“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…”2Tim3.12 ESV
If Christians have three enemies: evil spirits, evil people and our own corrupt nature, then we may expect persecution from all of them. This may very well mean that we wind up persecuting ourselves. Now I realize that this may sound strange but doesn’t the Scripture tell us that a war is constantly raging within us; flesh against Spirit and Spirit against flesh. And, if we are told to put to death our old nature with its passions and desires, I should think that the persecution within us would run in both directions and that I would see the old man persecuting my new nature and my new persecuting the old. Anyone who has chided himself or herself for being foolish know what I’m trying to describe. One expression I here often is, “Tim your being stupid.” I say this to myself all the time. Now when I do this, the question is, who is persecuting whom? Are you confused yet? Well, it certainly can be confusing. Is it the new me calling the old me stupid for being stupid or is it the new me calling the new me stupid for allowing the old me to act that way? Maybe it is the old me hiding under the guise of the new me feigning humility when it is really just my foolish pride that’s been hurt for losing against some temptation. The truth is that it is probably both my natures persecuting one another. The question I would ask the new me, for that is the present me, is if it is wise to use the tactics of the old man in my struggle against him. Are there not sharper weapons in our arsenal, divinely powerful weapons that work better than just hurling insults at myself? ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
