In Army Basic Combat Training in 2003 we learned how to be soldiers. They taught us
to run, do pushups, and move as a unit. One of things they taught us was to never turn your back on the enemy. To drill this into our minds, we had a company motto, we would say when we saluted officers. That motto has stuck with me till this day: “Always Forward.”
If we look at advancing the Word of God as a military style mission, then we can surmise
that, like the military, we should never turn our back on our enemy, the Devil. The armor of God consists of “loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” and “above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:14-16). Not only these things, but we are told to “take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). If we are to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3), we are to have loins (pants), a breastplate, shoes, a shield, and a sword; all things needed for a frontal attack, but nothing to protect our backs. Why? Because the Christian is called to advance the Word of God as “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” (Ephesians 6:12), and the only way to fight these off is to face forward.
Think about a certain type of Christian that no one wants to be, but who we all may be if
we do not take our battle against “the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) seriously. These
Christians are those we consider “backslidden.” Backsliding would indicate a person who has slipped, but I would argue, never stopped facing forward. If you are climbing a hill or a
mountain, and you backslide, you are moving forward when perhaps your foot or hand slips,
and you fall back. This motion I described would mean that you are still facing forward and
never turn to face the way which you are sliding.
So what of our back? How are we to guard our rear? Veterans, namely combat veterans,
have a saying, “I got your six.” This short sentence is said amongst friends and those who trust in each other to inform each other, or the group, that they will guard your back. In a convoy or a tactical march, the rear of the formation is generally the most dangerous. If the entire group is forward facing, the odds of the enemy ambushing you from the rear grows higher and higher. If the convoy engages the enemy, it becomes more important for the rear guard to be able to focus on the rear and only engage the known enemy if instructed by his leader or if his life depends on it. That rear guard who protects against the rear attack is one of the most important units in that convoy. Jesus tells Satan “…Get thee behind me Satan” (Matthew 16:23). Jesus may be strong enough to tell Satan that, but I personally would not want that sneaky devil behind me. I want him front and center where my sword and shield can be most effective in battling off his attacks, with Jesus in between us. The battle that ensues daily ensures that “…the Lord will go before you” and will certainly be the best front gun truck, while “the God of Israel will be your reward” (Isaiah 52:12) or your rear guard. God has “your six” and “your twelve.” Take it from a front gunner, there is no one I would rather have leading my convoy than the Lord God Himself. No matter how the battle unfolds or how the enemy may knock us to our knees, know that “the battle is not yours, but God’s” and as you tire from the fight “fear not, nor be dismayed” and no matter what happens today, “to morrow go out against them; for the LORD will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).
Christians, we have been warned “that in the last days perilous times shall come” (1
Timothy 3:1), and we have no idea how bad it will get before the glorious day of the rapture. We do however know that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (1 Timothy 3:12). As long as we have the armor of God, face forward toward the battle with our shield and sword, take comfort knowing that “The LORD is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3) and that “the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall not be forgotten” (Jeremiah 20:11). Now if we advance the battle, always forward, and “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3), know that “thine ears shall hear a word behind thee,” the voice of Jesus Christ, “saying, This is the way, walk ye in it” (Isaiah 30:21).
The above article was written by Jonathan Thornton. He is a military veteran and member of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
Every Tuesday, SFL publishes relevant Bible-based content. Check back next Tuesday to read the next SFL article.
コメント