I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me-Phil 4:13..
That is the worst fight-our battle with ourselves; far worse than all these
Hittites and Hivites, and the other tribes with their barbarous names. Far
worse than all external foes are the foes that each man carries about in his
own heart. In that slow hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot struggle
I do not believe that there is any conquering power available for a man that
can for a moment be compared with the power that comes through submission to
Christ's command and acceptance of Christ's help. He has fought every foot
of the ground before us. We have to "run the race"-to take another
metaphor-"that is set before us, looking unto Jesus" [Heb. 12:12], the great
Leader, and in His own Self the Perfector of the faith which conquers..
In Him, His example, the actual communication of His Divine Spirit, and in
the motives for brave and persistent conflict which flow from His Cross and
Passion, we shall find that which alone will make us the victors in this
destructive warfare. There can be no better directory given to any man than
to tread in Christ's footsteps, and learn how to fight from Him, who in the
wilderness repelled the triple assault with the single "It is written"; thus
recognizing the word and will of God as the only directory and defense..
Thus, if we humbly take service in His ranks, and ask Him to show us where
our foes within are, and to give us the grace to grapple with them, and cast
them out, anything is possible rather than ultimate defeat; and however long
and sore the struggle may be, its length and its severity are precious parts
of the discipline that makes us strong, and we are at last "more than
conquerors through him that loved us" [Rom. 8:37]..
Think of Christ, what He is, and what resources He has at His back, of what
are His claims for our service, and loyal, militant obedience. Think of the
certain victory of all who follow Him among the armies of Heaven, clad in
fine linen, clean and white. Think of the crown and the throne for Him that
overcomes [Rev. 3:12]..
Remember the destructive powers that sleep in Him: the drawn sword in His
hand; the two-edged sword out of His mouth; the wrath of the Lamb. Think of
the ultimate certain defeat of all antagonisms; of that last campaign when
He goes forth with the name written on His vesture and on His thigh, "King
of kings and Lord of lords" [Rev. 19:16]. Think of how He strikes through
kings in the day of His wrath, and fills the place with the bodies of the
dead; and how His enemies become His footstool. Ponder His own solemn word,
"He that is not with me is against me" [Matt. 12:30]..
There is no neutrality in this warfare. Either we are for Him or we are for
His adversary. "Under which King?-speak or die!" As a sensible man, not
indifferent to your highest and lasting well-being, ask yourself, "Can I,
with my ten thousand, meet Him with His twenty thousand?" [see Luke 14:31]..
Put yourself under His orders, and He will be on your side. "He will teach
your hands to war, and your fingers to fight" [Ps. 144:1]; and "will cover
your head in the day of battle" [Ps. 140:7], and bring you at last,
palm-bearing and laurel-crowned, to that blissful state where there will
still be service, and He still be the Captain of the Lord's host, but where
swords will be beaten into plowshares and the victors shall need to learn
war no more..
In Celebration of Life in Him,
Dr. Jim DeBruhl, gembeaux@bellsouth.net
Everything is wrong until God makes it right
