God Vs. The Enemy Within

We all are plagued with a dual nature since Adam and Eve sinned against God. Man was created by God as good, but after eating the fruit of good and evil mankind added a fleshly sin nature. They failed to believe God and ate the forbidden apples. This resulted in their spiritual death and later physical death when they were kept out of the Garden of Eden where the tree of life was planted. Thus, we are born with a sin nature within and must strive to overcome it throughout life. Much later Christ took upon himself the sins of all that would follow Him and paid the blood sacrifice with His own body to cover those sins. Christ’s sacrifice is the only way to salvation and Heaven where all are in the presence of a Holy God. Praise God that Jesus and the Father send the Holy Spirit to counteract our sin nature by guiding us continually from within. Those in Christ must learn to listen and obey the small voice of God if they are to be blessed by His wisdom and guiding.

Gen 2:9 And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of life also was in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Gen 2:16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,
Gen 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Gen 2:19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every animal of the field and every fowl of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
Gen 3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die,
Gen 3:5 for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Gen 3:22 And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man has become as one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever,
Gen 3:23 therefore Jehovah God sent him out from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken.
Gen 3:24 And He drove out the man. And He placed cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain had an envy/jealousy problem that caused him to murder his brother. His act was un-necessary since God had told him that he still could be approved if he worked for it.

Gen 4:3 And in the end of days, it happened, Cain brought to Jehovah an offering of the fruit of the ground.
Gen 4:4 And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat of it. And Jehovah had respect to Abel and to his offering,
Gen 4:5 but He did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed with anger, and his face fell.
Gen 4:6 And Jehovah said to Cain, Why have you angrily glowed? And why did your face fall?
Gen 4:7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it.
Gen 4:8 And Cain talked with his brother Abel. And it happened when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

Samson was blessed with strength by God, but had a failing in that he took a wife from the Philistines, then became angry at not being allowed to be with his wife. He took another Philistine woman for a lover. Samson had twice defied God’s instruction to keep marriages within the same religious belief Israel held. (The same rule was in effect when Solomon was king to keep Israel pure from being defiled with other false god influences. Solomon also broke this rule and took wives from other countries. The wives had pagan temples built in the land, thus Israel suffered a falling away from God.)

Satan used Delilah’s influence for evil to remove Samson’s strength to the point that he could not help his people or himself. Samson had talked too much when he revealed the secret about his strength. Evidently, he was also a slow learner in that he never realized the deceit in Delilah from the multiple attacks on him.

God never intended man to have multiple wives. He only made one wife for Adam. Christ also clarified that one man should marry one woman. Thus, Samson failed three times and paid the earthly consequences of his actions.

Jdg 13:3 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren and do not bear. But you shall conceive and bear a son.
Jdg 13:4 And now, please take heed, and do not drink wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing.
Jdg 13:5 For lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Jdg 14:2 And he (Samson) came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And now get her for me for a wife.
Jdg 14:3 And his father and his mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she pleases me very much.
Jdg 14:20 But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, who had served as his friend.
Jdg 15:1 And it happened afterward, in the days of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a kid. And he said, I will go in to my wife into the room. But her father would not allow him to go in.
Jdg 15:2 And her father said, I truly thought that you utterly hated her, and I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she is? Please, let her be for you instead of her.

Jdg 16:1 Then Samson went to Gaza. And he saw a harlot there, and went in to her.
Jdg 16:4 And it happened afterwards, he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah.
Jdg 16:16 And it happened because she distressed him with her words daily, and urged him; and his soul was grieved to death.
Jdg 16:17 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come on my hair, for I am a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak and be like any man.

Moses had anger issues. Yes, they were righteous anger, but ungodly in that God is slow to anger. He was a great man who mostly obeyed God but failed a few times. He would not have had these fits if Satan had not been a part of his nature.

Exo 2:11 And it happened in those days, when Moses was grown, he went out to his brothers and looked upon their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
Exo 2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he did not see anyone, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

Exo 31:18 And He (God) gave to Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
Exo 32:19 And it happened, as he came near to the camp and saw the calf and dances, the anger of Moses became hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands, and broke them at the bottom of the mountain.

Num 20:7 And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying,
Num 20:8 Take the rod, and gather the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes. And it shall give forth its water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock. So you shall give the congregation and their animals drink.
Num 20:9 And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah as He commanded him.
Num 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, Hear now you rebels. Must we bring water for you out of this rock?
Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he struck the rock twice. And the water came out plentifully, and the congregation and their animals drank.

David was happy in God! This began when he was a young shepherd boy composing and singing to the Lord on quiet nights tending sheep. God loved him also and helped him boldly kill the Philistine giant called Goliath. David won many battles as a leader and was made king. He continued to honor God and danced with joy before Him. However, he lost one battle with his lust for Bathsheba when he saw her bathing on an adjoining rooftop. David caused her husband to be killed in battle and based his marriage to Bathsheba on murder. God punished him by allowing the death of his son with Bathsheba.

David’s bloodline was from Adam and he carried Adam’s original sin in his nature. This was not so with Jesus who was sinless because of His virgin birth through Mary and the Holy Spirit. He also committed no sin while he was on earth in human form. Therefore, when he died on the cross he was sinless. His shed blood became a covering for our sins and the stripes that he received from whippings became a basis for our healings.

1Sa 17:4 And a champion named Goliath came out of the Philistines camp; he was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. (1 cubit=18″, 1 span=9″ thus Goliath was 9.7 feet tall)
1Sa 17:5 And a bronze helmet was on his head, and he was armed with scaled armor. And the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
1Sa 17:6 And greaves of bronze were on his legs, and a bronze javelin was between his shoulders.
1Sa 17:7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. And his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And the shield bearer went in front of him.
1Sa 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
1Sa 17:34 And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock.
1Sa 17:35 And I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb out of its mouth. And when it rose against me, I caught it by the beard, and struck it and killed it.
1Sa 17:36 Your servant killed both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.
1Sa 17:37 And David said, Jehovah who has delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and may Jehovah be with you.
1Sa 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook for himself, and put them in a shepherd’s vessel which he had, even in a bag. And his sling was in his hand. And he drew near the Philistine.
1Sa 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near David. And the man who bore the shield was before him.
1Sa 17:42 And the Philistine looked and saw David, and disdained him. For he was only a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.
1Sa 17:43 And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.
1Sa 17:45 And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1Sa 17:46 Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you and take your head from you and give the bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air today, and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 And all this multitude shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah’s, and He will give you into our hands.
1Sa 17:48 And it happened when the Philistine rose and went and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the ranks to meet the Philistine.
1Sa 17:49 And David put his hand into his bag and took a stone from there, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the earth.
1Sa 17:50 And David was stronger than the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. And he struck the Philistine, and killed him. But no sword was in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 And David ran and stood on the Philistine, and took out his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and fled.

2Sa 11:2 And it happened one evening, David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
2Sa 11:3 And David sent and asked about the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
2Sa 11:4 And David sent messengers and took her. And she came in to him, and he lay with her. And she had purified herself from her uncleanness. And she returned to her house.
2Sa 11:5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

2Sa 11:14 And it happened in the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
2Sa 11:15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and draw back from him so that he may be stricken and die.
2Sa 11:16 And it happened when Joab observed the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew brave men were.
2Sa 11:17 And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell. And Uriah the Hittite also died.
2Sa 11:26 And the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, and mourned for her husband.
2Sa 11:27 And when her mourning was past, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah.

2Sa 12:1 And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and one poor.
2Sa 12:2 The rich one had exceeding many flocks and herds,
2Sa 12:3 but the poor one had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished up. And it grew up together with him and with his sons. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him like a daughter.
2Sa 12:4 And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the traveler that had come to him. But he took the poor man’s lamb and dressed it for the man who had come to him.
2Sa 12:5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die.
2Sa 12:6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
2Sa 12:7 And Nathan said to David, You are the man! So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
2Sa 12:9 Why have you despised the Word of Jehovah, to do evil in His sight? You have stricken Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.
2Sa 12:10 And therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
2Sa 12:11 So says Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
2Sa 12:12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.
2Sa 12:13 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
2Sa 12:14 Only, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, this child born to you shall surely die.
2Sa 12:15 And Nathan left to go to his house. And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it was very sick.
2Sa 12:16 And David prayed to God for the child. And David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth.
2Sa 12:17 And the elders of his house rose up toward him, to raise him up from the earth. But he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
2Sa 12:18 And it happened on the seventh day, the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Behold, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice. How then will he trouble himself if we tell him that the child is dead?
2Sa 12:19 But David saw that his servants whispered. And David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the boy dead? And they said, He is dead.
2Sa 12:24 And David comforted his wife Bathsheba. And he went in to her and lay with her. And she bore a son. And he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him.

Paul correctly realized that he had two warring natures within him. The earthly sin nature of the flesh and the godly nature of the spirit. He wanted to do what was right but could not unless he was led by God’s spirit. This is why God gives the Holy Spirit to all that have accepted Jesus as their lord. The Holy Spirit becomes part of the spirit of those saved to guide and empower them as well as communicate and intercede to God that which the person prays in God’s will. (The work of the Holy Spirit can be found in the lesson on “The Three Faces of God.”)

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do, I know not. For what I desire, that I do not do; but what I hate, that I do.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I do not desire, I consent to the law that it is good.
Rom 7:17 But now it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I do not find.
Rom 7:19 For I do not do the good that I desire; but the evil which I do not will, that I do.
Rom 7:20 But if I do what I do not desire, it is no more I working it out, but sin dwelling in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law: when I will to do the right, evil is present with me.
Rom 7:22 For I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man;
Rom 7:23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin being in my members.

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Rom 8:5 For they who are according to the flesh mind the things of flesh, but they who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
Rom 8:7 because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be.
Rom 8:8 So then they who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba, Father!
Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:27 And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Eph_6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Everyone, while alive on earth, does battle against the natures of good and evil. Even today, many of those we hold in high esteem have the capacity for great good publicly and yet have had failures in their private lives. They are only human with a sin nature. According to internet articles:

Since World War II six out of eleven American presidents have had personal sexual problems, as related to scriptural requirements, and two were about to be removed from office for criminal actions. Lying and deceit seems to be todays standard for many political leaders. Affairs and incorrect partners are common among show people and thus their marriages come under a tremendous stress. Thus, being great does not mean that one is immune from temptations. If anything, power even makes temptations greater.

We all face battles with temptation, but we can take hope that, with God’s help, the battles can be won. Grace through Christ and the Holy Spirit within those saved is also available when one truly repents and asks forgiveness from God and accepts Christ as lord. Unfortunately, earthly consequences may still be required for past actions, but there is a great hope for the future for those following God’s Holy Spirit.