The Many Sayings of Dr. Martin Sanders

 

My last picture with Dr. Martin Sanders

Two days ago, Dr. Martin Sanders passed away. I knew Martin in several capacities. A mentor of mine was one of his best friends, so I heard all about Martin from this mentor. I heard of their friendship and their brotherly love and how Martin walked my mentor through several difficult times. I would see Martin in passing at Nyack College when I was getting my undergrad and would always see a smile on his face and everyone seemed to hug him...all the time. He couldn't walk 10 feet without giving someone a hug.

Before I graduated, I took a job at what is now Living Christ Church. The last few months there were tough and I knew the church was in for a rough go and it was for about 4 years, until Martin went there as an interim pastor. I heard story after story of how the Lord was using Martin to heal the wounds of my old church and I thanked God for him.

Shortly after moving to the Western PA District of the C&MA, Rob Reimer and Martin spoke at our annual district conference. I made it my mission to track Martin down and thank him personally for everything he did and was doing for Living Christ Church, for I love the people and the church to this day. He smiled and gave me a big hug. As he embraced me he said: "Marvin, your legacy lives on at Living Christ Church and I've heard several say you were a bright spot for their kids and for the church. God has big things for you, lean into them". Those words struck me and really ministered to my soul.

After graduating from Crown College with my master's degree in Intercultural Leadership, I knew I wanted to somehow find my way into the D. Min program with him, Rob, and Ron. I applied but didn't know I needed a lot more than 36 credits to get into the program. I knew the Lord was calling me there, but I had no idea how. I had no money to get more credits, so I prayed. Shortly after arriving to my current role as Lead Pastor of Indiana Alliance Church, the Lord made a way for me to go back and get my M. Div from Crown. It was a great program, but I knew it was given to me at this time so I could get into the Doctoral program at ATS.

In 2020, I was able to start my D. Min and that is where I truly experienced the "fullness" of Dr. Martin Sanders. I shared with him some devastating losses of dreams and he said: "I thought you were going to attain those dreams and am shocked you didn't, but keep going, God has something better for you". Again, his words spoke deeply to my heart. Only Martin could see and hear from the Lord what I needed to hear.

It was a blessing to be in his classes, learn from him, and be challenged by him. During that time, I learned a ton of Martinisms. My D. Min triad and I began to list our favorite ones and I felt it would be cathartic for everyone (selfishly myself mostly) to write these down here. I know I am but one of thousands Martin hugged, encouraged, punched in the chest, and loved. These sayings I know were often stated to many others and don't consider myself "special" in this but I simply feel blessed to have them told to me. Below are the many sayings my triad came up with that meant a lot to us.

Martinisms

“Be a man and just do it”

"Find out how good you might be!"

"NO ONE HAS SEEN THE BEST OF WHO YOU WILL BECOME"

"Stop playing humble…. START BEING HUMBLE!!!"

“Make it count”

“You’ve dreamed too small and you’ve trusted Jesus with too little”

"Do not spend your life, invest it"

"If you find yourself confessing the same sins every time, you are NOT REPENTING"

"It’s not about how many people come it’s about how many people you develop and send out"

"Desperation is often the platform to breakthrough"

"NO ONE TAKES THE NEXT STEPS IN HOLINESS BY THEMSELVES. EVERYONE DOES IT IN COMMUNITY."

"Lots of people can win at the gifting game. Few people can win at the character stuff"

"Things you say 'no' to will define your life your life more than things you say 'yes' to"

"When people are around you - what do they get?" 

"What you think about people in your head will impact how you treat people on the outside"

"I KNOW I HAVE TAKEN ENOUGH RISKS WHEN I FAIL 25% OF THE TIME"

“People that pray for you are way more important than people that give to you.”

"How old are you in your mind right now?"

“Now go do something FUN”

“Own your voice”

"Ask a mentor to take you along and help you gain influence"

These and many more were often stated to many by Dr. Martin Sanders. What words do YOU remember? Put them in the comments! Celebration of a life is a part of the grieving process...

In the picture above, Martin punched me in the chest and said "Now go be a doctor to the church!"

The Dangers of Cessationism

   

  In my opinion, one of the most dangerous twisting of Scripture comes by way of cessationism. This theology declares that the gifts which Christ promised to His church no longer exist because they ceased with the Apostles. Theologians who hold to this way of thinking arrogantly declare that these gifts are no longer needed because we have the Bible and that is enough. This leads to weak, anemic believers who do not live into their full calling or walk with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. This also undermines the identity we have as believers and can tend to lead some into a Deistic mindset where God is distant and not in the here and now.

      God is alive, speaking, moving, and breathing His Spirit upon His children just as much now as back then. He is a God of love, intimacy, and relationship. Jesus shares with us throughout the gospels of Luke and John specifically that our access to the Father is through the Holy Spirit, made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

      The prophetic is for today, not just yesterday. The canon is indeed closed, but the Spirit is giving words of knowledge, wisdom, and guidance today and when we proclaim these words to others, that is prophetic. Many prophets have arisen in each decade or so proclaiming to the church their need to correct course as well as showing the way forward for that time in that context, words of correction given by the Holy Spirit. Tozer was one such prophet who saw the trajectory of the church in the 50s and 60s and brought correction, warning, and ways to avoid the pitfalls he saw. Prophecy is both foretelling and forthtelling. Anyone who gets up to preach takes the mantle of prophet for they are seeking to forthtell the truths of Scripture. Even those who deny the giftings preach and teach, which is not only blind but hypocritical.

      Tongues, although not everyone’s gift is mostly given as a prayer language of intimacy with the Lord. Why would the Lord stop such an intimate connection? Hospitality, knowledge, prophecy, wisdom, evangelism, shepherding, teaching, and apostolic giftings are all prevalent in today’s church, how could they be utilized today without the Holy Spirit?

      This dangerous theology attacks both the identity of the believer and the identity of the Lord Himself. The church in Laodicea forgot who they were. They did not have a right view of their identity in Christ, or of Christ Himself, and so became useless. I fear too many who lean into a cessationist view of the Scriptures have lost their identity as children of God and have stopped seeing the Lord as an empowering, intimate, loving Father and have believed Him to be far off, angry, distant, and not involved in our day to day lives.

      Christ calls us into intimacy with Himself and the way forward to live in that intimacy is paved by the Spirit. We must get back to a proper theology of the Holy Spirit, His gifts, his fruits and His making a way for us to connect intimately with the entire Trinity. Without this understanding, we will be useless. Without this knowledge and belief, we will be powerless. Without this intimate connection, we will be lost and continue to flounder as a church. It is time to push back a false Deistic view of the Lord and seek after the Lord’s Presence and empowerment by way of the Holy Spirit within us. The Church must stop neglecting or rejecting the teachings of the Holy Spirit and embrace the fullness of their life and calling. Only then will we see a Church of power pushing back the darkness of the enemy. Only then can we finally see a unified Church on mission!

The End of Nyack College: The Loss of Something Great

    Last week, I graduated with my Doctorate from Alliance Theological Seminary, the seminary of Nyack College. Although it was a momentous occasion in my life and the end of a hard-won degree, I found it clouded. I was excited, yes, and happy to have it done. I am glad to have a degree and a title that will earn more respect in academic circles (the only circles I will use the title). Yet, the happiness was overshadowed by grief.

   This was the last graduation for Nyack College to ever happen. The school closed down on August 31, 2023, due to a myriad of circumstances. This college and later Seminary has impacted my life tremendously. I spent 4 years in my undergrad there and 3 years in the seminary there as well. Those 7 years were the most formative years of my life. I grew so much in my time there and will never be the same as a result. 

  My emotional response that evening was not what I expected at all. I expected to get teary-eyed when I was hooded and walked across the stage symbolizing my complete fulfillment of the degree. Oddly, this did not happen. Through the service, I wondered at this and sort of felt numb. I couldn't put my finger on it until after all the students walked across the stage. It was then I was struck by the finality of the school's end. I honestly didn't dwell on it too much prior to graduation because I was in a rush to get everything done for my degree since we all had extremely shortened deadlines. 

  As the service was in its final 20 minutes, the thought came to me that this was the final nail in the coffin that was Nyack College. When that thought came into my mind, I began to cry, then I wept and could barely control the sobbing and tears. My friends near me offered tissues and condolences and after the final song, I turned to a friend and mentor of mine (who was graduating with me), hugged him, and said through tears: "This feels like a death, this has the feel of a funeral".

  I now believe that is exactly what I experienced- a funeral. Hearing good news before a funeral of a loved one will always pale in comparison to the loss felt. Joy was overcome with grief. Pain overwhelmed happiness. Loss was stronger than the accomplishment. The end of something overcame the beginning of something new.

  After the ceremony, I talked again with my friend and mentor and he stated: "We all needed that." We all needed to be there at the end. We all needed to feel the weight and pain of loss. We all needed to grieve the end of Nyack College in that room, at that time, and in that way. I know he's right. God ordained that moment for us alumni and recent graduates and I am now grateful to have been there and grieved openly with others who felt the same depth of loss as I do.

  Loss must be grieved and not bottled up.  I know many of my fellow alum feel as I do. Grieve the loss, my friends. Allow your sorrow to flow from your heart. Allow the Lord to comfort you in your pain. Celebrate what the Lord did through Nyack for you, in you, and through you. 

Despite the death of Nyack College, we all carry within us the goodness of those years. We all have memories and evidence of what the Lord has done. May we take that death and allow it to be the soil of new things within us. We can grow. We can take what we learned and put it into practice. We can even create similar atmospheres where we reside and minister.

The loss is great, but the Lord is not done using the echoes and ripples of Nyack College. Grieve well. Grow well. Pray for all who are feeling this loss. Finally, allow the Lord to give you peace.

Filling of the Spirit Vs. Filling of the Mind

 

 The older I get, the more I recognize discipleship in the church has been largely intellectual. We focus on what we can fill our brains with. We pursue apologetics, doctrinal correctness, theological depth, programmatic development, and the ability to rattle off wonderfully crafted answers to any deep question that can come our way. Those pursuits in and of themselves are well and good, but our discipleship focus has been encouraging others and ourselves to fill our minds to the neglect of being filled with the Spirit. In this, we've lost a lot. If we reach the great pinnacle of knowledge in discipleship, we can even come to the arrogant idea of not needing to rely on God to help us. We may not think this directly, but our lives display it as we lean more on our gifts, talents, and knowledge than we do the Holy Spirit. I have been guilty of this. 

The Bible has many things to say about this. Paul, the most theologically correct person most people can think of wrote this: "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power..." (1 Cor. 2:4, NIV). He was not trying to preach to the minds of the Corinthians but desired the Spirit's power to preach to the heart. 

Jesus, the Lord Himself said to the disciples: "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say" (Luke 12:11-12, NIV).  He didn't say: memorize all of these retorts. He didn't give them brain food for regurgitation, he simply said: "rely on the Spirit".

Paul a little later in 1 Corinthians states: "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:14, NIV). Simpson in the Land of Promise reflects on this passage by stating: "The most intellectual and cultured minds often fail to even comprehend the simple gospel of redemption" (pg. 12). Only the Spirit can reveal the Word. If we know this from the Word itself why do we focus so much on the mind to the neglect of the Spirit? I think the answer is arrogance and control. At least it was for me.

  Around six years ago, my seizure condition known as complex-partial seizures took a nasty turn for the worse. Where the seizures were once a month, they became a twice daily occurance. Even while I was preaching, I had a seizure. I do not have grand-mal seizures where I fall and flail on the ground, nor do they affect my motor skills. My type of seizures affect my cognition, retention, speech, writing, and reading. They only last roughly 30-40 seconds when they occur, but I have noticed other effects over the years. Thankfully I have not had a seizure in over 5 years due to my medication, but it has put me on a journey. 

I have realized over the last year that my retention has lessened over the last 6 years. Where I could rattle off the many words from books I've read, sounding smart and knowledgable, I struggle to be able to regurgitate off-the-cuff things I've read 6 months ago. I've lessened significantly in my ability to recall apologetic or even doctrinal answers when asked out of the blue. This has been the most irritating side-effect of my seizures because I like to be "the answer man". 

I like to be able to be the guy with the answers. It's an epidemic in my life (and in my family) where even when we don't know the answer, we try to make up an answer that sounds reasonable, logical, and convincing (we call it Nelsonsing). When I really focus and have time to think through the question and re-think the answer, I can recall many more things, but it is no longer an "on the spot" ability.

This has caused me to lean more and more into the Spirit. This morning as I spent time with the Lord, I was able to see this as a gift and not a curse. It has been a constant frustration for me internally, especially over the last two years. I'm frustrated because I'm no longer in control and my big brain no longer gets the glory. I no longer look "well-read" or "smart". This shows me that my intellectual aptitude was more about me than it was about Him. Sadly, much discipleship has been training many to be too about themselves and less about the Lord; seeking a filling of the mind over a filling of the Spirit.

When I talk to many Christians about not being intellectually focused, but Spirit-focused, I get confused looks. When some have read The Land of Promise which really urges believers to get out of their heads and into their hearts, I've heard: "I don't get it" from some because they can't think through faith except through an intellectual lens. 

When I talk about abiding and getting alone with the Lord to simply listen, many say: "yeah, but what will I do? What will I study? What can I learn?" In this, we discover our discomfort with being close to Him without Him "giving us something to remember".

We've got to get back to a desire for the Holy Spirit over a desire for deeper knowledge. Knowledge is good, but the filling of the mind over the filling of the Spirit is arrogant, controlling, and outside of the Lord's will for us as His children.  I'm a doctoral student. I love to learn. I love to grow in my knowledge. I love to teach others to grow in their knowledge as well. I teach on an online collegiate level. Education is GOOD, but when it becomes more important than our filling of the Spirit and our communion with Him, we've put it on too high a pedastal.  

We are called to surrender.  Simpson states: "When the surrender is finally made, it will be an unutterable surprise to you to find out that nothing is lost after all"* 

May we deeply desire to "be being filled" with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) over and above "stuffing" our minds with knowledge. 

*The Land of Promise, pg. 17

Land of Promise Introduction

 

            The first questions that come to mind when one releases a modernization of an old book are often: Why is this book so important? Why take the time and effort? You might have asked yourself those very questions about The Land of Promise. My answer to you, then, is this: This book still speaks to the Church today, maybe even more so than when it was originally written. We live in a time in which the Western Church is becoming the church in Ephesus—we have “abandoned the love [we] had at first.”^[1] We love to discuss theology and doctrine and find ways to point out falsehood, but all of that is lifeless without the Spirit. Tozer warned that we could easily fall in love with the Word but neglect to love the author of the Word.^[2] 

Yet, A.B. Simpson called us to love the author of the Word and to return to our first love. Simpson was the founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, and this book speaks to the DNA of that movement as he calls the Church to a deeper life. We need the deeper life; the world needs a Church that is going after their full inheritance! To put it simply—we’ve been lazy in our pursuit of all we’ve been promised. Simpson points this out in The Land of Promise and challenges us to make a course correction in our Christian walk.

Platitudes, theological prowess, and a pharisaical holding to “right doctrine” has caused us to abandon a love-filled, Spirit-led life. Right doctrine is important, but it is not the most important. Jesus Himself is our first love; He alone is to be our center. Living out of His love, not for His love, is the essence of the deeper life. The power to live the Christian life comes from the indwelling, empowering Spirit of God, not from our own efforts. The Western church is shrinking, and it’s because we’ve abandoned our first love. In this book, Simpson calls the Church back to its full inheritance and warns against falling away; he challenges the lazy believer to wake up and go after all that is promised. True revival happens when we live in our full inheritance.

            The Spirit used this book to burn a fire within my soul. Simpson points to Israel and their failure to capture the fullness of their Promised Land, and I saw myself in the pages of Israel’s history—failing and choosing the same wayward paths. I have known since college that I have a “Joshua calling” on my life, but I never understood what that meant or how to live into that calling until I read this book. I felt the Spirit say to me, Get this back into the hands of the Church; it’s a message for today! So, this work is also an act of obedience on my part.

            I have seen the backsliding Simpson discusses in this book in my own life and among many other believers. My hope and prayer is that the Spirit uses this book to breathe new life into the Church so that we will desire more of Him, and, like Caleb, be willing to fight for the land promised to us. We can no longer have a lazy acceptance of the easiest portions of our faith; rather, we need a deeper desire to press further into the land.

 

A Few Things to Ponder

            In an effort to maintain Simpson’s voice, I did not “sanitize” some of Simpson’s thinking that may feel contrary to our perspectives on marriage, holiness, and engagement in the world. For instance, theologically, Simpson mentions the possibility of entire consecration, a Wesleyan notion that we would debate in our circles. This was also written in an era where he may have suggested that spouses are less important than ministry, and we have historical record to see some proof of that in his own life; he also stresses a complete detachment from the world to avoid pollution by it. These aspects of Simpson’s teaching, when lived out, have sometimes evoked shame, marital strife, and even an escapist theology that can lead to avoiding a missional life, which we know Simpson would have emphasized. Please do not allow those aspects to hinder you from hearing the true underlying reality of the inheritance we are called to. We are called to holiness, but we know that we cannot achieve full holiness until we are in heaven. We are to flee from sin, but we know that the enemy will try to use our past sins against us and bring them back in our lives. 

            Simpson’s call to cut out sin in our lives and to go to great lengths to seek holiness in the power of the Spirit are messages we need today. We are to surrender all to the Spirit. We are to embrace holier living. Yet, we are not to spiral down a pit of shame. The Spirit brings conviction that leads to repentance, not shame that leads to depression. Allow the Spirit to challenge you, convict you, and draw you into confession and repentance as you read this book. 

As Spencer Sweeting reminded the C&MA family at Council in 2021: “We are a missions and deeper life movement.” This is the heartbeat that empowered the missions movement that is still going strong today; it is in fact larger overseas than in the U.S. May we, as believers, church leaders, and the Church itself, rediscover this type of DNA where the Spirit drives us deeper into the land, where we see a revival through our return to our first love once again.

^[1] Revelation 2:4

^[2] Paraphrased from Pursuit of God, p. 5

Get Back to Church!

   

I hope the title got your attention. Maybe the title stirred agreement within you, maybe it stirred disagreement. Either way, here you are reading this post, and my hope is that you'll stick with me, because I feel what I am about to say is important (don't all writers though!?).

In the West, our common thought of what "church is" has been shaken due to COVID.

    Mostly, American Christians thought of church as a place, a time and/or a day. When asked: "What church do you go to?" or "When do you go to church?" we don't often think of people, but rather a place. During COVID, our place changed. For many the place for months changed to their living room. For others their place went into the homes of others. Still for around 30% of Christians, their place changed to being no place at all. Still today, many still huddle in their homes and watch livestream services (or not at all), whether locked in by fear, lethargy, apathy or an actual real and serious issue that keeps them there.

  The early church rarely thought of place when it came to their understanding of "church", but rather they thought of people, fellowship, family, food, Biblical teaching, prayer and mission. 

The early church was more nomadic than sedentary. They went from home to home, and then, due to persecution from town to town and eventually country to country. The church was more a movement than an enterprise. The church was more of a missional group of men and women seeking to invite anyone and everyone they could rather than an exclusive club with rules for entry. Read how they lived:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[d] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)

Due to our western idea of "church", when we "lost" our place, we "lost" our church. When things happened at our place that we didn't like, we simply took our toys and left. When it became more convenient and comfortable for a different "place" (like pajamas in our living room not having to leave or be around others), we stopped engaging in "church" and became armchair Christians who chose isolation over community. 

With the onset of social media and online "friendships", we've seen a lack of true community and it has only grown more prolific since it began. Community has been diminished and defleshed (as Michael Frost would say in his book Incarnate). We had online "churches" before COVID, so that was nothing new, but with COVID those who would never have thought of online church as an option found the comfort and ease of "attending church" online. This type of "church" casued community to be debased and excarnate (again a phrase from Frost) to where face-to-face community with other believers became lessened or even non-existent. There is nothing inherantly bad about having online services, but thinking that will satiate the thirst within the believers soul for godly community is a lie.

The type of isolation we've seen since the onset of COVID has been devestating to the human soul on every level, but I think it has deeply effected the soul of the believer and a true understanding of "church". Rather than wrestl with this reality, many have chose to throw in the towel because the simplicity of place had been adjusted to the need to go beyond ourselves and seek people.

Church is meant to be communal, not individual. Church is meant for fellowship amongst people and not relegated to a single place a single service, a single time or a single order. When two or more believers gather, there you find church. When we continue to try and "do church" in isolation, we will continue to become more depressed and disillusioned with our faith because that's not the way it was meant to be. People have left church because they felt disconnected from their place, but church is to be people, not place.

When I say Get Back to Church! I am not saying neccesarily go back to your church building on Sunday during your specific service time, although that can be part of it. What I AM saying is- Get Back into Christian community. Find spaces to fellowship. Find times to pray with others. Find time to live out your faith on mission in a communal way. Stop "doing church" in isolation. The author of Hebrews states it this way:

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).

Too often, pastors abuse this passage by saying: "YOU NEED TO GET YOUR BUTT IN MY PEW! OTHERWISE YOU'RE WALKING IN SIN". I put that in all caps because it is often said with overly manipulative anger rather than loving encouragement. 

The author of Hebrews is less concerned with "attendence" and much more concerned for the gathering of a community that will build each other up!

For some, getting out of isolation that means overcoming their fears of getting sick. For others this means stop being lazy, get up and incarnate Christ and experience the incarnated Christ with other believers (incarnation means "to put on flesh" so it CANNOT be done online). For some, it does mean getting back to the rythymn of going to a "place". 

Whatever it may be for you, get out of isolation and back into community. I recognize some simply cannot get out of the house due to disabilities, or age, or the lack of transportation. If this is the case for you...invite others into your space. Have Bible studies, prayer meetings, meals and the like in your home. Reach out, share your needs, don't hide, don't lie, don't cover your pain or need for community. Isolation is killing people. Isolation is causing higher rates of depression and suicide. 

Get out of isolation and back into community...get back to church (the incarnate, powerful Biblical church)!

Overcoming- Land of Promise Study Guide

  I'm teaming up with James L. Snyder to bring back a classic book by A.B. Simpson titled The Land of Promise. We are modernizing the language and I am writing the study guide. Below is Chapter 5's (un-edited) study guide page. Hopefully, it whets your appetite for more!

Chapter 5: Overcoming

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Eph. 6:10-13 ESV)

When we enter the Land of Promise, that is not the end of all conflict. In fact, as we grow in the Lord, and become more of a threat to the enemy, the more the enemy will seek to derail us and our progress. Nothing frightens Satan more than a follower of Christ continually renewed in the Presence of the Lord. As we look at our own inheritance in Christ, we easily note that the Holy Spirit and His Presence in our lives are cornerstones to that inheritance. If the enemy of our souls can remove us from the Presence and dependence upon the Spirit, he can more easily derail our faith, trick us into giving into temptation or hamper our faith in some other way. Simpson reminds the believer: “A life of victory is not a life of freedom from the attacks of the enemy. He is always ready to spring upon us, and there can be no victory without conflict. The greater advances we make, the more sin and Satan resist us” (p. 70).

When the Israelites entered the Land, the real conflict began as they had to take the land by force as directed and empowered by the Lord. Enemy armies were in their land of promise. They could not allow them to remain, lest they be led astray. Their enemy, also the enemy of their inheritance needed to be crushed.

The passage in Ephesians 6:10-13 reminds us of our need to be prepared for battle and gives practical steps in arming ourselves for the battles we will face. We cannot walk in this world as if we are not at war, for then we will be unprepared and will end up getting wounded in battle. Much of this chapter on Overcoming has been both convicting and challenging to me personally. One-piece, in particular, hit me hard in my spirit. Simpson states: “There is no use in attempting to fight the foe outside until the foe within the citadel is conquered…if your sin remains, it will surely defeat you” (p. 75).  This reminds me instantly of James 1:14-15, which states: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15, ESV). We cannot blame everything on the devil. If we are not allowing the Spirit of the Lord to kill the evil desires within us, we are easy prey for the enemy, even if we are walking in much of our land of promise. I have seen this true in my own life and I implore you, deal with the sin within before you try to fight the enemy without. It is as Simpson stated: “Have you failed in a certain place in your life? Be sure you will be tested in that same place again. You cannot go on till you have had victory there” (p. 76). WOW!

Also highlighted in this chapter was Joshua’s biggest failure, which transpired in Joshua 9, known as the Gibeonite Deception. There, the Gibeonites pretended to be from a far-off land with layers of deception. Joshua and the elders took them at their word and the most convicting verse in the section states: “So the men took some of their provisions but did not ask counsel from the Lord” (Joshua 9:14, ESV). Joshua did not seek the Lord’s favor or ask His blessing. Joshua acted on his own wisdom and paid a hefty price for his failure. Simpson’s main takeaway from this, for us, comes when he states: “The only secure place to be is in constant communication with Him” (p. 78). When the enemy attacks, when our own evil desires come to the forefront, and when temptation comes our way, may we first turn to the Lord and seek His counsel. May we not strive in our own power or lean onto our own wisdom, but may we seek Him, His favor, His blessing, His guidance, and walk-in His power. The enemy is stronger than we are, but He is not stronger than the Lord!

As we finish Simpson’s chapter on Overcoming, another convicting word comes to us, not unlike the previous one mentioned before, yet it is a profound word we must recognize. Simpson states: “The only way the Lord can destroy the evil in us is by letting it come out and show itself to us. These hard places we come to so often in life are of the Lord. He is deeply interested in the slaying of the evil” (p. 80). When your deep, sinful desires manifest themselves, there is good in this and the good comes with knowing your enemy. The enemy within lays dormant, hidden, secret, and in the shadows of our souls. When that enemy within rears his head and we recognize the evil desires within us, we can admit them, confess them, and allow the Lord to slay them.

This is reminiscent of a scene in C.S. Lewis's book Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where Eustice a mean, angry, self-righteous boy turns into a dragon. Aslan, the good king tells Eustice he can rip the dragon skin off and renew him to his former self. Eustace resists at first because of the pain the clawing will cause, but in the end, allows Aslan to rip away the dreaded dragon skin. Our inner, secret, sinful desires are the very same. We must allow the Lord to rip the sinful skin off. It will hurt, but we will be renewed and restored!

Reflection:

1. How easy is it for you to forget you are in a constant spiritual battle?

2. When was a time, like Joshua, you neglected to consult the Lord? How did that go for you?

3. What are some inner enemies that need slayed?

4. What has been your best strategy for overcoming the enemy?

5. What blocks you most from being in constant communication with the Lord?