The Battlefield or the Beach: Where Are You?

As a child of God, you are not called to peace, but to war. It's time many of us decide where we stand in the battle—are we on the battlefield where we are called to be, or will we be found AWL on the beach?

What would you think of a Marine who attended boot camp only for an hour each Sunday and spent the rest of his time either relaxing on a warm sunny beach or in pursuit of one? Imagine further that it is wartime and the enemy is stealing, killing and destroying while the Marine is resting comfortably in a lounge chair on the beach—his rifle propped against his chair, his helmet hung over its barrel.

If you are a Christian, you ARE a soldier, drafted by God into the army of King Jesus Christ for the sole purpose of advancing His kingdom. You have been provided a uniform (the armor of God), you have been equipped with a weapon so powerful (the Word of God) that no enemy can stand against it, you have a defense system (your faith) that is guaranteed by its Maker to stop every single shot the enemy takes at you—if you only use it. And you have a mission.

There are Kingdom subjects to be defended, captives being held in enemy territory who need rescuing, enemy ground to be taken, and your success has been guaranteed.  

The problem lies in the fact that many Christians either don't realize they are called to fight or else they chose to ignore the calling. Just as a Marine who refuses his mission, there are consequences for the Christian who decides to leave the battle to others “called” to do it.   As a child of God, YOU are called, just as much as any of your fellow soldiers. Getting in the action does not mean you have to go to the mission fields—even the most powerful armies have support roles and many armies provide humanitarian aid when they are not fighting. Whether it is being a prayer warrior, delivering food to the needy, or working the front line in a deliverance ministry, you have a part in this war.

Some of you are struggling with so many burdens and problems of your own that you scarcely have time to help others. In that case, I strongly suggest that you accept the reality that you are being attacked by the enemy and in doing so learn how to be an effective soldier. If all seems quiet on your home front, find a fellow soldier who is under attack and help him fight his battle. When you have helped him gain the victory in that battle, ask the Commander for a new assignment—you will find He always has new assignments for battle-proven soldiers.

Often times, the fact that you do not feel that you are being targeted by the enemy is evidence that you are no threat to him. For there is a direct correlation between how effective we are as Christians and how much the enemy attacks us—if we are effective, we can expect many bullets to come our way. If we don't seem to be getting shot at, perhaps we should examine whether or not we are even on the battlefield rather than on the beach.

As Christians, the Word of God says we are “more than conquerors,” which means we are more than equipped to overcome the enemy on every front, in every battle, even to the very end of the war. But we have to be willing to get into the action. The temptation is to turn and run, but the enemy is going to fight you, sooner or later, and he intends to absolutely wipe you out. For now, he may even provide you a nice sunny beach if you are willing to set out the war, but the Word of God describes our enemy this way: “Be sober, be vigilant, for YOUR adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).” Sooner or later, he'll set his sights on you and if you are on that beach—without your weapons ready and without battle experience—you will have little hope of standing against him.

For many Christians, they'd rather sit there on the beach, even when they see the enemy's footsteps approaching them in the sand, and just hope he will go away. The enemy is very skilled at intimidating his opponents into retreat, but nowhere in the Word of God are we told to be afraid. God says to submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil and he will “flee” from us (James 4:7)—the original translation meaning “to run from in terror.” Far from being scared by the big fangs and boastful roar of our enemy, we should "be strong in the Lord and and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10) and courageously bring the Kingdom of God to every front the enemy tries to claim for his own. 

Unfortunately, countless are the places where the enemy fights for dominion and we, the Body of Christ, must engage him and defeat him on every front.  Consider just a few areas where Satan has achieved victory, or at least a foot hold, because he has not been sufficiently opposed by believers.  From the removal of prayer from schools to the attack on traditional marriage to the unholy influence of Hollywood upon our culture, all we have to do is look around if we want to know where the war is.  If believers would realize our high calling and commit to holding society to the standards of Jesus Christ, we can turn defeats into victories.  The fight is the Lord's, all we have to do is commit and be willing to be used by the Lord to make a difference in our schools, our communities, our homes.

Maybe by now you have realized that you are safer with your fellow soldiers on the battlefield than alone on the beach, so how do you get in the action without getting taken out by the enemy?

• First, study the Word of God to learn how to submit to God so that, as the Word says, the Devil will flee from you.
• Study the word of God to learn about your enemy.
• Study the word of God to learn about your weapons, which the Word says are “mighty to the bringing down of strongholds.”
• Study the word of God to learn how to build your shield of faith, “which is able to quench all the fiery darts of the devil.”
• Study the word of God to learn about the authority and power you have in Christ.
• Study the word of God to learn about your mission.

What is the common theme, here?  You must be in the word of God, make it a part of your daily routine, if you are to have spiritual victory for yourself or for anyone else.

Finally, assemble yourself with other soldiers in a local church. There is great safety in numbers and, just as the weaker antelope is separated from the pack and taken down by the lion, you don't want the enemy to find you alone. 

Pray and seek God's direction on what His plan is for you as a follower of Christ.  It is important that you are willing to do whatever God wants you to do.  Many people do not hear from the Lord what His will is for their lives because they are waiting to see what He wants them to do before they commit.  God may reveal to you what He wants you to do for Him and for His Kingdom before you agree to do it, but don't count on it.  Only those who pray "Lord, lead me to do your will and help me to obey" will receive important work from the Lord, and all the blessings that come with obedience.

Are there sometimes casualties? To be sure. Sometimes our faith weakens and the enemy gets a good shot through and gains a victory. Even so, it's better to take a hit on the battlefield in service for the King than to face the shame of getting shot on the beach.