O my soul,
Do you think the spiritual battle sounds exciting?
Well, it is not. It is mundane and energy sapping and potentially also demoralising and faith destroying. Or not. But which it is, you see, is entirely up to you.
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.
― Ephesians 6:12
O my soul, you must be wise, for the enemy is cunning and does not show himself. How then does he fight? He fights using broken down cars and cancelled flights and malfunctioning equipment and heavy traffic and spilt drinks. He fights using sickness and frailty and sleeplessness. He fights using bad weather and lost opportunities. He fights using scowling disapproval and the withholding of affirmation. He fights in a myriad of subtle and devious ways.
He fights and so you too must fight. And how? One who would fight in the spiritual battle must first understand what is being fought over.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
― James 1:2-4
What is being fought over is your very faith. Will you let it wither and die because of your sense of entitlement, that you should somehow escape what others endure? How can faith become anything at all without testing?
Understand that the enemy’s goal for you in the spiritual battle is the opposite of steadfastness, that you become uncertain, uncommitted, fluctuating, faltering, and ultimately too discouraged even to want to continue in the walk of faith. And he has such mundane weapons in his arsenal. But,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith⸺more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire⸺may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
― 1 Peter 1:3-7
Is there not a clear and present danger, that through this testing the things of this world may drag you down or so captivate your heart that you lose your first love?⸺not first chronologically, but first in importance.
That same faith is both the means and the end in this spiritual battle. Take up the shield of faith. Believe what Jesus has said and remember what he has done. The disappointments and frustrations and suffering of this world cannot penetrate that shield.
Surely the psalmist knew this.
Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
― Psalm 8:2
In the spiritual battle deploy that childlike faith which does not seek to understand, but knows how to trust the one whose name is Faithful and True⸺Jesus Christ the righteous one⸺Jesus the lover of my soul.
I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
― Psalm 31:7-8
As you face these present difficulties, do you think the Lord is somehow ignorant of or indifferent to your affliction? He has seen it, and he has known your distress, O my soul. And he has set your feet in a broad place. In case you have felt trapped by circumstances know that in fact you are free. Because of the Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness, he has set your feet in a broad place.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
― 1 Peter 5:6-10
And listen again to what Jesus said to those Philadelphians, commended without reservation.
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
― Revelation 3:10-11
O my soul, will you let the mundane troubles and trials of life steal away your peace and security and trust in the Lord? Steal away your faith in a good, wise and kind God of infinite power? Steal away your hope in your future salvation? Steal away the joy of the Lord? By no means!
O my soul, Jesus is coming soon, so hold fast to faith and hope and love, so that no one may seize your crown! 🙏