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THE KI NG ' S BUSINESS servant, but it is a most tyrannical master when it gets the upper hand, and yet, my friends, in our Christian lives isn’t it the flesh that is over coming so many? Many a man today would be a fine Christian if you could only put him in a new body. A man’s lust for money, lust for worldly pleas ure, lust for power, are always clamor ing, and we must always be on our guard. They tell us today to cultivate our bodies -and cultivate our aesthetic senses, but the Bible says crucify and mortify them. And then again, the other foe we have is the devil himself. These are days when people do not believe so much in the devil, but the Bible gives a wonderful description of him. We read of him as a roaring lion. We have ministers today who preach heresy and damning delusive doctrines. They deny the fact of a devil. The Bible also de clares he is “ An angel of light”— re fined, cultured, seeking to make hu manity better and the world a better place to live in, apart from Christ. “ They may say the devil has never lived, They may say the devil has gone, But simple folks would like to know Who carries his business on.” I would rather have the devil bark ing at my heels than to have him play ing possum. And it is only when we keep on our knees and commune with God that we are able to overcome him. How are we to overcome? The Bible tells us, first of all, how to over come the world. We turn to First John, chapter 5 and verse 4, and read: “ For whatsoever is born of God over- cometh the world, and this is the victory that oyercometh the world, even our faith.” It is so simple, and yet how many there are who do not know it. They are living by struggle and resolution in stead of faith. They are trying to do their best, but you generally find that while they have motion, they make lit tle progress. It is like sitting in a
rocking chair or a door swinging on its hinges; all motion, but no progress. If only we would be less independent and more dependent, we would know victory over the world. If our victory were determined by the strength of our wills or the earnestness of our resolu tions or the nature of our surroundings, then there would be those who would never be overcomers; but when it de pends on faith, then the very weakest may be an overcomer. We all have faith. God has given us plenty of that. That’s- why the world is not a hell. It does not matter, about the quantity. Jesus said, though i't be as a grain of mustard seed. That is small enough. It is the object of the faith that de termines its nature and result. The pole of the trolley car isn’t much, but it communicates the power to the car, and so our faith. Faith is the channel between the soul and God. We are as strong as the one we trust. “ All things are possible to him that believeth.” Let us not try but trust. Then how are we to overcome the flesh? Gal. 5:16. “Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.” There are many of whom it can be said that the world and worldliness trouble them very little, but they are victims of the flesh. Their desires, pas sions and appetites are strong and they are continually being overcome. The Lord here shows us that if we walk in the Spirit— the atmosphere of our lives —we shall not be overcome. We are only able to crucify the flesh by the Spirit. So as we walk in and with Him we do not fulfill the fleshly lusts. As we yield our bodies up to His rule and sway, He cools, cleanses and con trols. If we of ourselves try to do it we will only fail. Our efforts only ag gravate the evil, but if we commit all to Him, He will guide our walk- and govern our bodies and lead us in con tinual triumph. Let us yield every part of our being to His indwelling, give
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