The Briefing, Part II

The Inaugural Web Log Post (Part Second)

It seems that many of the “Christian soldiers” of today, including myself, have largely forgotten (or more often, ignored) the two charges given in II Timothy 2:3-4 (see Part I).  First, our indulging in our culture’s combination of general prosperity, the “go ahead, you deserve it” mantra, the endless parade of entertaining distractions, etc. has eroded our ability to even correctly identify true hardship, let alone battle through it. An example from my own life: Some time ago as I was happily humming to myself at work, a coworker overheard and briefly teased my about my “Bible hymns.”  He walked away and I thought to myself, “Well, it feels just fine to be mocked for my faith, I can take a little persecution.”  Persecution?  What was I thinking?  Spending years in an Islamic or communist prison for your faith in Jesus Christ, that’s persecution.  And yes, we each have our difficulties and struggles, many of them significant, but if we compare our lives to those of believers in more oppressive parts of the world, we must see that in many ways we’ve got it pretty easy.  They have the struggles common to all men, plus the threat of real persecution on top of that.  Secondly, we’ve lost our right focus: the glory of God and His call that we keep eternity (our own and that of those around us) in mind.  I’m constantly getting sidetracked by the world’s distractions, and not nearly often enough do I slow down and remember that seeking first the kingdom of God for myself and my family must be my ultimate goal.  It seems like this is a losing struggle for many of us, if there’s even a struggle still going on.  I am blessed and encouraged to know, and know of, some who are willing to stand for God’s truth regardless of the consequences, and who call us back to focusing on God’s kingdom; for the most part, however, this army looks too comfortable to draw any battle lines with the world.

I pray that God would open our eyes to the dangers of sleeping in the trenches. Husbands, fathers, and those preparing to some day take on those responsibilities: our loved ones are beside us and we are commanded to do everything in our power to protect them.  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (I Peter 5:8).  Don’t be fooled by the lack of physical weaponry in this warfare; this is deadly combat.  Bullets can destroy bodies, but lies can destroy souls.

If the Lord is willing, as time permits I hope to look at areas of faith and practice where skirmishes for the truth are taking place today within the church and within me.  I’d like to examine the ways we can defend  our families in a world hostile to true, uncompromising faithfulness to the Scriptures.  I want to echo the call to action given in Nehemiah 4:14, and encourage others (especially my own children) to do the same.  We will live our entire earthly lives in the midst of this spiritual war; the enemy is “the accuser of our brethren, the devil,” those who align themselves with him against our King, the lies they spread, and the sin in our own lives.  Although we are powerless against each of these enemies, God has said (Joshua 1:9): “Have not I commanded thee?  Be strong and of a good courage: be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  If God is for us, we truly have no one to fear, and no reason to doubt the final outcome; He will win this war, and we, by His grace, get to be a part of it.  Suit up!

“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.”  - II Corinthians 16:13