America’s Real War
By David N. Bass (06/10/04)
With the transfer of power from U.S. civilian authorities to the Iraqi people fast approaching, I am again reminded of the deadly conflict between America’s Judeo-Christian ideals and those of terrorism. The ideology of terrorism is still alive and kicking throughout the world, and unfortunately it is the kind of philosophy that some human beings will always cling to. It is my hope and prayer that June 30 will come and pass without any further violence in Iraq, and that this conflict will come to a speedy resolution.
The current situation in Iraq has also served to remind me of another battle that is being waged in America today, a battle similar to the one between America and terrorism although different in many important ways. This war is going on around every American citizen each day, whether they live in the suburbs of California or the cornfields of Iowa. This battle is not only being fought in America but in every city and nation across the world. Wherever there are human beings, this conflict is present. Unfortunately, this battle is all to often forgotten in the rush of traumatic news from Iraq. Nevertheless, it is a battle that will likely affect our nation far more than the outcome of the Iraqi war will.
What war do I speak of? In Ephesians 6:12, the Apostle Paul explains the battle every Christian should be engaged in from day to day: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
While many Christians in America have actively supported our nation’s war against terrorism, we have collectively forgotten our first and foremost obligation–our allegiance to God. We have largely neglected to take part in the spiritual battle against the “the powers of this dark world” and “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Paul was not speaking about a physical force of evil, but about the force that is ultimately behind every evil that is done in this world. It is force that has brought us such iniquity as legalized abortion, the gruesome experimentation on the unborn, euthanizing the elderly and “burdensome,” destroying marriage between a man and a woman, breaking down the foundations of sexual morality, and countless other concerns. It is the force that works to the ultimate destruction of traditional American society.
The 20th century has seen some of the most horrific conflicts in the history of warfare. School children learn about them every day in classrooms across our nation. But children seldom hear about the evil influences that have crept into the very soul of Western Civilization. These influences have not arrived with the flash of bombs and the noise of artillery fire; they have crept in subtly, and unfortunately for American Christians, these influences are already firmly entrenched in our homeland, the very territory we once considered safe.
Why is this battle more important than our fight against terrorism? Because it involves the very fabric of what we believe as a nation, and what we are as a people. The Roman Empire was one of the mightiest civilizations in world history. Its military might was unparalleled, its government and societal structure unprecedented. Romans boasted about the might and majesty of their empire, saying their society could never be destroyed. Indeed, they were largely correct. Rome was not conquered by the hand of another nation; it fell from the inside. Like a mighty oak tree that has stood for half a century in perfect health and beauty, suddenly losing greenery because its core has been silently rotting away.
I fear this might be the fate of America if her Christian heartbeat does not quicken and awaken to the true allegiance resting upon our Savior and Lord, not on the fleeting things of this world. We have the weapons and armor to wage battle in this conflict, if only we will take them up. Paul in Ephesians 6 tells Christians to put on the armor of God and wage a spiritual war against Satan: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
This most important battle is not waged on a physical battlefield, but on a spiritual one. It is not fought by soldiers carrying rifles, but by prayer warriors on their knees.
While the spiritual battle is appearing lost in America, we still have the opportunity to win the war if we individually choose to take up the weapons God has granted us and fight in the spiritual battle He commands us to wage.
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