Notes on The Enemy Within

Elements of the Heart

Elements of the heart. Mind, will, affections and conscience. All of these are unsearchable and deceitful above all things. p. 35

Wretched Man That I Am

Paul must have been as Christ-like as anyone can expect on this side of heaven and he surely spent his days putting his flesh to death and yet he still cried out for deliverance from this irreconcilable enemy wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death. Rom 7:24. p. 43

Popcorn or Prayer

Which is easier, to sit with a bucket of butter soaked popcorn and watch the latest Blockbuster on the big screen for 2 hours or to kneel and pray for 5 minutes. The Blockbuster wins nine times out of 10 because it has no competition. What the flesh hates is God so it resists anything that savors of God, especially communion with him. The flesh can curl up by our side and watch mindless movies all night long. But let even the Barest thought of meditations flutter into our minds and our flesh goes on Red alert before we get past “our Father”. Our eyes which were glued to the screen now swim in sleepiness and our attention, which was so locked on the plot now darts and dives like a minnow in a stream. p. 45

Mind, Affections and Will

The mind, affections and will are meant to work in harmony. Naturally and simply pleasing the Lord by thought compelling feeling and in turn manifesting action by the will. Of course, when we study our hearts carefully, we find that these three faculties don’t always work as a team. The fall has thrown them out of Harmony. Sometimes the affections can’t get excited about what the mind knows is good such as worshiping in the sanctuary when the weather is perfect for sailing, or the will seems powerless to follow the mind and affections like when we know we should love God with all our hearts and we want to but for some reason we just can’t. Still, the mind is designed to be the soul’s watchman, and deceit aims at the poison dart right at a gap in its armor. When the mind is persuaded to believe a sin is good for the soul and the affections work up an appetite for it, the will gives its consent and the dominoes fall. p. 52

The Wolverine

Our flesh won’t sit still for meditation and prayer. Any more than a fully conscious Wolverine will submit to the scalpel. The flesh resists with its last breath. Anything that savors of communion with God because it suffocates in his holy presence. p. 69

Enough Time

Think through this is it likely that God would call us to do more than he gives us time to do? No one who believes God is good and wise could answer yes. So when it seems we don’t have enough time to do our work or care for our families or love our friends and what ourselves to prayer meditation, the problem isn’t God’s Providence. The problem may be that we’ve taken on ourselves more than God expects or intends us to. p. 70