DEUTERONOMY 20:1-4 – When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when you draw near to the battle, the priest shall come forward and speak to the people and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are drawing near for battle against your enemies: let not your heart faint. Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.’

THEME OF THE DAY. CALL TO BATTLE. The Christian life is a warring life. It is a fight, a battle, a conflict and one description of a Christian engaged in this spiritual war is that of a soldier. The Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy, “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:1-4). As soldiers, there must be the proper equipment and training if the battles fought are to be won. And God has done both for us in the spiritual war we fight.

First, God has provided the proper equipment to win all spiritual battles. In Ephesians 6, we have a detailed description of the armor we are to wear against our foes – Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 6:11-18). Two things to remember about this armor. First, it isn’t some mental mechanical exercise we do each day. The armor of God is Christ Himself. We are told to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Roman 13:14). Don’t forget this. Everything about the Christian life is Christ. Don’t be a Christian moralist trying to fight spiritual battles in the flesh. Christ is all, all the time.

Next God trains us for battle. Twice in the Psalms we are reminded of our “training for war” God – He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze (Psalm 18:34) and Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle (Psalm 144:1). How does our Lord teach and train us to fight? By example. Everything we are to be in the Christian life is patterned by Jesus. He is our model not only in living but in fighting. In the wilderness temptation of Jesus when our Lord did intense battle with Satan, He models for us how to use the Word in spiritual warfare (Matthew 4:1-11). He also trains us by example in the arena of prayer. In the most intense conflict our Lord has on earth, the Garden of Gethsemane, He went to battle on His knees (Luke 22:39-46). And that is where we will win or lost the battle too.

The Christian life is not for the faint of heart. It is a constant war but we are equipped for it. The Captain of our salvation not only fights with us and for us, but models how to fight and win – every time.

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for being not only my God, by my God who fights my battle for me and with me.”

QUOTE: “Our battles against sin, Satan, and the world are not ours, but the Lord’s and He fights for us for His glory.”