An important Christian belief is that God exists in three persons. We refer to these persons as God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. Each person is the singular and only God, and each person is different. It’s a difficult belief that no one really understands, but that all Christians accept as true. We call that belief, “the Trinity.” Interestingly, God has made each of us to resemble that image in certain ways as well. We are mind, body, and spirit. Each of those are distinct, and in many ways, each of those are us.
God’s Holy Trinity serves many purposes. One of those purposes is to reveal how he relates and interfaces with us. For instance, God the father is at the top of the hierarchy. He gives us the word by which we are created, and by which we live, and by which we should govern our lives. Jesus is how God becomes one of us. He is God giving us the example we should model. He is God’s word in human flesh. He is also how God saves us from spiritual demise through his own personal sacrifice. The Holy Spirit is how God enlivens us and changes us so that we can follow and become the example of Jesus.
Because Satan is evil and a liar, he attempts to counterfeit everything that God has made in an attempt to lure us away from what is truly good. He has even created his own unholy trinity to counterfeit the real one. It’s a trinity that consists of the devil, the world, and temptations of the flesh. In this trinity, Satan wishes to be at the top of the hierarchy, and to control us with his lies. In doing so he aims at our mind. He attempts to focus our attention on the examples in a world which opposes God. In doing so, he gives us models designed to destroy our bodies, and steal us from safety. His spirit is one that tempts us to rebel against the example of Jesus, and encourages us in our sins. He is determined in this cause to have you relate to him, and to avoid God. It is in a very real sense, a battle.
Because it is a battle, the follower of Christ must steel and discipline himself for warfare. He must put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). He must be disciplined of mind, and watchful (1 Peter 5:8). He must not be fainthearted, or he will not be fit for the battle. This means that he must strive to produce the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The final fruit in that list sums up all the others. It is self control. A Christian must discipline him or herself to exercise it, not only to avoid temptation, but more importantly to control one’s fears and charge into battle against an evil that counterfeits God, endangers his people, and is hellbent on destroying all that is truly good.
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