of tea, but I found the example useful.

So often I’ve tried to wrestle in the flesh to solve my problems. My opponents are often unknown to me until I’ve gone several rounds, but usually they have specific names and elaborate trappings. They come in the guise of friends or minor conflicts. They come flying at me from every direction, refusing to yield the floor, threatening my welfare and security, slamming me up against the ropes.

Sometimes the matches are short and simple, and I easily come out the victor. Other times the fights are long and arduous, lasting well into the night. I’ve lain awake entire nights battling problems that seemed so overwhelming that they were wrestling the life right out of me. I’ve come face-to-face with situations where my flesh demanded retribution, reward, revenge. While at the same time, my spirit pleaded with me to turn to my Father’s interests rather than self-interests. Some battles were won, and some were lost, and just like flesh and blood battles, these spiritual battles left their wounds and injuries.

Sound familiar? Have you ever labored in your own strength to fight a spiritual conflict? Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Our struggle isn’t against flesh and blood, but we certainly fight our battles as though they were. We fight selfish fights, noble fights, even righteous fights. We battle for our own cause and for the cause of our loved ones. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve taken up offenses for my friends and family. Wound someone I love, and you wound me. It’s a part of the fierce loyalty I feel for those whom I care about. It can also turn to sin rather quickly.

We wrestle against all kinds of problems—spiritual battles of will that seem to grow darker and more demanding by the minute. We fight and fuss and push and strain against the Enemy and still we find ourselves bloodied and worn.

We battle financial worries, we fight against lies told about us, and we wage war against the pain of rejection. Spiritually, we battle against having our own way, against changing lifelong habits of destruction, against giving ourselves over to sin because it seems more self-gratifying than purity. We struggle to the point of losing sleep, losing weight, and losing our minds.

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