The Big Battle

Larry R. Ping II

Unless you have been living in a cave, you are aware there is a great battle to be fought between the Colts and Patriots today. There has been enormous buildup and chatter involved with it. It reminds me of the bigger battle we are facing each day to make it to Heaven. Make no mistake about it…we are in a war for our souls. Do you not believe it? Read on…

· "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare" (I Timothy 1:18).

· "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (I Peter 2:11).

· "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them" (Revelation 17:14).

• "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (II Timothy 2:4).

We are in a war. "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other" (Galatians 5:17). Our mind is willing to do what is right, yea, wants to do what is right. But our flesh cannot seem to go along with our spirit. If we expect to make it to Heaven, our spirit must defeat our desire to sin.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (I Corinthians 10:13). In this verse are two very important truths.

· All men face temptation. This is a commonality that we all share. Even Jesus was tempted.

• All temptation comes with an escape. It may not be easy to find, but it is there, nonetheless. Getting to Heaven will depend solely on how well and how hard one looks for these escapes. How are you doing in your battle?