A people at war...
Are we a people at war? This came up in one of the groups I've been hanging around in and I thought it was a weighty enough matter to bear more consideration.
I have been a bit frustrated in recent times because I perceive a trend in those around me to "forget" that we are at war.
As a nation, we "forget" that we are at war with terrorism. The wisdom of said war is irrelevant. The truth is, our soldiers are fighting and DYING daily - and we "forget"?!? How much is their sacrifice worth if it means so little to so many in their country? We have daddies, husbands, brothers, sons, cousins and best friends witnessing horrible things in places with little to no comforts and much fear. They are there because they serve our country and the rights and freedoms for which it stands. They will fight when this nation tells them to fight, regardless of how they feel about the specific battle, because they SERVE this peoples and OBEY the rulers that it has chosen for itself. They deserve to have more of the conscious thoughts, concerns and prayers of our nation.
Likewise, it seems to me, that we as Christians are not really considering ourselves to be at war with Darkness. I always understood Eph. 6 to say that I am to don the armor of God and to be ready to fight evil. Unless I have misunderstood that passage, I think we need to remember that we are warriors in God's army, armed with His armor and sword. The people we encounter are either people we can teach Truth and bring to Christ to join the fight for what is Good and Holy or they are servants of the evil one against whom we must be prepared to defend ourselves in the name of our Lord.
Christ DIED for the cause of Truth and Light and we "forget" that we are at war. How much respect does that show for His sacrifice?
Then again, I guess it's possible for a person to still "fight the good fight" without thinking of it as a battle. For me, when I recognize the evil influence of a song on the radio or a commercial on TV and turn it away, I have repulsed an enemy trying to infiltrate my stronghold. When I recognize in myself a temptation to sin and consciously force myself back into the way of Righteousness, I have shielded myself from an arrow of the enemy.
These are my visual images. I see myself as constantly at battle. It helps me to feel stronger and to have more courage. I am fighting to protect my soul and those of my children.
Sometimes, the battle puts me in situations of extreme discomfort where diplomacy is difficult and perhaps eventually impossible. At those times to think of myself at war and the stakes as being DEATH for myself or my children, I suddenly find that mother bear roaring inside of me and I can say NO even to someone whose opinion means the world to me. Your good opinion of me may mean the world to me, but God's good opinion means eternity to me and when I recognize tempatation or sin coming after me or my children, I will fight!
Now, don't I sound like some member of a strange cult? :P
I have been a bit frustrated in recent times because I perceive a trend in those around me to "forget" that we are at war.
As a nation, we "forget" that we are at war with terrorism. The wisdom of said war is irrelevant. The truth is, our soldiers are fighting and DYING daily - and we "forget"?!? How much is their sacrifice worth if it means so little to so many in their country? We have daddies, husbands, brothers, sons, cousins and best friends witnessing horrible things in places with little to no comforts and much fear. They are there because they serve our country and the rights and freedoms for which it stands. They will fight when this nation tells them to fight, regardless of how they feel about the specific battle, because they SERVE this peoples and OBEY the rulers that it has chosen for itself. They deserve to have more of the conscious thoughts, concerns and prayers of our nation.
Likewise, it seems to me, that we as Christians are not really considering ourselves to be at war with Darkness. I always understood Eph. 6 to say that I am to don the armor of God and to be ready to fight evil. Unless I have misunderstood that passage, I think we need to remember that we are warriors in God's army, armed with His armor and sword. The people we encounter are either people we can teach Truth and bring to Christ to join the fight for what is Good and Holy or they are servants of the evil one against whom we must be prepared to defend ourselves in the name of our Lord.
Christ DIED for the cause of Truth and Light and we "forget" that we are at war. How much respect does that show for His sacrifice?
Then again, I guess it's possible for a person to still "fight the good fight" without thinking of it as a battle. For me, when I recognize the evil influence of a song on the radio or a commercial on TV and turn it away, I have repulsed an enemy trying to infiltrate my stronghold. When I recognize in myself a temptation to sin and consciously force myself back into the way of Righteousness, I have shielded myself from an arrow of the enemy.
These are my visual images. I see myself as constantly at battle. It helps me to feel stronger and to have more courage. I am fighting to protect my soul and those of my children.
Sometimes, the battle puts me in situations of extreme discomfort where diplomacy is difficult and perhaps eventually impossible. At those times to think of myself at war and the stakes as being DEATH for myself or my children, I suddenly find that mother bear roaring inside of me and I can say NO even to someone whose opinion means the world to me. Your good opinion of me may mean the world to me, but God's good opinion means eternity to me and when I recognize tempatation or sin coming after me or my children, I will fight!
Now, don't I sound like some member of a strange cult? :P
i hope everything is going good for y'all!