WE WRESTLE WITHIN OURSELVES

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against

Spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. EPHESIANS 6:10-13

Idon’t think I’ve ever seen a time when God’s people were as tired and weary as they are today. The Bible clearly says in the book of Daniel that the spirit of the antichrist would try to wear out the children of the Most High. There are many people who have been battling for a long time. I want you to know that the Lord knows about your struggle.

I want to address the DYNAMICS OF WRESTLING. There are four scriptural categories listed in the Bible where we wrestle.

1. WE WRESTLE WITHIN OURSELVES. 2. WE WRESTLE WITH PEOPLE’S ISSUES. 3. WE WRESTLE AGAINST EVIL SPIRITUAL POWERS. 4. WE WRESTLE WITH GOD.

WRESTLING WITHIN OURSELVES

No matter who you are, all of us are birthed into this human realm. We are subject to our environment, and one thing that we all have in common is that we wrestle with things within ourselves. We wrestle with our personal struggles, our inabilities, or our lack of capabilities. Every one of us has inner struggles. “But I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me,” Romans 7:23. Paul was saying, “When I want to do good, I have to wrestle with something.” He said that it was in his fallen make up.

In my family tree and yours, we find things that are particular proclivities. My last name is Kilpatrick, and there are things within our family tree. My dad was married five times. He was someone whose ways and tendencies I have tried to avoid. But I have found that no matter how turned off I was to what I saw in him, those things are attempting to manifest in me.

There can be things that you have seen in your parents that troubled you that now knock at your door. Some families have traits that are troubling and have manifested for generations. We fight against low self-esteem issues, authenticity, anger issues, sexual perversions, addictions, or sins of the past.

It’s not that you don’t want to do good, but you are constantly wrestling. You wrestle with your mind and your emotions.