One of the things about being in a cage fight is that there are obvious signs as to whether you are winning or losing. Are you landing more punches than the other fighter? YES! . . . DUH! WINNING! Is the other fighter laying on the mat and you are still standing? YES! . . . DUH! WINNING! (sorry for the charlie sheen reference, just couldn't resist)
You don't get points in a fight for how hard you trained before hand. You don't win the fight based on how stylish your kicks look. And you definitely don't win a fight over how well you look in red shorts. The only way you lose a fight is whether you get knocked out or if you "tap out." It isn't any more complicated than that.
Do you ever get frustrated with wondering if you are really getting anywhere in your faith? Sometimes, I wonder if I am really growing, maturing, or taking steps forward in my relationship with Jesus. The big question is: Are we winning or losing this fight?
Yesterday I shared how cage fighting is much like our spiritual struggle with our old sinful nature. This is where the comparison continues. Just like cage fighting, Paul tells us in Galatians 5 that there are obvious signs as to whether or not you are winning the fight with your sinful nature. "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the kingdom of God."
I know this is quite a list, but lets not skim over it. It is tempting for me to pick out things out of this list that I don't struggle with and focus on them. For example, sorcery. Well I know I haven't cast any spells lately. So I must be good there. But, I would really like to ignore the whole "outbursts of anger" thing. That one hits too close to home. God says when I lose my temper and yell at my kids, it is an obvious sign that my sinful nature is winning. I don't like that. I would much rather chalk it up to a bad day or I am in a bad mood, etc..
Look at what Paul says are the signs of us winning against the sinful nature. "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." When I respond to a frustrating situation with patience, I know the Spirit is working in my life. Because, that is not my natural response.
Finally, notice what is absent from Paul's list of "signs of victory over our sinful nature." He doesn't list church attendance, bible knowledge, or whether or not you pay your tithes. Obviously, we should do those things but we cannot be deceived into thinking those define victory. Winning this fight is much more messy than showing up to church once a week and dropping some money into the offering plate.
I challenge you to join me tomorrow for Round #3. I will be talking about what God describes as the "knock out" blow in this cage match against our sinful nature.
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