“Nuclear war is much closer than we dare imagine”

This is the headline of an analysis by Oxford professor Samuel Ramani warning that the weapons technology of our enemies is surging ahead of our own. His article comes in response to recent reports that President Biden ordered US forces last March to prepare for possible nuclear war with Russia, China, and North Korea. In Dr. Ramani’s view, the US must urgently modernize our nuclear capacities to deter these unprecedented threats.

In related news:

• Chinese government hackers have penetrated deep into US internet service providers to spy on us. A cybersecurity expert calls the latest attacks “an order of magnitude worse” than previous hacks.
• Russia and China are escalating their diplomatic relations with the global south, infringing on America’s influence in this vital region.
• Russia is claiming that America’s support for Ukraine risks World War III, which it warns would not be confined to Europe.

Meanwhile, Israel launched its biggest West Bank raid in two decades yesterday, killing at least ten Hamas militants. The move comes as the region on Israel’s eastern border is rapidly developing into a third battlefront alongside Hamas to the west and Hezbollah to the north.

Yesterday we discussed a paradoxical response to the anxiety of our age. Today, we’ll identify a second source of personal peace in a place most overlook.

Beware spiritual poison

On a recent walk, I noticed a dead tree surrounded by thriving trees. Nothing I could see could explain its demise. The nearby trees did not seem to crowd out its access to the sun. It was as close to the lake as other trees that were thriving. Since I am the farthest thing from an arborist, nothing I could see could explain this.

I therefore assume that the tree’s problem is what I cannot see—its roots. My observation illustrates a theological fact: you and I were made for a personal, intimate relationship with our unseen Lord (John 15:1–11). Nothing less or else will nourish our spiritual lives.

So, of course, this is where Satan attacks, for two reasons. 

First, his strategy works. If you want to kill a tree or stunt its growth, poison its roots. 

Second, we often don’t see the danger in time. No one will know or be hurt by our unseen sins, or so Satan whispers to us. But “the father of lies” is lying to us (John 8:44). And we end up committing public sins we would never have imagined when they were private transgressions.

This is why God warns us: “Desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15).

So, allow me to ask: Do you find yourself facing temptations in private that you do not face in public? Learn to see them as poison your enemy wants to pour on the roots of your soul. They will corrupt your “tree” and stunt your growth.

And since the Holy Spirit must have a holy “branch” on which to manifest his “fruit” (Galatians 5:22–23), we forfeit God’s best by choosing what we want now over what we want most.

Three steps to spiritual victory

Our enemy is a defeated foe. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). As a result, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). You and I can say with Paul, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).

How can we experience this victory today?

First, see temptation for the threat it is. If you wouldn’t pour poison on the roots of a tree, you shouldn’t pour spiritual poison on the roots of your soul.

Henri Nouwen testified:

I am discovering the importance of naming the darkness in me. By no longer calling the darkness anything else but darkness, the temptation to keep using it for my own selfish purposes gradually becomes less. . . .

A hard task is given to me—to call the darkness darkness, evil evil, and the demon demon. By remaining vague I can avoid commitment and drift along with the mainstream of our society. But Jesus does not allow me to stay there. He requires a clear choice for truth, light, and life. When I recognize my countless inner compromises, I may feel guilty and ashamed at first. But when this leads to repentance and a contrite heart, I will soon discover the immense love of God, who came to lead me out of the darkness into the light and who wants to make me into a transparent witness of his love.

Second, give temptation immediately to God. Seek his power and victory. In this way, you will use Satan’s attacks against him. And you will experience that peace which is a fruit of the Spirit in the hearts of all who are right with him (Galatians 5:22).

Third, if you fall to sin, return to your Father. Confess your failure and claim his forgiveness and restoration in grace. You can still have his peace, but it comes at the cost of repentance.

Watchman Nee made today’s point simply but powerfully:

“If you would test the character of anything, you only need to enquire whether that thing leads you to God or away from God.”

Your soul is a bike on a hill: you are either advancing upwards or you are sliding backward.

Which is true for you today?

Thursday news to know:

• Supreme Court refuses to revive Biden’s latest student loan debt relief plan
• US consumer confidence rises in August as Americans’ optimism about future improves
• Parental stress is an urgent public health issue, US surgeon general says in new advisory
• Ancient 3,500-year-old Bronze Age jar shattered by young boy at Israeli museum
• On this day in 2005: Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the day:

“I know of no other way to triumph over sin long term than to gain a distaste for it because of a superior satisfaction in God.” —John Piper