The Unseen Battle

War rages on all around us, and we are so ignorant of the casualties.

 The war I speak of can hardly be seen, unless you look closely. It's battles won, and battles lost, but neither side concedes. It's absolutely full on warfare; no surrenders, no backing down, and the only escape is death of self. Life is found when we give up ourselves.

All around me I can see war torn battleground, but I cannot see the arrows, swords, or soldiers that war against me. I follow my Leader's rallying cry, and hear His commands, but rarely can I see the work of my efforts. I just press on, swinging my sword, trusting that I am doing my part.

This war is fought in the hearts of men. The people that surround you, your peers, are as fully engaged in this war as you are. Some are friends who will stand back to back with you; but many are too weak to stand on their own two feet.

Stress, anxiety, emotional pain, exhaustion, anger, lust, pride, contempt, malice, complacency, apathy. All these and more are your enemy. Your peers may exemplify some of these characteristics, but they are NOT your enemy. The ideals are. And, many times, the enemy lies within you.

How are we expected to fight against these ideals, these sinful natures, that lie within us? How can we defeat stress, or conquer malice? The Bible gives us a clear battle strategy, and while it's one of the most cited passages in Scripture, I hope to shed a little more light on it. It's found in Ephesians 6:14-18:

"Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word. With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and stay alert in this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints."

The first word: STAND. We mustn't lie down, or kneel, or crouch. While minimizing surface area may minimize wounds, standing is a posture that evokes a sense of courage and bravery. We cannot be afraid of the war around us. We must be brave. 

"Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm." - Psalms‬ ‭20‬:‭7-8‬

Paul was very purposeful when he wrote out the functions of each of our tools. Here's a short explanation for each:

Truth like a belt. A belt keeps your pants up. It also keeps you from embarrassment; if your pants fell down you'd be ridiculed. Truth keeps you from embarrassment. If you lied all the time, and didn't have your belt, you'd be exposed eventually... quite literally.

Righteousness like armor. Armor protects your chest, your vital organs, from any attack inflicted against it. Many translations say a breastplate of righteousness, which is a closer definition to what Paul was getting at. It's important to note that we are not putting on self-righteousness, but Jesus's righteousness. His perfect righteousness is what protects our faith and holds it in surety, even against the strongest attacks.

Feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. Feet take you places, if you haven't noticed! Therefore, wherever you go, be ready to share Jesus at a moment's notice. It could help turn the tide of the battle in someone's life! One of my pastors had us highlight some verses in our Bibles to help us evangelize. It's a series of verses that explain salvation, in order of the story: Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, John 3:3, John 14:6, Romans 10:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:15, and Revelation 3:20. 

Shield of faith. A shield is a unique piece of equipment. While it's most well-known purpose is to defend the user (especially against the arrows of the Devil), it also acts as a counter-weight for the heavy sword one swings. Without the shield, the swordsmen could easily topple over. Same with faith; without a complete and total reliance on Jesus Christ, the slightest push, or even our own sword swinging, could send us falling to the ground.

The helmet of salvation. The helmet protects your brain; a crucial part of your body. Without a head, a body cannot act. A helmet prevents it from being lopped off. Similarly, salvation in Jesus Christ protects your head. The rest of your body now has the ability to safely and surely do works of faith because the head is protected from attack. 

The sword of the Spirit. The only offensive tool in our arsenal. The verse goes on to say that our sword is indeed the word of God. Scripture should be our only offensive measure. Not spite or frustration. It can be easy, in debates with unbelievers, to just yell at them and tell them they are wrong without listening, because you are frustrated that they cannot see the obvious truth. Be patient. Guide them with God's word, and with it, defeat the enemy-ideals in their life.

"They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear." - Jeremiah 5:21

And finally, prayer. Paul asks for us to stay alert, pray with perseverance, and intercede on all other believer's behalf. We are a global church, not an isolated community. Also, we should pray with perseverance and alertness... like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, we must do our best to stay awake and alert.

None of this would be possible without Christ. He is the one that dresses us for battle, but everyday we must don this armor. And we must STAND. Stand on His promises. Stand on His sacrifice. Stand on His foundation. For on Him, we will never falter; on Him, we have a secure anchor. As we head out into the battlefield, we'll learn to #LiveItLikeJesus.