Inflation, energy crises, food shortages, aggressive and militant nations, and the threat of nuclear war: all enemies that threaten to modify or devastate the world in which we live. We are keenly aware of these enemies, and seek to safeguard ourselves with everything from extra food in the cupboard to sophisticated anti-ballistic aircraft.

But what about the enemies of our spiritual lives? How do we safeguard ourselves against them?

THE PRECEDENT

In all our queries, we first need to turn to Christ. He is our example. Christ set precedents with His words and actions, precedents that we must build our lives upon.

It is significant that Christ began His earthly ministry by fasting forty days in the wilderness, alone in communion with His Father. He was then tempted by Satan three times, a fact recorded by both Matthew and Luke. These three temptations had a single theme: to encourage Christ to let His actions be dictated by the flesh - frail human ambition - rather than by obedience to the will of God.

He was first tempted to submit to human hunger, rather than to an appetite for God's Word. The remaining two times He was tempted gaining recognition as divine when angels rescued Him as He hurled Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, and later by worshiping Satan.

But Christ was victor. Jesus defeated Satan with the Word of Faith, a sword sharpened by His days of communion with the Father. Through His words and actions He boldly declared to Satan that His flesh would be in total submission to God's will.

When Christ left the wilderness, He moved into an expanded faith life. He spoke with astounding authority, and began to perform mighty miracles. One of Christ's first miracles was to cast a devil form a demoniac in Capernaum. Christ was to repeatedly declare and show His power over Satan, power that is available to us today.

THE PURPOSE

The worst enemy of a life dedicated to Christ is the flesh - the portion of man's nature that is a willing instrument of sin. Although Satan has certain powers, he needs a foothold in man's flesh to be effective. Christ refused Satan any foothold, and lived a sinless life.

Our flesh, however, can never be totally sanctified. Because of this Christ taught that each person must daily "take up his cross" (Luke 9:23). We must struggle daily with the flesh.

Our struggles with the flesh do have a purpose. According to Romans eight, fleshly struggles are "groanings" in God's divine plan to keep hope alive; hope is the first step to faith.

If we overcome, our daily struggles with the flesh keep faith active. If we overcome, our struggles with the flesh help us develop and ever-expanding faith.

But how do we overcome these struggles/ How can we safeguard ourselves against the enemy of the flesh?

THE PROCESS

Christ has already established the precedent. To overcome He used the Word of God, sharpened by days of fasting and prayer with His Heavenly Father.

Fasting and prayer help us to incorporate the proper checks and balances into our spiritual lives, disciplining the flesh into submission to God's will. Prayer and fasting, motivated by the Holy Spirit, help us to be victors in our daily fleshly struggles.

Christ not only established a precedent, but also exampled a process by which we can be overcomers. Awareness of fleshly struggles is to be followed with prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting give a forceful dimension to our declaration of God's Word, a declaration made in response to specific struggles. With our positive expanding faith.

A brief outline of this process would involve four elements: (1) The struggle with the flesh; (2) prayer and fasting; (3) a bold declaration of God's Word; and (4) release into an expanded life of faith.

Based on Christ's precedent, let us follow the process that safeguards us from our greatest enemy, the flesh. Let us fulfill the purpose of these struggles, and be released into a useful life of faith.