"Too many whoopin's"

As I read my morning scriptures, I'm forced to recollect...to reflect on the "too numerous to count" times I've taken a whoopin'...now wait, what do I mean by "takin' a whoopin'?" Perhaps I was an abused child?...or perhaps I was bullied on during my school days?...well, yes and yes, but what I'm referring to is of the spiritual battles, we all as Christians face every day! Ephesians 6:12 says: "For our struggle 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."  The Bible states our real struggle is not in the flesh...its in the spiritual...think of this, it's like taking a knife to a gun fight! The prince of this air, Satan (I hate giving him a capital letter, but anyways) Satan loves for us to battle him...to take him on in our own strength, in our flesh...if you remember yesterdays post, "it's difficult in this flesh"...truly, in this area, or this arena, to attempt to battle Satan in my flesh is truly futile..."in this flesh" Satan has the advantage (so, its like I'm the knife, he's the gun....get it?)... You see, it is the trick of Satan to draw you in to a physical conflict, to get you at odds, to get you in this physical area of bantering back and forth. Satan is constantly trying to draw you into the physical arena to do battle with you. Why? Because if he can get you in the flesh, he can clean up on you like nobody's business. Every time he gets me in the flesh, he gives me such a "whoopin" you'd think I'd learn not to get in the flesh. But he's always seeking to draw me into the flesh. Hence, its why I say "he has a decided advantage over me." In Psalm 109:4 David said, "I will give myself unto prayer." I'm going to stay in the Spirit. Oh, how important that I stay in the Spirit, because in the spirit realm, I have a decided advantage over him. For you see, he was defeated at the cross. And if I can just stay in the Spirit, I can just wipe him out with the victory of Jesus Christ upon the cross. And prayer is actually the big guns of the Spirit by which I can defeat the enemy. To often, we think prayer isn't really much of anything, its small, I want to "do" BIG things, I want to "do" for my Lord, for His kingdom...but prayer is BIG, prayer is the Best I can do...because praying keeps me in the spiritual where I have the advantage...not because of me, not because of something I did, or do....but because of Jesus Christ! "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" Hebrews 12:2 We can only run the race as we look to Jesus, and have our eyes locked on to Him. He is our focus, our inspiration, and our example. If we keep our eyes on ourselves, our circumstances, our struggles...which I confess, I too often do....its very easy to get down, to despair...one look at myself, must mean 1000 looks to Jesus....there is Hope........"Thank You Jesus"!