A Time To #27

War and Peace

We conclude our Odyssey through the seasons of life with two seasons that demand action from us.  These two seasons will require all of the lessons we have learned from past seasons if we are to be successful in them.  Our actions in these two seasons can drastically altar our lives and the lives of others around us.  How?  Find out below.

War:  What is is it good for?

That's a good question.  War itself is a terrible thing to endure.  It takes the lives of innocents, destroys cities and countrysides, and pulls nations down into despair.  However, war is sometimes a necessary thing.  Whenever tyranny and fear descend like a cloud, war becomes necessary.  When the rights and freedom of others are being stripped away, war becomes necessary.  War is necessary because there is evil, and followers of Christ must take up our arms as well in the fight. 

Who is our enemy?

While the world sees a physical enemy, as Christians our fight is with the spiritual forces at work.  We are charged to fight fear, hate, sin, depression, oppression, unbelief, addiction, idleness, idolatry, and so much more. We fight these spirits and their influence on the world and those we love in the world. 

How do we fight?

We are not called to fight with carnal weapons, but with the spiritual tools that God has given us.  We are blessed with Truth, Faith, Righteousness, Salvation, Peace and God's Word to defend ourselves and advance God's Kingdom against the enemy (Ephesians 6:11-17).  With these tools in action, we can beat back the devil and his influence on those we love.  The enemy can't overcome God's Truth, His Faith, His Righteousness, His Salvation, His Peace or His Word.  Nothing can.  When we activate all of these things in our lives, we become an unstoppable force in the Army of the Almighty. 

Remember, though.  It is not the people or the nations that we fight as followers of Christ.  It is the spirits and principalities behind them-many of which are completely unknown to the individuals who are beset.  What are we to do for these people while we war with the spirits that seek to control and destroy them?

Peace: The Perfect Gift

There is nothing better we can offer someone who is beset by the cares, troubles and trials of life than peace.  Peace rescues people from conflict in the minds, relationships and activities.  Peace creates a path away from the world and into God's Kingdom.  Peace is what people need and want more than anything. 

How do I offer Peace?

Going back to those tools God gives us to war against the enemy, one of them is peace.  In fact it is what we shod our feet with.  Further, it is called the gospel, or good news, of peace.  This means wherever we go, we are bringing the good news of peace.  The good news is that Jesus Christ is here and He is ready to save us from all our troubles, trials and tribulations.  All we have to do is give ourselves over to Him. 

So when we go out into the world each day, we must bring God's peace, the peace that understands that Jesus Christ can deliver no matter what.  We must bring this peace to those we find who are in conflict and chaos.  We must bring it to those who are in need, whether physical, spiritual, mental or emotional.  We must bring it to those that are on the brink of destruction.  It is our great calling and our great purpose.  Will we do it?


Heed The Call

To conclude this series, I challenge each of us to take up the call to arms against the enemy.  It doesn't matter where you are at in your relationship with Christ right now,  the need for soldiers on the spiritual battlefield is great.  Start praying that God would deliver those in your life who need freedom from the world and sin.  Start coming against the principalities that are trying to consume your community.  Meanwhile, look for those who you can bring the peaceful message of Jesus Christ to.  Who do you know who needs a touch from God today?  Who is facing chaos and conflict?  Be the peace bringer this Christmas.  It's the greatest gift we can offer this season.