Knowing the Battle

I don’t think that many people will dispute the premise that this life is a war. There is a constant and unrelenting battle being fought between the forces of good and evil every minute of every day, and I joined God’s side when I accepted Him as Lord of my life.

However, if I am going to be a good soldier in His army and bring glory to His name, I need to start by knowing the battle. No commander would think of going into battle without first studying the enemy and finding their strategy and weak spots, and no army is successful in battle without each soldier knowing and fulfilling their position; similarly, I need to know who the enemy is and how to fight it if I am going to be effective.

When Jesus saved me, He cut my old nature loose of its control over me; then, He created a new capacity in my heart and mind so I can know, love and serve Him. God didn’t say, “Come follow me”, give me directions, and leave me to limp along with a patched up, sin defiled nature; he gave me a new nature and the ability to have a relationship with Him. A friend of mine said it like this: “I’m so glad He makes things new, instead of just trying to clean us up. It’s like an old car; you can fix it up as much as you want, but it’s still an old car, and it’s just going to keep breaking down. This new nature is one of God’s greatest gifts to us, but it is also the source of our biggest battle. There are two natures in us fighting for supremacy, and the one we exercise more will grow more.

The battle will not end until I reach Heaven my sin nature is eradicated, but I imagine my struggle will pale significantly in my mind when I see the scars in Jesus’ hands and feet and when I realize how big a price He paid for me. I know how the story ends, so until it does, my job is to fight faithfully in God’s army.