Christians need to be fighters
As a follower of Jesus, you face an opponent that wants to destroy your faith.
Want to join the Swiss Army? It’s easy:
1) Be a citizen of Switzerland
2) Be a male (sorry ladies)
3) Be of fighting age
That’s it.
If you fit the three categories above, not only are you eligible for the army, but you are already in it! Every Swiss bloke of the right age is in the army. You go to uni or to work as normal. A few weeks every year, you rock up for some army training. Not only do you get one of those cool little knives with a million different tools, but you have a gun and a jar full of bullets that you keep in your house. If another country decided to invade Switzerland, then all the men would instantly leap into action to defend their country. Every man is ready and able to defend.
If you’re a Christian, then you’re also part of an army. It doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or a girl or how old you are. If you are a member of the Kingdom of God then you are part of God’s spiritual fighting force. You are called to be ready and able to serve your king at a moment's notice. But the fight we are to fight doesn’t require you to fire a gun. No, the enemy we face requires a whole different sort of warfare.
Who we fight against
The enemy that God would have us fight is Satan. Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, but Satan’s influence can still be felt. Satan has lost the fight against God, but he won’t go down quietly:
- He is at work in this world to tear you away from God.
- He wants you to doubt God’s salvation.
- He wants you to trust in yourself rather than God.
- He wants you to reject God as King and abandon his Kingdom.
Satan does not want you to be saved, to be in a relationship with God.
Get ready to win
As a soldier in God’s army, you are called to fight. You are to protect yourself and others from the enemy’s attacks. Ephesians 6 tells us to put on the full armour of God. To know our Bibles. To understand the promises of God. To put our faith in the power of God to save. And we are to be on constant guard. Like the men of Switzerland, we are to be always prepared for an attack. We don’t know when Satan will attack. We don’t know where he will come from or what weapons that he will use. So we are to be ready for him.
If you are a Christian, then you are a soldier in God’s army. Be ready to fight. Not with your fists or with swords or with guns. But instead be ready with the certainty of God’s salvation. Stand firm, knowing that he loves you and has the power to save you. And when Satan comes knocking, you will be ready for him. That’s what it means to be a soldier in God’s army.
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