The Battle Within
James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. ___NIV
Wow, is this not in sync with my dream last night. When I woke up this scripture came to my heart as a description or interpretation of my dream. I don't remember it all but what I do remember is right with this scripture. As I know fighting and quarreling starts with 'myself'. At the end of my dream I faced all the 'myselves', and they even had words on them, pride, haughtiness, fear, and even beauty in me, the gifts in me. They were all lined up (reminded me of Matrix Revolutions when Neo defeats all the evil Smiths). Me just resisting them was enough as I said to them I will never be afraid of you again, I cannot be moved, I am planted (without needing to say on the Rock, this was automatically understood). And having to think a bit about why the fighting and quarreling is also about the beauty in me and the gifts in me, the battle is in receiving these, not in resisting these. The 'myselves' were every facet of who I am, and I must look.
Oh, looking deeper, as I see freedom and liberty in admitting the battle with evil starts within me, not without there. So once I am able to see this, the battle out there no longer can affect me.
And to sum it all up, these 'myselves' are the fighting, quarreling, 'double-mindedness' which separates me from God. And to think the fighting and quarreling all along was within, not without. No matter how far I get, I will never fully get it all, but this is real life, because this life is an infinite growing, learning process to the Throne of Grace. I am never worthy to stand in the awesome presence of God, but saved by His Grace He lifts me up.
The movie may be too much for some because it depicts the very dark side of this life but this last segment is a great fantasy version of how Jesus fought and gave His life for us in this real life battle where the enemy was defeated once and for all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja1Zf-XhaK0&feature=related
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