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The Battle Is On!
by Kristenea M. LaVelle (Kristenea's bio)
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There is a battle that has been raging in the spiritual world since the beginning of time and continues on even today. From the fall of mankind, to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His perfect atonement for our sins, to His glorious second coming, the battle will rage on. All those who follow after Jesus become soldiers in this spiritual war and that is a very important position in the kingdom of God.
There is a lot of work that goes into being a soldier in the middle of a nasty war. A soldier must be prepared, “in season and out of season” to war on the battlefront. A soldier must be proficient in the use of weaponry and be wise in combat strategy. A soldier must be “sold out” to the cause for which he stands, or he will not apply diligence to preparation and training and his heart will lead him astray from the battle. Soldiers must be able to maintain ranks, work together for the good of the whole and unite for the common goal…VICTORY!
Christians are all soldiers of Christ in this raging spiritual battle and we must endeavor to live our lives with this in mind. We must remain focused on the main goal and purpose of the church, and that is to pull souls from the clenches of death and the control of the enemy. There is great devastation all around and the cost is sometimes very high, but the worth of a single soul is of greatest value in the eyes of God, and we should strive to unite with God in His work to “seek and to save that which was lost”. With that in mind, have courage. God has provided mighty weapons for our use that are “powerful unto salvation.” Onward Christian Soldier!
Now, we are going to look at four basic points that will help equip us to become effective soldiers in the army of God.
Becoming Battle Ready
“Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war. They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow…” 1 Chronicles 12:1-2
It is interesting to note that these “mighty men” were able to use both the right hand and the left in battle. For most of us, the right hand is no problem because that is the strong side, but the left is weaker. You could probably throw a ball fairly well with your right arm, but can you do the same with your left and still be accurate? More than likely the answer is no, unless you have trained your arms to be equally strong on both sides, and that is exactly what these soldiers did. They recognized their weakness and then trained until it became a strength.
It has recently been reported that only 2% of Christians today actively and consistently share their faith with others. According to this statistic, a great weakness found in the modern church is reaching the lost for Christ, otherwise known as evangelism. The “great commission” found in the book of Mark commands us to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15, yet this seems to be an area of lack in our Christian agenda. In order to overcome this, we must recognize this lack of zeal for souls as a weakness in the body (as a whole) and then strengthen it so that we can become effective with both the right and left arms, just like the “mighty men” of King David.
Skilled In Weaponry
“And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as roes upon the mountains…” 1 Chronicles 12:8
For a soldier to become “fit for the battle”, he must be both physically and mentally alert and have mastery of his weapons of warfare. For a Christian, this encompasses not only being skilled in the use of the Word of God, but it also has to do with standing strong in faith and convictions, placing all trust in God and walking in an upright, righteous fashion. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
“…his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4
“He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” Proverbs 2:7
“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” Psalm 18:30
Concerning the weapons, no one wants to be sent off to war with a feather duster as their only weapon. What could you accomplish? Have you any confidence that you could defend your position with a feather duster?
Fortunately, our heavenly Father provided powerful weapons for His army of Light, that can accomplish more than we ever thought or imagined. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds…” 2 Corinthians 10:4
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
Becoming skilled in the use of God's Word, is extremely important in this war. Especially paying attention to God's moral law and standard, the 10 commandments, which serve as a schoolmaster to “…bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” Galatians 3:24. Because “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalms 19:7. Practice makes perfect, so you must purpose in your heart to become very familiar with your weapon, the Word of God. It is tried and true and has stood the test of time. You can put your full confidence in God's Word and know that you will be victorious in the end.
Self Check
“These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks: and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west.” 1 Chronicles 12:15
It is interesting to note that the Jordan river flows from the city of Adam. (see Joshua 3:14-17) Spiritually, this is very important because the crossing of the Jordan river has always been symbolic of God's people entering into the promised land. But what does the Jordan river signify to a believer? Scripture reveals that the river flowed from Adam, and we know that sin and death came through Adam's transgression against God. For God to say that the Jordan river flowed from Adam, is to liken it to sin and death that flows to all mankind, through Adam's transgression. (see 1 Corinthians 15:22). To “cross over the Jordan” one must put to death the old nature and crucify the deeds of the flesh. In other words, become born again by the Spirit of God. That is how we spiritually enter the Promised Land.
Paul exhorts believers to “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…” 2 Corinthians 13:5. Have you crossed over the Jordan and put to death the deeds of the sinful nature? Have your sins been cast as far away as the east is from the west? Do you possess the things that accompany salvation? Do you seek to please your heavenly Father in all things? Is God first in your life? Do you join Him in His work to “seek and to save that which was lost”? Do you diligently study God's Word, and put it into practice? These are all questions that we must ask ourselves in order to “examine” whether we are in the faith.
The “Key”
“Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captians, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thine God helpeth thee.”
1 Chronicles 12:18
The key that ties everything together is being utterly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Just as the mighty men of King David were utterly surrendered to him, we must purpose in our hearts to have the same loyalty to our King Jesus. These mighty men of valor and strength were the best soldiers any army has ever seen, and they were sold out to serving King David. We must be of the same attitude with our service to God for His kingdom.
The Conclusion Of The Matter
“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do…Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of a double heart.” 1 Chronicles 12:31-32
In conclusion, we find that there were several reasons that King David's army was so mighty and victorious. There are five basic characteristics that his men possessed:
- They had understanding of the times.
- They were expert in warfare.
- They were experts with all instruments of war.
- They could keep rank.
- They possessed singleness of heart. They all worked toward the same goal.
These characteristics must be present in the body of believers for us to be victorious in this great war we are engaged in. We must strive together, as brothers and sisters in Christ, to build up and exhort eachother in each of these areas, that we might possess singleness of heart and work toward the same goal, pulling sinners from the flames of Hell. Our focus must be evangelism, for that is the primary purpose of the Church and a direct reflection of the Father's heart.
“The Lord is…longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
Copyright 2002, Kristenea M. LaVelle. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Kristenea M. LaVelle: I am a wife of 10 years and a homeschooling mother of five dedicated to teaching and living the truth of Jesus Christ. David and I make our home in Spokane, Washington where we can serve our family and friends with the love of Christ. It was through His direction that I began writing and found myself on a fascinating new journey in life. Now my joy is made complete by writing for Him and about Him. E-mail Kristenea |
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