Chapter six of Ephesians compares the life of a Christian to that of a soldier.  If you are serious about serving the Lord, you are already aware of the spiritual battle between light and darkness that rages all around.  Ours is a diabolical enemy who methodically deceives in an effort to thwart the work of God, and discourage His people.  If you are a believer and are not cognizant of the conflict, you will likely be numbered with the casualties.

  Without armor, we are vulnerable to the devices of our most powerful Adversary.  God describes the needed armor in Ephesians.  First, He commands us to gird ourselves with objective biblical truth.  When Satan fires one of his lies in our direction, if we know the truth, we recognize the lie immediately, and its power to deceive is lost.    Secondly, we should have a rock solid resolve to do right.  Though this practical righteousness could never restore a lost man to God, the believer who reckons himself dead to sin will not be easy prey for the Enemy.

  Thirdly, a soldier must be confident that he has made peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Only then can he possess the peace of God that passes all understanding.  Without this peace, the enemy will play on his insecurity and cause him to retreat for fear of standing alone.  Our fourth piece of armor is the shield of faith.  Our faith in what God has said must prove more enduring than any temptation or trial leveraged by the Evil One.

  Fifth, as he awaits the final deliverance, the soldier of the cross must keep in the forefront of his mind, that victory is sure, as promised by our Great Commander.   The last piece of armor, the Sword of the Spirit, is our only offensive weapon.  When temptation and trials come, the Sword, which is the Word of God, can be utilized to wage an offensive against the Devil.

  When we, as Christian soldiers, have armed ourselves with these tools of spiritual warfare, we are ready for the next attack.  Meanwhile, we must not sit back in lethargy or complacency, but maintain alertness, and pray without ceasing.  Only then can we “Fight the good fight of faith!” (1Timothy 6:12a).

  Those who make a sincere effort to read and understand the Bible, soon find abundant evidence that it is the very Word of God.  Within the pages of holy writ, they also discover the wonderful story of God’s love for the human race, the crown of His creation.  If they continue to read, they will learn of His provision to deal with the sinful nature of man that has robbed them of a relationship with their Creator God.  His provision involves the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, which is the central theme of the Bible.  Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39).”

  This is truly good news to the individual who has come to realize the destructiveness of sin and the eternal hopelessness of life without God.  Faith in Jesus provides a way to know God now, and enjoy eternal life in His presence when our body, the earthly habitation for our eternal soul, expires.  Sincere seekers will not be disappointed in their journey through the pages of God’s inspired message to man, but the fact remains, most will never discover the treasures of the Book; they are too busy to consider it.  They will live and die without being introduced to God, who offers them eternal, abundant life in exchange for their faith.  Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)”

  If not “too busy,” those who insist on neglect of their souls know a plethora of well worn excuses that will suffice: too tired, too wired, too young, too old, too sleepy, too confused, too satisfied, too independent, too afraid, too proud, too simple minded, too educated, etc.  Maybe I missed your excuse, but if you do not yet know God personally, you certainly have one.  The problem with excuses is that they only satisfy those who would dare to use them.  God is not moved by your reckless disregard of your need and His costly provision—and you are running out of time.  “…It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27).”

  Did you ever watch a sunrise?  Perhaps you have been amused by the first rays of light as they beamed over the horizon to introduce a new day.  Did you ever think to yourself, “I’ll concentrate for a few minutes to see if I can detect the movement of the sun”?  In a matter of minutes, you probably realized that the sun was peeping more boldly around the curvature of the earth now, but you had not yet observed even its slightest advancement.  You had experienced the phenomenon that we call gradualism.  The change came about so gradually that it was imperceptible.

  In my younger days, I remember wading into a rough surf on a fishing trip, shuffling my feet on occasion to keep my balance or adjust my gear.  After several minutes, when I turned back to the beach, it appeared that none of my stuff was where I had left it.  After frantically working my way back to shore and getting my bearings, I realized that the currents had gradually carried me away from my original site without my slightest perception that I was being relocated.  I was the victim of gradual change—gradualism.

  Gradualism happens in the moral, social and spiritual realms as well.  We as a nation have succumbed to the gradual decay of moral absolutes, wholesome philosophies, and time honored principles that long served as the underpinnings of institutions that once defined us as a Christian nation.  Without the slightest detection of immediate change we find ourselves separated from our moorings, drifting away from every ancient resolve.  We are not the same nation that we were, and yet, on a day to day basis, there has been no perceptible change.  Gradualism has altered the hearts and souls of those who have ever lived only in the light of our blood bought freedom.

  Let it suffice to say that our only hope is to return to the moral absolutes, wholesome philosophies, and time honored principles of the past.  They work because they are God’s, and He promises to bless “the nation whose God is the Lord! (Psalm 33:12)”  Only you can be responsible for you!

  So often I am reminded of the brevity of life, even more now, in these later seasons of my earthly pilgrimage.  Just yesterday, or so it seems, I stood in the delivery room with unbidden tears streaming down my face.  A joy I had never known came welling up from a part of me that I did not know existed; God had given me a son!   Now, after these few fleeting days, my eldest son is married with five children of his own.  I have lived long enough to experience what my father and grandfather tried to help me grasp in my youth, “As you get older, time seems to pass more quickly.”

  Perhaps God intended for all fathers to impress this truth upon their children, for even He, the Heavenly Father, has included this thought in His immortal Word.  “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again… (2Samuel 14:14a).”  “…What is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14b).” 

  On several occasions, I have heard preachers remind young congregants that in a few years, they would look back on these days and marvel at the passage of time.  They didn’t get it—yet, …but I was there, and time had made a believer out of me.  Now, I am a grandfather, trying to impress upon my grandchildren that, “Time waits for no one.”

  In this season of life, I am more serious about the old question, “What ought we to be in light of the brevity of life?  I am happy to report, I have found the answer!  Here, I will share it with you; “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be?… Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,… be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2Peter 3:11-14).”

  C. T. Studd (1860–1931), an English Missionary to China, India, and Africa wrote a poem with this reprise:  “Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”   I whole heartedly agree!

  Serious servants of the Lord understand the reality of spiritual warfare, and have enlisted in the the age old conflict between good and evil, truth and error, light and darkness.  These soldiers of light are keenly aware of the battle that rages in the ever present, but unseen, realm of God, angels, and the souls of men.  They will stand until the promised day of victory. “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (2Tim. 2.4).”

  Generally speaking, when men go to war, commanding officers don’t lead their soldiers into battle.  Not so with our God; the soldier who carries the banner of truth takes comfort in the words, “The Battle Is The Lord’s.”  The shepherd boy, David, spoke to the giant, Goliath, in 1Samuel 17:46-47,  “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee… for the battle is the LORD’S.”

  Nowhere is the promise of His presence more powerfully illustrated than in Exodus 13-14, where Israel had just been delivered from their 430 year bondage in Egypt, and God led them out into the wilderness toward the “land of promise.”  The Bible declared that He went before them in “a pillar of cloud by day,… and a pillar of fire by night.”  The purpose of His manifested presence becomes obvious as we read the text: He wanted to maintain a high morale (Exodus 13:17-18), provide reassurance and guidance (13:20-22), and to protect them from their enemies (14:10-14).

  What our Lord did for His people Israel in the physical realm, He has promised to do for us in these times of spiritual warfare.  “…If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)”

  The Omnipresent Almighty is out front leading the way, and He is behind us, guarding our backs.  The outcome of the conflict has already been determined, and by faith in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin, you can be enlisted on the winning side!