Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Brother Joe Arthur preached tonight at the Faith Baptist Camp. He began his message with a vivid description of the shot heard around the world. And from Thessalonians Chapter 4 he began to preach on the shout that will be heard around the world. It was a wonderful message the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But when he was talking about those militia men lined up there by the Old North Bridge at Concord, Massachusetts my mind got to wandering upon the scriptures I’ve been studying recently. When Brother Joe started preaching about how those men stood up there to defend their land and their freedom, and I could see those patriots and those redcoats all lined up ready to go to war, I thought of Romans 7:23 where Paul also witnessed a war. He said I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind.
And I got to thinking why don’t we stand up and fight against the flesh? Why do we so easily and quickly succumb to the power of the flesh? I mean do we even try? Or we do lay down our arms and just get brought into captivity? Why don’t we fight? Paul said in Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Far as I can tell, It’s kill or be killed. Seems to me that if we have any chance of winning, we need the Holy Spirit. He said if ye through the Spirit. Oh how we need the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with the Spirit.
Maybe it’s not time to sing I Surrender All. But maybe it’s time to fight. Maybe it’s time to take up arms against this flesh. Maybe it’s time to turn the tables. Maybe it’s time to besiege the flesh. I wrote this the other day on the matter:
I saw this in the Bible the other day. It’s was toward the end of Deuteronomy before they were to enter into that promised land. My Scofield Bible entitles it The law of warfare. This is how the children of Israel were to conduct war against the people of the land. Hey! We’re at war with this flesh. Let’s not play games with it anymore. God told the children of Israel, When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. (Deuteronomy 20:10) We’re way past this point. The flesh will never make peace with the Spirit of God.
The Bible says regarding Ishmeal the child of the flesh and Isaac the child of promise, He that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. (Galatian 4:29) The Bible says The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other… (Galatians 5:17) In Genesis, from the beginning, the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh… (Genesis 6:3) The flesh is not going to just lay over. There is no peace in the flesh.
So then, Deuteronomy goes on to say, If it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it! (Deuteronomy 20:12) Thou shalt besiege it. That means to cut off all the roads. Nobody in. Nobody out. Blow up the bridges. Cut off the water supply. Bring down the power grid. Burn the crops. Slaughter the cattle. Cut off the food supply. Surround it with everything you got. Besiege it! Paul said, Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14) Make not provision. That means don’t feed it. That means thou shalt besiege it.
The shot has already been fired, my friend. The war is on. Will you fight?