Friday, January 10, 2025

We are in a Spiritual Battle

I notice that a lot of Biblical language and in the old hymns there is battle speak. It was clear to believers many years ago that we are in a battle, a spiritual one as born-again believers.

"Onward Christian Soldiers" Written 1865
"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" Written around 1527
"Battle Song of the Church" Written in 1866
"Be Strong in God" Written 1872
"Banner of the Cross" Written 1887

And, there are many more songs like these. Believers back in the day before "entertainment in every home" spent their time ready God's Word, believing it, following it, and living in isolation from the rest of the world.
 
There would be no need for "battle songs" if the Christian life was going to be easy.
 
The prophets and the apostles saw what a struggle it was to be "strong in the faith." Our walk with Christ is becoming an enormous battle greater than any other time in history.

The churches have become apostate having gravitated toward entertaining the goats while rejecting the true sheep. Entertainment and personal aggrandizement are the norm now, even in the gatherings that claim to follow the Bible. Psychology has dominated the thinking of most church attendees to such a degree that when they hear the truth they cannot wrap their minds around it and they refuse to go to prayer asking Christ to show them truth.
 
Their claims of being "bible believers" have been proven to be merely words they say to sound spiritual, however, in practice, they violate more of God's Word than they obey and become antagonistic when challenged to evaluate themselves.
 
Even those who do not approve of the apostate religious practices remain silent to preserve the false peace. Those who challenge others to greater adherence to the Scriptures are maligned while the gossips lie against them.
 
We do not see actual war with weapons, but we live daily in the presence of those who hate Christ and treat with contempt anyone who is openly bold about their faith.
 
Those who do not openly physically persecute believers will exclude, mock, and dismiss with contempt those who desire for their walk to be authentically led by the Spirit of Christ Who lives in them. Not only do they do these things but they enlist others through gossip to follow their lead.

Times have never been different from now, but they have become more intense in these last days. Even when I was a child unbelievers respected Christians, now they openly without apology reject them, calling them fanatical and unworthy of love.

We know the unsaved world doesn't know the nature of love. They think love means giving everyone what they want without challenge or correction. They are loving their friends and family into hell as they accept anything and everything they do no matter how destructive it is to those they claim to love. More disturbing than this is the twisting of Scripture to fit their own desired beliefs instead of asking Christ to show them the truth. They love their false knowledge and live according to it.
 
Love has been redefined to mean "just let it go", allowing friends and family to do things that are self-destructive and sadly influential to all those around them.
Why does a culture grow worse over time? It is because the pressure to accept and leave unchallenged sin has created a culture that accepts things today as normal that were rejected in the day before television and entertainment.
 
When sin is unrestrained it explodes and cannot be stopped. People no longer are reasonable and rational living lives completely for themselves while claiming every manner of good things about themselves. They believe they are good when they have been monstrous in their treatment of God's people and the truth.
 
The most peaceful place to be is walking in total acceptance and tranquility knowing we will not be loved, we will be gossiped against and excluded remaining alone with Christ as we await His glorious return for the church. This should give us great joy!

James 1:2-4 " My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Do not allow "political types" to distract you with the mantras of the world that we must "be salt and light" through service in politics. The people who assert this have taken the phrase "salt and light" out of the context of the Bible. "Salt and light" refers to bringing the gospel to the world, not winning in a government.
 
Satan is a master of deception allowing people to belive it is their mission to fight for the things of the world to distract them from the gospel. Those who do this are witnessing to the world that gaining power over governments is the goal of the Christian.
 
God never called us to power over governments, He called us to spread the gospel and edify the brothers and sisters in Christ so they can go out and be salt and light as they share the gospel. And just as importantly they will live boldly their lives of righteousness as others are noticing. Because the believers have a great love for the lost and for one another they are not combative, they are peaceable but bold about the truth.
 
Romans 5:3-5
"Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; / perseverance, character; and character, hope. / And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

1 Peter 1:6-7
"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials / so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you."

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. / That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Hebrews 12:11
"No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it."

1 Peter 4:12-13
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. / But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory."

May anyone who is discouraged and reading this be edified as they realize the discouragement comes from the father of lies the devil and is not who they are because of Christ Who lives in them. The discouragement is just a feeling and can be overcome through meditating on God's Word and living what we know in spite of anything else others are doing.
 
When we ignore the feelings and just obey Christ we will be alright and even grow in strength. When we do this enough times we begin to notice the feelings go away even right in the midst of the attacks of Satan. He is a joke, a footnote in history and soon God will put him where he should be, in the lake of fire.

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