War

There are battles being waged in the heavenlies, all around us, all the time. Angels and demons wage war endlessly, the trophies are us; our lives, relationships, our very souls.
The accuser of the brethren is busy doing what he does best: accusing. Accusing us against ourselves, God, friends against friends, parents against their children, children against their parents, each other...the goal of the accuser are divided houses. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Molehills become mountains, offense flourishes as bitterness takes root, unforgiveness and misunderstanding fertilizes a poisoned crop. A harvest of destruction.

The truth here is that even though the Lord has made much progress, I'm still learning what it means to lay down my own will, to get my self out of the way. When my anger flares, when pride and offense combine explosively, and my compulsion is to "throw it into drive and step on the throttle", when I say or do things that come from my own flesh, I need to say, "Lord, I need your help here, please Father, step in here", to put myself into "park", stop, take a deep breath and humble myself before Him. I must be self surrendered, Jesus controlled, and remember that I am not enduring anything that Jesus hasn't already faced and overcome. I am flawed, a broken friend, husband, father; I know that apart from God there is no good thing in me, and I desperately need Him to rule and reign in every part of my life.

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self‑controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"
1 Peter 5:7, 8

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.
Ephesians 6:10-12