ALONE WITH GOD     

  The philosophy of life which most people accept as right is the one that admits of all men's opinions, ideas, desires, and grants them the privilege to think and do and say what they please without any objections whatsoever. This philosophy would say: "Don't be a complainer, donÕt be a complainer, donÕt be a fault-finder, don't be a critic, don't object to the things others are doing, but just fall in with the great masses and go with the crowd." That's the kind of individual the world admires; that's the kind of preacher world admires, the one who will fit into the pattern of things without any objection, the preacher who can stand behind the sacred desk and orate for thirty minutes using beautiful words but never objecting to anything be going on in the universe. Truly this is the easiest philosophy of life to follow while in this world, but woe unto that individual when he reaches the end of the way and must meet God. Jesus said, "Woe unto you, when all men speak well of you." It's far better to have God smile upon you than to have that of all men on the earth. There are still other philosophies of life—men have ways and philosophies of life and God also has his way and his philosophy of life. The decision rests in our hands as to which way we shall follow, but to the genuine Christian God's way is the only way even though it does gain the scorn and ridicule of the world.

  At this point I would like you to stop reading this article long enough to get your Bible and read a few verses from Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus. Please read the 6th chapter, verses l0 to 18. The thought contained in these few verses is that the Christian is a soldier an must fight. Being a soldier in battle, it is of necessity that he have an armor to protect himself, which armor God supplies. We are exhorted to put on the whole armor of God that we might be able to stand, and having done all, to stand. The spiritual application to this exhortation is that we should be saved from sin, and subsequent to that experience of conversion we should sanctified by the infilling of the Holy Ghost. This, beloved, is the only way we will be able to repel the enemy of our soul. He will come against us with all the force and power he has; and if we're not anchored in Jesus, we will be carried away by that force. In the 12th verse Paul says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.Ó Who would dispute these words of the apostle when he says we wrestle against these forces of wickedness? The Christian life is a life of continual wrestling against the forces of evil that would destroy every vestige of purity and righteousness. It is a life of resistance. WebsterÕs dictionary says the word wrestle means: to struggle for the mastery; to grapple with a person or things. He defines resistance as meaning: to repel; to exert oneself to counteract; to withstand the action of. In the light these definitions we are convinced from life's experiences that Paul used the right word when he said we wrestle against certain things. How many times have we experienced the surging powers of evil sweeping against our souls, and if it were not for the mighty hand of God and the bulwarks of the Spirit we would be swept from our moorings. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.Ó ( Isa. 59:19). Praise God for the privilege of having the indwelling Spirit of God to help us exert ourselves to counteract the enemy. We must repel him; we must grapple with him; we must withstand the action of Satan or lose our soul. He has only one thing in view; that is the destruction of the human soul. Regardless of how subtle, he may approach you, or how innocent he may seem when he approaches, he comes for one purpose only to destroy. And for you, dear Christian, to fail to resist is to become subject to his power and be destroyed by him. Failure to resist this great enemy is the cause of the world's chaotic condition today. Mankind in general failed to resist the forces of evil and has been made slaves by it. The principles and teachings of Jesus have been set aside for an easier way which leads to chaos and ruin physically and morally. It demands the best in an individual plus the Spirit of God in the heart to follow in the, footsteps of Jesus. And each step you follow will be contested by Satan, but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. You will not be able to overcome the power of Satan within yourself but God has promised grace sufficient for the day. Paul says, "Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." "Not by power nor might, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." There is victory in Jesus for every soul that will accept him in his fullness and resist the powers of hell and darkness.

  Satan approaches as a roaring lion. He presents things for us to do that we know are evil, wrong, and we know we should not do them. Sometimes it is easy for us to say ÒNoÓ, and sometimes it is hard. But whether easy or hard we must say ÒNoÓ. Here is when we must resist. If the presentation of the thing becomes a real temptation, then ofttimes we must call repeatedly for reinforcements from heaven to help us resist. We must exert ourselves to counteract the temptation. After resisting for some time we feel we can't hold out any longer, but just remember the lord has promised not to let us be tempted above that which we are able to bear, but will make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. Regardless of how severe the battle may be, or how long it may be, just continue to resist, and God will bring you out with victory.

  If Satan fails in his attempts to get you to go out into sinful things, he will approach you in some other manner. His tactics are not always the same. Remember, he desires, to have you that he may sift you as wheat, and he'll never give up until he gets you or you enter heaven. The Christian battle is one that lasts until we reach the end of life's way and depart to be with the Lord, so never weary in well doing, just buckle on the whole armor of God and fight the good fight of faith. After failing in his attempts to get you into sin, he may present things that are impure and ungodly for you to think about. If he can capture your thinking, he will soon have you in his clutches. Right thinking leads to right living, and wrong thinking leads to wrong living. We need to guard our thoughts. The mind is a very fertile field in which Satan can work and finally lead a soul away from God or into confusion, causing them to doubt their experience with God, even though they have not sinned openly. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind..." (I Peter 1: 13) - In this verse of scripture Peter means we should brace up our mind. Be careful how we use our mind. Many of us have experienced the attacks of Satan on the mind. If he can't get you to do something wrong, he'll try to get you to think something wrong. Our thoughts may trail along in loose disorder and cause us untold agonies. We cannot afford to be slothful in our thinking any more than in our business or, conduct of life. This is a frivolous and light hearted age when so many folk think to be sober minded means to be gloomy and sullen. But not so, dear one, we need not take on a long face to be sober or grave; a smile will still be in order. Nevertheless, we should exercise the strictest control over the mind. How often have you sat down to study the Word of God and become enveloped in your reading when suddenly something deflects your thinking to some other channel? It seems your mind immediately runs off on a side track thoughts—that should not be there are there, and you have to resist them and discard them. Sin becomes sin in God's sight long before it reaches the conduct of life. It have its seed in some idle thoughts of the mind that should have been resisted, but instead were harbored until they brought disaster and defeat to the spiritual man through doubting confusion. Oh God! help us to realize we must resist Satan in our thinking as much as in our living.  Paul says, "I keep under my body and bring it into subjection." I believe we should guard our thinking against the wiles of the devil and bring it into subjection too. Again I quote Paul when he says our "weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You are the master of your mind; you can control the thoughts of your mind if you will guard them, but if not, Satan will fill it with thoughts which will in time lead to spiritual disaster. Many souls are led into confusion and finally into sin because they failed to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Be on your guard, Christian, watch for the approach of Satan in this manner and receive the exhortation of Paul, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."