Battle Worthy Opponent

After a discussion with Seth (my son) recently and with my Monday night Bible study girls, I wrote this.  I think we all need reminded that we are in war. But praise be to God, we serve the King of Kings, the Creator of all!  I’m glad to be a soldier for Him.

As Christians - believing in Jesus Christ – we are in a battle between good and evil, light and darkness. This battle is called “spiritual warfare.”

The Word tells us to “put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the tactics of the devil.”  We know that the Light (Jesus Christ) will always outshine the darkness and the forces of evil, but we must be equipped and ready for battle as children of the Light.

Because we are children of the Light - in a spiritual battle, we will get attacked. Satan does not want us to live for God. He wages for our souls because we are “battle worthy opponents”.  He looks for ways to get us off track, to get us confused, to cause us to doubt, to get us depressed and to make us question God and even question what the Bible says.  The forces of evil are on the earth with us – constantly searching for opportunities to catch us off guard.   To be equipped to fight the spiritual battle we must spend time in His Word. “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

 Once we accept Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit as a gift from God. Based on the orders given by God, the Holy Spirit enters into battle through us. Being a Christian is a call to arms, but not in the earthly sense that we think of battle. We cannot fight spiritual warfare using earthly methods, or battle in the flesh. If we do, we will lose the battle. As soldiers of God, our commander in chief is El Elyon (The Most High). *I’m studying the names of God and love to use them.  By following His commands we demonstrate our faithfulness, obedience, trust and our willingness to follow His orders.

 One tactic the devil uses is to get us to fight on our own strength, because we are ineffective on our own. Instead, we must put on the “full armor of God,” which means that we must fight with the spiritual weapons and plans Jesus Christ has given us, not with our own will and strength. The battle is the Lord's and Jesus Christ alone has the wisdom and the strength to overcome evil and darkness.

To be ready for battle we must put on the full armor of God every single day. We do this by renewing our mind in the Word, which not only is the sword of the Spirit but is a "lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalms 119:105)  As the shining light, it gives us clear direction and instruction.

In Ephesians 6, verses 10-18 (which I like to read with boldness and confidence) it says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but is against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.   And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

We will enter into spiritual battle throughout our lives. These battles WILL give us opportunities to glorify and serve our commander-in-chief, Jesus Christ and we will see the good in them.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)   Once the battle is over, you WILL have a testimony to share. And I encourage you to share it.  Brag and boast about His goodness.  “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” ( Jeremiah 9:23-24)     

Lastly, keep this in mind from 2 Corinthians 4: 15-18. “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”