Most of us have never seen a real, live war. We’ve heard about it, we read about it, we watched on TV, in a documentaries or a movie, but never have we been on the forefront of battle. Neither have we experienced the hardships of living in a war-torn country where conflicts take place in our own towns. We become used to living in relative physical ease and comfort, we have become blinded to the tragedy suffered by millions do to war. We forget what real hardships is.
We also forget that we are in a spiritual war. Some of us forget or don’t realize that we are soldiers, and as soldiers if we stop fighting, we lose our effectiveness as Christians in this world.
We have to accept the difficult reality of our identity: if we are Christians, then we are soldiers.
Being a soldier is hard, It is even harder for those of us whom God calls not only to be soldiers, but to be an officers, a lieutenants, a captains, a majors, a colonel or a general in God’s army.
As soldiers we have orders to follow, we find one of the most important ones in
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NIV)
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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.
Just as there are many branches of the military each with their own responsibility, so it is with us – we cannot succeed in holding our posts and fulfilling God’s commands if we are not training for war.
1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
Yet, for all the difficulty involved in our calling, there is a reward. We do not fight for sake of fighting alone – we fight for love, truth, goodness and beauty. We fight to save souls, glorify Jesus, and remind people there is still good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.
So, how do we train for battle?
Prayer:
Fasting:
Helps you to learn to control myself, to deny yourself from giving into impulses, and to be more attentive and obedient to the Lord. Fasting is meant to strengthen our spiritual self-control!
The Bible:
This is the Sword of the Spirit. If we don’t study His word, we’ll never know how to fight our battles. We’ll forget the battles He’s already fought for us, and lose courage in the ones coming up ahead.
Praise:
This is one of the most potent weapons in overcoming negativity and selfishness. Praise is not something we feel – it is an attitude we choose. It is our thinking, speaking, writing, singing words that remind our weary selves of who God is. It is taking our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances and placing them on Him.
When the enemy wants nothing more than to drag us down into a sinkhole of sin, depression, despair, or complaining, praise gets our focus right again and reminds us that God is really true, good, and beautiful - He loves us, He has not forgotten us, and He is strengthening us to fight these battles.
You may be tempted to think, “But I’m a princess – I don’t want to fight! I want it all done for me. Isn’t that what Jesus did?”
Yes, we are royalty – but royalty bears with it the price of responsibility. We are not our own. Jesus gave His life for our freedom, but now He has asks us to “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:3) and to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:13).
Let’s take this life seriously, putting on the armor of God, training ourselves in spiritual warfare, and engaging in the battle.
God Bless, Israel
Very inspiring, Thank you!