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Christians in Battle
We are indebted to the veterans who have protected our country from enemies against our country for years. But there is also a spiritual battle that has been going on with Satan since the creation. Paul told Timothy to "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12) and that "You must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). In our spiritual battle with Satan, we must be prepared for the fight and protect ourselves by taking "up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day" (Ephesians 6:13).
Sin is very deceitful, alluring, and a trap. “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). Sin is breaking God’s commandments and laws. Man tries to categorize sin into little sins and big sins, but in God’s eyes… sin is sin! 1 John 5:17 says, “All unrighteousness is sin.” Hebrews 3:13 says that we are to "Exhort one another daily…lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” With freedom to choose as people, we all face the temptation to sin. We have all been tempted and have been guilty of sin. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). We will die spiritually, if we continually give in to temptation and sin. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Satan wants us to become satisfied with sin, so he can help us to be lost with him in the burning fires of a real Hell. We cannot be partially prepared. We must "stand" and have girded our "waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness" (Ephesians 6:14). We are to be truthful in all we say and do, and we are to live a righteous and devoted life. We are to shield ourselves "having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace" (Ephesians 6:15). The Christian is always ready and eager to go spread the gospel to others. We must take up "the shield of faith which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (Ephesians 6:16). We must overcome temptation and persecution by our faith in God. We must "take the helmet of salvation" (Ephesians 6:17). The assurance of our great salvation keeps us going, when we are tempted and tried. In our fight with Satan, we must use "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) as a powerful defensive and offensive weapon. "For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). In our battle we must be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18). We must be faithful in our prayers to God with thanksgiving, confession of sins, and plead for help.
As a soldier of Christ, we are to be "watchful to this end with all perseverance" (Ephesians 6:18). We are to be spiritually alert, as we watch out for our enemy, Satan. We must persevere all the days of our life. Jesus says, "Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). If we put on the whole armor of God and remain faithful, Satan cannot defeat the faithful Christian. God will not allow us to be tempted with more than we can bear. "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). But "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment" (2 Peter 2:9).
We do still sin after we become a Christian, but this is not an excuse to sin. The apostle John in writing to Christians, who had already been baptized for the forgiveness of their past sins, says, ”If we say we have not sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). How does a person, who has been baptized for the forgiveness of their sins, continue to get forgiveness of sins that would separate him from God? John 1:7, 9 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” For a Christian to continue to be forgiven of sins he may commit, he must:
1. Continue to faithfully “walk in the light” of God’s word.
2. “Have fellowship with one another,” as we faithfully worship God in the Lord’s one true church.
3. “Confess our sins” when we sin.
In confessing our sins, we must repent and turn away from those sins (Luke 13:3). If we are faithful in doing this, God promises to cleanse us of our sins, and we will be able to stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgment free from sin. We will not be condemned (Romans 8:1) or be eternally separated from God. We will be with God forever in Heaven. So we can go to Heaven when this life is over, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts” (Romans 6:12), “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13).
Our number one priority in this life must be to go to Heaven. Nothing else is as important! Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Our soul is the most precious thing we have. There is nothing that can equal its value. Every day we need to tell ourselves that the main thing in this life is to go to Heaven. We read in Colossians 3:2, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." We should regularly think about going to Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place (John 14:2-3) for a prepared people. It will be such a wonderful place, beyond our wildest dreams. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." There is no way that Heaven can be described so that we as mortal beings can understand how wonderful it will be. A person will not accidentally go to Heaven. Going to Heaven is a lifelong race as we read in Hebrews 12:1, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Going to Heaven requires endurance, patience, and persistence.
We must win the war against Satan!
Trey Jenkins
