Fight It

1 Corinthians 9:²⁷ “It is my own body I fight to make it do what I want. I do this so that I won’t miss getting the prize myself after telling others about it.” (ERV)

If you are going to have anything worthwhile, you will have to fight for it. If you are going to take or keep any territory worthwhile, you have to fight for it. Remember, light combusts; the sun is always combusting, burning in order to produce light. So, there is a level of sacrifice that you need to engage. There is a level of conflict that needs to happen for your light to shine brightly. Beginning today, we are going to look at three ‘shine battles’ that we must win to shine brighter. The more you win these battles, the brighter your light will shine. Ready?

The first of the three shine battles is The Battle Between Selflessness And Selfishness. It is the tussle between am I going to live for me, am I going to live for others, or am I going to live for God. It is the battle between; it is my life and I need to enjoy it, and it is my life but I need to place it down so that God can be glorified in my life. It is the battle between selfishness and selflessness. What is it going to be? Every time you choose selflessness over selfishness your light shines brighter. What I am saying is that every time you win the battle over selfishness, your light will actually shine brighter.

Selfishness says, ‘what is in it for me?’ And this is a natural human preservative quality, to look out for oneself. But when this desire begins to rule your life such that you cannot make any decision without first thinking about yourself, then there is a battle that you need to engage. For some people, it is so bad that even when it comes to their children, they cannot help but think about themselves first. And we use it to justify being mean to our own. God is saying that you and I must win the battle between selfishness and selflessness. Say Amen.

James 4:¹ “Do you know where your fights and arguments come from?” Some say, ‘Yes, I know, it comes from my spouse. Or I know where the arguments come from, it comes from my colleague. Or it comes from my sibling, that is where my fights and arguments come from.’ But God says, No! James 4:¹ “…They come from the selfish desires that war within you.” Where are the selfish desires? Within you – wow! James 4:² “You want things, but you do not have them. So you are ready to kill and are jealous of other people, but you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and fight. You do not get what you want, because you do not ask God.” (ICB)

God is saying the conflict you have with your family, is actually from inside you. The conflict you have with your spouse is not with your spouse, it is inside of you. It is in the Bible, read it for yourself. So, you are the problem. Amazing revelation! I know you think the other person is the problem, and you probably can point out some things. However, God is saying, if you sort yourself out there will be no conflict. It can be tough to chew.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, please empower me to win the war over selfishness, in Jesus Name. Amen!