Civil War

One of my favorite comic book story lines has to be Marvel’s “Civil War” (2006-2007). In this seven part story, a villain by the name of Nitro uses his powers to destroy several city blocks, including an elementary school. All while being filmed as part of a reality TV show staring some second rate superheroes. Naturally, people were upset and the government declared that there will be a Superhero Registration Act. The result being, that all super heroes being forced to reveal their true identity to the government.

Obviously some heroes were against that. To spare the time of spoilers and typing out the entire plot, there is a Civil War between the heroes: Iron Man heads the “Pro-Act” team, while Captain America leads the “No-Act” squad.

So in essence, it is a civil war between a body of heroes, regarding identity. I know there have been a few posts addressing our identity, but let’s take a look at how THIS can apply to us.<br>

We all fight a “Civil War” in ourselves. The bible talks about a struggle between Our Flesh (our sinful nature) and Our Spirit (The part of us that is connected with God) that is going on. “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” Galatians 5:17. This battle is constantly going on every day. And WE are the ones who determines who will win. There is a common phrase amongst Christians that we must “feed our spirit and starve the flesh”. What this means is that whatever we take in is what is going to determine this battle. If we are watching, listening to, partaking in things that are contrary to God’s will and that feed our sin nature, the flesh grow stronger. And that is not a good thing. We should grow in our Spirit, by simply reading his word, and going to God in prayer.

The bible says “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Romans chapter 8 gives a good look at what I’m talking about. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”(Verses 5-8) But the good news comes in verses 9-11 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you”.

There you have it friends, we must continually be seeking God and feeding out spirit. We WILL win this Civil War. Just remember: “because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4.

One Step Ahead

Batman has fascinated generations for many reasons. He can keep his own amongst those in the Justice League without any super powers, he’s genius-level smart and monk-level disciplined, and he gets the BEST gadgets. He can even take down Superman, if he has to. But one of the most interesting abilities about the Caped Crusader is that he is one step ahead of everyone. He is always ready for anything and everything. ALWAYS.

Even when The Dark Knight isn’t in his Batsuit, he is always in detective mode. He is constantly picking up trails, putting together clues, and preparing for the next step, even when the villain doesn’t know what it is yet. He is the world’s greatest detective.

So how does this apply to our walk with Jesus? Always be prepared.

 

So how do we do that? The easiest way is to keep in His word. The Bible constantly tells us to be prepared. 2 Timothy 4:2 says “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” When we are at school, work, the mall, or anywhere, we need to be prepared to tackle any obstacle that the enemy throws at us. In every situation, wherever we are. The Word of God has tons of information to get you through situations.

When Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by the devil, He was able to thwart Satan’s attack by speaking the scriptures. It’s our greatest weapon against the enemy. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)

Another way to prepare ourselves against the world’s temptation is prayer. Praying develops our relationship with God. As you become closer to Him, you will become more disciplined in your faith. The Bible speaks of how to pray (Matthew 6:5-13), who to pray for (1 Timothy 2:1-3), and what to pray about (Philippians 4:6).

Reading your Bible, praying every day and going to church will build up your faith and your relationship with God. Just as Batman is constantly building up himself, you should always be looking for your next step with God, which is always a step ahead of the Devil.

We’re not always going to be “under attack” but there is always a moment where we can show God’s love. Remember: always be in prayer, communicating with Jesus. And always be ready to share God’s Word. And we do that by reading it every day, reflecting on what He is saying to us, and LIVING it out in our lives.

‘Nuff said.