While sitting in on a focus group, I encountered a conglomerate of people with a multiplicity of problems, needs, fears, and frustrations. As I sat there listening, I began to think on the words of one writer; "Today is the time when we need to confront the many problems we face. Now is the time we need to challenge and confront ourselves about the secrets we hold silently within."

As horrible as crime is in our world, something far greater has become my concern. It is not the mistakes my son or daughter makes, nor is it the fact that my father was absent most of my life. The thing I must confront daily is "the enemy within-a-me." If we are to succeed as a people, we must deal with our greatest enemy (ourselves).

The worst punishment God could render to any man is to turn him over to himself. Since Adam's fall in Eden, we know that apart from God, we will ultimately self-destruct. The consequences of disobedience and trying to do things our way is outlined in the book of Romans 1:28-29

The most important lesson a believer or any man for that matter should learn is that the capacity to sin lies within each of us. Whether by commission or thought, the reality is still there.

One of the lies we have embraced as Christians is that because we are born again, we are better than the next man. The apostle Paul has declared that sin has caused ALL of us to fall short. Romans 3:23 (KJV)

The feelings that the scripture’s command to come out from among them and be separate means we should not talk to those who have not yet accepted Christ as their personal Savior is biblically incorrect. How can they hear without a preacher? Our charge as believers is to preach the gospel to all men. Until we can come down off our thrones of prejudice and self-righteousness, our world will be continually lost. As a believer who has come to God in a real way, this concerns me greatly. How many more casualties will there be at the hands of religious persecutors? How much longer will God’s people continue to accept "just a little" because of the belief held by many that Christians are suppose to suffer lack as a means of keeping us close to God. I think to myself and become angry at the fact that I allowed ( through ignorance) the very finest that the Creator has to be withheld from me as a form of allegiance. As I sit here thinking, my attention quickly turns to another matter of concern. Many times the actions of others are condemned vehemently by many Christians. Without upholding the wrongdoings of anyone, I often wonder how would we respond if for some reason we found ourselves in a similar situation.

When I read about someone killing in self-defense, I ask myself, Would you not do the same thing? Would I even for a moment think twice about sparing the life of someone who tried to hurt my children? Would I not steal if I was starving to death? Would I not hate someone who betrayed me? The questions are many but the answer is the same. Without God I would be unsuccessful at all of these. Thank God for Jesus who made my freedom from the sins of life possible.

I'm not too concerned when I read the headlines about rape, drugs, incest, but what constantly bothers me is the "enemy within-a-me." Yes, I'm concerned about the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that enter my mind daily. No wonder the Bible instructs us to mortify our members daily, that is, to kill the enemies within. Those secret things no one knows, the hidden sins that lies within us. Those things we leave out during testimony service. Things we are afraid to request prayer for because Christians aren't suppose to harbor ill feelings. Psalms 90:8 declares that our secret sins are seen by God. Until we admit our failures, success is light years away.

Why did David ask God to create in him a clean heart? People, the word "create" means to make from something that doesn't already exists. He knew that when out of God's divine providence, we are no better than the sinner. We must be honest and forget that religious nonsense of thinking we are better than someone else. "Apart from God, we can do NOTHING."

I am closing a little differently from my other articles. I am requesting you to agree with me as I deal with the "enemy within-a-me." There, lurking in the darkness is our secret enemies, we must and should deal with them. Why? Because our future depends on it.

By: Travestine Wright