Your War Zone

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 1 Peter 2:11

Peter correctly uses military language to convey the imagery that sinful desires war within us like soldiers in a battle. Their target is our soul. The soul is in touch with both the material and spiritual element of humanity, a hotbed for conflict. To surrender and nurture to such sinful desires, is to give food, shelter, and ammunition to the enemy’s troops. If we give in to the desires that “wage war” against our souls, we will certainly feel some loss of spiritual strength and effectiveness in the work for the Lord. When we yield to the sinful desires, we will increasingly become POWs or “slaves” to sin (Romans 6:16) because it also wars with our minds (Romans 7:23) and surrounds us (Hebrews 12:1) so that we are outflanked and attacked by temptation.

Peter refers to the warring “sinful desires” as lust, a lust for sex, for a cold beer, for power, or for nearly anything that causes addictive behaviors. This tantalizing war tactic can defeat even the greatest of spiritual giants. To combat these sinful desires requires that you abstain from those things that might tempt you. If you are tempted by nudity, turn the channel. If you are tempted to gossip, walk away. Abstain before you are held captive.

A drunkard started by having one drink.