Let's fight

Ephesians 6:10 - 18, (NIV) says: 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Today's society has a lot to fight about.  You see it in the news and on every social media venue out there.  People fighting, people dying and arguing over their opinions and preferences.  It's become quite a chaotic world we live in and honestly a scary place.  There is such a low regard for life that disagreements today seem to end in bloodshed and death.  You can't voice an opinion or belief without some form of retaliation - not just from enemies but from those you call friends and even family.

I saw an incredible movie this weekend called "The War Room".  It was an eye opening reminder that the war we fight as believers is not the same.  We are fighting wrong.  Believers should be fighting in truth and love.  It was a humble reminder of the power of prayer and God's amazing love when we fight His way.  You see we are not of this world and we are fighting in the heavenly realms.  That doesn't mean we won't disagree but we shouldn't be disagreeable. 

After I saw the movie our church did an incredible event Honoring our Heroes.  Those men and women who fight on the front lines in the military, police and fire as well as all first responders.  We had the amazing pleasure of Taya Kyle, the wife of American Sniper Chris Kyle as our guest speaker.  That moment of hearing and seeing the honor we give to those who fight in the physical realm just reinforced the importance of fighting well.  The sad thing about War is that people die - in our daily world so many die every day due to war - not just those on the actual battlefield.  The ones who die in the battle against drugs or just plain evil actions. 

One thing that struck home this weekend is that God gives us free will and some choose to follow their own way.  We can choose to follow God and when we do we have to learn to fight through the power of prayer and His word.  When we allow the flow of Him in our lives to fully fill all the nooks and crannies then we fight differently.  We fight in love.  We love people and we love all people the same - even the ones who choose evil.  Our lives should reflect Christ.  When they do then we love even those who commit the horrible things we see in the news.  And that is impossible in our own strength. 

So put on the armor above and when you do, know that you aren't fighting the person in front of you or the current situation but satan who is eagerly waiting for you to get angry and act in that anger rather than to act in God's love.  Just like any warrior we have to be suited up to go into battle.  When your eyes open in the morning the battle begins.  Seek the war room and pray on the armor and prepare for the battle at hand.

My son drew this about 5 years ago and his talent as an artist has flourished.