Win The Battle Within
"So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions."
Galatians 5:16-17
The bible confirms the battle is real. We just have to believe it. If you are a breathing, living and an obeying Child of God. The battle is on.
Please note that this battle is just for the saved in Christ, the unsaved battling daily as well, except they don't have any help, they are on their own.
We ALL saved or not will reap a harvest.
Galatians 6:8: The battle is yours to lose.
Those who LIVE ONLY to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who LIVE to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
What does decay and death look like in 2025?
1. Moral and Ethical Decay
* Increasing deception, fraud, and corruption in business, government, and personal
relationships.
* Loss of integrity in leadership, leading to widespread distrust and societal instability.
* Normalization of dishonesty, manipulation, and exploitation for personal gain.
2. Mental and Emotional Decay
* Rising anxiety, depression, and mental health crises due to self-indulgence, greed, and materialism.
* Loss of peace due to excessive consumption of digital media, social validation addiction, and identity crises.
* Increased isolation and loneliness as a result of self-centered lifestyles.
3. Physical Decay
* Health deterioration due to overindulgence in unhealthy food, substances, and lifestyle choices.
* Addiction epidemics (drugs, alcohol, pornography, social media) leading to self-destruction.
* Increase in stress-related illnesses from pursuing wealth and pleasure over spiritual well-being.
4. Relational Decay
* Breakdown of families due to selfishness, infidelity, and lack of commitment.
* Estranged relationships caused by pride, arrogance, and lack of forgiveness.
* Society becoming more divided due to the breakdown of family and estranged relationships.
5. Spiritual Death
* A growing indifference or outright rejection of God and biblical truth.
* Increased attraction to false teachings and New Age spirituality.
* Churches becoming entertainment-driven rather than Spirit-led, losing their power to transform lives.
6. Economic and Financial Decay
* Wealth-driven greed leading to financial collapses, debt traps, and economic instability.
* Over-reliance on quick wealth schemes, gambling, and speculative investing (e.g., the next "bubble" collapse).
* Societies rewarding short-term pleasure over long-term sustainability, leading to generational poverty.
With the power of the Holy Spirit we will win the battle within.
Let's look at some practical examples of what it looks like to let Spirit lead.
Invest in my marriage and other relationships
Look for ways to help and speak about Jesus to people
Being a good steward with my money, my time and my resources which in all honesty belong to God.
Be a cheerful giver
Speak with Truth and Grace whether in-person or online
Focus on being more Christlike
Pray for others
Jesus often spoke in parables to help his audience for that time period better understand the points He was making. Let's look at some 2025 parables of the Christian walk.
In the Christian walk it is sort of like a battleship vs a cruise ship mentality.
** Mission-Oriented vs. Entertainment-Focused
A battleship exists for a purpose: engaging in battle and accomplishing a mission.
A cruise ship exists for pleasure, relaxation, and entertainment.
The disciple of Christ is called to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), not a life of self-indulgence.
Matthew: 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
** Discipline and Readiness vs. Leisure and Indulgence
On a battleship, every crew member has a job and is trained for warfare.
On a cruise ship, people expect to be served and catered to.
A disciple must be spiritually disciplined (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) and ready for battle.
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadow boxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
** Teamwork and Unity vs. Individual Comfort
A battleship requires teamwork, coordination, and a unified mission.
A cruise ship caters to individual comfort and personal enjoyment.
The Church is called to function as one body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27), EACH with a role in God's Kingdom.
** Endurance and Hardship vs. Relaxation and Ease
Battleship crews endure storms, combat, and long missions. (LIFE)
Cruise ship passengers expect calm seas, good food, and luxury.
Jesus warned His disciples to expect persecution and suffering (John 16:33, 2 Timothy 2:3-4).
John 16:33: I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
2 Timothy 2:3-4: 3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them
** Weapons and Warfare vs. Recreation and Entertainment
A battleship is equipped with weapons and defensive systems.
A cruise ship is built for recreation and relaxation.
The disciple is called to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and fight against spiritual forces.
** Obedience to Orders vs. Personal Preferences
Battleship crews follow the commands of their captain without question.
Cruise passengers do what they feel like doing.
Disciples must follow Christ's commands with obedience (John 14:15).
John 14:15 NKJV: “If you love Me (Christ), keep My commandments.
** War Mindset vs. Vacation Mentality
A battleship crew is always aware that they are in a war zone.
A cruise ship passenger expects safety and comfort.
Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare (1 Peter 5:8).
1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
** Sacrifice and Service vs. Self-Serving Pleasure
Every person on a battleship serves a greater cause, often at great personal cost. (Rom 12:1)
A cruise ship exists to satisfy the wants of its guests.
The call of Christ is to deny oneself and serve others (Mark 10:45).
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
** Victory Through Battle vs. Comfort Without Conflict
Battleships engage in conflict to secure victory.
Cruise ships avoid conflict and prioritize pleasure.
The Christian life involves battles, but VICTORY is in Christ (Romans 8:37).
Romans 8:36-37: (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Kingdom Advancement vs. Personal Enjoyment
- The purpose of a battleship is to advance the Kingdom of God, spreading the Gospel and making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
- A cruise ship exists to cater to individual enjoyment and consumer satisfaction rather than fulfilling a greater mission.
Conclusion: CHOOSE TO WIN THE BATTLE WITHIN.
Winning The Battle Within is a choice. There is nothing new for Christ to do.
The disciple of Christ is not called to a LIFE of comfort and ease, but to a mission of spiritual warfare, endurance, and Kingdom advancement. True discipleship requires a battleship mentality—prepared, disciplined, and mission-focused—rather than a cruise ship mentality of passive enjoyment and self-indulgence.
Choose today Living Word family to win the battle within and execute our motto.
Standing Unifed. We thrive in 2025.