The devil wrestles with God, and the field of battle is the human heart.
~Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevski (1821-1881)
Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
~ from 2 Timothy 2
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Oh beloved, it is true. We are in a battle. There is a relentless contest for our minds and our actions and our affections. And as we stand in the full-armour of The LORD of Hosts, there is no danger of losing – but the fatigue of battle is real.
Just as we live free from lust, anger is launched at our gut.
As we let the anger pass by, doubt rears its head.
As we live in faith, division worms its way into our conversations.
As we mend brokenness, disease hacks at our health.
As we are healed, licentiousness calls our name.
As we remain true to Him, the siren of chemicals sings its song.
As we live free from addiction, fear screams for our attention.
As we let the fear pass through, laziness demands we lay down.
As we live diligently, pessimism whispers our pursuit is worthless.
And yet Hope remains.
The onslaughts of the evil one are all based on an arsenal that is limited. For evil is only that which destroys or corrupts something already good. So, evil is limited by what has been built by the good (and there is none good but G_d), thus while evil is limited – good is unlimited in its capability and scope. And it is from the Good we do, us soldiers of the Cross, fight.
And it is the truth of the limitation of evil that gives a human being an even greater understanding of the need to be properly prepared for battle. For if evil can triumph over a man, but not over good, it behooves the believer to decide most clearly from where he or she will gain the strength to stand against the multi-pronged attacks of the evil one.
Can we see it? It is the limitlessness of good and the G_d who is this good, which gives us the hope we need to continue forward towards the victory He has claimed for us. For even though the forces of evil never relent in their action, they fire without effect upon those who simply stand in the full-armour of G_d. The full-armour of G_d is not equipment simply fashioned strong and handed to us to figure out for ourselves. No, the full-armour is Him.
It is Him helmeting our head with His mighty salvation.
It is Him covering our vital parts with His righteousness.
It is Him, The Truth, holding it (and us all together)
It is Him, The Way, giving us peace and readiness to share the Good News.
It is Him, The Life, in whom we believe who shield and defends our lives.
It is Him, The Word, against Whose words, none may stand.
So beloved, are you under attack? Know this for sure: it will never end in this life. And this is very good news, for it reminds us that we are unable (and never will be able) to withstand these attacks on our own. But the even greater reminder is that The One who doth go before us, will not and cannot ever fail.
So, the question is (hopefully) very simple. Who are we are going to trust in this battle? Tonight is your night dear reader. Trust Him alone, and you could never lose a battle again.
