“The commander must decide how he will fight the battle before it begins. […] He must make the enemy dance to his tune from the beginning and not vice versa.”
— Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery, nicknamed “The Spartan General”
Some people hold misapprehensions about the Christian life, thinking it weak or passive. The Bible, though, presents a different picture. It says the Christian life is not only active and strong but also engaged in a mighty war.
As a Christian, a person fights for personal holiness. He or she resists Satan and temptation so as to become more like Christ. The Christian also pursues their fellow believers’ holiness. A war, after all, is never waged by one person but by the many.
Because of that, the warriors, the Christians, must choose how to make war. They could focus on equipment or strategies; however, those two pieces sometimes falter without a sense of purpose. That purpose, in turn, leads to an unwavering confidence that manifests itself in battle preparations.
Defining Purpose
War strategies require not only precision but also purpose. That is, they must possess some ultimate goal in order to be, first of all, practical and, second of all, compelling. A solder may fight because he’s been given orders, but a soldier fights better when he understands why he’s entering the battle. It gives him direction; unites him with his fellow servicemen; and instills an ability to endure weariness, discouragement, and failure.
Mary and Martha’s encounter with Jesus demonstrates the idea. When Jesus comes to their home, the two women follow different purposes. Martha pursues a desire to make the home hospitable for Jesus and his disciples; Mary chooses to settle by Jesus’ feet.
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then teller her to help me.”
But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
“but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38–42, New American Standard Bible
Jesus’ words recall statements he’s made in Matthew 6—the well-known book and chapter that deals with worry. “Do not worry then…” (Matthew 6:25–34). His reply, however, ought to evoke a much earlier instruction: the Ten Commandments. In them, God says he comes before everything else.
Mary fulfills this commandment by sitting at Jesus’ feet, “listening to His word.” For her, the one thing, the good part, is seeking God first. The desire becomes her purpose, and it fuels how she relates with Jesus and her family. By contrast, Martha’s aim of being the perfect hostess leaves her distracted, anxious, and frustrated.
Unwavering Confidence
A defining purpose, particularly one that rests in an unchanging person rather than in fleeting things, then produces unwavering confidence. The soldier stands strong, confident in the one who has called him to the field. He faces giants and overcomes his doubts and fears despite his small stature or seemingly insignificant strength.
David perhaps exemplifies the attitude best, although other contenders — Joseph, Stephen, Daniel, Mary (Jesus’ mother), et cetera — exist. When David squares off against Goliath, he speaks with complete confidence. He knows God will defeat the Philistine.
Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.
The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
“This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
“and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
1 Samuel 17:41–7, New American Standard Bible
That knowledge does not come from inside David; rather, it rises from David’s relationship with God. Up to this point, David has spent his days tending sheep. He’s protected the flock from bears and lions and, in his spare time, penned poems to God.
Writing those words develops an intimate knowledge of who God is and why he acts, ultimately resulting in David’s confident proclamation that God will not be mocked by Goliath. No, God will lay the Philistine out flat, not to defend himself, but to correct the Israelites’ viewpoint and display his glory to the world. The Israelites cower, believing the battle’s outcome relies on their strengths and skills. David showcases the opposite, powerful perspective: The battle is the Lord’s, because God, not David, fights it. David rests in that knowledge, the same as Mary at Jesus’ feet does.
Battle Preparations
David’s choice to live by faith, though, begins long before Goliath shouts his challenge. David becomes strong in the Lord while out in the fields. That is, his private moments with God influence his public actions. He says the battle is the Lord’s because he has learned that every battle, including ones past, present, and future, belong to the Lord. God makes him strong in every situation. (When he forgets that, he loses the battle, as displayed in the account of Uriah and Bathsheba.)
Several New Testament authors continue the idea of making war, such as Peter. He urges his readers to be of sober spirit and constantly alert to the enemy’s roar (1 Peter 5:8). When they hear that roar, they are to stand firm in their faith—resting in who Jesus is and what he has done.
Paul offers added illumination in Ephesians 6.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
And having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
And pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
For which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 6:10–20, New American Standard Bible
For the Christian making war, everything hinges upon faith. It gives them purpose and confidence and acts as a shield. However, this war is not a defensive maneuver only. It is offensive, too.
Paul says to use the sword of the Spirit—an offensive weapon. A shield offers protection from arrows and can perhaps be used to clobber an opponent in the head. A sword, though, is ideally suited for offense because it is designed to make war on an enemy.
Again, neither the shield nor the sword springs from the believer. The believer receives them through faith in Jesus and his saving work on the cross. Having received them, they stand, equipped for war, because the Christian life is not passive. It’s been a fight since Satan appeared on the scene and lied to Adam and Eve.
The good news is that the war’s final outcome has already been decided. God defeated Satan, sin, and death at the cross. Because of what God did for mankind, the believer can enter the war and say, “This battle is the Lord’s,” because it is. Every battle belongs to God. However, until God restores all things, the believer must consciously choose to live out of a defining purpose, walk with unwavering confidence, and prepare to fight, every day, for personal holiness and against sin and Satan.
Image: Jona Park (Creative Commons)