Battlefield

Battlefield
January 23, 2012
2 Corinthians 10:3 "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does."

Picture a battlefield: thousands of fighting men in hand-to-hand combat, swords flailing and dripping with blood, clashing metal heard between the screaming. Before the advent of a fire powered weapon, the fight had to be face-to-face. The weapons were held closely in hand and both parties did whatever it took to kill the opponent. As the battle commenced, men were bloodied and cleaved until they fell to the ground dead, establishing a victor. It was a horrific way to die, and possibly just as horrific to live through after being severely wounded. Battle has never been a pretty business. While in each battle there is typically a winner, many personnel losses are experienced on both sides. There are always casualties of war and the battlefield is a place of intense destruction. A battlefield is no place for someone who is ill-prepared to fight.

Enter your life. While your life may not be a picnic, it probably doesn't look like a literal battlefield most days. Sure, you have rough days, but they are nothing compared to a horrific battlefield of intense destruction. Or are they? I would submit to you, that though you cannot see it, there is a battlefield filled with intense destruction above your life right now in the heavenly realm. The Bible says that we fight battles not against any human, but against the demons in the heavenly realm. While you cannot physically fight it, there is a battle going on, and your life is often the reason for the combat.

In the Old Testament, the famous prophet, Daniel, was approached by an angel who had just come from such a battle. The angel told Daniel that the enemy was fierce and strong and the battle was long, longer than expected. In fact, the angel was bringing Daniel an answer to his prayer request but was delayed because of the intense fighting. While I have no idea what a battle looks like in the heavenly realm, I doubt they use a deck of playing cards in a civil, take turn fashion. I doubt there are Geneva Convention rules of engagement, and I am pretty confident the fighting is never fair. I would expect nothing less from the devil than to use the most horrific agents of war: biological weapons, chemical weapons, atomic weapons--these are nothing compared to the tactics used by the evil one. There is no doubt in my mind that you have emotionally experienced days, weeks, or even years of intense difficulty in your life, leaving you feeling bloodied on the battlefield. You have felt the consequences of the spiritual battle over your life.

This battle going on may be the reason for the delay in an answer to your own prayer requests. This battle going on may be the reason for some extreme difficulty in your life. This battle going on may be the reason you or your children are on a dark road of intense destruction. While you cannot fight this battle with your hands holding a weapon, you don't have to give up, allowing the evil one to gain a victory over you. The Bible says that your job is to pray. That's right, pray. We are to pray that the enemy does not succeed over our lives. We are to pray that the enemy does not inflict losses. We are to pray that we will be protected from his weapons of mass destruction. If your life is not a picnic, then you have extreme reason to pray. There is a battle going on, though you cannot see it, and it is affecting your life. You are feeling the impact of the spiritual battle and you are being given reason to fight. This is a call to arms, and you will be bloodied if you are ill-prepared to pray.

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Daniel 9:21, Daniel 10:13-14 & 20, 1 Cor 15:50, 2 Cor 10:2-4, Eph 6:11-13, 1 Peter 2:11, Rev 12:17, Rev 17:14, Rev 19:11-21