The Christmas War

This will seem like a strange post during a time where we sing, "Peace on Earth"

And my prayer IS for you is to rest with your loved ones these next few days.... it is peaceful and we do need to enjoy and celebrate. But make no mistake, the enemy recognizes NO requests for a Christmas ceasefire!

If you are experiencing Christmas conflict, understand that there is one who rages against you and his desire is dark and dangerous.

Revelation 12

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. [5] She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron........[7] Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, [8] but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. [9] And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.

 [12] Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! 

But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

[13] And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child....... [17] Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (ESV)

The Bible is pretty bold and clear- all humans have to declare allegiance to one of two kingdoms.

One kingdom is the City of Man- symbolically called 'Babylon'- it is ruled by the Dragon- and this Dragon wages war on the Lamb and those who follow Him. Citizenship in this kingdom is secured by a refusal to bow, rebellion, hatred, and defiance toward the Creator and Savior. 

The other kingdom is the City of God- symbolically called 'Jerusalem'- it is ruled by God and is a glorious eternal kingdom of love and peace. Citizenship in this kingdom is secured by humility and submission- it is receiving a gift of grace as a child by faith.

The ruler of the City of Man wages war on the citizens of Jerusalem.

The Ruler of Jerusalem will pour out wrath on the followers of the dragon in response to the cruelty and destruction of the one called 'Accuser'.

Whose wrath do you choose?

This is a journal I wrote just a few days before the first marathon I ever ran:

I have trained well and I am in a period called ‘tapering’ which is getting my body as rested as I can- hydrated- full of glycogen- totally recovered from all the training .I have followed a training plan by the book- I have run 20 miles twice- and have done all that my advisor (halhigdon.com) has told me to . But regardless of all I have done- I do know what is coming. Whether I feel great or not on Saturday- at about mile 17/18/19 (I’m praying not sooner) I will hit the point where it is time to just keep going. I have experienced this on a smaller scale during my training- the worst run I had was an 18 miler where I was already struggling on mile 5 (one of the most miserable experiences of my life). Bottom line- I have a fight coming- and it will push me- but WHEN I cross the finish line I will feel a tremendous sense of triumph. 

And even though I thought I knew the struggle- it was much tougher than I imagined. I have run two marathons in my past and both of them were quite a battle.... at some point it just becomes a fight to the finish.

I was always helped by those who encouraged me to keep going!

PROVERBS 24- A CHRISTMAS DEVOTION?

Proverbs 24 outlines the ‘fight’ of the wise and the righteous. I’m sorry to report, but no one gets out of this war. You are either on the side of evil or good- but you hit the ground running everyday in an all-out spiritual battle with eternity at stake.

1 Do not envy the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2 for their hearts plot violence,
and their lips talk about making trouble.

Here is your enemy- they never rest- and lust after your destruction.

5 The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6 Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisers.

How can you win if you do not plan or do not get help? I think my biggest failure in things is not to enlist help and I foolishly strike out on my own… BIG MISTAKE. This is a fight for a team and not for individuals.

10 If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!
11 Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?

Sadly, this is the general experience of a lot of believers, including myself WAY TOO OFTEN!- soft and frail- and more willing to beg out of the fight. 

Passive people think they are avoiding the crisis…but it is coming to them and will be worse the longer they wait.

16 for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.

We will get knocked down in this battle, it is all about rising up in victory- don’t STAY down!

17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.

As believers we win and lose with class! Let God handle what consequences need to come. Be sober when that happens. It may take time, but justice will win in the end!

21 Fear the LORD and the king, my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22 for those two will send sudden destruction on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?

Whose team do you want to be on?

23 By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
24 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures. 

The gifts we open this Christmas will fade in time-The gift of wisdom lasts and bears fruit. And we have to have it, if we want to win the war.

This is the gift I want……..What about you? 

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT- MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” 
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)