David (00:00.716)
Now, as I promised in the last episode, I'm going to be finishing up this discussion by reading from my book, The Christian's Guide to Holistic Health, Chapter 3, The Abundant Life, Part 2. Living the abundant life is a great reason for pursuing health, but we've got to understand that the abundant life is not going to just simply arrive on a silver platter. We're going to have to fight for it because the abundant life is opposed. There's a spiritual warfare aspect to all this. Let's talk about it.
David (00:35.758)
Alright, today I'm reading from my book, The Christian's Guide to Holistic Health, Chapter 3, Abundant Life, Part 2. The Thief Comes Only to Steal and Kill and Destroy, John 10 10 A. The big heads up. As if this stressful world wasn't enough to hinder us in our pursuit of real life, we also need to consider the first half of John 10 10, The Thief Comes Only to Steal, Kill and Destroy, John 10 10 A.
Along with the second half, I came that they might have life and have it abundantly, John 10, 10b. How diabolical that we've missed this. Were you even aware that Jesus spoke these two sentences in the same breath? Why are they connected this way? Jesus is effectively saying, heads up, make no mistake about it, the offer is life, real life, full of adventure and intimacy with God. But that life is going to be opposed.
Jesus said, this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17.3. From this core relationship, our lives draw meaning and purpose. These core values direct our actions to positively impact the lives of those around us. That is abundant life. But that life is not going to just show up without some effort on our parts. We're going to have to fight for it.
The abundant life will be opposed. We have an enemy, and he is opposed to anything that brings freedom in life to those who follow Jesus. So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her children who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Revelation 12, 17. We are at war. We're at war.
I don't like this fact any more than you do. Nevertheless, this is where we find ourselves in the story. I even struggled with addressing this so early in the book lest I scare some of my readers off. However, this is too important to miss and no discussion around John 10 10 would be complete without mentioning it. When the Bible says the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, it means just that. The enemy is hell bent on our destruction.
David (03:01.762)
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5, 8. The Battle Plan. In any conflict, each side has a battle plan. When the U.S. went to war with Iraq, top priorities were including taking out Saddam Hussein's offensive capabilities, disrupting Iraq's communications, and removing the country's supply chain.
Our enemy has a battle plan set against us as well. Ephesians 6 11. He wants it all. He wants our marriage and relationships. He wants our finances and careers. He wants our ministry. He wants anything that brings us freedom in life. However, I believe robbing us of our health has got to be near the top of his list. The critical point. Satan wants to rob us of our health because this is where he gets the most bang for his buck.
If he can steal our health and vitality, it's much easier to wear us down and render us ineffective for kingdom work. A.W. Tozer, pastor, 20th century thought leader, and author of 12 Christian books puts it this way. So it becomes the devil's business to keep the Christian spirit imprisoned. He knows that the believing and justified Christian has been raised up out of the grave of his sins and trespasses. From that point on,
Satan works that much harder to keep us bound and gagged, actually imprisoned in our own grave clothes. He knows that if we continue in this kind of bondage, we are not much better off than when we were spiritually dead. That's from A.W. Tozer's book, Knowledge of the Holy. The enemy wants to rob us of our vitality, wear us out, and turn us into overweight, worn-out, apathetic couch potato pacifists.
We are at war. The sooner we come to grips with this, the better off we'll be. The lion and the hyena. A hyena cannot take down a lion. A lion is much bigger and far more powerful than a hyena. The lion is the king of the jungle, and he can take a hyena out with a single swipe of his powerful claw. The hyenas know this, so while most of the pack is resting,
David (05:26.104)
Two or three at a time, they take turns taunting and teasing the lion relentlessly. Eventually, they produce in the lion a state of exhaustion. They keep up the taunting until the lion has nothing left to defend himself with and he lies down and gives up. The hyenas then move in for the kill. This is the enemy's strategy with us. He's not in a hurry. Satan knows what we can do for the cause of good and he fears it. So he directs his most vicious attacks
directly at our most vulnerable areas. He wants to weaken our defenses with poor health, body, mind and spirit, wear us down and take us out. The frog in the kettle. One could say that our state of physical well-being is our Achilles heel. It usually doesn't happen overnight. It's much more insidious. Just as the proverbial frog in the kettle that doesn't notice the heat is being slowly turned up until it's too late and he boils to death.
The enemy of our souls is delighted to capitalize on our apathy and taking care of our bodies, and he'll stop at nothing to render us ineffective for kingdom work. We have authority over Satan. Satan knows he's outgunned and that he can't defeat Jesus. Greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world. First John 4, 4. In Christ, we have the power and authority to defeat Satan. Still, we need to be aware of his strategies.
Stand up to him and tell him to go to hell when he rears his ugly head in our lives. Why else would we be instructed to put on the full armor of God, Ephesians 6 11? We need to do our parts. The good news is Satan is not under every rock. He's not omniscient and the devil and his demons must submit to the authority we have in Christ. Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you, James 4 7.
We don't have to fear the enemy because in Christ we have authority over Satan and his demons. We need to claim that authority daily. I suggest you claim that authority right now before you read another sentence. Don't let the enemy have his way by keeping you from this life-giving, life-affirming information. We'll have more on spiritual warfare in sections 4, chapters 32 and 33. The Body as a Temple
David (07:49.774)
The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we must learn to become good stewards of these magnificent temples or bodies God has given us. When it comes to our health, we can't afford to be apathetic or complacent. We need to stay on the offense. Waiting until a health crisis is upon us puts us on defense and can render disastrous consequences. Perhaps you're already in the middle of a health crisis and looking for answers. Keep reading.
If you woke up breathing this morning, there's hope. The information in these pages offers many reasons why. This knowledge helped me turn my health around, and it can do the same for you. Chapter 3, Summary. have an enemy, and he's opposed to the life Jesus came to bring. Spiritual warfare is the backdrop of our lives. Satan wants it all, but one of his top priorities is to rob us of our physical health.
Followers of Jesus Christ have power and authority over Satan. We can stay on the offense and take care of our temples or bodies, and we'll be defeating the enemy of our souls when we get in the game. So that's chapter three on spiritual warfare as it pertains to us pursuing the abundant life and living a more purpose-driven life. If this message is resonating with you, I encourage you to pick up a copy of my book, The Christian's Guide to Holistic Help.
It's available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and Audible. In fact, if you're enjoying this information and you're getting some out of this show, would you tell a friend about it? The number one way someone finds a podcast is someone tells them about it. So I would appreciate you helping me spread the word and get this life-giving information to more people. That's it for now. Thank you for listening. I appreciate you. Go out there and live abundantly. Be blessed.
