We have learned a lot about warfare from letters that soldiers wrote to their loved ones back home. The Bible teaches that we are all involved in a war, a spiritual battle that takes place all around us. Ephesians 6:12 says,
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
If we could read a letter from the trenches from a soldier in God’s army, it might say something like this:
Another exhausting day. Because of the storm last night we found ourselves nearly ankle deep in mud as we marched in formation. We know the enemy is all around us, and the familiar sounds of gunfire and rocket blasts can be heard unceasingly. Occasionally someone in our company falls victim to these guerilla style attacks.
It only happens when someone wanders off from the group. Together we are strong. When we have our equipment we are invincible. But just this morning I saw a young man from our unit, couldn’t have been more than 18. He came out without his helmet and Kevlar vest. So cocky. Didn’t think he needed it. Our Commander told him to grab his gear but he laughed and said he was good. Now the chaplain has to notify his parents.
Our Commander warned us when we enlisted that all who desire to live godly in this army will suffer persecution. The conditions make me long for home, a home that I have never actually laid eyes on. But this is the home for which I fight, the home that I believe in. My orders are to rescue the perishing, to care for the dying, to deliver POWs that do not even realize they are prisoners to an enemy they have not identified.
Life in this army is not easy. Often we hear the call to attention, to fall out, to march on, to attack. Never do we hear “at ease,” but never do we hear “retreat.” We must be ever vigilant, and we must always keep our eyes on our Commander, the Author and Perfector of our faith. He has promised us victory if we will trust Him.
This is war. The enemy is real. But don’t worry about me. I have been given a secret weapon. Bigger than “the big one,” more explosive than anything the Manhattan Project could even dream. I have dynamite power, and greater is He who is in me than he who is on the side.
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