“We wrestle not against flesh and blood …”
I find this verse in the Bible to be the most misunderstood, misinterpreted or misapplied in the whole Bible. But it seems to me that this has become the creed of so many American Christians. “We wrestle not…” It seems that we don’t fight. We don’t strive. We don’t wage war. Instead we acquiesce, compromise and diplomatically try to prevent conflict. We give ground, don’t resist any encroachment and then wonder why we’re getting chewed up and squished like grape.
Maybe we need to fight? … No let me put that more emphatically: We are at war and we will either fight or die.
There, not quite Churchillian eloquence, but the same gist.
I’m in the middle of watching an episode of World War II in HD on the History Channel and I’m getting goose bumps up and down my spine as I hear Winston Churchill extol his people to “fight on the beaches, fight in the air… never, never, never give up.”
December 7th, 1941. We all know what happened on this date in history if we paid an ounce of attention in high school social studies (please tell me you paid attention). Japan attacked the US fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan then declared war and was joined days later by Germany. The US responded to this outright attack and declared war and eventually won wars against both Japan and Germany.
The question and cause for my concern is that the real war had started over two years earlier in Europe and America stayed out of it to our and the world’s detriment.
Are we currently in this false peace? Are we squandering time, resources, people and energy that we could be using to mobilize and fight a very real war?
Oh… I forgot to finish the quote. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” So there is a fight, just not the one we were expecting. Maybe the physical one would be easier to recognize and mobilize for. Spiritual warfare isn’t easily recognized and therefore quickly forgotten or forsaken because of its intangible nature.
For the sake of space, I shall only discuss one physical manifestation of this battle but it represents a hundred other fronts of assault: Cancer.
Cancer is striking down millions of Christians every year, while in many churches we argue about whether or not it is God’s will to heal. “Lord, your will be done.” Pardon me, but that is taking Jesus out of context, and ignoring his whole ministry, teaching and resurrection. He said repeatedly “ask and ye shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened.” “If you’ll ask anything in my name it shall be done for you.” “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
But the facts are that cancer is gutting the church, and we’re letting it kick our butt. We hardly resist the devil… and yes I’m saying cancer is from the devil. Again to quote someone you might find harder to accuse of presumption “the thief comes not but to kill, steal and destroy, but I have come that you might have life, and that more abundantly.” Jesus the Christ.
If Jesus’ view of life more abundantly is cancer, then he isn’t God, but a demon.
If cancer isn’t from the devil then I don’t know what is. And if healing isn’t a hallmark of Jesus then I’m spitting in the wind. Sorry Lord for my vulgarity, but I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to let the devil run over my brothers and sisters in Christ with impunity. In the week after Pearl Harbor over 130,000 young men enlisted into the US military. I wonder what will happen in the body of Christ when we finally declare war and get serious about this war that we’re in.
As for me and my house, we are arming ourselves with the word of God, trust in the clear words and promises of Jesus and with the knowledge that those who trust in the Lord will in no wise be ashamed. “Even if” (to quote Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) God doesn’t deliver upon the clear promises in scripture I’d rather go down fighting then to rearrange pews on the deck of the Titanic.
Just so you know… this isn’t the last you’ll hear from me about this. The time is short, darkness is nigh and the fields are overripe for the harvest. Let’s get ready to wrestle!!
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