By Sharon Frame
For 10 years now, the U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan. Just about every week it seems young servicemen and women return home severely wounded, mentally scarred, or worse, in body bags. The screaming headlines remind us of the latest NATO airstrike or deadly suicide attack by Al Qaeda forces.
But there’s no word on the Network Evening News about an ongoing invisible war of epic proportion. It’s spiritual warfare that’s been raging since the fall of man. Carnal Christians not sober or on guard won’t likely notice this battle either. It’s a supernatural show-down you can’t see with the naked eyes. But it’s more real than what’s happening on the bloody afghan battlefield.
The day you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you were drafted into the army of the Lord and got licensed to “pack heat” to destroy the works of the enemy. But remember, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds.” We are called to enforce the victory Christ secured on Calvary. So you wonder why life can be so turbulent at times and why trouble seems to target your home address. Now you know. You are at war!
Ephesians 6:12 reveals details about the enemy: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Satan’s battle plan is to launch attacks against your mind. That’s always been the battlefield. His arsenal is stocked with weapons of mass destruction: doubt, depression, anxiety, fear and self-hate, just to list a few. They are all designed to hold you captive and living a faithless, defeated life. Why is that strategy so important to the enemy? A defeated Christian life flies in the face of God’s will and intention for you, His beloved. If we don’t stand firm as conquerors enforcing Christ’s victory secured through His death and resurrection at Calvary, what good is it?
It’s not enough to wear the “Christian” title. We must equip our minds for battle and dress to fight. The Apostle Paul spells out the rules of engagement in Ephesians 6:
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:14-19)
So fellow soldier, as the war rages, are you terrifying the devil? Part of our mission is to frustrate his battle plans. Through fervent and daily prayer, we can disrupt his evil schemes and uncover dangerous booby traps and land mines before they cause harm. We have the power to neutralize the devil. And he knows it.
So begin each day with a war cry! Get dressed every morning clothed in prayer. Don’t accept the enemy’s lies. Instead, declare the truth of God over your family, community and marketplace. Be quick to utilize the weapons of righteousness and faith to crush his cunning tactics.
Spiritual warfare is real. Don’t make the mistake of being on the front lines unarmed, underdressed and foolishly exposed to the enemy’s fiery darts. “Gird up the loins of your mind” and fight the good fight of faith. The enemy may win a few skirmishes, but he will never win the war. Our great Commander- In-Chief saw to that at Calvary.
Scripture Of The Day: "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." - 2 Corinthians 10:4 (ESV)
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