The War Within ©

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of  the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Ephesians 6:12-13

There is a war within us all whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. There is an ever waging war within us with a battle on practically every plain of the human existence:

The Easy way vs. The Hard way

Morality vs. Immorality

Salvation vs. Damnation

Right vs. Wrong

Good vs. Evil

Life vs. Death

Yin and Yang.....

In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (also yin-yang or yin yang, 陰陽 yīnyáng "dark—bright") describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, fire and water, expanding and contracting) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality symbolized by yin and yang.  (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

At any given moment during our lives we are faced with a choice. Life is all about choices. The quality of life we lead depends upon the choices that we make. I have definitely made my share of bonehead decisions and reaped the consequences for every single one of them (Some choices I am still reaping the consequences for). Nevertheless, Life is simple. You make choices and you don’t look back because once the choice is made and the deed is done there is no taking it back..

A wise man once told me that regret is nothing more than an excuse to feel sorry for yourself, because at one point the very thing you now regret was at one time the very thing that you wanted or asked for. Needless to say that once I heard that and it sank in I never saw the need to ever have a “pity party” ever again.

There is a war within. One catalyst is the war between true spirituality and institutionalized religion. The battle for your soul waged by Almighty God and satan. The War within. The choice of submission vs. opposition to domination in every aspect of your life (Your job, your home, your relationships, your mind, your heart, your world).

The world we live in was founded and populated with almost a built in aggression quotient. The strong victimize the weak, the meek suffer at the hands of the proud, the sacrifices of the righteous are enormous, and the educated are punished for the actions of the ignorant. A vicious cycle that has claimed many a dream, many a goal and objective…… many a life. But to what end?

The casualty rate from all the battles we wage against the enemy is extremely high. Don’t get it twisted. Wherever there is a war there are casualties. My personal casualty toll has been enormous.  My casualties have included my health, my family, my “friends”, many a material possession (which are temporal anyway), many relationships and many a dream. The enemy has taken so much from me and be not deceived; the enemy is cruel, relentless and has no respect of persons. Eventually the war within takes it’s toll. It has definitely taken its toll on me. However, to quote one of my biblical heroes:

“Though he slays me, YET I will trust in him.”

There’s a war within... and I’m a frontline soldier. Ready for war. War has been the story of my life. Constant battles waged against the enemy. Battling to protect my family, my friends, my mind, my heart, my soul and everything that is near and dear to me from the enemy’s onslaught. The war within us all does take its toll on us all but at the end of it all it is necessary. The battles we wage help to shape and mold us into who we are truly supposed to be. These battles build character, integrity, accountability, patience, compassion and empathy, and believe it or not it bestows upon the combatant a since of serenity.

Serenity? Wars grants serenity? I’m sure you over there saying this cat is trippin’. In my opinion spiritual warfare grants serenity because in the midst of turmoil, your faith grows. In the midst of strife, patience grows. Anybody that has ever been through a “wilderness experience” can tell you that once you decide that it is out of your hands and you turn everything over to the “One” that can deliver the victory, there’s a certain peace (a sense of serenity) that comes with that. It is then when you discover that God has the final say and that it is never over until He says so.

It’s even in His word...

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that Love God, to them that are called according to his purpose”

Purpose. “To them that are called unto his purpose.” God’s purpose. Nobody said that God’s purpose for our lives, God’s will for us was easy. However, God’s will is perfect as long as we don’t interfere with the “process”.

This is where the conflict within us comes into the play the most. The very catalyst for the war within us all. According to the Word we are not to lean unto our own understanding. Yet we do, time and time again. We have at one point or another all been guilty of this (myself included) sometimes prolonging conflicts that God only intended to be short in duration. Our disobedience and pride can turn a minor skirmish with an enemy into an all out battle. Trust me. I know all to well how to make a bad situation worse through disobedience to God’s will for my life. All because I didn’t follow the Chain of Command  -The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

It is only when I recognized my “place” -That one was for you, Ken - and played my position with the Almighty that he delivered me from the hands of the enemy... sometimes just when I thought all was lost. For me, knowing my “place” simply means submitting to the will of the Most High. I thank Almighty God for the war within. It means that He’s there, fighting with me (sometimes fighting for me). If there’s one thing that this ever present war within has taught me,  it has taught me to never go to war without the proper equipment and weaponry. To never start a battle that you are not willing to see to its conclusion. My war within has also taught me that the enemy does not always wait for you to take the offensive. Sometimes the enemy brings the battle to you. It is during these times when your faith is tested. We are not to allow ourselves to be victimized. We are not to allow individuals, organization, corporations, governments, diseases, etc oppress us. We are to defend ourselves and as long as we stand on the truth and God’s word, (putting Him first in all we do) we can not and will not be defeated.

Like my father used to say: “

You might not start the fight ... but you damn sure better finish it. Let them know that you mean business no matter who it is and make sure that they will think twice about ever fooling with you again.”

In closing, I leave you with this....

The war within us all will never end. 

The final battle will not be fought until we close our eyes for the last time and leave this earthly realm. However, we do have choices. God granted us all free will and a conscience. These are very effective weapons bestowed upon us to wage war with the enemies of God (anybody that is an enemy of the truth, righteous, and morality is an enemy of the Most High) and these are just some of the weapons in your arsenal. You only need tap into them.

As for me, I have made my choice. I will not be defeated. Now it’s time to make your choice and hopefully… prayerfully… when the smoke clears we all will stand victorious on the field of battle.