WAR Fighting an Unseen EnemySample

Day 4:

WHO DO WE ENLIST?

The isolated gazelle never makes it out of the chase alive. Every National Geographic special ever made that shows a cheetah chasing a herd of gazelles always ends with one weak gazelle straying from the herd and meeting its demise. The devil loves it when we isolate and separate from our herd of believers who are the core group of our faith community. His tactics of creating division are a means to the end that leaves us bitter and alone. Much like Eve in the garden and Jesus on the mountain, Satan’s voice can be amplified when it’s the only sound we hear. Much like Eve, If isolated, we can become victims of the unhealthy and toxic messages we entertain. However, if, like Jesus, we can ‘not so fast’ those voices of death dealt by the devil. It takes a village to help us stand firm in our faith. By now we should know, that in addition to prayer and devotional time, we must enlist other like-minded soldiers of the faith in our daily regimen of spiritual warfare.

“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Incorporating other believers in our weekly conversations around struggles, temptations, wins, and failures only solidifies our ability to conquer our spiritual adversaries. Unfortunately, Many of us are comfortable with the routine of avoidance. We tell ourselves “Just process those thoughts alone”, “People don’t want to hear my problems”, or “They have their own busy life and don’t have time for my issues”. Jesus, God wearing skin; the King of the universe, enlisted twelve devoted followers to participate in His ministry. Even the creator of mankind understood the importance of a platoon of allies during war.

Who’s in your platoon? Who climbs into the foxhole with you when you’re taking enemy fire? Whose foxhole are you climbing into, covering their six? If you can’t answer these questions or if you don’t believe the concept to be a vital element to spiritual survival and victory, you may want to reconsider your strategy. One might argue that it's unreasonable to expect weekly outings or meetings with a core group of Christian brothers. One might argue that they barely have the bandwidth to dedicate time to family. I would challenge all of us to consider, at the bare minimum, virtual engagement or weekly phone calls with a few people we trust with two-way authenticity and transparency. We don't need another echo chamber or more 'yes' people to co-sign our pity party or sin struggles. We need each other to be available and honest. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). We are more vulnerable targets when we are isolated.

W. A. R.

WEAPONIZE: Make a list of 3-5 trustworthy, like-minded believers for weekly interaction.

ACTIVATE: Gain commitment from the group for weekly accountability and engagement.

REPEAT: Consistently execute the right reps daily.