"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!
About Me
- Karl Broberg
- I am a born-again Christian, who is Reformed, but also charismatic, spiritually speaking. (I do not speak in tongues, but I believe glossalalia is a bona fide gift not given to all, and not as great as prophecy, for example.) I have several years of college education but only completed a two-year degree. I was raised Lutheran and confirmed, but I didn't "find Christ" until I was in the Army and responded to a Billy Graham crusade in 1973. I was mentored or discipled by the Navigators in the army and upon discharge joined several evangelical, Bible-teaching churches. I was baptized as an infant, but believe in believer baptism, of which I was a partaker after my conversion experience. I believe in the "5 Onlys" of the reformation: sola fide (faith alone); sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); soli Christo (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (to God alone be the glory). I affirm TULIP as defended in the Reformation.. I affirm most of The Westminster Confession of Faith, especially pertaining to Providence.