The Battle for Your Soul
Speaker: Pastor Darin Browne
Last week we examined the value of your soul. I suggested that your soul, which is your mind, will and emotions, is your most valued possession. Your soul lives forever, either in heaven or in hell, and it directly affects your spirit. If your soul seeks after God, your spirit is connected to Him. If your soul rejects God, you are severed from God and destined for hell.
So, your soul is of utmost importance to your very existence. The soul is what makes us different from the rest of creation. We are made in God’s image, which means He gives us the free choice to choose our destiny.
THE DUMBEST TRANSACTION
Mark 8:36-37 (Jesus asked)
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Jesus highlighted the incredible battle that takes place for our soul. The devil tries many tactics, from fear and dread to success, power and money, but Jesus declares that none of that will ever truly satisfy us. Why should we not be striving to gain the whole world?
1: IT’S NOT WORTH IT
Jesus said it, but how about this from the Psalms…
Psalms 49:7-8
Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,
for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
The Hebrew word used for life, ransom of their life, is the word we looked at last week, NEPES, which is your soul. If you gain riches, fame, respect, money, love, but lose your eternal soul, it’s a poor bargain.
2: YOU CAN’T KEEP IT
Jesus tells a parable about a rich man, happy with all his wealth, who says…
Luke 12:19-20
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
Most of what we grasp for doesn’t last. Shrouds have no pockets!
3: IT NEVER SATISFIES
What does Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, Vincent van Gogh, George Reeves (the original Superman), Kurt Cobain (Nirvana singer), Michael Hutchins (INXS), writers Earnest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf, have in common? They achieved worldly success, but they all took their own lives, dying alone and in despair. They gained the world and the world’s acclaim, but they lost their souls and took their own lives. The trappings of this world, for all that the world promises, can never, truly satisfy.
Ecclesiastes 5:10
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
Psalms 107:9
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
ARE YOU IN CHECKMATE?
Paul Morphy, a world champion chess master, was invited to view a painting called “Checkmate” which depicted a game of a chess game played between the devil and a young man. He saw from the board that the devil had his opponent boxed in and was ready to pounce. It was the young man’s turn, but his case seemed hopeless.
But the chess master, after much study of the board, discovered that there was a move which would enable the youth to escape Satan’s clutches. He spotted this because he himself was a master of the game.
You see, when adversity comes, when the devil has us cornered. When he is coming at us full force and the storms in our lives are raging, and when all seems lost. No matter how desperate our case, when we turn to the Master for our next move. He will examine the board of your life and guide you.
No matter how desperate the case looks to us – if we will repent and invite Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Saviour, the master will be there to guide us. If we give control of our soul to Him, we can rest in the knowledge that we are in His hand.
Isaiah 58:11
And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
ULTIMATELY YOUR SOUL IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
We live in a world that specialises in abdicating responsibility. Ask anyone why they have done something wrong, and their default position is to blame someone else. As the old joke says, Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake, and the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on!
So, before we examine the forces competing for your soul, let’s sort out once and for all whose responsibility is it for the condition of our soul. The prophet Ezekiel wrote…
Ezekiel 18:1-4
The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.
You can blame your parents, your circumstances, your bad friends, your spouse, your school, etc., as long you want, but in the end, God says you, and only you, are responsible for the eternal condition of your soul…the soul who sins shall die.
Proverbs 19:3
When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.
THE BLAME GAME
People play the blame game rather than simply being truthful and saying, it was me! We are the ones who make the decisions, because our souls have a free will, but then we complain about the consequences. You are free to choose to sin, but you cannot choose the consequences!
So right at the start we must acknowledge that we and we alone, are responsible for our souls. Our mind, our will, our emotions. Don’t sin and blame God for the result! If you are an addict, don’t blame God, man up and be responsible. If a relationship with a spouse or child or friend breaks down, don’t blame God, look at the decisions you have made. Destiny is determined by your decisions.
And you can choose who or what is moulding your soul.
THE BATTLE FOR YOUR SOUL?
There are many forces at work trying to mould and shape our souls, trying to bend us to their will, not God’s. And because your eternal Spirit depends on the decisions your soul makes; we need to get this right. We are in a battle for our souls!
1 Peter 2:11
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
This battle takes place everywhere, every day for every soul. How is the devil attacking?
1: SIN
As we said before, we live in a world that condones and encourages sin. Anger, assault and even murder are explained away and blamed on our upbringing, friends, circumstances, etc. Sex outside of marriage is normalised. Homosexuality is condoned and even encouraged. Governments fund a gay Mardi Gras that openly mocks Jesus Christ.
Our society is sin soaked, because sin the desire to sin is a great weapon of the enemy.
James 1:14-15
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
As believers, we have the great blessing to be able to resist the enemy and his weapons
Romans 6:10-12
For the death he (Christ) died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
2: FEAR
In the last few years since COVID, we have seen fear used as a powerful weapon by the devil. I am amazed at the fear, illustrated recently by Cyclone Alfred, whipped up by the media. As in COVID, it was never going to be as bad as they told us. However, the fear stirred up in people caused so much damage. Even now I talk to people who are fearful of being in a public space because they might catch a virus! Fear can chain and defeat our soul if we allow it.
2 Timothy 1:7
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
3: DISCONTENT
We are the most ungrateful generation in history. With all that we have, technology, comforts, food, housing, we are so discontent! The Bible says…
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If we get a diagnosis we don’t like, we change doctors. If a new phone or TV or computer comes out, we want it all and if we get a problem in a church, we change churches. And we cause discontent on the way out. It’s human nature, but let’s call it what it is, it’s a weapon on the devil in the daily battle for our souls.
4: RELIGION
Believe it or not, religion is often the culprit in keep our soul away from God! Seems counter-intuitive, but religion, which is man trying to reach up to God by keeping rules to be good enough to be saved. It is completely opposed to the gospel, which is God in the person of Jesus Christ reaching down to bring man back to Himself.
Isaiah 29:13
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honour me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Religion must never replace relationship, because obeying rules will never save your soul. Only God’s grace, the free gift of His Son, crucified for our sin, can save our soul.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, (not by religion) so that no one may boast.
5: APATHY
This is a weapon the enemy uses well against both unbelievers and Christians alike. It’s a symptom of our modern world. We see so much anarchy on our screens that we are immune to action. We are apathetic, and this gives the enemy a way to assault our soul.
Revelation 3:15-16
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
FIGHT FOR YOUR SOUL, AND THE SOULS OF THOSE YOU LOVE!
Ephesians 6:12-13
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
We are in a fight, a battle to the death, both for our own soul and the souls of those we love! It’s an eternal fight, it’s a fight to the death, and we must prevail! We must put on the armour of God every day, and fight for our souls, as well as the souls of others. We also must see the Word of God as the sword of the Spirit, because we must fight for souls! God’s Word is key in this battle!
Year ago, in South Florida, a boy went for a swim in a swimming hole near his house. His father saw a large alligator swimming towards the unaware son. He ran to the edge of the lake and cried out a warning to the boy, who started swimming towards his father. The man waded into the water and grabbed the boy, just as the alligator grabbed the boy’s leg, and an incredible tub or war began. The alligator was stronger than the father, but the father was more passionate. The family’s neighbour heard the screams, grabbed his gun and shot the alligator, and the boy was dragged out.
After weeks of recovering a reporter came to interview the boy and asked if he could see his scars. The boys showed his leg, but then proudly revealed deep lacerations no his arms made by his father’s nails, exclaiming, “I have great scars on my arms too, because my dad wouldn’t let go!”
BATTLE SCARS
We have scars too, from painful, horrible battles and experiences in our lives, which are unsightly and cause deep regret. But some of the wounds are because God has refused to let you go. He has held on to you even during the great battle for your soul!
But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril – and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That’s when the tug-of-war begins – and if you have the scars of God’s love on your arms, or in your heart, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.
Deuteronomy 31:8
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
God has blessed you, so that you can be a blessing to others. You just never know where a person is in his/her life and what they are going through. Never judge another person’s scars, because you don’t know how they got them. Just love them, reach out to them, share the gospel with them and pray and fight for their soul!
Some of you are battle fatigued today and need fellow soldiers to stand with you.
Right now, there is someone in your life who needs to know that God loves them, and you love them too – enough to not let them go.