Knowing Your Enemy - Part II
Oct2023 |
SELF
In my previous article, we looked at Satan, the chief enemy of our souls. Now we will look at the role of self on the battlefield. Self is the very essence of who we are and distinguishes us from all others. My “self” is different than your “self.” We may have certain things in common, but we are different people. In the Scriptures, self often represents our old life. It is our life prior to placing our faith in the completed work of Calvary. Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). A new life supernaturally emerges as we now live by the faith of the Son of God. We are no longer living under the control of the old self.
SELFISM OR HEDONISM
When I use the term selfism or hedonism, I am referring to a devotion to self. It is a preoccupation with fulfilling the desires of self, often at the detriment of one’s relationship with God. The concerns of self become more important than the concerns of others. When self sits on the throne of one’s heart, God is forced to take a back seat.
HEDONISM
The term hedonism comes from the Greek word used for “pleasure.” As a theory, hedonism maintains that the highest good in life is the securing of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Hedonism doesn’t ask, “Is it right?” but “Will it bring me pleasure?” In the extreme, it seeks to remove all inhibitions. Self must be pleased. Seeing that repression is considered unhealthy, temptation should not be resisted.
PLEASING SELF IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT
Although prevalent today, a preoccupation with pleasing “self” is certainly not a new concept. It goes all the way back to the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve surrendered to the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh. By placing their selfish desires above God’s command, sin entered the world.
THE SIN NATURE AND THE BELIEVER
At the moment Adam and Eve rebelled against God, God-consciousness was replaced with sin-consciousness. Pleasing self became more important than pleasing God. Whereas, prior to accepting Christ as our Savior, we had no power to resist the sin nature. As believers, the sin nature is not to have dominion over us (Rom. 6:14). Brother Swaggart commented on this verse, “The sin nature will not have dominion over us if we, as believers, continue to exercise faith in the cross of Christ: otherwise, the sin nature most definitely will have dominion over the believer…the grace of God flows to the believer on an unending basis only as long as the believer exercises faith in Christ and what He did at the cross.” So we see, if we are to be victorious over sin, then the focus of our faith must remain on the completed work of Calvary.
DENYING SELF
Denying self is an ongoing principle in an overcomer’s life. Matthew 16:24 states, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Brother Swaggart helps us to understand the importance of this verse: “If Christ is not followed by the means of the cross, He cannot be followed at all.” Makes one wonder how many Christians are attempting to follow a cross-less Christ. Who then are they following if they refuse to be associated with the cross of Christ? By denying self and looking to the completed work of Calvary, the enemy is defeated.
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