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.
EPHESIANS 6:12
I was recently experiencing a bit of sleeplessness on yet another flight across the Atlantic Ocean. So I began to flip through the movie channels and was instantly drawn to a very moving scene in what looked to be a powerful movie about World War II. In this particular scene, an entire battalion was retreating, under siege from the opposing army.
These men strategically set up another camp, hidden from the enemy, and took the needed time to regroup and recuperate. After a few days, the commander began to rally the troops to reenter the fight. He delivered a very passionate and motivating speech, but no one moved. This scene seemed to last forever as all the soldiers (save two) sat in awkward silence, refusing to engage in another battle. They had lost their will to fight.
As a group, these troops wanted to stay in this defensive posture until the war was over. Their courage and vision had vanished, and they no longer wanted to risk their lives. Even when they received orders from the commanding headquarters to resume their battle positions, they refused. Some of the army’s best men were in this unit, but they had exchanged a mind-set of attack and advance for one of survival and retreat. The commander had big plans for these capable men, but finally, he had to face the fact that these soldiers were now defeated. He said that the men were now peripheral to the mission and no longer central. The result was devastating.
When I saw this, I thought to myself, “Has the church come to this? Have we retreated from the world and simply set up a defense fortress while we await the rapture?”
We must ensure that we remain actively engaged in the spiritual battle to which we have been enlisted.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
Do you consider your faith something worth fighting for?
Why or why not?