The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-12-17

SOAS 1880
desires of the flesh.
THE Confetti Is the duty OF
| an army when at Var to discover
the enemy, and when discovered to en-
gage the foe in battle. To refuse to
give battle is trcitorous and invites dis
aster. 1t means that the foe will die
tate terms and bring the cowardly army
into subsection. The Soul must give
battle to the forces which would cur
tail it's liberties and bring it into sub
lection. 1t need not know defeat. 1t
may have glorious victory in Christ
Jesus if it will fight in His name and
with His strength. How strong the
will of the flesh and the desires of the
flesh are can only be realized as n
struggles against them, and seeks to
overcome them. The Christian who
knows no struggle in his inner life, who
makes no fight against the flesh, with
it's appetites and lusts, is living on a
very low plane. The Soul is being
ruled by Self. God demands a differ
ent attitude and condition from His
children. I'VE must fight, if we would
reign" Conflict is the order of life
for the Christian. He cannot escape it.
From the moment that he accepts Jesus
Christ as Saviour from sin, he must
fight against sin in its manifold forms
within and without. Paul in u text
is not preaching a doctrine Of ascetl-
cism. He does not mean to imply that
.-o-r Tow ord n1ooSIr0 which ran hn
experienced in this life are sinful. He
does not mean that the Christian is to
be gloomy, and to frown upon every
good thing in life. He does not mean
this. for there is no good thing which
God would withhold from His children,
but he ices mean hat Self should not
rule. that a higher desire and purpose
should rule the life than the mere f1eshly
desires and appetites. 1t must no
longer be what l want" but what
God wants for me-" This brings the
strife. Here is where the conflict be-
gins. 1t is the flesh warning against the
Spirit. and the Spirit against the flesh.
THE Victory and Reward.-The secret
of victory is revealed in the open
ing words of our text. The declara-
tion that the flesh lusteth against he
Shirt. and the Spirit against the flesh"
;s nreceded by the wise admonition to
"Walk in the Spirit" followed by the
blessed assurance that If we do, we
shall not fulfill the lust Of the flesh"
The Soul is to look to the Spirit for
leadership. instead of Self. One of the
essentials to a victorious army is the
wise general who knows how to lead
his army so as to avoid all the am
huscades and pitfalls of the enemy,
and To select the vantage ground from
which to give battle. The Spirit will
load unerringly. He knows the pit
falls. the dangers which Turk on every
hand. and it is only as the Christian
seeks to walk in the Spirit that he can
hone to escape disaster and defeat. The
victory is more than balf won when
we are marching obediently by the side
of our Saviour. When We go our own
way. when temptation leads us into the
hyways of sinful desire, then are we
almost sure to fall before the enemy.
We become an easy prey to the desires
of the flesh. Self has his way, and
the Soul is brought into subsection.
But ours may be victory, If we will
walk in the Spirit" If we through
the Spirit will mortify the deeds of the
body" And the reward is worth the
!. conflict. TIL. seyen-fold reward may
be ours as promised in the second anG
third chapters of Revelation, ending in
the grand climax: HE that oyercom-
eth . will give to him to sit down With
Me in My throne. as / also overcame,
!, and sat down with My Father in Ills
Throne"