It's not a war between Republicans and Democrats.
It's not a war between conservatives and liberals.
It's not a war between Christians and Muslims.
It's not a war between gay and straight.
It's not a war between "us" and "them".
These are the wars we are fighting in the Christian world I live in, but they are the wrong wars, the wrong battlefields, attacks against the wrong enemies.
We are taking blows at symptoms, not at the real enemies. We find ourselves boxing shadows and completely missing the real enemies among us. It is a war of the worlds, but not the one we fight now. Here's the real battlefield, here's the real enemy,
"For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." -Ephesians 6
I'm sure our real enemies are thrilled with the shadow boxing we are doing....swinging at what is not the real enemy at all...and all the while our unseen enemy continues the fight.
The real battlefield is spiritual.
The real enemy is the devil and his angels.
The real war is fought in prayer and with love for others.
The Christian world I live in has chosen to fight the wrong war, focus on what is not the enemy, oppose what isn't the real problem at all....and all the while the real enemy prospers and smiles at our foolishness. He has masterfully misdirected our attention at the wrong things. We are in a war of the worlds....I pray we realize who the real enemy is and focus our attacks in the right way, with the right weapons at the real enemy.
Our battle is never with people, let me repeat that....our battle is never with people...it's always spiritual and with an enemy unseen. If the enemy can get us to focus our attention on the wrong battle, the wrong enemy, the wrong battlefield all the better for him.
In this war of the worlds I pray we see what the real war is about, who the real enemy really is and how we are to respond. The real war is for the souls of men, the real enemy is the devil, and the proper response for us is love and prayer. Those are the "weapons" that will change the culture around us and deal a death blow to the enemy's plans.
3 comments:
If World War II had been fought the way we are fighting this war they would have bombed all the concentration camps and ignored the military installations.
Zach, brilliant insight and exactly right. Thanks.
Part of my frustrations yesterday that I did not share with you is this exact idea. I cannot help but feel like a pawn when polarizing issues such as the Chick-Fil-A deal come out. I have not said anything about it, primarily by design. If the powers that be can keep us distracted with arguments like these, then we will never unite against them. Well said Mike!
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