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Lou Coleman
By Lou Coleman
Whether you know it or not there is a tremendous war raging around us in the Spiritual realm. The battle is on-going. It is not on our terms. We don’t decide when we want to fight or when we want to withdraw. The Bible clearly shows that God will ultimately win the war, but until that time the battle will continue to rage. Prepare for battle for we have been called to war—one in which the ultimate stakes hang in the balance. There is effort involved—energy must be expended. The reward—eternal life! You must allow nothing—no entanglements or distractions—to avert your attention. In order to win this war there are three common enemies that we must face before we go into battle. These mighty foes are in league against us. They are crafty, cunning and lurking about, ready to attack at every opportunity. They seek to confuse and overwhelm us and wear us down. Their ultimate goal is to kill us, to take away eternal life. These three enemies are self, society and Satan. Every ounce of energy and effort must be put forth to gain victory over them.
Our first deadly enemy, self. Our carnal human nature with all of its inordinate lusts. As 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, “As long as we are in the flesh, we will have to battle our carnal human nature” because our natural mind is a stronghold against God. It does not want to be conquered; it does not want to submit to the will of God. It is the enemy of God and is even against the very knowledge of God. It wants—and will try—to destroy you! The self wants to do its own thing and think its own thoughts. It will cleverly rationalize all it wants to do. It is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” and seeks only to bring forth the works of the flesh. It wants us to violate God’s Spiritual law, enticing us to sin. By doing this, it can cut us off from God. Unless we successfully wage and win the war against self—it will destroy us! We must “[cast] down every imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and [bring] into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” It is an ongoing battle for control of our mind—a battle that we must win at all costs! Our second deadly enemy, this presents evil age. The society that surrounds us. All it has to offer looks very appealing, alluring and glamorous. It brims over with the latest electronic gadgets, trendy clothing, fast cars, pleasures, thrills, excitement, and on and on. This world appears to be wrapped with everything that glitters and is gold, because it is built upon and motivated by the products of human nature—vanity, lust, greed, etc.— in which we are naturally drawn to it and, if not on guard, caught up in it. Yet, this is what our attitude toward society should be: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” We must carefully examine our ways to see if they conform to God’s ways or the ways of this world. Take this admonishment to heart—your life depends on it! Our third great deadly enemy, Satan the devil. As the “god of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air,” he works in the children of disobedience and injects his attitudes into their unsuspecting minds. What we have to realize and know is that we are not alone in our daily Christian warfare. As a spiritual army, we have the greatest Commander-in-Chief possible—God the Father. He has called us—drafted us—into His army to fight against our three great enemies {self, society, Satan.} He has not left us defenseless, unable to fight against our foes. He has given us the most powerful force in the universe, His Spirit, which is available to us at all times. Our orders come from the “Captain of [our] salvation” and the “Author and Finisher” of our faith—Jesus Christ. And as our Captain, Christ will lead and help us in battle, and to absolute victory.
Our Armor – like any good battlefield commander, Christ has thoroughly equipped His army with tried and tested battle gear. It is essential that you know what each piece of this armor is and what it is used for, and to never go into battle without it. Neglecting or forgetting any part will leave you exposed and unprotected. Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with Truth. This is a critical piece of the Christians armor. Having our loins “girt” with the truth protects and insulates us from the fiery darts of the devil. Truth must be firmly secured about our waist—attached to it is the breastplate of righteousness and hanging from it is the sword of the Spirit. Losing any part of the truth leaves the breastplate of righteousness loose and allows the sword of the Spirit to fall on the ground. If this happens, we are leaving ourselves exposed to fatal injury. The Breastplate of Righteousness is obedience to God’s commandments which brings automatic blessings and protection from God. The Gospel of Peace is the good news of the soon-coming, world-ruling kingdom of God—to be established when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords, bringing true and lasting peace to a tired, dying and hopeless world. The gospel provides a solid footing, allowing us to dig our heels in and stand our ground against our enemies. The Shield of Faith is the faith of Jesus Christ and it is this faith that enables us to conquer and overcome. This faith will see us through the many trials and temptations that Satan throws in our path. It is a defensive weapon that grows ever larger and stronger with diligent use, eventually covering our entire body. The Helmet of Salvation is the knowledge of what salvation is, what it involves, how to achieve it, what it is all about—the purpose of human life. Being armed with this helmet guards us against the blows of the enemy. It protects against the feelings of doubt and depression that Satan desperately wants to inject into our minds, in an all-out effort to cause us to give up. Without the helmet of salvation, we will fail to remember why we were born—and we will also forget what we are fighting for! The Sword of the Spirit is the written Word of God. This is the only offensive weapon a Christian has in fighting the devil and his devices. While it may appear to be the same as being girded with the truth, it is slightly different. Hanging from the truth, all of God’s Word—it is drawn from it, cutting the enemies’ strategies and tactics to pieces. Every soldier of Christ must master the use of this weapon, keeping it firmly in hand. After we have put on the armor of God, Paul’s final instruction to us is to “[Pray] always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit… This is the final thing we must do in the battle against all our enemies. We must draw close to God in persevering, fervent prayer, asking for more of His Spirit, His help and His protection—along with the strength, desire and determination needed to fight each and every battle. If we faithfully, diligently adhere to the commander’s orders, we can and will win the war for His glory. God is rooting for us….Call to Arms!
