Yesterday, in the garden, I encountered a prickly struggle as I confronted a briar that had sprung up in my absence. Lush and vigorous, on first appearance it had almost persuaded me that it was a healthy rose bush that would produce prolific beautiful roses, if I would train it to grow along the fence-top. On closer inspection, however, I saw that it had entangled, and was busy suffocating, the regular rose bushes as it assailed them, and that its forceful, fleshy stem was curling and snaking everywhere, even around the bigger shrubs.

 

As I started to cut and clear, I realised it was ready for battle; with sharp barbed thorns, and spines lining the stems and studding the leaves, it relentlessly pierced the gloves and hooked any part of my clothing in contact, leaving painful punctures and scratches. But I prevailed.

 

Isn’t our struggle against sin like this? We constantly come into contact with things that appear innocuous, yet are deceptive, which we don’t reject; yet if left to grow in our lives, they entangle us, harm us, and eventually smother our will, leaving us as a shadow of our former self. Like the regular rosebush, we don’t die but produce small, flawed blossoms and deformed leaves that yellow quickly – because the thief vine has stolen the light and water.

 

The same thing happens when we rebel against what we know is right; we allow the Thief to infiltrate our mind, and then reject the wisdom of God’s Word, put ourselves before others, and go out on our own path to do as we please.

 

Either way, whether we’ve been deceived and have become entangled, or have actively chosen to do wrong, we will realise that it’s bigger than we are and there is no easy escape, except by God’s grace. He will be with us as we fight against the Enemy, but we have to take up arms – as surely as I needed to take up the pruning shears – to win.

 

Paul had enough experience of this struggle to teach the Ephesians that the fight “is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

 

Each person has the choice: to live in the light of truth or in the darkness of deception, but for those who know the freedom of Truth in Christ, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” (Psalm 145:18)

 

Let us heed Paul’s call to the Ephesians to live in the Truth: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. (Ephesians 6:14)

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to the Enemy’s plots and snares in my life and help me always to choose Your Truth. Amen

 

 

Vir ons is die stryd immers nie teen vlees en bloed nie, maar teen die owerhede, teen die magte, teen die wêreldheersers van hierdie duisternis, teen die bose geeste in die hemelruim. Efesiërs 6:12, 1983-vertaling

 

Gister, in die tuin, het ek 'n stryd met 'n doringagtige wilderoos gehad wat in my afwesigheid begin groei het. Dié plant was so pragtig groen en lewendig dat ek met die eerste opslag amper oortuig was dit is 'n gesonde roos wat uiteindelik pragtige rose sou dra as ek dit teen die heining sou oplei. By nadere ondersoek het ek egter besef dat dit in die gesonde roosplante verstrengel was en besig was om hulle te verdring. Dié plant se kragtige stam het oral gekrul en gekronkel, selfs om die groter struike.

 

Soos ek begin het om te snoei en skoon te maak, het ek gou besef dit gaan 'n geveg wees. Hierdie plant het skerp dorings en stekels aan die stam en blare wat meedoënloos deur my handskoene gesteek en aan my klere gehaak het. Dit het pynlike steke en skrape tot gevolg gehad het. Maar ek het geseëvier.

 

Is dit nie hoe ons stryd teen die sonde ook is nie? Ons kom voortdurend in kontak met dinge wat skadeloos voorkom, tog misleidend is, maar ons verwerp dit nie. Laat ons dit toe om in ons lewe te groei, kan dit ons verstrengel, skade aandoen, uiteindelik ons wil versmoor en ons slegs as 'n skaduwee van vorige self agterlaat. Soos die gewone roosboom gaan ons nie dood nie, maar dra slegs klein, siek blomme en blare wat gou geel word en verwelk – alles omdat die indringerplant al die lig en water gesteel het.

 

Dieselfde gebeur wanneer ons rebelleer teen dit wat ons weet reg is. Ons laat die dief toe om ons gedagtes binne te dring, en verwerp dan die wysheid van die woord van God. Ons ag onsself bo ander, volg ons eie pad en doen net wat ons wil.

 

Beide gevalle, of ons nou mislei is en verstrengel geraak het, of aktief gekies het om die verkeerde te doen, ons sal gou besef dit is groter as onsself en daar is, behalwe deur die genade van God, nie 'n maklike manier om te ontsnap nie. God sal egter by ons wees wanneer ons teen die vyand veg, maar ons moet die wapenrusting aantrek – net soos ek die snoeiskêr moes opneem – om te kan wen.

 

Paulus het genoeg geweet van hierdie stryd om die Efesiërs te kon leer dat "vir ons is die stryd immers nie teen vlees en bloed nie, maar teen die owerhede, teen die magte, teen die wêreldheersers van hierdie duisternis, teen die bose geeste in die hemelruim."

 

Elke persoon het 'n keuse: om in die lig van die waarheid of in die donkerte van misleiding te leef. Maar vir diegene wat die vryheid van die waarheid in Christus ken, sê die psalmdigter: "Die Here is naby almal wat Hom aanroep, almal wat Hom in waarheid aanroep." (Psalm 145:18)

 

Kom ons gee gehoor aan Paulus se opdrag aan die Efesiërs om in die waarheid te leef: "Staan dan vas, deur julle heupe te omgord met die waarheid, julle te bedek met die borsplaat van geregtigheid." (Efesiërs 6:14)

 

Gebed: Here Jesus, open my oë vir die vyand se lokvalle in my lewe en help my om altyd u waarheid te kies. Amen