Two Great Battles

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No doubt you've heard the cliche phrase, "You don't have to win every battle, just the war." Our spiritual struggles are often compared to battles in the Bible, where we also learn that our body is our greatest enemy--greater than Satan himself. When things go wrong in our lives we can usually look in the mirror to find the cause. So when we're fighting the good fight, don't we want to make sure that we're expending our energies on the battles that really matter, instead of worrying about small skirmishes that won't help us win in the end? There are two major battles we must fight to gain control of our bodies.

Matthew 6:22-23 tells us that if your eye is clear then your whole body will be full of light. Likewise, in James 3:1-12 it says that if you do not stumble in what you say you can bridle the whole body. These are the two great battles we are called to fight in the war against our own flesh, the tongue and the eyes, the rest will follow from there.

There are two points I'd like to make.

First, we must read the discussion of the eye as the lamp of the body in context, right after Jesus has finished discussing the dangers of materialism: making money one's master. Here we have the choice of two masters--not God and Satan as one might suppose, but God and money. Greed is fed by the eyes, when we see something and want it. If our eyes are clear, or "single" or "focused," then we will be filled with light. How does an eye let light into the body? By looking at the light. If we acknowledge God in all our ways and keep His face ever before us, we've won half the war. Personal Application: Let money be your red flag; if you find yourself saying, "If only I had..." or "Wouldn't it be nice if..." that is a heads-up that something may be coming between you and absolute trust and contentment in the Lord; your eye might not be single.

Second, we must learn how to read James 3:7-8. It says, "For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison." The punctuation here should be a little different. "But no one can tame the tongue?!!" It is an incredulous question, one that emphasizes the accomplishments of men in taming creatures and the possibility of controlling the tongue; it can be accomplished.  


Words have great power. Certainly we must set a guard over our own mouths, but we might also find ourselves needing to guard other people's tongues as well. Personal Application: The next time someone seems about to tell you a juicy bit of gossip, or you hear the words, "I shouldn't be saying this, but..." just stop them and say, "I don't want to go there." If you don't do this you might be tempted to repeat things that only tear others down and increase negativity.

We are the masters of our tongues and eyes through Christ's power. Make your tongue recognize that it has a master and make your eyes realize that they have a focal point. Win these two battles and you have control of your whole body--what goes in and what comes out.

My eye, a photo by orangeacid on Flickr.
Silly Girl!, a photo by chadmiller on Flickr.