Whose Side are You On?
I’m Joni, and remember that old game of Tug-of-War?
Hi there and welcome to this edition of Joni and Friends, and surely you remember playing tug-of-war when you were a kid, right? You line up the strongest guys on your side, you wait for a signal, then dig your heels, and strain hard, and pull till it hurts. I remember a time at one of our Family Retreats when I got involved in a tug-of-war in my wheelchair; I mean can you believe that?! I was in my power chair and they tied the rope to the back of my wheelchair, and I put it in reverse hard. Did we win? I can’t remember, but you know, I have played tug-of-war not only at our Family Retreats, but when I was on my feet back in school: at Young Life camps, at family reunions. And I play tug-of-war nearly every morning when I get up. And I’m not kiddin’.
I think of Tug-of-War when I think of the way we as Christians live out our days. From the time you get up in the morning, it’s like these two forces that wrench you in a fierce contest of push-and-pull... the Holy Spirit pushing you up and the flesh pulling you down. Day after day, it’s push and pull, a constant struggle to crucify the flesh and walk in the Spirit; to starve the old and feed the new; to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God.
And who wins? Well, that depends on whose side you choose to be on. It is a life-and-death struggle when it comes to crucifying your fleshly desires and walking in the Spirit. It’s daily warfare to reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God. I know there are times when I wake up in the morning with a sour disposition (oh, maybe a bad night’s sleep, or yesterday’s leftover pain, I can’t say); all I know is, the day has hardly begun and I’m feeling deflated. Well, friend, that is the best time to reckon myself dead to that attitude… Lord, I am not going to be dictated by my feelings today; I am going to trust you, I’m going to believe in you, I’m going to lean on you! I am going to smile and move forward into this day, believing the best about you and everyone else around me; believing I’ve got a purpose worth living for and a Savior worth following! And you know what, friend? Before I’m out the door in the morning, I’ve chosen sides… the winning side!
Look, when it comes to this spiritual contest every day, you are either on one side or the other – you’re never in the middle of a tug-of-war between the spirit and your flesh. Every day you are either following your fallen nature or believing the promises of God. And who prevails depends upon the attitude you adopt toward one side (that is your flesh) or the other (that is the Spirit dwelling within you). Because every moment of the day, each decision you make; every choice, every decision, every whim and thought is your chance to crucify the old and encourage the new. Remember, you can’t be neutral; you can’t remain in the middle. You are either walking in the Spirit or you’re not.
So, before this day ends, let me jump in on your side of the rope; allow me to lend a hand; let me step in beside you and shoulder some of the load, because we are in this together. Join me today in saying to the Lord: “We choose You, Jesus, and Your promises. As each hour, as each moment passes help us to keep choosing and walking in Your Spirit and starving the desires of our old sinful nature. And we praise You, Jesus, for the difference You are going to make in our lives.” Oh, and one last thing: don’t forget to visit my radio page at joniandfriends.org and take a look at our Cause4Life video. Believe me, it’ll inspire you to jump in and lend a hand to someone else in need. People with disabilities are looking for encouragement, and you might be just the one who can step in and shoulder some of that load. Again, that’s joniandfriends.org.
Previously aired on 6/3/11 as program #7590
© Joni and Friends
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