The Tug of War ✍️

Life is indeed about choosing and deciding. At the start of the day, we are already presented with choices: whether to get out of bed as soon as the alarm clock goes off or to stay in bed a little longer—whether to be lazy or energetic, thankful or ungrateful to God. In whatever we do, we can put up our best effort or do things the same way we always do them. As a wife, I can choose between surrendering to my husband or insisting on doing things my way. And there go the long lists of how many excellent and awful picks I am about to make for the day. Truly , life is a never-ending cycle of taking and picking.

But are we aware of the type of game we are playing each time we choose? Yes, you guessed it right! The TUG of War! We may not know it, but we are all participants in this game, not on an outward level but spiritually. Whenever we're faced with having to choose between behaving in line with the Spirit or our flesh (practicality), there is a constant struggle within ourselves. For our Spirit and our wants are rivals, constantly at odds with one another, and our physical/carnal side is preventing us from doing what we believe we ought to" (Galatians 5:17).

And, speaking of the "spirit," there is the reality that, outside of this physical sphere, beyond what our eyes can see, with us in the tug of war are two spirits. Jesus is at one end of the rope, while Satan, who is our adversary, is at the other, and we, humans, are at the center, and it is our souls that they are trying to win. Jesus prevails every time we decide to do right, and it draws us nearer to Him. However, choosing often to do wrong or evil grieves Jesus and gives Satan the upper hand in the game.

You might say, "Mahal ako ng Diyos at hindi naman Nya hahayaan na matalo ako sa laban at mapunta ako sa kaaway. Yes, you're right! But you have to also demonstrate to Jesus that you hate the devil, his lies, and all of his dark or negative traits in you. You've got to declare that you are on Jesus' side and that in Him you abide, in which case, Jesus will not permit the evil one to take you.

In every day we live, let us strive to gratify the Spirit rather than our body, lest the enemy gather the strength to finally seize us and take us in the end,

Let us be mindful of our choices, and aim to constantly make godly decisions even in minor matters since unwise choices has long-term consequences that impacts our lives for eternity.