Spiritual War

 

Last night I dreamed about a huge gathering of people to honor soldiers. These were not ordinary military but those in the song, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching on to war…” the members of God’s family who had been actively resisting sin and the enemy of our souls. In the dream I was aged enough to be an observer who prayed rather than being part of the army whose fight involved more than prayer. Today I’m thinking how apt for the NT writers to liken Christian life to that of a soldier.

First we are enlisted by the Holy Spirit to join up. Some think we volunteer and offer ourselves, but if that is so, it is only because the Spirit has been calling and the ability to respond was His doing.

Once in His army, we may have stereotypes about how to live as a soldier, but mainly no clue how a genuine soldier is supposed to behave. Status wise, we are soldiers, but in experience we need to be trained, put through bootcamp before we really know much about it. Not only that, learning comes at different rates and with different ‘lessons’ depending on each person’s background and former habits. Unlike a military army, our Commanding Officer takes this into consideration. He does not insist that everyone looks and acts the same. We progress according to individual mentoring as He knows best.

Yet we do progress. Each one IS a soldier, no matter if one marches out of step or another salutes with the wrong hand. Our identity in the army of God is the same — we belong to Jesus no matter how much we know about how to act or even how to go to battle. One thing is certain:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

Sometimes a military person goes AWOL or drops out, or gets put out, but this is not true of God’s army. OT and NT believers are spoken of as God’s people who endure in faith and persist in obedience. Some “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:33–34) And “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:4)

As I read books like “Born for Battle” and “Praying the Bible” God impresses on me the hard work of being in His army is not physical service (as hard as it can be) but prayer. After times of fervent prayer, I can feel as exhausted as if I had spent the day tending to the needs of those who have nothing. The “foreign armies” are not other belief systems or anti-God people but:

“We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)

It is little wonder that the rest of Ephesians tells of the armor needed to fight this fight. If my head and heart are not protected by true thoughts, or if I’m not clothed in truth or using the Word of God which is my sword, I will experience no words to say, no perseverance in saying them in prayer or to others, and even no prayer at all. The enemy knows how to distract and disarm me, how to discourage and sidetrack me, even how to make me feel so tired that I’d rather sleep than do anything else, including battle him in prayer.

PRAY: Jesus, after years of civilian pursuits and trying to please myself or other people, You are putting my focus on my duties as Your soldier. Actually that dream was not quite the same as reality in Your army. Those who pray on the sidelines are warriors too, perhaps even in a greater sense than those more visible in ministry that involve physical effort in all sorts of serving. Right now, all I want is to be faithful in whatever You give me to do, not only in marching on to war, but making certain that Your cross and Your words go before to lead me, and that I am praising You and causing hell’s foundations to quiver. In this battle, the devil flees, and Your people are victorious and totally effective in defeating his lies and making You known. Amen!

Be Prepared

Today’s devotional is about being prepared for spiritual battles. While many of them involve outside forces that test my faith or try to ruin my testimony, I am experiencing one that is about my trust in God no matter what happens to me personally.

Yesterday was my son’s wedding. The reception was at one of the best restaurants in Canada. Hubby dropped me at the door and went to park our vehicle. It was dark in the foyer. The hostess led me toward the stairs down to the special room for wedding guests. I could not see well and stepped into air, thankfully turned sideways and rolled halfway down the curve staircase. My first thought was that nothing was broken, but intense pain kept me motionless for several minutes. Staff were there to help, bring ice, and their worries. I spent the rest of the evening watching the bruises appear and assuring family and friends that I was going to survive.

This morning, it still hurts to breathe or blow my nose, and the toes on my left foot are very colorful. A few other places hurt to touch, but the amazing part is that this seems as a normal part of life as making the bed or looking for my car keys. Challenging, inconvenient, but I’m not mad at myself or complaining.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10–11)

The Lord has been at work. A month of thinking about His love and caring more about others than myself showed up in this event. Would I be worried about me and agonize over the way my body feels? It may come later, but my mind is on the delights of this wedding, the fun everyone had, and the deeply touching words of love and respect for each other expressed by the bride and groom have completely over-shadowed my situation. All I can say is, “Thank You, Jesus.”

MacArthur says adequate preparation is the key to spiritual victory. He illustrates with a recent physical war, yet points to spiritual warfare as needing the same preparation. This passage in Ephesians begins with, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might” and a description of putting on the armor that God gives us to win those battles, many times against doubt and fear. A few days ago, I used a quote: “Let the promises of God shine on your problems.” That is impossible if I don’t know what those promises are!

This preparation for battle means never neglecting prayer, worship, Bible study, accountability, and the other disciplines of faith. I know Jesus can deliver me even if I’m totally helpless, but He tells me to not be content with ignorant helplessness. I’m to know who He is and how He works so when the devil throws doubts, fears, and threats my way, it is easy to rely on the Lord rather than get in a panic when the challenges come.

As today’s devotional says, Christ guarantees ultimate victory, but I can lose individual battles if I neglect being prepared. It’s even possible to lapse into periods of spiritual lethargy, indifference, impotency, and ineffectiveness, but that’s utterly inconsistent with what the NT says to those who serve the Lord:

This charge I entrust to you . . .  my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith. (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

PRAY: Lord Jesus, keep me alert to what is going on when I begin to focus on anything else but You and Your great power. Thank You for protecting me in those times when I didn’t have my armor on and showing me what was missing to better prepare me for battle. I am especially thankful for a month of focusing on Your love and how I can show it to others, and staying filled with those thoughts last evening even when my body is screaming at me to feel sorry for myself. You are utterly amazing.

PONDER: No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits (or worldly motivations or selfish thinking), since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. (2 Timothy 2:4)