"Self-Defense"
The ability to be able to defend oneself has been an attribute that has long been admired. People have become skilled in physical defenses such as karate and jujitsu, and their skill has won them the admiration of their friends and foes alike. However, while physical defense is important our spiritual defense is so much more important. How can we defend ourselves spiritually?
If we will defend ourselves spiritually, we are required to first recognize our greatest weakness. “…the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) For every Christian, our greatest weakness is our flesh. This is our own desires and pleasures which naturally pertain to physical satisfaction rather than spiritual advancement. The young Christian who is serious about having the spiritual strength to live for God must recognize this weakness.
The day we trusted Christ as our Saviour, we received a new nature, we became a new creature in Christ. “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) This new nature and the old flesh are constantly at war with each other. “For I know that in me that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18) Paul said that in the flesh dwelleth no good thing, but our new nature is good. Therefore the good nature and the wicked flesh are at war for our attention. The wickedness of the flesh creates the spiritual weakness in the flesh that makes us so susceptible to sin. Therefore, we must exercise self-defense.
Ancient cities would have walls around them that acted as defenses from invading forces. In these walled cities of ancient times the gates were the weakest point in the wall, therefore the city would reinforce the gate with soldiers or with barriers to bolster the defenses of their weakest point. Our spiritual self-defense works the same way. Our weakest point of defense is at the entrances, or gates if you will, of our mind. These gates would be our eyes and our ears. Therefore, if we will wisely exercise self-defense, we must take extra care to reinforce these entrances to our heart.
Dear young person, what we allow ourselves to see and hear will have the most impact on our self-defense. If we allow ourselves to see things that we should not on television, YouTube, or the internet in general than we will be spiritually invaded in our heart and mind. If we allow our ears to hear wicked music, foul speech, or even gossip it will invade our heart and mind and begin to overthrow us spiritually.
Sadly, changing entertainment is very difficult for most young people to do. Therefore, instead of adjusting the content that they consume they continue to allow themselves to be spiritually invaded until they are completely overrun spiritually and fall away from God altogether.
As you read this today, what is it that the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart about? Would what you watch on the internet please God? Would your Facebook page please God? Would your Instagram please God? Are we allowing the Devil to infiltrate our minds through these temporal platforms? Do we engage in conversations that invade the mind? Would our texting and messaging both that we send and read be pleasing to the Lord? Only you can answer these questions today! The wise young person will take inventory of what they consume in entertainment and make adjustments that would please the Lord. This is a major part of our self-defense as a Christian.