Welcome to the Front Lines
Spiritual Battle
Recognize the Global Reality
If we profess to follow Christ, then we are involved in a spiritual war, whether we realize it or not. The Bible is clear on this: we are in wartime, not peacetime. This truth can be found all over Scripture: Hebrews 12:4 says that we are at war against sin; 1 Peter 2:11 talks about war taking place within our souls; Jude 3 speaks of the struggle for our faith; 2 Timothy 2:3 refers to Timothy as a soldier for the gospel; 2 Corinthians 6:7 and 10:4 mention the weapons that believers possess; finally, Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that “our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”
Every Christian is involved in a spiritual war, and his or her faith may be under attack in any number of ways. Sometimes the battle is for a marriage. Sometimes the battle is between a parent and a child. For many men today, their mind is a battleground for purity. As we saw in the previous section of 1 Timothy 6, there’s a battle to be fought against materialism in our consumer-driven culture. And, of course, there’s always the battle with unbelief and doubting God. Worry and despair seem to be unrelenting for some people. Needless to say, the Christian life is not an exercise in simply coasting along. And don’t think this struggle doesn’t apply to non-Christians. A spiritual battle is raging for their souls as well.
Followers of Christ should not take this spiritual battle lightly, for the enemy in this spiritual war is formidable. Martin Luther, in his well-known hymn “A Mighty Fortress,” said of Satan, the prince of darkness, “on earth is not his equal.” Satan aims to defame God’s glory, distort God’s gospel, and destroy God’s people. He wants to wreck your marriage, destroy your relationships, abolish your purity, attack your integrity, and at all costs keep you from knowing the glory of God and spreading the gospel of God. First Peter 5:8 describes the Devil as “a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” While it’s true, Christian, that your foe is not all powerful, you are still no match for him, regardless of how strong or smart you are. This enemy cannot be taken lightly.
We not only need to see that the enemy in this spiritual war is formidable but also that the scope of this spiritual war is universal. This battle is cosmic. It involves every language, every people, every nation, every tribe, every family, and every life, which means that involvement in this spiritual war is inevitable. You do not choose whether to be involved in it; your involvement began the day you were born. So you can’t just ignore it and hope to make it out alive. The Bible doesn’t say, “Ignore the Devil, and he will flee from you.” No, it says, “Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas 4:7). If you try to avoid this war, pretending there is no struggle to be had, then you will not stand. Spiritual retreat only leads to spiritual defeat. Don’t let that be you.
This war is universal and inevitable, and it’s critical that we prepare for it because the stakes in this spiritual war are eternal. The casualties are so much more than merely losing an arm or a leg; a casualty in this war means losing everything, even your own soul. It’s not too extreme to say that casualties of this war plunge into a hell of everlasting torment. That may sound overdramatic, but consider these realties: there is a God over this world who wants all people to be saved, and there is a god in this world who wants all people to burn in hell. There is a battle raging for your friends, coworkers, neighbors, and for all the peoples of the world. How we fight this battle has eternal implications. Satan does not want us to believe, live out, or spread this gospel. Is he succeeding in your life? Are you even aware that you’re at war?