When we speak of battles we think, for example, of the Battle of Britain or the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific during World War II, or we think of the battle with depression, or our continuing battle with sin. And then there’s the battle of the bulge for some men and women!
Each of us whom God has called faces a kind of warfare on a daily basis. We strive with physical problems and spiritual intrigues that can cause us harm in a world beset with evil and a multitude of recurring and unsolved problems. We suffer along with those who have not yet been called, those who are oblivious to the reason why the world suffers. Their battle front is physical; ours is spiritual.
Because we have been called, we have a distinct advantage in that we are blessed by the supreme authority in all the universe. As David prayed: “Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1). Is that so with each one of us? Or do we depend on me, myself and I?
In Matthew 11:28-30 Christ said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Christ is the One who fights our battles. He is our protector and provider in helping us to overcome sin and to thwart the efforts of Satan who eagerly and constantly fights against us. As Ephesians 6 tells us, we wrestle against principalities and powers and the ruler of darkness, against spiritual hosts of wickedness. Our battle lines have been drawn—God’s people versus Satan.
Do we sometimes flip-flop between trusting in God and then not trusting in Him, and resort to doing our own thing? As Jeremiah 17:7 tells us: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.” No idle words here and no argument about where to place our trust.
You may recall Ecclesiastes 9:1: “…the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God.” This, among other Scriptures, is telling us that we are not subject to the vagaries of time and chance. We are God’s children, and He guides us in our battles and protects us; provided, of course, we obey Him.
As Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in his Personal column in the Good News of May 1980, one of the battles that confronts all of us is the battle of deliberate opposition and antagonism of the world around us. This antagonism manifests itself as one more battle front these days, when our Christian teaching is raising the hackles of some groups regarding, for example, our objection to gay marriages, or to the so-called “right” of pregnant women to abort their God-given child.
Mr. Armstrong goes on to say: “It is time you considered how to conquer these troubles—how to let God fight your battles…You are carrying a lot of worries and fears and troubles that you don’t need to carry.” Mr. Armstrong quotes Hebrew 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Mr. Armstrong continues: “….your battles are not really yours [speaking of those whom God has called], but they are God’s [battles].” And you and I need to accept and act on that premise.
Within the past decade or so, society has been influenced by the philosophy of relativism, which preaches that there are no absolute values, and we see this reflected in the whims of current-day society—yet one more battle front which we are constantly fighting as Christians in our individual efforts to maintain Godly standards and values.
As Psalm 34 tells us in verse 6: “This poor man (David) cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of ALL his troubles.” We also need to cry out to God in fervent prayer in order to cope with our battles. Satan does not let up and neither should we.
