Live As Though
Nothing Else Matters
June 16, 2003
Every dark and evil character created to evoke
fear in readers and movie goers is only the devil's shadow. No
battle scene from the Lord of the Rings compares with the
ferocity of the angelic conflict. Even the dreaded Borg, of Star
Trek infamy, would be assimilated by the devil and his army of
demons. The masses slaughtered by Hitler, Lenin, and Stalin
represent a fraction of the lives destroyed by Satan.
Throughout the Bible men are urged to fight the
enemy, do battle, and wage war. We've not been placed in a
spiritual Disneyland and told to "have fun." By birth we've
entered a battlefield. By rebirth we've enlisted in God's army
as warriors of light.
The conflict is spiritual and the battle is for
your heart--the core of your being that serves as the center of
your intellect, emotion and will. The enemy wants to capture
your affection and direct your will. He seeks to destroy you and
your family. If you lose this battle, not only is strategic
ground lost, but even worse, you align yourself with the enemy.
No weapon of the enemy has worked better than the
barrage of propaganda that hammers away at our thinking and
convinces us we're not warriors. It urges us to kick back and
watch the world pass by like a parade. Such passivity reeks of
danger. It's a vampire that sinks its fangs into our neck and
redirects our loyalty to the dark side. It sucks out our
spiritual lifeblood so we live like anemics drained of God's
power.
We must wake up. We can no longer deny the essence
of our being and the reality of the angelic conflict in which
we're combatants. As God's warriors we must live as though
nothing else matters compared with knowing him. We must discover
the secret of masculine strength that's rooted in Christ. Paul
spoke of this when he encouraged us to, "Be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).
Make no mistake about it, you're in a war. The
good news is as a follower of Christ you have his infinite power
to assure your victory. You're responsibility is to trust in him
to fill you with his power during your daily conflicts. When you
do that, you're not just a warrior; you're a warrior whose
victory is guaranteed.
|
