The Battle Within

After forty years of wandering in the wilderness because of the sin of unbelief, Joshua, who had faithfully served alongside Moses and commanded Israel’s army, was now called to lead the entire nation. He would succeed Moses and lead God’s people across the Jordan River into the land God had promised to Abraham centuries earlier.

The responsibility before Joshua was enormous. The land was rich and fruitful, flowing with milk and honey, but it was also occupied by strong nations with fortified cities, great walls, and powerful armies. Joshua commanded the people to consecrate themselves and prepare for what lay ahead, knowing that their success would depend upon the Lord going before them.

The Lord had commanded Joshua, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”

The Lord also assured him, “Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous.”

The Lord was gracious to Joshua and gave him many victories throughout the conquest of Canaan. God established His people in the land and displayed His strength through the weakness of human instruments.

There is also an important spiritual application here for every believer. Israel’s conquest of Canaan was a unique act of God’s judgment and the fulfillment of His covenant promise to Abraham. Yet Scripture also teaches that the Christian life involves an ongoing warfare against remaining sin.

Through the saving work of Jesus Christ, applied to us by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, God brings His people into newness of life. He brings us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. He redeems us from the bondage of sin and adopts us as His sons and daughters.

He gives us new hearts and new affections that desire to love and serve Him. He creates within His people a desire for prayer and a hunger for His Word, which becomes “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Yet the Christian life is not one in which sin has completely disappeared. Through Christ, the dominion of sin has been broken, but remaining sin must still be fought.

Paul writes, “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Notice that this battle is not fought merely through human determination. It is “by the Spirit” that the believer puts to death the deeds of the body.

We are to yield ourselves to the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, walking in obedience to the Word of God to which we have been delivered. God has rescued us from our fallen estate and the dominion of sin that once ruled over us, that we might now live to serve Him in this world.

Therefore, we are not to allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its lusts. Instead, we are to present every part of ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness, to be used for His service and for His glory.

Scripture tells us, “Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” Sin is a powerful enemy, and if you are a child of God, you are called to fight against it. The Christian life is not a call to make peace with sin. We are commanded to “fight the good fight of faith” and to pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

Just as Joshua could not make peace with the enemies God commanded Israel to drive from the land, the Christian must never make peace with the sin God commands us to put to death. Christian, every sin must be put to death. None is to be cherished, protected, or allowed a peaceful place in our lives. This is a lifelong battle requiring the courage of faith and dependence upon the grace of God.

We do not fight sin in order to earn the favor of God. We fight because, by grace, we have been united to Christ. We do not pursue holiness in order to become His children; we pursue holiness because He has made us His children.

Therefore, set your face heavenward and see, through the eyes of your heart, the Christ bearing your reproach. Let the bloody cross become vivid in your mind, the thorn-crowned brow, the blood-soaked body, the pierced hands and feet, and the anguish of His body as it shook in agony.

Do you see the Christ bearing your iniquity? Is it too much to ask that we destroy the very

Joshua 1:2 (NASB 1995) thing that destroyed Him? Let us never forget, “He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Valiant warriors, arise, take courage, and wage war against sin, not in your own strength, but through the grace and power of Jesus Christ.