What would you say to the statement that God’s purpose for your life is for you to struggle well? That it’s about driving the evil dictator out of your heart and establishing the true King so you can overcome the deceptive strategies of sin aimed specifically at your weaknesses that bend your behaviors to broken ends? That in our living we must both flee some things and pursue others?
Bible Gateway interviewed Ben Stuart (@Ben_Stuart_) about his book, Rest & War: Rhythms of a Well-Fought Life (W Publishing Group, 2022).
What is the message you’re conveying at the start of your book by saying the atmosphere has changed and we need to adapt to survive?
Ben Stuart: Shifts in the atmosphere of society have had a profound impact on our vibrancy and on the way we interact with God, one another, and ourselves. But because these changes are in the atmosphere, we can’t see them. But we feel them. Recent data backs this up: there’s something about modern life that doesn’t promote human flourishing.
Anxiety and depression are on the rise, particularly among young people. Increased political and philosophical polarization incites fear, uncertainty, and anger. The constant comparison of our lives with others’ pristine presentations online fill us with discouragement.
And the irresistible lure of our screens means we’re constantly soaking our minds in this polarization and comparison, which feeds our stress and despair.
In the midst of this ever-present anxiety, many traditional buffers to stress have been removed. So, in this atmosphere of relentless restlessness and shallow social connections, addictions have arisen to new heights.
Life can feel like a struggle because it is! This is why we need to learn how to struggle well.
How does Jeremiah 6:16 speak to your point?
Ben Stuart: Centuries ago, Jeremiah looked upon a generation that felt unsure of where to turn in the midst of crises and uncertainty. He declared: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. (ESV).” I believe many today are standing at a crossroads asking if there’s a good way forward. And I want to show them the ancient path that leads to rest for our souls.
What do you mean by your book’s subtitle, Rhythms of a Well-Fought Life?
Ben Stuart: That’s a good question, because we were very intentional in choosing this subtitle.
The Scriptures shout to us that spirituality occurs in the context of adversity.
C. S. Lewis declared, “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what the world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in his great campaign of sabotage.”
We’re in a fight! Yet it’s a fight in which our King has won the decisive victory. And because he’s been victorious, so can we. We haven’t been freed from the struggle; rather, we’ve been freed for the struggle. We were only victims to the machinations of sin before. Now we can be victors. But there are strategies to devise, tactics to employ, and battles to be fought. We need to learn how to struggle well.
What did Jesus come to destroy?
Ben Stuart: 1 John 3:8 says, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (NASB). All the way back in Genesis 3 we’re told that the seed of the woman would one day come to crush the head of the serpent. As much as Jesus is presented in the Scriptures as a lamb or a shepherd, he’s also called a warrior. His arrival was a landed invasion. And it was a rescue operation. Early in his ministry he declared he was here to “proclaim release to the captives” (Luke 4:18 NASB). Paul declares that Jesus’ death on the cross disarmed the rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15). And that he delivers us from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son (Colossians 1:13).
What do you mean we are free to fight and fight well?
Ben Stuart: For those who are in Christ, the spiritual life is one movement with two parts. It consists of a movement away from actions and ways of thinking and living that isolate us from intimacy with God. And it also consists of a movement toward ways of thinking and living that promote intimacy with God.
The traditional word for this is sanctification, the process of being made more holy or set apart: away from some things and toward someone. Theologians had words for each of the parts: mortification—mortifying or putting to death ways of thinking and living. And vivification—cultivating and nurturing God-honoring ways of thinking and living. It’s like pulling up weeds and planting grass.
Paul commends this rhythm to the Colossians when he says, “Set your mind on things that are above” and “put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:2, 5 ESV). Similarly, Paul told Timothy, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 ESV).
How are we to “understand the enemy’s playbook” as you explore that theme in chapter four?
Ben Stuart: In the classic book The Art of War, Sun Tzu states, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. . . . If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” In his epistle, James provided a marvelous breakdown of how temptation works on each of us. When we’re equipped with an understanding of the enemy’s strategies to tempt us, we’re empowered to employ our own strategies to counter it.
What role should the Bible play in a person’s “rest and war”?
Ben Stuart: That is not a quickly answered question, but I’ll try! According to James, God “brought us forth by the word of truth” (James 1:18 ESV)! It’s through the proclamation or reading of the Word of God, the good news of what he’s done on our behalf in Jesus, that brings us to life! James also refers to the Word of God as the “implanted word” (1:21 ESV). God has placed a desire and inclination for his Word in us! Paul called it, “the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV). And as we peer into the word, what James calls “the law of liberty” (1:25 ESV) it fills our minds with thoughts of God to aid in stirring our affections for God, so we can live a life in the pursuit of God! Paul tells us, ”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV).
What do you want to accomplish with this book?
Ben Stuart: This book is a field guide for the spiritual life. It contains ancient methods of transformation transposed into a modern key. My hope is to equip believers to walk elegantly through the battlefield of life.
What is a favorite Bible passage of yours, and why?
Ben Stuart: That’s another tough question! At the moment, I would say Hebrews 12:1–6 (ESV).
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”
I love the clear call to cast off all that entangles and to run the race determined by God for each of us. I love that we’re called to fix our eyes on Jesus, who blazed the trail for us all the way to the end. And I love the encouragement that, as we contemplate him it will keep us from getting fainthearted when life gets hard. And I love that it closes by telling us that we struggle as children who are dearly loved by our Father.
What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App and Bible Audio App?
Ben Stuart: Bible Gateway is an incredible resource I hope everyone will tap into. I love the accessibility and ease of use, pretty much every translation you’ll ever need, and access to some of the best commentaries. What an amazing gift to the world.
Rest & War is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Bio: Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church, Washington, DC. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served for 11 years as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries, a weekly Bible study attended by thousands of college students on the campus of Texas A&M. Ben earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. Ben and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime. They live in the District of Columbia with their three kids, Hannah, Sparrow, and Owen.
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