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Introduction
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Continual WarfareTo all who must face the ever increasing problems of life. The only sure way to succeed in life while facing these obstacles is to carry the precious Word of God with you in your heart. Paul tells us in the book of Romans, I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. He also said, "To will is present, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. I delight after the things of God in the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Speaking here to the born again believer, Paul describes a dual personality, a continual warfare between the body and the soul, an inward man, which is in the kingdom of God by the power of translation, having been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He, the inward man (spiritual man), is warring to combat the evil influential powers that attack the human soul through the five senses of the body. The power of satanic forces, which get their strength from the laws of God (since God is the Creator of good and evil), continually wars against our inward man, which has been perfected by God. This evil power of lust and self desire accuses God to our minds, telling us that His laws are selfish restrictions by which we are made slaves, while He, Himself has everything in life. You can readily see that the strength of this power comes from God's law of corrections. God's Words are Words of life. His correction is His chastening Word of love and reproof, to turn us away from that power of lust which only appears to be life. This body of ours is subject to the vanities of this world, because it is dependent upon the material things of life. This is because it fell, by transgression in the garden, from the true source of life. Having been born again, the spirit has regained the source of eternal life that was lost in the garden. The body is also the purchased possession. We wait to wit the redemption of the body; therefore, it is in an unredeemed state, as far as enjoying its redemption, until the inward man has thoroughly driven out all powers that hibernate in the body or that molest the body. This is done by the strength of God's Spirit, energizing the inward man with a newfound strength. This produces faith. This faith is strengthened daily and is kept alive by God's Spirit. It is our great weapon of warfare that casts down imaginations, that takes full control of the mental faculties so that the body might be cleansed completely and brought into subjection to the inward man, that the body might enjoy perfect health and perfect life eternally. Our affections and desires are being nailed to the cross, while a new man comes forth for the better! As the old heavens pass away within our inward man, to bring with it the kingdom of God within us, so shall the old physical earth pass away, and in its place, a new earth shall come forth as the body of Christ. The thorns and thistles, the briars of the satanic forces of sickness, afflictions, condemnation and oppression, will have been completely burned out, just as it will be in the natural part of God's plan. We are taught by God that if we commit our works unto the Lord, our thoughts shall be established, and this will happen by faith. Faith establishes the thoughts, for it is a firm conviction that is free from doubt. Faith works by love, so love is the keynote. If the Lord is the Word, and the Word is God, and God is a Spirit, and the Spirit is love (God is love), then for us to completely give our thoughts to divine love, joy, peace and righteousness in the Holy Ghost is charity, the bond of perfection. The Word of charity casts out the unclean spirits of doubt and imaginations, thoroughly cleansing the thoughts of impurity, causing a refreshing of the inward man which, in return, sends forth joy, peace, and happiness to the body. This, of course, is health and life. Solomon said, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Love fulfills the law of God. When the Word of God is filled with love, it is eternal life. When the Word is void of love, there is no Spirit of life to you, and the Word becomes judgment. To believe intellectually does not save a man. To believe with the heart is to come unto righteousness, for as a man thinks in his heart, so he is. There is but one way, and Jesus said, "I am the way." He is the manifested Word, the human embodiment of love and compassion, who went about healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for He sent His Word and healed them. By His Word, He cast out unclean spirits. His Word is anointed, and it does the same yesterday, and today, and forever. He that loves is born of God. He that loves not has not seen God, for God is love. By their fruits you shall know them, and the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, gentleness, patience, and meekness. You cannot tell them by their teachings, for Satan is a noted Bible scholar. He even tried to use the Word of God to destroy the master in the wilderness. It is one of his greatest weapons, with which he seeks to destroy by accusation and condemnation. That is why Paul said that sin gets its strength by the law. Jesus, the Son of God, was the manifested utterance of the Spirit, which materialized into a human form to manifest itself through demonstrations of deliverance to the human family so that, throughout all the ages and worlds without end, man might see the attributes of God and the treasure which God has put in earthen vessels. The Word is with us in our hearts. Faith in it, as it walked the shores of Galilee in human form, gave the desires of the heart. Faith in it will do the same today. By George Leon Pike Sr. This message is published for free distribution. For more copies, write, in English if possible, to the address below, stating how many you can wisely use. ENG9906T — ENGLISH — CONTINUAL WARFARE Holiness Unto The Lord |
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