spiritual warfare – Pastor's Ponderings

A solider is never alone in the fight. When they enter into combat they trust their partner and team to cover their flank while pursuing the enemy. If one soldier is wounded, others come to their aid and they are still never alone.

In the Lord’s Army it should also be the same…yet sometimes it’s not.

It could be because of pride and for the fear of looking weak. Other times it could be because of trust issues or other kinds of troublesome elements in the relationship. These excuses ought not prevent us from standing together on the fields of spiritual combat. We wage a very real war with very serious eternal consequences, often times we may lose sight of how dire a toll this war can have on its fighting forces. Yet while we continue to fight this spiritual war, with the Holy Spirit as our guide, we must also find those moments of soul-repair and spiritual check-up. By this I mean we cannot fight forever, and we all need 3 crucial elements in order to continue on.

3 Elements: Friends, Lends & Mends

Friends:

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Perhaps what we need isn’t only surfaced friendship with a “how ya doin’?” but more of a deeper kind. A kind that asks the hard questions of us. The kind of friendship that demands more of our time and commands us to consider our points of view while realigning us with God himself. Godly friendships are more than placating our conversations and our concerns, but should have a way of challenging our preconceptions and our value systems. Sometimes these Godly friendships are also called Accountability partners, but in a long and winding road of life this long-term mentor/mentee relationship can lead to a deeper friendship. We need Godly friends like these in our lives. Some may come and go while others may walk with us for years to come, each will leave a mark on us if we are vulnerable enough to let them. A good solider in God’s army needs other fighting friends within whom they can confide and find solace in. Do you have friendships like this?

2) Lends

The second thing a good Soldier in God’s army needs to do is lend support to other fighters out there. If you have made a commitment to Christ to proclaim His name to a lost world then you’ve made a long term commitment. This isn’t some short term mission trip or a weekend warrior drill, this is for life. Does that scare you? Consider what Christ has done for us…and what does He ask of us in return? He calls us to stand up, speak up and fight on. So what about other fighters out there? Don’t they require encouragement and accountability too? YES! A part of our calling as a Solider is to step up, step out and lend a hand to others. These fellow soldiers may just require a listening ear, others might require some solace and rest on your behalf while others might benefit from your guiding hand as a more “seasoned” solider of the Cross. You are also vital to their survival. Make no mistake about it! You a matter to their well-being and their success. So step up and know that your contributions to others can make a drastic difference in their continuance in this fight!

3) Mends

This is a play on words of sorts, because this last point is two-fold:

a) Make A-mends:

sometimes while in the fight we may inadvertently burn bridges that we need to re-cross. In the heat of the battle we might face off against other well-meaning soldiers and have to separate ourselves from them. Does that mean we should never speak again or never come face to face with that person again? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that we will find differences of opinions. Sometimes we will be in the right while other times we will be in the wrong. Yet we shouldn’t hold grudges against fellow children of God. Sometimes we can find ways to make amends and re-pave that bridge. Other times we might not necessarily ever see eye to eye with a fellow Christian, yet we can find our commonalities and get back out there into the thick of the fight! There are bigger, more important battles to wage for the Kingdom than wasting time on the needless bickering and disharmony amongst fellow soldiers. When we can make amends when then can face the second portion of this “Soldier’s Soul-check” –

b) Mend.

Our hearts can become so compartmentalized when we face disharmony and issues with other believers. When we seek peace within the body of Christ we also find a salve for our wounded souls as well. Mending one mends the other and in so doing we become healthier and better equipped to face the real enemy of this world.

Getting to the point:

Every soldier needs a break from the fight. Every battle worn fighter needs a friend, a comrade a support system. Every Christ-follower who wages war, through the power of the Holy Spirit, needs harmony within armor and body of Christ! How’s your soul doing today? Is it in need of a tune up? Are you desperately in need of an accountability partner or friend to confide in? Can you contribute and breath encouragement into other weary soldiers? Are there charred remains of bridges that you need to repair before you can move on? Don’t wait to make things better. Don’t wait until you’re all alone in battle fit for an army. God desires us to stand strong side by side, encouraging each other and healing the hearts of the wounded.

How’s your soul?

I was having a conversation with a person the other day about what I do (I’m a pastor/officer with The Salvation Army). In the midst of our conversation she told me that recently The Salvation Army was featured on a trivia show. They were the answer to this question: What is the only Army in the world that has never fought a battle. This revelation kind of caught me off guard. Of course I understood the connotation – a physical battle, but I thought to myself in a very real, practical/spiritual sense how wrong they truly were. The Salvation Army was formed for just the purpose of engaging an enemy that has ravaged this wretched world since the fall of Adam and Eve. We are at War!! The public may not know this, but we are engaged in the front lines of spiritual warfare every day. Sometimes I fear perhaps even some of our Soldiers and (dare I say) Officers don’t know this.

We must continue to be an Army that is engaged in this battle daily! Do falter or to fall is not an option! Ephesians 6:12 says this: ^“For 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. Therefore 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.“

There is a very real spiritual adversary that holds many sinners captive still today. Many people are bound by all kinds of addictions, perversions and entanglements that they cannot break. Who can save them? We alone certainly do not possess the strength, nor the power to free them, but girded with the full armor of God, this Army of Salvation can still be vital and effective! We never stand alone in the midst of the fray, we carry the banner of Christ with us and the Holy Spirit is our ammunition and power!

So how must we begin? We begin on our knees in penitence before the Almighty! We seek His power, His guidance, and His direction. Only when we have been thoroughly equipped through our conversations with the Father can we then get up and fight on. Without these necessary daily, even moment by moment conversations with the Father we will not continue to stand against the father of lies.

Dear fellow Christ-followers and Soldiers of the Army, we cannot simply wear the uniform and pretend to be engaged, we must actively fight for the salvation of other lost souls in our communities and even in our own homes! Without active soldiers and officers who are willing to fight and willing to boldly stand up, this cause will surely falter and fail. We don’t need casual partakers or bench warmers, but we need active participants who will stand in the gap for the hurting, the tired, the poor, the wretched and the lost! This battle for the lost is not over! It certainly did not end when our Founders were promoted to glory, nor will it end when we grow old and one day meet Jesus face to face! But in the here and now, in our small corners of the world, there is still a battle cry to be heard! There is still a fight to be waged! There is still lost souls to be saved! Who will go? Who will serve? Who will fight on and answer the cries of the broken and the shattered? May we all hear the cries, but more importantly, may we all hear God’s calling for us to take our stands and to reach out a helping hand to poor souls still drowning in the depths of sin.

I’m reminded of this Battle Song:

#718 in the Red Song Book –

Fight the good fight with all thy might,

Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;

Lay hold on life, and it shall be

Thy joy and crown eternally.

Run the straight race through God’s good grace

Run the straight race through God’s good grace,

Lift up thine eyes and seek his face;

Life with its way before us lies,

Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide,

His boundless mercy will provide;

Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove

Christ is thy life, and Christ thy love.

Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near

Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near,

He changeth not, and thou art dear;

Only believe, and thou shalt see

That Christ is all in all to thee.

John Samuel Bewley Monsell (1811-75)

Tag: spiritual warfare

A Soldier’s Soul-check

An Army Engaged in Battle!

Run the straight race through God’s good grace

Cast care aside, lean on thy guide

Faint not, nor fear, his arms are near

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