We don't realize the importance of what we are living. Our daily lives, all of our choices, every interaction we maintain with another human being holds much weight in the grand scheme of things. And yet we go about our days never really seeing that we are warriors. Yes! Warriors! Fighters in an eternal, unseen battle that is waging around us every day. A battle which is bigger than every one of us, and yet every one of us plays a big part. It has raged among us since before each of our lives, even before all of humanity was ever given breath. A battle between good and evil.
This isn't a metaphorical struggle spoken and written of in great works of fiction, although those metaphors hold a bit of truth in them and allow us to comprehend what we usually cannot see. No, this is a literal struggle. A battle as real as our own flesh and blood. Fights are being won and lost by both sides avery second around the world. And whether we choose to believe it or not, the warriors are among us at all times...US!
Every choice we make, every word we speak tips the balance in one way or another. If one man goes behind the back of another and speaks ill of him, evil wins out. If a man sees a woman and looks upon her with lust, a battle has been won by evil. And although no physical death occurs, those men's hearts have died a bit, and they are one step closer to becoming the hardened, weathered warriors the side of evil longs to possess. It is so much easier to allow those demons around us to infiltrate our minds and souls, and yet we hardly notice it until it's too late.
It seems almost as if there is no hope for the "good" side. If all sins win another battle for evil, how will good ever win out? It turns out that even though the supreme commander of the dark forces holds tremendous sway over the hearts and bodies of man, there is a power much greater in play: Love. "Love conquers all," it has been said, and what a true statement that is. The comfort a woman can give to her hurting child, the compassion a man can show to a stranger in need, the selfless love a martyr exhibits when dying for a movement much bigger than himself are just a few examples of a selfless love that conquers all evil. If lust and hatred and anger can tip the scales towards evil, selfless love tips it tenfold in the other direction.
But although love wins battles, it stems from a much deeper, far more important source than just doing good among the world. A man, the King of Kings and Righteous Warrior, won out against death and defeated sin forever by giving his perfect life to save us all. It was a battle to rival all battles, and it tipped the scales of war forever. So, everyday we move closer to the end, to that final battle when evil is contained forever, we should fight! We must fight!!!
We are his soldiers. Warriors for Christ our ruler that fight not with physical weapons, but with love and salvation in Him who saved us. Everyday is a battle. Satan and his minions are battling to win us over to their side, to trip us up and prove that love and grace have no sway. So let's prove them and the world wrong! Take up your crosses, bear your spiritual armor, and run head-on into battle as warriors wielding Christ's love. The battle against sin has already been won, and Christ is right there with us, by our side and watching our backs. If we have Him with us, how can we lose!
Nobiscum Deus!
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