A World At War

So I just finished this book.

And in the back of this book was a section about what the main plot centered on: demon possession and spiritual warfare. Now bear with me on this one...

"There is something in human nature that just doesn't want to face the reality that we live in two worlds. We live in the physical, material world where we have jobs, read books, and go about our business. And we live in a spiritual world--and that is a world at war." John Eldredge

And this got me thinking...

We live in a world at war...

All around us, every minute of every day, a battle of epic proportions is being fought over the very course of history. Really over everything period. Now granted this war was already won approximately 2000 years ago on this hill known as Golgotha, but battle rages on. As the book puts it, "These are merely its death throes, raging through the darkness. The bitter outrage of a defeated beast."

And very rarely do we actually see the physical affects of this war, except for in the few and far between cases of actual demon possession, and even then we truly have nothing to fear because victory is already God's. But then I read something else that got me thinking about that too...

"The battle is not the point. Evil is not the point. The point is the love story. We live in a love story that is set in the midst of war."

A love story.
In the middle of a war.

The most epic love story.
In the middle of the most epic war.

Better than any movie, book, or stretch of the human imaginiation. That is our reality.

There is a God who loves us so desperately that He came down and died for us. And since Satan obviously can't overthrow God Himself, what better way to cause Him torment than to destroy that which He cherishes about anything else; that which He made in His own image, that which He loves so intensely, that which He calls His bride, that which He died for. How better to mock that sacrifice than to coax away that which was sacrificed for. And to see it go so willingly!

We are caught in a world of war. We may not always see it, but then what better strategy to have than to convince the lamb that the lion does not exist?
And what's more, we are warriors in this war! Fighting alongside the greatest love of our life for the very souls of those around us, for eternity itself. And that is our reality.

So this thought interested me...we are called children of God, those that love Him, those who are to don the warrior's armour and fight for the Great Romance that such great sacrifice was made, those who have accepted this as reality with reckless abandon and undying commitment and loyalty. Those who are called to fight on the side of our God in this epic war. So as Satan sits at his war table and ponders all of this, he gets an idea. He knows our every weakness, is an expert in the nature of humanity with all its flaws and brilliance. And so why not attack with this knowledge? If he takes us out of commission not only does he cause God more pain but He keeps us from completing our mission and takes us more or less out of the war entirely!

Why do you think James said, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds"?? Because the very fact that we deal with all sorts of crap in life just goes to show that we are a threat! And we can only prove ourselves stronger for going though it; though of course not having troubles doesn't mean we aren't a threat, just blessed to have a reprieve from the struggles of reality, however brief.

The devil knows our weaknesses, knows our breaking points and so do the rest of the demons. In work, in school, in our relationships, in our pride, in our self image, in our fears, in every single possible aspect of out lives. In our humanity. And when he sees a threat he will stop at nothing to neutralize it using every weapon he has. It is war.

This is war.

"The real question is what to do with evil that isn't so demonstrative. It's much harder to believe in an enemy you can't see, now isn't it? And what's more, it's working in a frenzy, every day, every hour, unseen except in the few places where it becomes overindulgent and exposes itself to the world. [Evil] is destroyed. In a place called Golgotha, two thousand years ago. These are merely its death throes, raging against the darkness. The bitter outrage a defeated beast." Ted Dekker

What kind of damage could we do with this kind of knowledge...
What kind of suffering could we turn into hope...
What kind of bitterness could we turn into joy...
What kind of anguish could we turn into victory...

We live in a world of war.

Just food for thought....

Originally Posted 6/12/08