Beset with difficulties',

Back to The Christian's Pathway

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"Conflicts on the outside, fears within." 2 Cor. 7:5 

Says Peter, "if the righteous is saved with difficulty." 
The words clearly show that the Christian's pathway 
is beset with difficulties; and that it is not that easy 
work, which many seem to imagine, to get to heaven. 

How startling is the announcement—"For our struggle 
is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, 
against the authorities, against the powers of this 
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in 
the heavenly realms!" Christian! all the armed legions 
of hell are against you! And if, with all their combined 
energies, they can keep you out of heaven—out of 
heaven you will assuredly be! No diligence will be 
lacking on their part to draw you astray, and prevent 
you from ever reaching that blessed abode. And were 
you properly to realize the solemn fact that such 
mighty and malicious foes surround you, and that 
their sleepless aim and object is to effect your 
destruction—it would be impossible for you to 
be lukewarm or unconcerned! 

And then there is the flesh, with its deceitful lusts, 
which war against the soul. There is the world also, 
with its pomps and pleasures, its smiles and frowns! 
The world in various ways endeavours to win our 
affections; or by its cares to engross our thoughts. 
And saved we cannot be—
unless we overcome the world,
unless we crucify the flesh, and
unless we resist and defeat the devil.