The War Goes On

    Throughout the Civil War, the Confederacy claimed that the War was about Southern State's Rights being infringed upon by the North, and not about the Slavery Issue.  The South protested the Federal Government's right to tell them how to govern their own individual states.  But the truth of the matter was this, the States that seceded from the Union really only paid lip service to their own centralized government in Richmond Virginia.  Confederate President Jefferson Davis continually struggled with the Rebel States to obey directives from their own Confederate government.  The rebellion was not just South against North.  The core issue was much deeper than that.

 The rebellion started long before the Civil War.  It goes back to the beginning of humanity.  Here are the cold hard facts, we just don't like anyone telling us what to do.  The rebellion is deeper rooted than a problem with governments.  We are, all of us, rebels at our core.  It started in the Garden of Eden and continues in every nation and every people up to this very day.  There is a passage of Scripture that speaks to this rebel mentality so well:  "In those days there was no king in Israel, so every man did what was right in their own eyes." Judges 17:6

The rebel spirit is alive and well within all of us.  Where there is no recognized spiritual authority, we just do what we want.  That rebel nature drives us to live just to please ourselves and refuse to let anyone tell us what is right or wrong.  Paul talked about the internal spiritual struggle that goes on within each of our hearts.  He called it a war.  In the Book of Romans Chapter Seven he describes it in these terms, "There is a war going on within me... a battle in my mind... a battle against what God wants for me, and what my flesh wants to do."  The Civil War ended in 1865, but the Rebel Spirit of our hearts still refuses to surrender.

It has been said that the Civil War was fought in ten thousand different places, ten thousand separate battles.  The same can be said of our walk with the Lord.  For the Christian everyday is a new battle.  Yesterday was a battle, today is a battle, tomorrow will be another battle.  Everyday we have to agree to surrender our will, our plans, our lives to the King.   As it says in Hebrews 11:13-16, when we gave our hearts in allegiance to our Savior we spiritually seceded from this worldly kingdom to become citizens of another country, a heavenly one.  

What battle are you in today?  It may be time to surrender and let Him govern that area of your life. What directive from your God has He given you to obey today?  If Jesus Christ is really your Commander and Chief  are you willing to obey orders?  What I have experienced in my life is this truth, when God is allowed to be victorious over an area of my rebellious spirit, it is in truth: a victory for me.