day no. 16,884: seeing the battle is only half the battle

"We as Bible-believing evangelical Christians are locked in a battle. This is not a friendly gentleman's discussion. It is a life and death conflict between the spiritual hosts of wickedness and those who claim the name of Christ. It is a conflict on the level of ideas between two fundamentally opposed views of truth and reality. It is a conflict on the level of actions between a complete moral perversion and chaos and God's absolutes. But do we really believe that we are in a life and death battle? Do we really believe that the part we play in the battle has consequences for whether or not men and women will spend eternity in hell? Or whether or not in this life people will live with meaning or meaninglessness? Or whether or not those who do live will live in a climate of moral perversion and degradation? Sadly, we must say that very few in the evangelical world have acted as if these things are true. Rather than trumpet our accomplishments and revel in our growing numbers, it would be closer to the truth to admit that our response has been a disaster." — Francis Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1984), pp. 31-32

Christians are called to more than merely acknowledging the battle. It is not enough to recognize the war or calculate the stakes; it requires a fight. It would be a win for most Christians to simply see and acknowledge the extent of the insurrection of Satan, but that alone won't end the siege. Seeing the battle is only half the battle.

Enmity is hard-wired into the battle for Heaven and Earth. Michael was charged by God to evict Satan from Heaven. The Church is now charged with stamping out his presence on earth. 

There can be no peace with evil without making war with sin. Where sin is permitted to exist, the war wages on. Evil will not quit until it is stopped. It will war against goodness, truth, and beauty as long as it's ugly head can siphon gas. 

Romans 16:20

And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

It is the honor and privilege of the saints to hear the death rattle of the rattlesnake as they wash the snake venom off their boots.