ELDER: The Biggest Battle Is with Ourselves

Maybe you have seen the TV commercial where a man is walking across a busy street when he suddenly confronts another person right there in the middle of the crosswalk. The oddity of the encounter is that the other person is himself. These two identical individuals proceed to wrestle with each other for a few moments, although my wife suggests that at times it appears more like they are dancing rather than doing hand-to-hand combat. From what I can gather, the purpose of the advertisement seems to be to draw attention to the inner struggles veterans often face after their time of military service.

This striking picture of the battle that can take place within individuals reminds me of a reality concerning our own struggles with sin and evil in the world. On the one hand, we do need to keep in mind that there are external enemies who are seeking to do wrong and do us harm, whether spiritual foes or flesh-and-blood adversaries. However, we also shouldn’t lose sight of the enemy within. Sometimes the real struggle isn’t with the devil or those who take opposing views on politics, social issues and religious matters. The most intense and dangerous foe to our spiritual well-being is often found right within our own skin. Too often the enemy is ourselves, with our pride, selfishness, ungodly desires, lack of self-control, envy and other faults.