PREPARING FOR THE BATTLE

We are told that ''the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church''- Matt. 16:18. Those gates of hell are the enemy's entry point into our lives, congregation, our cities and our nations. The church has the authority to shut those gates- that cannot prevail against us- Matt. 18:18-20.

But the gates of hell will continue to prevail against churches for as long as they are divided. If the Syrians, Egyptians, Saudi Arabians, Americans, French, British and others could join under one command to fight Iraq, then certainly the Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Pentecostal, Charismatic's and others should be able to get together to fight Satan. This is the churches coming together to form common front against the enemy- Jn. 17:20-23.

This does not mean that the church should come under one permanent organization. History has resoundingly testified to the terrible fallacy of the church coming under any head but Jesus Christ, the only head of the church. A congregation will not prevail against the gates of hell until unity exist among the different members. Likewise, it will take apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers who are able to work together in harmony for the church to be properly equipped.

We will never win with our own intelligence, strength, goodness or determination. That is why the verses on overcoming the enemy are often surrounded by exhortations to remain humble- Jam. 4:6-8; Matt. 11:25-30. To be successful, we must both submit to the Lord and draw near to Him. Those who walk in humility  will see the devil fleeing from them. We are easy prey for them when we depart from His grace by walking in pride. Pride is basically taking our stand on our own strength  or wisdom- 1 Cor. 10:12. True humility is to stand on the finished work of Christ alone- This is the rest of God's people.

In most wars, the young people do the fighting while children and elderly men are usually exempted from combat duty except in extreme cases. This also seems true in spiritual matters also- 1 Jn. 2:12-13; 1 Pet. 5:5-9. New believers should not be thrust into the thick of spiritual warfare. They usually have all they can handle just learning to stand and walk on their own. And the fathers also should refrain from heavy involvement. This is simply because their ability to disciple and raise up others is a much more fruitful use of their time than service in the trenches. First, we need to put on the breast plate of truth. Truth is not only an offensive weapon when used as the sword of the spirit, it is also our probation. Truths may have setbacks, but it will always prevail. The Lord wants us to be like Him, and one of His basic characteristics is that He is true to His word. If we are going to be like Him, we too, must learn to  be true to our word. Our word should be our bond, stronger than any contract.

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