Title: Fight with yourself
Contents
Subject: Fighting with yourself
main text ; Proverbs 16:32
When I typed the word 'fight with myself' in the internet search engine and hit enter, these articles came pouring out.
"Military life is a battle against oneself. Therefore, parents should pray like this. 'Lord, help my children win the battle with themselves before they fight the enemy and win!'"
“Professional golfer Han-Pyung Park from California says, 'Golf is a strict fight against oneself.'”
"People often say that marathon is a fight against oneself. When asked how he felt, Hwang Young-jo, who won the gold medal in the Olympics, said that the most difficult thing until winning the gold was fighting himself.
“The greatest value that our Taekwondo can give is not to make us win in competition with others, but to create a person with a strong willpower to overcome ourselves and to fight with ourselves. This is the essential value of Taekwondo. I think."
"Studying is ultimately a battle with yourself. The results of your studies depend on who has more control over yourself. In particular, the secret to success in studying abroad depends on fighting with yourself."
"Professionals who have been investing in stocks for a long time believe that investing in stocks is ultimately a battle with themselves, and only a person with a cool mind who can defeat them can achieve great success. This is because he is well aware that it is due to human emotions or weaknesses, such as his own greed, regret, regret, fear, impatience, impatience.”
"Diet isn't just a fight with calories, it's a fight with yourself. But it's usually not difficult to overcome your appetite by your own will. According to some reports, once you've succeeded in dieting, you'll soon return to the original state. It is said to have an 85% chance of developing it. In other words, only 15% of dieters can maintain their weight.”
In other words, military life, golf, marathon, bowling, taekwondo, life, study abroad life, stock investment, study, diet, etc. The ultimate secret of success and happiness depends on fighting with yourself.
The Greek philosopher Plato said: “The greatest victory for mankind is for me to win. That means the greatest victory is winning the battle with oneself. We live by fighting ourselves every day.
The human mind is a fierce battlefield between two selves. The battle between the good self and the evil self, the diligent self and the lazy self, the brave self and the cowardly self, the generous self and the petty self, the faithful self and the unfaithful self, the carnal self The battle with the spirit self is always going on in our hearts.
And the person's personality is determined by who wins in my heart. When the good self and the evil self fight, when the evil self wins, he becomes a wicked person; when the lazy self and the diligent self fight, when the lazy self wins, he becomes a lazy person; In the end, we become people who follow the flesh.
The French writer Victor Hugo said that humans are fighting three battles. The first is the battle between self and nature, the second is the battle between self and society, and the third is the battle between self and self. And furthermore, we Christians are also fighting the spiritual battle with the invisible Satan.
Of these four battles, the most difficult one is the one with oneself first. That's why there is a saying, "The scariest enemy in this world is himself." That is, he who overcomes himself can win anything, but on the other hand, if he loses his battle, he has no choice but to lose.
Today's Bible also speaks about this. “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his heart is better than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). that you can be a winner.
In fact, I see that the challenge that comes from within rather than the challenge from the outside bothers me more. The forces that afflict my good will and lead me to sin are stronger from within than from outside.
Take David's case. David won the battle with Goliath, and while he was a shepherd, he also won battles with lions and bears, and won many battles. But the moment he saw Uriah's wife, the desire within him took hold of him.
In the end, David was defeated in the battle against the lust that appeared within him, so he committed the sin of committing adultery with another man's wife. David's transgression was a challenge that came from within, in his comfort and leisure.
Also look at the history of Christianity. The early church members endured the persecution of Rome, an external enemy, and continued to preach the gospel. But when Christianity became the state religion of Rome, they began to corrupt from within. They won the battle with the external enemy, but lost the battle with the internal enemy themselves, so Christianity entered the dark ages of the Middle Ages.
Ladies and gentlemen, isn't the biggest factor in being tempted because you lost the battle with yourself? No matter what other people say, no matter how hard the environment is, isn't it enough if you don't pass the test? Once we have won our battle, the external enemy can never put us to the test.
One of Aesop's fables is the story of a fly and a moth butterfly. One day, while a fly was eating honey from a honey jar, it was supposed to suck a little at the outskirts, but it went deep to eat a little more and fell into the honey jar.
Then, the fly's wings got wet with honey, so it couldn't fly, and they just ate some honey there and died.
When I was in this situation, a butterfly called a moth butterfly flew and laughed at the fly. "Hey- Paris, no, it's enough for a little bastard to suck a little on the periphery. What can you do when you get into it and get that shape? You stupid bastard!"
Then the sun went down. A farmer lit a lamp at night, and moth butterflies were gathering. They were just gathering near the fire, then to a brighter place, to a brighter place, and then they were burned to death. So this fly says: "Hey- you stupid moth butterfly, you're much more stupid than me."
In other words, there are many people who live the lives of flies and moth butterflies who are being dragged away and sacrificed wretchedly because they cannot overcome their greed and lust. Ladies and gentlemen, if we don't win in the fight against our own depraved mind, wrong personality, and bad habits, we too will end up becoming flies and moth butterflies.
The apostle Paul, the great apostle, said, "I beat my body into submission" (1 Corinthians 9:27). In other words, the existence called me should not be left alone. In other words, I am a being who has to beat me to obey like a slave. He confesses that he is afraid that if he does not obey him like that, he will be abandoned after sharing the gospel with others.
Paul said that he had a thorn in his flesh, so he had to keep piercing himself to stand upright in the faith. In other words, if you do not fight with yourself, you will become so corrupt that you cannot stand as a man of God.
Gentlemen, faith is self-discipline and self-refinement. In the world of faith, fighting is not a battle with any other power, but a battle with oneself. For the saints, the scariest thing than the fight with the devil is the fight with oneself.
But today, many Christians can see that they are always losing in their fights and struggling to win only in battles with others.
Jesus became the savior because he won the battle with himself. If Jesus lost the battle and followed the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, how could he have become our Savior?
If Jesus had suffered so much on the cross that he had given up the fight with himself and just came down, wouldn't he not have been the savior of all?
Guys, keep that in mind. Today, only when one person wins the battle against himself will the family, the church, and the kingdom of heaven be established. But do not forget. If you think that you can win the battle against yourself without God's help, you are very mistaken.
Everyone, think about it. Is your being that perfect and trustworthy? To be honest, isn't it? God knows that fallen man on his own will never win the battle against himself.
That is why He sent Jesus to this earth, and also when Jesus went to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus. The Holy Spirit still comes into our hearts today and leads us to victory in our battle with Him.
Therefore, even in this foreign land, as you acknowledge, welcome, and rely on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, you will experience victory every day in your battle with yourself, and I pray that you may obtain peace and joy, blessings and happiness in the kingdom of heaven.