Chapter 1: Bearing the Cross. The one who is intimate with God will follow the Lord's footsteps, bearing the cross of the Savior. It is said of such a person, "The world is crucified to him, and he to the world." Galatians 6:14. The Lord says, "He who loses his life will save it." Matthew 10:39. We can lose our lives in one of two ways. First, we can lay down our lives just as the Lord did for us. Second, we can separate our lives from the customary things of this world.
Bearing the cross means to separate our souls from the delights and pleasures of this life. If you do this, you will find your life again, resting in the hope of what is to come. Dying to ourselves means being content with the necessities of life. When we want more than these necessities, it is easy to sin. We must therefore put on the armor of God to be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
The weapons of our warfare are not physical, but powerful through God to pull down strongholds and cast down arguments and everything exalting itself against the knowledge of God. We must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, says the divine apostle. Ephesians 6:11. What is needed is a man who handles the circumstances of life in a discerning and praiseworthy manner.
I'm speaking of the contrasting circumstances that may come our way, such as riches and poverty, honor and dishonor, health and sickness, life and death, and work and pleasure. The world sees a great difference between these contrasts, but the one who is intimate with God views them all with indifference. The need for endurance. Endurance is another godly trait. Daniel, who was filled with divine faith, was a good example of one who had endurance.
He lived in Babylon, similarly to the way that Lot lived in Sodom, that Abraham lived in Chaldea. This Abraham was called the friend of God. The Babylonian king threw Daniel into a pit of wild beasts, but the King of all, our faithful Lord, brought him out unharmed. The one who is intimate with God will have the same kind of patience and endurance. When under trial, he will bless God like Job did.
Like Jonah, he will pray when swallowed by a great fish, and faith will bring him back to prophesy to the people of Nineveh. Though penned up with lions, he will tame them. Though cast into the fire, he will not be destroyed. He will testify both day and night by his words, his conduct, and his very life. His best friend will be the Lord, and he will share the same hearth with the Spirit. He will be pure in the flesh, in his heart, and in his speech. Spiritual Warfare. When we lived in the flesh, we were feeble.
This was due in part by our poor discipline. We used to indulge all of our desires without limit. However, now we recognize that our fleshly desires are really imprints in our souls, imprints left by the wicked spirit forces with whom we struggle. The powers of evil try to leave their mark on everything they touch. They thereby try to win back those who have renounced them. As might be expected, these evil powers do reconquer some.
However, others of us enter the struggle against them with more athletic energy, so to speak. I'm using the analogy of the public games by way of illustration. The evil powers attack the faithful with every weapon they have, locking arms in bloody combat. But eventually, the evil powers have to give up the battle. They retreat with admiration for the victorious Christians. We humans have the faculty of reason. Therefore, we shouldn't be carried away by mere appearances. Rather, we should look beyond them.
The powers of evil hold out beautiful sights to humans, such as worldly honors, adulteries, fleshly pleasures, and similar alluring fantasies. They try to lure men the way a herdsman leads cattle with food. They deceive those who can't tell the difference between true and false pleasure, or between fading beauty and that which is holy. Having deceived such people, they lead them into slavery. Each false allurement leaves its imprint on the spirit by constantly pressing against it.
By our falling for the bait, our soul unwittingly carries about the imprint of our fleshly desires.