On War

Make no mistake, you are at war. Make no mistake.

Don’t let the mundane activities of the moment, the din of daily news, the tedious tasks of the week fool you. You are at war.

Satan and his hounds of hell hate what you are doing and the One you serve. They exert their eternal energies to discourage, disrupt and destroy you, your family and your congregation.

Following Jesus is not for faint hearts or squeamish stomachs.

Before you go any further in this letter, read Ephesians 6:10-18. Go on. Read it.

Training

Soldiers must commit themselves to a life of training. Soldiers’ training only begins in basic training.  That’s why it’s called “basic training.” The initial training for soldiers only gets them started. They must continue throughout their time of service to train for battle. They must work to keep in shape, learn new techniques for battles, practice old ones. They must study the history of war. They must study emerging enemy tactics. Trust me; you did not get all that you needed for Christian battle in confirmation class or a new member class.

Commit yourself to being trained and training others. Be hard on others; be harder on yourself. You are at war.

• Spiritual training is a must: Bible reading above all, relentless prayer, fasting, tithing (this forestalls divided loyalties), solitude, celebration, et al.
• Physical training counts too. Do not underestimate the physical challenges of spiritual warfare.  Make sure that you address the Big Four: exercise, diet, alcohol and sleep.

Comrades

Only fools fight alone. Build strategic relationships with other soldiers in the Lord’s army.

Make sure that you have two or three people in your life who will relentlessly hold you accountable and encourage you in battle. This may be a spouse, a prayer partner, a sibling, or a fellow congregation member.

View being part of your congregation as a strategic alliance. Work to build and maintain harmony and concord with and within your congregation. Internal skirmishes in a congregation and between congregational members eviscerate the fighting force. Apathy is even worse. You need the congregation; it needs you.

Consider other local Christian congregations as comrades. Like allies in World War II we can maintain our “spiritual nationality” and still fight a common enemy. You do not have to become a Baptist to appreciate that they too are out in the community for Jesus. Nor is it necessary to “cure” them of being Baptist before you go into battle with them. Americans did not have to become Brits nor did Brits have to become Americans to wage battle against Germany. If the local Baptist congregation is taking it to the enemy in one area of ministry, let’s celebrate that and not compete with it. Spiritual warfare necessitates Christian congregations celebrating not competing with each other’s ministries.     

Boredom

War like football is characterized by lots of inaction. In a sixty minute football game the ball is in play only about eleven to twelve minutes. War is like that too. There is a lot more sitting, waiting, thinking than there is actual action.

Football players and warriors must fight boredom and stay vigilant.

Think about that Thursday night in the garden with the looming Good Friday battle. Where do we find the most famous soldiers in all Church history? Sleeping, nodding, dozing.

Jesus enjoined them to watch and pray.

So much of what we Christians do is routine. So little of what we do day by day seems to move the ball down the field in a meaningful way. 

Beware boredom. Be vigilant. Watch. Pray. This is no game. You are at war.

Courage

They say dogs smell fear. When passing by a snarling dog, you don’t want him to know you are sacred.

Courage man! 

Satan is no dog; he is a prowling lion seeking whom he may devour.

Courage man!

Think of words associated with “Christian.” What words come to mind? Faithful? Kind? Knowledgeable? Loving?

If you are going to make it in discipleship you better add one more focal point: courage.

Confidence

Confidence gives rise to courage.

Find courage through confidence in Jesus. Remember: greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Remember: the one who created the heavens and the earth holds you in the palm of his hand.  Remember: you do not need to fear the one who only has power to kill the body and nothing more.  Remember: in Christ you are already more than a conqueror.

And so… into battle. Make no mistake, you are at war.