Does It Seem Like A Lost Cause?

"You start by standing up for what you believe, then you go out there and fight for it!" --Sen. Elizabeth Warren
"... Our God will fight for us" (Neh. 4:20, ESV).
"'Do not be afraid of them.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes" (Neh. 4:14, ESV). 

St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, is the supposed patron saint, or champion, of lost causes in the Roman Catholic Church.  Everyone must have a go-to person for aid in time of need when the chips are down and one needs to grin and bear it. Not that we face life like fate with a stiff upper lip, but with faith in Providence.  We are to keep on praying and not to give up despite the circumstances because discouragement is actually a sin.   This is where the church body comes in:  We comfort those with the comfort we have received (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4) and be there for them just like the Holy Spirit is with us (i.e., He is called the Paraclete or "One called alongside").

When we get focused on the here and now instead of the heavenly vision it can seem hopeless at times; however, we're never in a no-win situation with God as our Pilot!  That's how we get depressed:  not correctly interpreting time by worrying about the future and regretting the past--two great time wasters.    But we are to live in light of eternity though and each day one at a time, not being remiss or slack in our duty, but trusting in Providence to meet all our needs and to guide us in God's will.  When we live for something bigger than ourselves, our whole perspective on life changes and is an inspiration to others.

God wants us to engage in spiritual warfare against spiritual wickedness using the armor of Christ.  We fight Satan's territory in protesting injustice, standing up for righteousness, and being appalled by sin in any form.  We are literally marching as to war, singing "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" on Sunday and must not go AWOL the next day!   Our victory is sure because the battle is the Lord's and we are fighting from victory, not for a victory--Christ already won and our battles are but a win-win in the name of Christ.  All victory comes from God and He must get the glory or credit not us.

We will be rewarded for our battles in the kingdom of God or what may be a hardship tour of duty with the Lord at the helm.  It is always our duty to fight with all we have, i.e., our whole being, but to pray also with all our being.  You could say we work as if it depends on us, but pray as if it depends on God.  We must be honored to be God's standard bearers or the ones carrying the Lord's flag into battle for Him. The flag we bear is the one for the kingdom of heaven and we must be reassured God will fight for us as we maintain our allegiance to Him. We march to victory in Christ's name and claim the beachhead in His name, taking Satan's turf away from him.  Yes, we engage in the enemy-occupied territory and must be prepared to meet the enemy in his domain on his terms.  We only can have the right attitude in fighting if we are oriented towards serving, obeying, and trusting the Lord.  We are not here to usher in the Millennial Kingdom in a visible sense like establishing a utopia, and don't see the government as a means to advance the agenda of God, but in being a light in a dark place, a city on a hill.

What this is to us in the application is that we are proud to serve in God's kingdom and to represent Jesus to the world in their need.  We must always be ready to stand up for Jesus, to fly our Christian colors, and to be God's ambassadors in the world at large.  We should never be afraid to stand alone or to suffer for the Name, which is an honor!   Jesus is our standard bearer, who will never be a casualty, carrying the flag on ahead of us into battle with pride and we must believe that He will always be there in Spirit representing our assured victory. What is our flag but our symbol of bravery and courage in the name of Christ and it represents all we fight for:  our ideals and dreams in Christ.  It should be our inspiration to bravery and victory as it will forever wave and never cease to fly to the glory of God. Never cease to fly our Christian colors! 

In sum, the positive thinker sees opportunity in any difficulty and believes there are no hopeless situations, only those who've given up hope.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Divide And Conquer

"But avoid foolish disputes ... for they are unprofitable and useless"  (Titus 3:9, NKJV).
"And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all..." (2 Tim. 2:24, NKJV).


The devil's chief strategy is to divide (or sever from Christ) and conquer (or overcome), while one of the most detestable sins, according to Proverbs 6:19, is to "sow discord among brethren."  Note that Satan doesn't conquer first, but attacks us when we are alone and vulnerable, knowing our weaknesses.  We are not called to build walls within the church (they may not be necessarily wrong, but they may just be unnecessary), or even in the community, but to make bridges that people may be invited and feel welcome to come to Christ through His body the church--being seeker-sensitive has its merits, as long as sound doctrine isn't compromised.

It is so easy and tempting sometimes to be judgmental, contentious, argumentative, and divisive and use our so-called knowledge as "ammunition" to go on the offense against our brethren, attacking their inner convictions.  Arguments often generate more heat than light and must be restrained.  We are called to be one in the Spirit in the church body (Eph. 4:3, NIV, says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace"), and we are exhorted to find commonality, not give place to the devil, as we give him an opportunity to divide us by opening the door.

Opinions are what you hold, while convictions hold you!  We must realize that we can "quench the Spirit," by being too opinionated and insisting on talking politics in mixed company because most Americans hold to their political views just as firmly as their faith--discretion is the key, as well as common sense and sensitivity.  The American axiom "Don't discuss religion or politics" is sometimes good advice. as we realize there are a time and manner for every purpose under heaven (cf. Eccl. 3:1). We are called to avoid "ungodly controversies," but there are some godly controversies that are worth showing our Christian colors for, and standing up for what we believe in: these are the nonnegotiable or nonessential doctrines of our faith and we must never give the devil an opportunity to take any ground here.

We must never compromise with the devil, but make sure we know what we believe and can be dogmatic about.   As an example, never compromise about the deity of Christ!  But many times some insensitive person may decide that a party is the time and place to vent his feelings on the president and unknowingly causes division and kills the party spirit by his callous remarks--we are to be sensitive and be led by the Spirit.

It is a sad commentary on our society that we have a political atmosphere that is polarizing and has even succeeded in separating families and brothers, like no time since the Civil War, when brother often fought against brother in some border states.  As Christians, we must be tolerant of others and not because we deem all faiths and political persuasions to be equally valid and that no one can be right as a consequence, but we must learn to get along and to keep the peace as much as possible, remembering that "blessed are the peacemakers," if there is discord that we get drawn into as either part of the solution or part of the problem.

The key to patience with others and keeping the peace as much as possible in order to understand where they are coming from (to walk a mile in their moccasins) before judging them, which we should not do according to political stance--we have to agree to disagree sometimes and realize that there are gray areas and we cannot be dogmatic on all politics!  Showing a lack of patience is a sign of insecurity and of not knowing that knowledge can make one arrogant, while love is what edifies one (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).  Finally, we are to note the divisive brother who brings the church into disharmony and disunity, and warn him and then avoid or shun him, that he may learn his lesson--for instance, a church is not the place to have a political showdown or debate!     Soli Deo Gloria! 

Spiritual Warfare Has Begun

When you become a Christian the war is not over, it has only begun. Now Satan is after you as well as the world of academia, entertainment, the press and government. But your worst enemy is yourself. Pogo, the cartoon, said, "We've met the enemy, and he is us." We have a nature that we can only act according to and God is the potter and we are the clay. We are not free to act contrary to our nature. Also, we live in "enemy-occupied territory." Satan is the god of this age, and we should realize this, though God is still sovereign and he can do nothing without God's permission.

Sun Tzu, in his book, The Art of War, said that, if you know your enemy and know yourself, you don't have anything to fear from a thousand battles. (Swindoll mentions this in a book). Andrew Jackson was wondering why his troops were fighting amongst themselves. He said, "Gentlemen, remember, the enemy is over there!" Yes, the battle has just begun and now we are no longer God's enemies but Satan's. Remember that the Lord of Hosts is fighting for us on our behalf! David said to Goliath, "I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts."

We win the war with the modus operandi of faith. This is our strategy: faith, prayer, the Word of God, the helmet of salvation (being sure of our salvation), the breastplate of righteousness, and the belt of truth. God gives us the armor to fight Satan. The world, the flesh, and the devil are the enemies. Satan still attacks through the three ways of the pride of life, the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh. Remember, God never allows anything into our life that we cannot handle.

We are to "resist the devil," who uses psychological warfare and masquerades as an angel of light and appears as a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). Remember, the devil knows where you are vulnerable and weak, so don't flirt with danger. I have found out that you are the most susceptible to his attacks right after a victory or a success. One modus operandi is to divide and conquer. We have been rescued from the "dominion of darkness," so let's live like it.

According to John MacArthur, the war is a "truth war," and if you aren't engaged in this war you should doubt your Christian testimony. It is "not about wits," but faith and faithfulness. "Earnestly contend for the faith" (Jude 3). William Tecumseh Sherman said, "War is hell." Fighting Beelzebub is no less serious.   Soli Deo Gloria!