We’re in a spiritual war every day whether we recognize it or not, and if we ignore the Bible’s exhortation to fight the good fight we’ll inevitably become a casualty.
As soon as Jesus was resurrected, after triumphing over Satan and taking the keys to death and Hell away from him He had the legal right to completely reclaim the earth Adam had given over to Satan. But He didn’t do it.
Have you ever asked yourself why didn’t Jesus set everything right when He was here? Maybe you haven’t asked this question specifically, but have you wondered, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or “Why do evil people seem to prosper?” or the classic, “Why did fill in the blank have to get cancer, get hurt, die, etc. ?” If you’ve asked any one of these questions or any one of the million variations you’ve asked, “Why didn’t Jesus set everything right when He was here?”
Here’s the short answer; He didn’t do it because if He had there would’ve been no opportunity for us to make the faith choice to join Him in His work of ruling all things. As a matter of fact, if He’d taken it all back more than two thousand years ago we never would’ve been born let alone have the opportunity to be born again.
As we fight our battle against the darkness in this world we have to realize we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. And since this is the case, we need to use the weapons that God provides not the weapons we can devise. For though we walk in the flesh, we don’t war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare aren’t carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
And all this depends on what we decide to do with our salvation. Are we going to be secret agent Christians hiding our light under a bushel so we can go along to get along? Or, are we going to be bold warriors for Christ doing our best to share what isn’t just good news but is in fact the best news ever?
Once we’ve made the quality decision to spend our lives, the lives God has given us, sharing the light which is the light of the world with those lost in the darkness, we’ll find ourselves standing in a hurricane of resistance. The assaults of the enemy, the assaults of the world, of our families, our friends, the government, the culture will try their best to knock us down and knock us out. But we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and no matter how strong the headwind against us we must do our best to stand our ground.
And having done all to stand we need to stand therefore, having truth as a belt around our waist, putting on a bulletproof vest made of righteousness, stepping into shoes designed to deliver the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith with which we’ll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. If we forget any of this armor, we can’t expect the enemy to play fair and not attack us in that area. We can’t say, “Don’t hit me there I’m not prepared.”
Yes, in the world we will have tribulations but we can be assured Christ has overcome the world.
Years ago, I wrote a song that expressed all this in a slightly more artistic form:
When we see the darkness all around us
We don’t wring our hands and cry about sin
We just light one candle it will burn by faith
Then we ask the Holy Ghost in.
It’s a battlefield brother
It’s a battlefield sister
It’s a battlefield not a recreation hall.
There’s nothing that the enemy can do or say
That could make me give up on God
And when I’m tested, I know I’m never tested
More than what I’ve got to handle the job.
It’s a battlefield brother
It’s a battlefield sister
It’s a battlefield not a recreation hall
God knew we can’t reach high enough
So He sent Jesus down to us.
And He knew we can’t be right enough
So He gave us His righteousness.
It’s a battlefield brother
It’s a battlefield sister
It’s a battlefield not a recreation hall
This is an excerpt from the book Hope by Dr. Robert Owens. This and all his books are available from Amazon in paperback or kindle at Amazon.
Author: Robert Owens
Dr. Owens teaches History, Political Science, Global Studies, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com © 2019 Contact Dr. Owens [email protected] Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens or visit Dr. Owens Amazon Page / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens
