ELDER: It is time to get more involved in the war

One of the big recent news stories has been the United States getting more directly involved in the conflict taking place in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. While our nation may have been supportive of one side, even to the point of offering assistance in various ways, the action taken to directly bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities has taken our participation to a new level. It is one thing to choose a side, to root for them to be successful, and even to provide a degree of help. However, it is another thing to directly strike blows against one of the combatants.

Regardless of what you think about this action taken by our nation, it can remind us of the fact that there is another conflict taking place in our world. I am not referring to other wars being fought between countries or peoples, but to the spiritual conflict happening between good and evil, between God and the forces of Satan. Maybe we recognize one side as being right and deserving of our support. Maybe we even align ourselves with God’s side and claim to be one of His soldiers. However, are we just sitting on the sidelines cheering for God’s army to win, or are we more directly involved in the battle ourselves? Maybe it is time for some of us to take our participation in this conflict to a higher level. How do we do that?

One of the best ways to increase our involvement is through prayer. This is a weapon that any of us can put to use. We don’t need special training. We don’t have to go to a particular location in order to utilize it. Wherever we are and whoever we may be, we can fight the enemy through prayer. Some of us need to step up in our prayer lives, going beyond simply reciting familiar religious jargon or presenting God with our superficial wish list. We need to drop some bombs on the enemy by earnestly praying for God to move to accomplish His will in this world. We need to go to war in prayer for wandering souls, for divided families, for crime-ridden communities, and for a sin-corrupted world. Zero-in on specific individuals. Target particular groups and issues. Let’s riddle Satan’s strongholds with a barrage of Spirit-empowered prayers.

Another way we can get more involved in this war is by boldly standing up for truth and upholding God’s Word. Don’t retreat from opportunities to remind people what the Bible says about sin, salvation and Jesus. Don’t let the lies and deceptions of our day go unchecked or unchallenged. We can do it firmly, yet lovingly. Some battles may call for a big strike of missiles of hard truth. Other occasions might simply call for the small peppering of gentle reminders over a period of time. In the biblical list of spiritual weapons in Ephesians 6, the only offensive weapon listed is the sword of the Spirit, or the Word of God. Let’s be sure to make use of it, not only to defend our faith but to attack the enemy.

One other means by which we can get more directly involved is through our personal witness. This is not only our verbal testimony of what Jesus has done for us, but also the example we set by the life we live. Being a person who exhibits the love of God, who shows compassion for those in need, and who in all other ways projects the holy character of Jesus will be a weapon that Satan has a hard time discrediting. We need to let God help us get our lives in line with our claim to be a Christian.

In what way do you need to get more directly involved in the war?