Under Fire
“Hey, how are ya?”
“Good, you?”
“Oh, pretty good. Busy, but I can’t complain.”
“Great, good to see you.”
“Yeah, you too. Have a good one.”
What we really wanted to say was this.
“Hey, how are ya?”
Honestly, I’m dying. This morning my wife and I just had a knock down drag out argument that ended with slammed doors and words that never should have been spoken. I hate my job, my kids are so busy with school stuff I hardly see them. At least the Celtics won last night, because that’s about the only good thing in my life right now. You?”
“Right there with you man. Different plots, but the same story.”
As a pastor, I get a rather unique glimpse into the lives of people, and one of the things that I’ve learned in 15 years of ministry is that there is a LOT of hurt in the lives of most people. Behind the clean faces and nice clothes that we present to the world are all sorts of addictions, struggles, wounds, and sins.
It really shouldn’t surprise us. The Bible tells us that “Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)
So often we only see the surface battle (the argument with our family member, the co-worker who is being a jerk, the battle over the inheritance, etc) God reminds us to look deeper.
“Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The real enemy is not your family member or co-worker, it’s Satan, who is out doing all that he can to tear you down, destroy all that is good, and turn your life into a pit of despair.
One of the images that the Bible paints of the Christian life is an image of war or battle. Satan is out to destroy and wreak havoc on people, while God is at work to bring healing and hope and life.
At LifeBridge, we just started an 8 week Sunday morning series that is going to look at that battle we face every single day. What does it look like? Where can we expect Satan to attack? (Good news here — the devil is remarkably uncreative and he uses the same bag of tricks over and over again.) What are some basic soldier skills that every follower of Jesus needs to have as we live out our Christian life? What does victory look like?
If you are in the area, we’d love to have you join us — 10:10 every Sunday morning at Smith Middle School in Cypress. Go to the LifeBridge website for info and directions.
If not, can I suggest an “oldie but goodie” book for you to read called This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. It will change the way you look at the battles in your life.
A word of encouragement from God’s Word you face life’s battles. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)