The Real Battle

     Sometimes it seems like all of life is a battle.  The apostle Paul told Timothy to “fight the good fight of the faith,” and to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”  A Christian does not fight because he wants to, but because he has to.

     Everyone experiences different kinds of battles in life.  Each type of battle has a different purpose.  In spiritual battles we must learn to resist the devil.  In situational battles we must overcome circumstances beyond our control and learn to trust God on a deeper level.  In emotional battles we learn to handle personal tragedies, family crises, and emotional traumas.  In moral battles we face the temptations and confusion of the world around us.  In intellectual battles we face the skepticism of our day.  We see the world becoming invaded with cults and false religions – each one claiming to offer solutions for all of our problems.  We must learn to confront this falseness with the truth of God’s word.

     All of the various types of battles in life have an underlying spiritual conflict.  Therefore we must be spiritually prepared for battle.  Like the apostle Paul, we are ordinary, weak human beings, but we must not use human plans and methods to win our battles.  We must use God’s mighty weapons, rather than those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds (2 Cor. 10:3,4).

     The visible difficulties confronting us are not the real enemy.  The real enemy is the devil and the evil spirits under his control – stirring up the divisiveness and unrest in the whole world.  Only with God’s power and God’s armor can we stand against the overwhelming numbers of evil spirits who rule so much of this world.  If we fight our daily battles using our own strength and our own methods, we will lose.  If we use every piece of armor that God has given us, we will survive.  Our belt is God’s truth.  Our breastplate is our relationship with God.  Our shoes are the Good News that there is peace in God.  Our shield is our faith in God, which can deflect any assaults from those who accuse or revile us.  Our helmet is our salvation through Jesus Christ and our sword is the Sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:10-17).

     Three times, Satan tried to tempt Jesus to sin.  Each time, Jesus responded only with God’s word (Matt. 4:4-10).  After three unsuccessful tries, the devil left him.  When we are attacked, we must respond in truth, confidence, and compassion – knowing who we are and discerning the true enemy.  Very often, the true attack is not from the person in front of us, but from the larger spiritual conflict in the world around us.

     Our only defense against the invisible, spiritual attacks against us is our relationship with God, His word, and His Holy Spirit.  “So give yourselves completely to God.  Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you.  Come near to God, and God will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8a NCV)