Daily Devotional: 8/13/2018 - TUG OF WAR (PT. I)

"I been fighting for control and fighting for my soul and; This is war, it's a tug of war." Andy Mineo/Krizz Kaliko (Tug of War)

Tug of war is a contest in  which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope until one drags the other over a central line. Tug of war was actually an Olympic sport from 1900-1920. This is still a competitive sport across the world and it is the basis behind these devotionals (which is going to be at least a six-parter).

About a week ago, before mid-week two brothers and I had a little brother dinner, we were just talking and eating. Outside the building we meet at there is a sand volleyball court and some trees. There is a group of guys who meet up and play volleyball and also they practice tug of war. These guys actually compete competitively. The one brother was explaining this to us, he was saying how they use a tree to practice.

• This is something we do with God. We try to play tug of war with something that we are never going to beat and that is virtually immovable.

During the talk, since I have a wide barrage of music and musical knowledge, I knew of this song. We played it, and listened to it. My guy Andy goes in and has a lot to say. It became the song of the night.

We as humans we are all sinners. We go against God all the time. We are constantly trying to do something that satisfies us, but goes against everything we believe and everything God wants. We think we know what is best for us, meanwhile we do not know a thing and he knows all. 

Andy Mineo's  Tug of War…

[Verse 1]

Mama praying for me, grandma praying for me

Satan preying on me, Jesus waiting on me

Cause I been straddling the fence, it’s time to make decisions

Whether we know it or not we constantly got people praying for us. Thoughts and prayers are constantly being thrown up in for us. Just as much there is good in the world, there is evil. The same amount of people throwing up those prayers, there are an equal amount sending "prayers" and curses. The devil is constantly lurking around every corner. 1 Peter 5:8 warns, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

• In his book, The Lion Never Sleeps, Mike Taliaferro, talks the horrors of being hunted (Psalm 7:2 - "…they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me."). The lion studies its prey before it attacks, it knows it's weaknesses better than the prey does.
• But in everything we have the ultimate defense. We have the weapon that is the most powerful. Jesus.
• He is waiting for us always.

Sometimes there is a constant battle that is going on inside of us. We have an internal tug of war on whether we want to fulfill our own desires or fulfill God's. We live on the fence that stands between us and Jesus, all we have to do is jump it. 

I been thinking ‘bout heaven lately, don’t think I’ll get in

Cause I been going back and forth I love the way I’m living

But I hate it at the same time cause I know I’m sinning

1 Timothy 2:4 says, "who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

• God desires and wants us to choose him and to choose salvation. He puts it on the table for us and tells us how to acquire it. But in the end it is our choose on whether or not to grab it. We have to live a life worthy of salvation.

Romans 7:15-17 says, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do wat I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is in sin living in me."

• Dave and Robin Weidner said in their purity journey plan, "Brain science tells us that once the brain is sexually stimulated, the part of your brain that processes the consequences of your actions (pre-frontal cortex) begins to shut down.."
• We try to act out of righteousness, but sometimes our brain tells us not too. This is why we have to constantly protect our heart and our mind with what we are feeding it.

And I don’t wanna be like them hypocritical Christians

So I stay away from Jesus completely ‘til I’m ready to give Him

Everything, but that seems like it’ll never happen

My girl coming over later, you know what’s about to happen

Then after smashing I’m sitting there asking

If eternity in Hell is worth some moments of your satisfaction

Man I’m so back and forth

Jesus said in Matthew 23:27, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean."

• We as Jesus lovers are put under a microscope. We are constantly being watched by people waiting for us to stumble. We have to constant be aware of which mouth we are feeding and what rope we are trying to pull.
• NF says in 10 Feet Down, "Church is where I found God, but it's also where I learned to judge."
• "There is so many people that go around living by the saying "only God can judge me." It is the same people that go around judging people. There are a certain amount of Christians that go around thinking they are all high, mighty, and perfect. They think they know the difference between right and wrong. They think they have the upper hand because they have God. They think they can go around judging people because they have different beliefs or act differently from them. (Matthew 7:1-5). God is the final judge of everything that happens on this earth and within our lives (Romans 2:1-16)." - 10 Feet Down on 6/18/2018

We fight the lines and lies that the devil feeds us. We question whether what is right is right or just feels right. Sometimes the right thing is the wrong thing. This can lead to our death; it may lead to the treasures here but take away your treasures that are abundant in heaven.

Most of the time we lead ourselves into temptation. We have to check our hearts and the circumstances we are putting ourselves in.

• The devil will use anything as a foothold.

We allow sin to take over our life.

• We "gave up eternity for temporary bliss." (WHATUPRG - Aquafina).

[Hook: Krizz Kaliko]

Back and forth like a tug of war (yeah)

Cause I’ve been fighting for my life like

Tryna get my life right

And I really want more

I don’t know, back and forth like a tug of war

And I been fighting for control and fighting for my soul and

This is war, it’s a tug of war

We are constantly in a spiritual battle and constantly alternating between two types of lifestyles. That is the life with Jesus and that is the life without.

[Verse 2]

I got two choices, both require pain

One’s the pain of change and the pain of staying the same

One of ‘em leads to joy, other one leads to shame

One of ‘em leads to freedom, the other keeps me in chains

These bars are 100. Sometimes the hardest choices are the only ones that we can make. Sometimes the harder the choice is the more right it is. Sometimes if we stay the same we are digging our own grace and we have no choice but to change. This is what Andy is talking about.

• If he stays the same, it will lead to shame and keep him in the chains of the world.
• If he makes the hard (but easy) choice of changing it will lead to his joy and his freedom in Christ.

Romans 6:20 says, "When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness." John 8:34-36 says, "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

• Jesus has the power to break every chain that is keeping us enslaved in the world.

I wear a cross and give You thanks for my blessings, ain’t that enough?

Why you want everything? Can’t you leave this part of my life untouched?

I thought following You meant I only had to say yes once

Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

• There are people around the world today making an idol out of anything. These may not be literally and physically bowing down and worshipping it, but they metaphorically are. There should be nothing in your life that you give more time and love to than God.

James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

• We are constantly fighting with God with our life. We have to give it to him fully, God does not like to share. He definitely does not want to share us with the world. When we do not give him our all we are not only going against his will, we are fighting his will and him. It is a battle we will never win.

People believe the lie that we only have to say yes once. People think that as long as they say yes the one time they no longer have to complete the mission that we take on. We have to daily bear our cross, it is not a once and a while thing. It is a false belief that once you say yes you have a free path.

• Jesus said to people who acted like this in Matthew 7:23, "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (My biggest fear, even bigger than snakes.)

Now everyday I wake up You give me some cross to take up

You really want me to break up with my girl? Nah that’s too much

I know what’s best for me, You don’t understand my complexities

See, I gotta make a living so don’t ask where my checks come from

I hear You talking, I ain't gone numb

God is constantly telling us and guiding us to what he wants us to be doing. Meanwhile we are constantly ignoring it and going our own way. We complain that it is too hard and that it is not fair. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way our so that you can endure it."

• God will never put anything good or bad on our plate if he does not think we can finish it. So when he gives you something, it is never too much for us to handle if we let him guide us. 

He knows way more than we do. We cannot even get close to the knowledge of God. He knows things before they happen. He knows our heart and our intentions always. There is no fooling him.

• Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

Andy says on his song Know That's Right, "My homegirl started strippin'; I said, chill, get your degree; She told me, Andy you trippin', 'cause you don’t make more money than me; Well, you know that’s right; But some money always come with a price."

• In the world there are three main gods, they are sex, money, and power; the unholy trinity of the world. There are millions of people in this world that are selling their souls and the spots in heaven for a little more money. Money comes and goes, it is not everything. No matter how much you make in this world, it will never follow you to eternity.

I know I’m in the dark and I gotta find my way to the Son

Cause You’re calling on my name and I know I can’t run

But I feel so back and forth

There is no outrunning God. One of the most popular stories in the Bible of one his people trying to literally run from him is Jonah. God wanted Jonah to go to Ninevah to spread the word of God and to tell them all they are doing wrong. Jonah lacked so much trust and refused, he was scared. Jonah tried running away from God and said he would go somewhere else. God was not having that and when we was trying to go somewhere (the safer place) God caused storms and destruction to the boat he was on. The people on the boat kicked him off the boat and Jonah was swallowed by a big fish for three days and three nights where Jonah prayed and told God he would go to Ninevah.

• No matter where we run to, God know where we are and he is always with us.

[Verse 3]

A trail of broken hearts, a man full of regrets

The thrill has left, the empty promises of sin sets

We will never win when we try to battle with God. When we try to battle with God we let the devil win, this is what he wants. He wants us to go against everything we believe and have. He wants the world to be dark and broken, and when we battle with God it leads to nothing but destruction.

Cheap thrills lose their sparkle after awhile. They are only fun and games for a short while. They have temporary charm and are only temporarily fulfilling. Sin promises a fun life filled with worldly possessions and thrills, but it is all a lie.

You wanna put treasure inside my hands but You cease

Cause they’re clamped, holding on to sins I won’t release

1 Peter 2:9-10 says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you have received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

• There is no in between, you are either in the dark or in the light. God wants us to give us all the treasures, but we have to give him our life and all the glory.
• We have to let go of our sins.

I don’t know how to start loving You and stop doing what I’m doing

If I gain You tell me what I’m really losing

You have to change me in my sin, I never choose Him

My heart needs to see something greater than what I’m pursuing so

Is it true that You give rest to the weary?

Can you accept and repair me, do you hear me?

Philippians 1:21 and 3:7-11 says, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain…But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I many gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ - yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in this death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."

 - Everything we gain in this world is nothing compared to what we have waiting for us at the end. Nothing we have on this earth can compare to the love of God. Sometimes we have to give up everything in order to fully see God and his glory.

Matthew 11:25 says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

• Jesus wants to give us rest and to make our life easy. He does not want us to be broken and down. He want our life to be easy as possible.

It’s so clearer now, it’s painfully apparent that I can’t have my sin and my Savior, they’re not for sharing

Anything that I lose to follow you is not a loss

My girlfriend, my friends, my money, even my job

But sometimes I believe the lie

That God don’t provide for His child when they obey, that’s so cray

Like I said before God is not a sharing God. He does not want only some of us, but he wants all of us. He will provide us everything that we need. He will never forsake us or leave us. We are his children.

You calling me to freedom, I think that it’s time to walk

I don’t see every step but the next is out of the dark

I’m the filthiest of them all but I’m Yours if you wash me

From that sin by the blood of that cross, I’m yours

Paul tells Timothy and the Ephesus church in 1 Timothy 1:15, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst."

• The closer one gets to God the more apparent one's sins become.
• We are all terrible horrible sinners, but Jesus came to this world to save us.

We have to be in full submission to God, let go of the rope and let him win (for he has already won).

"And I been fighting for control and fighting for my soul and

This is war, it’s a tug of war"

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Lord, thank you for all you do. Give us the strength to let you win. We will never beat you in all we do. We feel so back and forth, make this life not a tug of war, but a victory. I pray all this in your son's name, Amen.

#LetsBeAMovement