This new book entitled Daybreak by Nathan Ward, a professor
of Biblical studies at Florida College in Temple Terrance is healthy dose of
encouragement for any Christian who is serious about battling temptation. The book is a short one at 108 pages but is
full of sound wisdom about temptation, sin, Satan, and finding our hope in
Christ. The eight chapters are divided
up into three sections; the call (ch. 1-3), the enemy (ch. 4-5), and temptation
(ch. 6-8). In the book you find much in
the way of biblical exposition while Nathan also adds some practical paths to
follow in dealing with sin.
In his chapter on Satan, Nathan says some things that are
very important in the struggle with the evil one. He writes, “Although he does not come out and
say so, Satan is questioning the very goodness of God and painting Him a
miser. Perhaps most significantly, Satan
projects the picture of a false rivalry between God and man – that God is man’s
enemy and man needs to do something about it to rectify the situation. Rather than a gracious, beneficial creator,
God is seen as opposing man’s best interest” (50-51). The subtlety of man not fully believing in
the goodness of God and that God has man’s best interest in mind is damaging to
the relationship indeed. Sin is enticing
to us because it seems to promise us a satisfaction that can be found nowhere
else. Yet, in reality, sin brings about
only a destructive path of devastation in our relationships with God and each
other. Nathan is quick to point out that
we forget the abundant blessings God has given us when we obsess over the one
forbidden thing. At the end of the
chapter Nathan points us to God and that Satan is a defeated foe.
The chapter on Before the Battle is one of the most helpful
of the whole book. Nathan points out
that Bible characters like Daniel were able to face temptation because they
decided beforehand that they will walk with integrity and run from sin. Nathan writes, “In fact, those who are
consistently successful in overcoming temptation are so because they decide
well in advance of the temptation what they will do. They know ahead of time how they are going to
react when the temptation comes” (73).
If our confidence is found in our identity with Christ, then we know
that being tempted into sin pushes us to found our confidence elsewhere. Therefore, preparing our minds and hearts
beforehand for the action we will engage in when temptation comes is a recipe
for success in the midst of the battle. I
would add that this kind of action is based more upon an experiential knowledge
than just a cognitive knowledge. In
other words, if we have succumbed to sin in our actions, we know that this
experience leads to death. Therefore, we
know both in our minds and experience that walking with integrity leads to life
and so we act accordingly.
The only deficit in the book that I found was not enough of
a focus on how our union with Christ compels us to walk by grace through the
Christian life. The Bible constantly
witnesses that because we have been washed clean and been joined to Christ,
therefore, we no longer should engage in the activities of the flesh. The strength of battle against sin is not
certain by our own strength but upon the strength of our Savior, and this is
revealed to us in our union with Him.
Thanks to DeWard Publishing Company and Cross Focused
Reviews for the copy of this book in exchange for review.
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