Are You Ready to Rumble?
In the early sixteenth century, Christian missionaries arrived on the island nation of Japan to share the gospel message of hope in Jesus. The people were ripe for harvest, and the good news was warmly embraced. The church in Japan rapidly grew to approximately 300,000 souls.
Fast forward a half-century. A ten-year period known as the Great Martyrdom began. Heavy persecution of the church fell across the land. Thousands of Christians were crucified or beheaded, and the Christian faith was banned.
One of the measures to ensure the eradication of Christianity and its practitioners, was called “danke seido.” All families were required to register with the local temple. If a person refused, he was either tortured to death or until he recanted his faith in Christ. What the officials discovered was that many were willing to submit to torture and death rather than deny their faith. But if a wife and children were tortured, many a man was quick to recant so that his family could live. When the people dearest and most precious to a man were threatened, his strength to resist collapsed. The enemy used what was most important to people to weaken their resolve.
Since the entrance of sin into the Garden of Eden, the enemy of God and of His people hasn’t changed. He still pursues what matters most to us in an effort to tempt us to abandon our faith and to weaken our defenses. Have you noticed?
He’s going after our children, luring them away with subtle and not so subtle distractions and lies intended to confuse and deceive them.
He’s going after our marriages, overbooking our schedules and misplacing our priorities so that we chase after the wind instead of loving our spouses sacrificially.
He’s going after our friendships, tempting us to isolate and keep things shallow and shadowed. We’re drowning in loneliness.
You love your children? Your spouse? Your friends? The enemy knows that, and he’s hitting hard to break you by breaking the people you love. His tactics haven’t changed, and neither have the defenses God Almighty has provided for us.
We’re first and foremost to stand up in God’s power, not our own. As we submit to Him, He reassures us in Isaiah 54:17, “…No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me.” Deuteronomy 3:22b says, “The Lord your God Himself will fight for you.”
Next, we armor up. Ephesians 6:10-16 calls us to “be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.” We dress with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. We fit our feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. We take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 10:4 reminds us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
We’re to remain in constant prayer, bringing all things before our Warrior King. We’re to be alert, sober-minded, and watchful. (1 Peter 5:8) Pray up.
Following the example of Jesus, we’re to do battle with the enemy using the Word. If we’re deficient in our knowledge and application of the Scriptures, we’re that much more vulnerable to lies and deception and we’re that much less likely to be able to fight from a vantage point of confidence in the truth. Study up.
We know the ultimate outcome of this war. “…The accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.” (Revelation 12:10b) But for now, “he is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12b) We must be willing to give our all for the safety and salvation of those we love so dearly. Satan is coming after us by coming after them. Stand up. Armor up. Pray up. Study up. And saddle up! The battle is on. In the power of our God, let’s go!!!
