There is a Battle to Fight

The very idea of War is most unpleasant to the majority of people.  Thoughts of death, torture, violation, murder, unrest, destruction, loss, fear, dread, uncertainty, and struggle are very unpleasant thoughts that are associated with War.  I venture to say as long as the Lord allows this earth to continue there will always be ongoing War.  Deep seeded hatred for a certain group of people a contributing factor in driving the development and continuation of War and this world seems to be overtaken by this kind of hatred.  Men seeking their own desires and lusts will always be opposed by other men of different self-serving motives and therefore there is and will continue to be conflict between men.  War is seemingly inevitable.  Physical War is certainly destructive and you can make your own decision about how you feel toward the idea of fighting in a physical earthly war.  But as Christians we must understand that another War is raging among all mankind. 

 This war has been ongoing for mankind from Adam and Eve’s confrontation with and introduction to their enemy, the serpent, in the Garden of Eden.  There are no guns, planes, tanks, grenades, missiles or physical weaponry used in this war.  This war is not fought on land, sea, the desert sands, in the mountains, or caves of this earth but it is fought on the Battleground of Man’s Heart.  This is why I chose the title Battleground.  We must all equip ourselves with the weapons and tools that the Lord has given us to use in this War so that the evil, which is in us, is overcome by the wonderful spirit that the scriptures instruct us to have.  Through this series we will identify the weapons that we can utilize, and also understand the plan that God has set forth for you and I to follow so that we can be faithful and fight the battles of sin everyday.  The Lord desires us to be successful in this effort and we certainly have the ability, through Jesus Christ, to overcome and be victorious against anything that our enemy may fight against us with. 

This battle is very complex in scope and theory because of its magnitude and impact and the nature of this war.  Because every person on this earth is involved in one way or another in this Great War.   If there is a battleground, that means that a War is going on, and if a War is going on then someone is fighting, and if someone is fighting they are fighting for a purpose.  The lines have been drawn and you are occupied in this War whether you like it or not.  The key participants in this War are Satan, God, and you! Satan who is crafty and very dangerous who operates through Sin and desires nothing more than to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) battling against God who is all powerful and desires that none perish but that all would come to repentance (II Peter 3:9) and accept his offer of eternal life through his Son Jesus Christ.  And finally, there you stand.

You must fight evil everyday, with every decision that you make, whether to obey the Lord and live a spiritual life guided by Jesus Christ and his example or to give in to the fleshly lust that we all have and struggle with.  This cannot be used as an excuse to justify sinful behavior before God therefore we always battle the inward war between our flesh and the spirit that the Lord desires for us to have.  I want all of us to continue to fight and never, never, never give up and concede defeat in this War.  I Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

The ultimate war between good and evil and you have a vested interest in the outcome of this War because the prize that is sought is your eternal destiny and soul.  Satan knows that he cannot defeat God in the big scheme of this war, for Christ was victorious over him by his resurrection but small battles for the souls of men continue to rage on.  You are one of these souls.  Your family members souls are at stake, the neighbor, the teacher, the classmate, your co-workers, the doctor, the waitress, the best friend that your are scared to lose by mentioning the Lord, every person you meet has something to lose in this war.  You cannot remain a neutral third party during this war.  So I close with asking this question:  Are you in the fight, on the frontline, on your own Battleground?

 

II Corinthians 10:2-5

2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Chase Palmer