My Bible Alone
Title: The Enemy Inside: Confronting Our Inner Battle Against Sin
Introduction
In the spiritual walk of every believer, there lies a formidable challenge, often more daunting than any external adversary: the struggle against our own inner demons. These inner foes are not mere figments of our imagination but real spiritual hindrances that manifest in various forms of sinful tendencies and negative thoughts. The secular song “My Own Worst Enemy” by Lit, while seemingly distant from spiritual discourse, whimsically echoes this profound truth, reminding us of the internal conflicts we face daily. This struggle is not just about combating external temptations but involves a profound internal battle against our very nature. In this article, we delve deep into understanding these internal struggles, discussing how our own psyche can be detrimental in our fight against sin and how overcoming these challenges is pivotal for spiritual growth.
The Nature of Our Inner Demons
Our inner demons, often hidden beneath the surface of our consciousness, are a mix of sinful inclinations, harmful habits, and destructive thoughts. They represent the darker side of our human nature, a legacy of our fallen state that persistently battles against our desire to live righteously. These internal adversaries are deeply ingrained within our psyche, often surfacing in moments of weakness, doubt, or stress. Recognizing and confronting these negative aspects within ourselves is crucial for spiritual growth and overcoming our innate propensity for sin. The battle against these inner demons is a continuous journey, one that requires constant vigilance, self-awareness, and a heart inclined towards God.
Sinful Tendencies: Lust, Greed, and Envy
Among the most common inner demons we face are the sins of lust, greed, and envy. Lust, extending beyond physical desire, can entangle our thoughts and lead us away from the path of righteousness. Greed, the excessive desire for more, blinds us to the blessings we already possess and sows discontent in our hearts. Envy, often rooted in comparison, can destroy relationships and inner peace. These sins, along with others, form a part of our inner battle, challenging our spiritual integrity and our relationship with God.
Self-Loathing: An Invisible Foe
Another insidious inner demon is self-loathing, which attacks our self-worth and value. This enemy can lead to a cycle of negative thoughts and behaviors, pulling us away from God’s truth about our identity. Self-loathing undermines our confidence in God’s love and plan for our lives, making it a subtle yet powerful adversary in our spiritual journey.
The Detrimental Effects of Our Inner Enemies
These sins, and others like them, are not just harmful actions or thoughts; they are reflections of an inner turmoil, a war within our souls. They stem from our fallen nature and can lead to a life estranged from God’s purpose and love. Confronting these inner demons is essential in maintaining a healthy spiritual life and in our pursuit of holiness.
The Answer: Jesus Living Inside Us
In the midst of this struggle, the answer lies in Jesus Christ living within us. As C.S. Lewis illustrates in “Mere Christianity” with the analogy of an obstinate toy soldier, we often resist transformation because it is painful and unfamiliar. Lewis describes how God wants to turn us from toy soldiers into living, breathing sons and daughters, but we resist because we cannot imagine what is in store for us. This transformation is key in overcoming our internal battles. When we allow Christ to live in us, He begins to reshape our desires, thoughts, and actions, aligning them with His will and purpose.
C. S. Lewis -> God and The Cottage
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He doing? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
C. S. Lewis -> The Obstinate Toy Soldier
Did you ever think, when you were a child, what fun it would be if your toys could come to life? Well suppose you could really have brought them to life. Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh. And suppose the tin soldier did not like it. He is not interested in flesh; all he sees is that the tin is being spoilt. He thinks you are killing him. He will do everything he can to prevent you. He will not be made into a man if he can help it.
What you would have done about that tin soldier I do not know. But what God did about us was this. The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man—a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman’s body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.
The result of this was that you now had one man who really was what all men were intended to be: one man in whom the created life, derived from his Mother, allowed itself to be completely and perfectly turned into the begotten life. The natural human creature in Him was taken up fully into the divine Son. Thus in one instance humanity had, so to speak, arrived: had passed into the life of Christ. And because the whole difficulty for us is that the natural life has to be, in a sense, “killed,” He chose an earthly career which involved the killing of His human desires at every turn—poverty, misunderstanding from His own family, betrayal by one of His intimate friends, being jeered at and manhandled by the Police, and execution by torture. And then, after being thus killed—killed every day in a sense—the human creature in Him, because it was united to the divine Son, came to life again. The Man in Christ rose again: not only the God. That is the whole point. For the first time we saw a real man. One tin soldier—real tin, just like the rest—had come fully and splendidly alive.
Embracing Transformation
Allowing Jesus to work within us doesn’t mean the immediate disappearance of all sinful desires or tendencies. Instead, it’s an ongoing process of transformation. As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we learn to recognize the voice of the enemy inside and counter it with the truth of God’s Word.
Overcoming through Christ
The real victory in our spiritual battles comes from understanding that we cannot fight alone. The presence of Jesus in our lives offers a powerful antidote to our inner demons. By surrendering to His transformative power, we can overcome the detrimental effects of our psyche and emerge victorious in our fight against sin.
Conclusion
The battle against the enemy within is real and challenging. The sins of lust, greed, envy, and self-loathing are formidable opponents in our spiritual journey. However, the presence of Jesus in our lives offers a powerful antidote. By surrendering to His transformative power, we can overcome the detrimental effects of our psyche and emerge victorious in our fight against sin. In Christ, we find the strength to defeat our worst enemy – the enemy within.
