Dear Lighthouse,
Are
you ever bored with the Christian life? Honestly, are there times when things
seem hum-drum and mediocre? Are you ever apathetic toward God or even toward
the evil of sin in your own life? Sadly, our lives can become this way at times. It is all too easy to slip into the routine of life - its pressures, timetables, activities,
and stresses - and leave the presence of God far behind. My brothers and sisters
this should not be! If you find yourself slipping into a boring, unchallenging
Christian walk, stop and make some changes - get reconnected to the One who called you into His service.
You
see, the Christian life is not a spectator sport. You do not sit on the sidelines
in this world and quietly wait for death to come and take you to Heaven. No,
you and I are now enlisted men and women in the great battle - the cosmic struggle of Good vs. Evil. Yes, Jesus defeated Evil by His life and the cross. But, like
a spoiler, Evil just keeps hanging on in the world and in our lives to drag down as many of us as it can take until the ultimate
end - Christ’s return.
Don’t
lose sight, as the Evil One would have it, that you are caught up in this struggle on a daily basis. That coworker you’ve been thinking about sharing you knowledge of God with - that’s a battlefield. That besetting sin that you keep giving in to - that’s a battlefield. The child that won’t listen to instruction, but wants to go his/her own way - that is a battlefield. These battlefields are not just in our physical world, but also in the Spiritual realms. The coworker, the demon that tempts you, and the child are all beings that you have
influence over to lead them toward the Good or toward the Evil. And they influence
you.
I
mean this stuff! Watching TV can be a battle.
Are you being faithful and obedient to God in this area? How about loving
others who have wronged you? How about gossip?
ALL of these moments in time, these daily decisions and choices, are part of the larger war in Heaven. Your prayers and mine influence angels and outcomes in the Spiritual realms that eventually manifest themselves
in our daily, physical, three-dimensional world. Don’t be deceived. The Christian life is anything but boring. It
is the here and now that, I believe, determines a great deal of the here-after for you and me.
The
question is, is God pleased with your battles today? Are you? Have you let yourself think that you are not important in the war on Evil?
Strap on the armor and pick up your sword, soldier. It’s time to
go to work. Let’s show God by our actions today how much we appreciate
His actions long ago in delivering us from sin and giving us eternal life. Let’s
not grow complacent and forget that we still have work to do and battle to fight.
I
leave you with a quote from Gladiator (of all movies!) and some awesome Scriptures I encourage you to read more fully this
week!
“The deeds of this life echo in the one to come.” Maximus, Gladiator
“But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the
heavens.” Matt.13:24-27
“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.” Eph. 6:12
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the
face of suffering…You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised…But
we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:31-39
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On
the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient
to Christ.” II Cor. 10:3-5
“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that
you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I [an angel] have
come in response to them. But the Prince of the Persian kingdom [a demon] resisted
me 21 days. Then Michael, [an archangel] came to help me, because I was detained
there with the king of Persia.” Daniel 10:13
“And there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back…the great dragon was hurled down…Satan, who
leads the whole world astray…was hurled to earth, and his angels with him…They overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But
woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled
with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Rev. 12:7-12
