PSALM 144:1-2 – “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me”.
THEME OF THE DAY: ARMED AND TRAINED FOR BATTLE. The 20th century Scottish theologian and man greatly used by God, John Murray, described the whole of the Christian life as one of warfare. He wrote, “A well-trained soldier is not afraid of his adequacy in battle. In fact, in some ways he looks forward to the challenge of using his skills and equipment. It is not the fighting that scares him. It is the realization that out there somewhere may be a bullet with his name on it. But the wonder of the Gospel is that God promised there is no such bullet for the believer. Though we are in for the fight of our lives and may experience great loss – even of our lives … God has promised that our souls are secure, and that He will ultimately defeat all our spiritual foes.”
Each day of life is one of spiritual conflict. We face formidable foes of the devil, the world, and our flesh. The battles are relentless, intense, and with no ceasefires, surrender, or cessation of hostilities. The Apostle Paul would remind us of this reality in his letter to the Ephesian believers – “Finally, be strong in the 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, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:10-13).
For the believer to successfully and consistently win these daily spiritual conflicts, two things must discipline our thinking. First, we must acknowledge we live life on a battlefield not a playground. Forget this and defeat already defines us.
The second thing is to remember what the Lord provides us for battle. In today’s scripture, He arms and trains us with everything we need. He leads us into battle as our fortress, stronghold, deliverer, shield and refuge. There is protection, power, and His Presence to and for us in every conflict, skirmish, and battle. And here is a key element to remember on the battlefield – His steadfast love.
We may confidently enter each day knowing we are under the umbrella of His steadfast love. We will not be defeated. We will not be given over to our foes. We will not become a casualty on the battlefield. Why? Let the prophet Jeremiah tell us – “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3). His everlasting love sustains us in every conflict.
So, live ready for battle. We are constantly in it, and the Lord leads as He provides all that is necessary for His soldiers to engage our foes and defeat them for His glory.
PRAYER: Lord, thank You for being the Captain of my salvation leading me victoriously in my spiritual battles.
REFLECTION: The life of the Christian is warfare. To remember this is to be armed. To forget this is defeat.