the battle...

Ever feel like the enemy (satan's bunch) just kicks the door in and starts opening fire with a semi-automatic, seemingly bringing destruction to every place the weapon points, yet you don't have a clue that you've even been attacked until the fight's over and you find yourself in a mess? 

I felt like this today. Made me so mad when I realized I'd been had and didn't do a thing about fighting back.  Just to clarify before I start into this thing, I don't believe that every tough thing is a battle or that there is a demon behind every door, or that we have to always be on the lookout in fear of what the God-haters will do in the spiritual realm.  Honestly, sometimes I think we can give those crafty schemers WAY too much credit.  Sometimes.  Other times, there needs to be a realization that it is part of being human and facing temptation.  It isn't necessarily a bad thing if it is building up good things in us as God's kids.  Still other times, we fail to realize that there is even a battle raging; a battle between the Image Bearers of God and the one who wanted to be God - satan's attack is on us.  We think we are just doing something wrong, failing again, thinking wrong thoughts which lead to wrong actions.  I'm not just speaking of temptation in the sense that we are drawn to do something that is sin.  Though that is included, I'm talking about a wider, more broad sense of attack.  I guess in a large sense it does involve being tempted to not believe God but sometimes the enemy seems to blow through at such a rapid pace that it seems you don't even know what hit you.
I've been thinking a lot about fighting and battles lately.  In my own walk with God, I have sensed that this is something He is teaching me; He's training me to fight.  I absolutely know that my God fights for me.  Always has and always will.  But, He also wants to train me to engage in the battle.  The Holy Scripts talk so much about it; it's evident that we're in a war zone.  I'm so glad to know the end of the story and to know that it won't always be this way, that one day our God is gonna totally pull out the brass knuckles and go to town on some boys that deserve a tale whippin'! That might be the understatement of the century, but you get it.  In the meantime, I really think that He training me up as a princess warrior to see some victory.  It's tough right now because I feel like a pansy who just doesn't want to fight - which is true.  But if God thinks this is best, then I guess to boot camp we go.
It's not that I don't know how to fight at all.  I know that prayer and being in God's Word as part of a relationship with Christ is crucial to winning.  For sure. And I'm not necessarily saying that there is anything more or less that is needed.  The thing I am certain of is that whatever it takes to fight and to fight well God has it! I think for the most part I know how to fight those temptation battles, not saying I always do but I at least know what it looks like to fight and win.  Seems like the heat in these battles are turning up though.  The ones in those....I guess surprise attacks that knock you on your butt and make you wonder how you survived with that many shots being fired.  
Maybe I'm just still in the middle of this and can't quite get my mind around it...yet. I know that God will be faithful as He promised and I so want to be trained to fight well and wisely.  In the meantime, I'm quite thankful that I am protected my Him even when I feel like I have been terribly assaulted.  God, please teach me and train me up; show me what it's supposed to look like to engage in these battles and see victory in Jesus name.

 

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