DOING BATTLE GOD’S WAY

                I have been praying a lot for our nation. It seems that we become more and more divided by the day. With every new statement by our President, there seems to be a new wave of protests. The current state of affairs can be very discouraging. What are we, as followers of Christ, to do?

                The Apostle Paul lived in difficult days. The Church was growing rapidly and spreading throughout the known world. With the growth of the Church came persecution; at times deadly persecution. Many people were tempted to fight back. Others were tempted to run away. Paul acknowledged that the Church was in a battle, but not the kind of battle the people thought. It was a spiritual battle, not a physical one. In response to the situation, Paul called the Church to do battle God’s way. What he wrote to the Ephesians applies the same to us today.

                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 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 saints. Ephesians 6:10-18

                The first thing that Paul tells us is that we need to draw our strength from the Lord. If we try to fight this battle on our own, we will quickly be defeated. Yet, through the strength of the Lord, we can stand. We do not have to live in fear of what might happen. We can be confident in God’s abiding presence. As God told Joshua, just before he led the people of Israel into battle, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

                In addition to resting in the Lord, we need to know who our real enemy is. Because we are concrete, tangible beings, we quickly turn on others as our enemies. It may be true that people who do not follow Jesus may oppose us, and even cause us harm, but they are not the enemy. Our real enemy is hiding in the shadows, using unsuspecting people as pawns in his deadly game. He is the master of deception and destruction. He will use whatever means are at hand to attack God by attacking God’s creation. We need to always be on our guard against his attacks. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)

                In order to resist Satan, we need to put on the full armor of God. Paul may well have been chained to a Roman soldier as he dictated these words. With a living example in front of him, he described the kind of armor needed to take our stand against Satan and his forces. Most of the armor that Paul describes is defensive. These are the things that we need to be able to stand our ground. Instead of running away from the battle or attacking wildly, we are to stand firm. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)

                Finally, Paul gives us two offensive weapons with which to defend ourselves: The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and prayer. The Bible keeps us focused and centered on Christ. It is our battle plan. It teaches us how to do battle God’s way. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

                Prayer is our means of changing our world. Prayer strengthens our relationship with God and with others. Prayer changes the way we view the world and the way we view ourselves. Prayer gives us confidence to face the challenges of life. Prayer unleashes the power of God into our world. In the spiritual battle of life, prayer is never a last option. It is our first and best offensive weapon against our enemy. So Paul tells us to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit and pray on all occasions about everything.

                It is easy for us to feel powerless in our world today. We may think that we could never really make a difference, but we can, if we will do battle God’s way.

Romans 8:31, 37-39 (NIV)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.