The Enemy Within: Chapter 10 (Pt 2)

The Christian's sinful flesh hates God, and it knows the Christian does not. So, rather than trying to get the Christian to hate God (which is impossible), it rather "dumps seven buckets of ice water on our first love" (115).

The buckets carry ice made from seven rancid pools that form in our hearts.

1. Ice of Corrosion -- The flesh applies it's acid to our love for God by slowly, but deliberately "enticing us to lay aside spiritual duties one by one," by "making us think we can get by with a little less prayer, shorter and fewer private devotions--until he at last convinces us that ee can get along without talking to God at all" (116-7).

2. Ice of Formality -- When we must worship God, "the flesh will make our religion into a formal affair," sapping the life out of it because a religion with the fear of God coming from our entire being becomes a stench in His nostrils (116).

3. Ice of Distraction -- The flesh loves it when we're more passionate about political or social causes, music, hobbies than we are about God who "never lift their eyes about the cause to see the Christ" (117).

4. Ice of Domestication -- The flesh hates it when we hate sin so its goal is to make us think sin is no big deal, forgetting that "unrepentant and cherished sin douses the fire of first love" (117).

5. Ice of Knowledge -- Theology is not optional in the life of the believer. In fact, everyone is a theologian because everyone has something to say about God. The issue is not "Are you a theologian?" but "Are you a good one?" meaning does what you say about God match the Bible. Well, on this question for knowledge the flesh loves it when we treat the Bible like a textbook. If we're like that before God's word, leaving our time in it unchanged, the flesh has "snuffed out the wick of [our] first love" (118).

6. Ice of Independence -- If the Christian starts to sing "I Did It My Way," the flesh has drenched your first love.

7. Ice of Neglect -- The flesh will do everything to keep you from private prayer and Bible study. My favorite quote in the book: "The person who calls himself a Christian, who says he loves God, yet does not seek his company and delight in it, can't be a true lover of God. His own flesh has deceived him" (118-9). Your flesh will reason say, like mine does everyday, "you listened to that sermon," or "you sang that song," or "you watched that TV preacher," or "you did family devotions so you don't have to read and pray." Or, it will trick you into thinking "I'll pray more after the big test has past" when there's always another test another activity another thing. If you've made a habit of listening to it when it speaks, you've lost your first love.

Lundgaard ends this section with these chilling, thought-provoking, soul-searching words: "You may make a great show of love and faith at church...[but] if there is no priviate communion between you and Jesus--freqent and deep communion--then your religion is worthless. You've lost your first love. You stand at the end of Jesus' finger, aimed at your face with his threat: 'You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place (Revelation 2:4-5)'" (119-20).

Next, we'll see what we should do to rekindled the passion in our hearts for Jesus after the flesh douses it with one of these 7 ice buckets.