Today's Biggest Battle Field

"Note:  A critical thing for each of us to know and understand is that the ancient tales of valor, sacrifice, redemption, and victory in the Old Testament that played out upon the physical Earth with physical wars and physical swords and shield now plays out upon the spiritual inner terrain of the human heart, with spiritual wars and spiritual swords and shield."~ E. Ludy

I have read through the Old Testament a couple of times and am always amazed at the specificity of detail in some places and the lack of detail in others, but I think the thing that hold my attention the most is the battle scenes.  Have you ever realized that most of the Old Testament is war?  I have always wondered why it was written this way.  Once I read the above quote from Eric Ludy, it clicked.  The wars and battles of the Old Testament foreshadow what is taking place today spiritually.  There was no need for drastic spiritual warfare in the Old Testament because Christ had not yet come to open the door for both Jew and Gentile alike to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  Satan had a great percentage of the world, so there was no need for him to go on the rampage.  However, when Christ came the tables were turned.  Now, the battle was on for the souls of every human being.

Thinking about battle and war, my thoughts fill with images of clashing metal, armor and guns.  More specifically, when I would think about armor my mind would race with images of heavy chain, helmets, swords, shields, etc.  So when the Bible tells us to put on the full Armor of God, my mind always jumped to how to beef up personal protection.  However, it wasn't until recently that my eyes were opened to just how nasty the battle field really is.  Having the sunday school mindset of Satan is bad but Jesus saves gives us a childish thinking process.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great place to start but in order to do anything of real value for the Kingdom of God we must have a strategy.  Think as if you were a soldier today, you wouldn't just run into the fight without all of the options weighed, battle field mapped out, resources accounted for, and allies in place.  So why would we think, as Christians, that we can run into the battle waging for human souls with anything less?

I find it so reassuring that we are not going into the battle against the enemy blind.  We have some of the most powerful resources at our disposal and the best allies a person can have.

"Finally, be strong in he Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication for all the saints."  Ephesians 6:10-18

The battle field has been mapped out for us, the enemy's bio has been written and our allies stand shoulder to shoulder with us on the front lines.  That said, there are no surprises.  All we have to do is equip ourselves with the armor, strength and wisdom that God has for us and fight with the knowledge that the battle may be long, hard and tiring but the end result is always the same... We Have Victory because Christ has already defeated the prince of this world!!!!!!

A Case for Gluttony

     So I have started to read through the book of Ezekiel and I came across a few verses that made me stop and think...

Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."  So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. ~ 3:1-2

     What if God told me to eat a scroll?  Would I do it?  What would it be like?  Would His asking that surprise me and make me hesitate - What did He say?
     After my mind was through running all of its tangents I realized that He has already asked me to eat a scroll.  God has asked each of us to eat of the Bible.  Just think about it...
     When you eat something you must...
          1:  Choose what to eat (grabbing the Bible off of the shelf)
          2:  Prepare it (turn to where you want to read)
          3:  Take a bite (begin to read)
          4:  chew (think through what you are reading and reread some parts multiple times till it makes sense)
          5:  swallow (sit back and take it all in)
          6:  digest (begin to apply bits and pieces of the Word to your life)
          7:  reap the nutrients (experience the great richness of Truth in your life and see it overflow onto others)
     When we eat we encounter multiple flavors and textures, some we like and others we could live without.  For example, a piece of chocolate cake tastes much better to me than potato salad (which makes me gag).    But just because we don't like the taste of something doesn't mean that our bodies don't reap the nutrients from that food anyway.  Occasionally we will read something in the Word that isn't easy to swallow or that we wished tasted a bit better, but we still reap the benefit of it in the long run.

And He said to me, "Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you."  So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.  Then He said to me:  "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them." ~ 3:3-4

     After we eat of the Word and reap the nutrients of its sweetness we are supposed to share with others what we have eaten.  So I would say, in this case, being a glutton has it's advantages!