Wearing Down the Enemy

"the most important method, judging from the frequency of its use, is to wear down the enemy. That expression is more than a label; it describes the process precisely, and is not so metaphorical as it may seem at first. Wearing down the enemy in a conflict means using the duration of the war to bring about a gradual exhaustion of his physical and moral resistance. But resistance is a form of action, aimed at destroying enough of the enemy's power to force him to renounce his intentions. Every single act of our resistance is directed to that act alone" - General Von Clausewitz, On War

Wearing down the enemy, according to General Clausewitz, is the most important strategy of war due to its frequency of use. We intuitively know and feel the weight of this strategy when we endeavor to war against sin. The weariness is defined in Romans 8 as the groaning of our spirits as we eagerly await the redemption of our bodies.

Resisting sin can be wearisome task, whether it's personal temptation or ministering to others who are struggling. Satan's goal is to wear down resistance - both physical and moral, by bombarding us with worldly messages and images. In our generation we have seen the wearing down of societal resistance to gay marriage, but the past 50 years has seen the progressive deconstruction of many solid ethical-social standards related to the family, marriage, and popular entertainment. 

From the internal standpoint, the battle with temptation and lust is equally draining.  Our hearts can be more persistent than a hungry 3-year old.

So how do we resist such a relentless strategy?

"resistance is a form of ACTION, aimed at destroying enough of the enemy's power to force him to renounce his intentions. Every single act of our resistance is directed to that act alone"

Resistance is active, it is aggressive and focused and strong. Passive resistance is no resistance at all, it is simply laying down and getting run over. Don't let anyone tell you that you don't have to actively resist sin, it's not scriptural.  

Resistance is doing whatever it takes to break free from sin, to destroy the enemy's power. (LINK: ONE GOAL) It is a lifelong struggle, we may fight different battles but there is never a time where we should give up the fight or quit the race.  Satan is using guerilla warfare to draw us into small daily battles in order to weaken and wear out our resistance.

The purpose of this blog is to equip believers to resist sin, to point out how scripture instructs us over and over to resist, and the steps to take to fight and fight well.