By: Gen. Jim ~ POW — 12/9/19
I’ve read dozens and dozens of “wild west” books, watched many movies/T.V. shows about cowboys and Indians. [we don’t call them “Indians” now, they are called either “First-World People” or “Native Americans”] But still, I found this little story interesting: “Inside each of us live 2 wolves – a good wolf and a bad wolf. The good wolf tells us to obey our parents, be kind to old or sick people & choose friends who will do the same. But the bad wolf tells us it is more fun to disobey and do mean things to people. You have to decide which wolf you feed.” [This was written in their native language].
This story is so true, be it understood in a secular or religious sense: it is about inner warfare. Some things that take place within a human mind/heart is ineffable, that is, it cannot be expressed or described accurately, only felt. But the apostle Paul describes this “inner war” this way: [read Rom. 7:1-25] “For the good that I will do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” -v.19, NKJV. Another way of saying it is this: “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” This seems confusing. But if we understand the 2-nature principle, we see the truth-of-the-matter: inner warfare!
Verse 20: “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but SIN (bad wolf) that dwells in me.”
Even if a person is not born again, he or she has a conscience that intrinsically knows right from wrong. There is always the urge to choose wrongdoing. The deepest part of ourselves wants to make choices that are worthy of our identity as soldiers/saints/disciples of Christ. BUT there is always the other voice, e.g. “bad wolf’s voice” urging us to commit sin.
We who have been born again (Jn. 3:3,5) have the Spirit of God dwelling in us that gives us power to choose what is right and to refuse what is wrong.
Hebrews 1:8,9 says, “But to the Son He (God the Father) says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom, you have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, your God, had anointed you…” (quoted from Ps. 45:6,7)
Jesus loved the good wolf and hated the bad wolf. Let us do the same!