Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Wrestling the Enemy Within

I think to myself, “I love God’s Word; I love the truth,” but there remains within me an enemy—the law of sin.

A formidable foe it is.

Daily, Christians—by the grace of God—wrestle with this foe within. Without vigilance, one may be deceived into thinking himself better than he is, already conquered by the enemy within.

Misplaced Battles

Many battle the devil and blame him for all their challenges. They battle demons and attribute to them all their mistakes. They battle the words of others contrary to their desires and even use God’s Word as a weapon against reality—a tool to support their own delusion.

They are more concerned with words spoken outwardly than with the ideologies and teachings in their own minds that are enemies of truth. Conquered from within, they fight against those who warn of teachings and doctrines that feed corruption in their hearts and minds. Instead of tearing down strongholds in the mind, they rebuke those who warn them of error and danger.

Their hearts become factories of idols, and their minds are overrun by false teachings and worldly ideologies—all in the name of love and even in the name of God. They fail to recognize the wickedness of their own hearts and win battles that make them feel good about themselves, but these are mere distractions from the real battle within.

As John Owen wrote:

“Be killing sin or it will be killing you. The war within is the greatest and most dangerous of all wars.”

Justification and the Ongoing Battle

Man is justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. While we in Christ are justified and can add nothing to our salvation, we continue to war against the sinfulness that remains in us. We also contend with external influences that seek to enter our hearts and minds and draw us away from the truth.

Romans 7:21-23 reminds us:

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.”

The Danger of Man-Centered Pulpits

Failure to faithfully exposite the Word in the pulpit—replacing it with man-centered, felt-need, shallow, motivational messages—creates entertainment rather than discipleship. Singing theologically shallow, man-centered songs and producing atmospheres centered on personal experience keeps men focused on self rather than on dying to self and encountering the truth that wages war against the law of sin in the heart of man.

The truth commands man to repent. The truth exposes the sinful heart. It unmasks ideologies and deception in the mind. It does not deliver a soft blow—it confronts the enemy.

Yet far too many in the pulpit fail to deliver the blow. They darken the lights, speak to the flesh what it desires, promise it in God’s name, and affirm the hearer in their felt needs. The enemy within is not conquered—it is affirmed.

As J. C. Ryle observed:

“It is a grievous thing when the pulpit ceases to fight sin, and men are left satisfied with their own delusions and false hopes.”

Conclusion

Not only do men sit and hear powerless versions of the Gospel, but they hear messages that feel powerful—delivered with charisma, entertainment, and emotional appeal—while leaving with their false beliefs and fleshly desires now clothed as God’s will.

The battle within remains unconquered. The Word of God alone is the sword that strikes, exposes, and conquers the enemy in the heart.

Grace and peace, y’all.

Soli Deo Gloria

April J. Buchanan