When I was young, I always trained.  Even when I didn’t feel like it, I would rise before the sun, lace up my shoes, and hit the cold dark street.  Every once in a while, a morning came too soon or a snowstorm swirled its ugly head and I would reach slowly for the snooze button.  Immediately, the sound of my coach’s voice would echo in my ear.  When you’re not training, your competitors are.  That was all it took.  Those words carried me through rain, snow, ice, zero degree wind chills, sprained ankles, and torn ligaments.  Most days, I trained before and after school.  Most nights, I came home exhausted.  But I knew deep down that as long as I had a working vessel, nothing could stop me.  Absolutely nothing.  My determination held onto this secret like a precious jewel.  I knew my opponents and I knew how good they were.

For me, it was easy to engage in competition.  My intense personality desired to endure the suffering and discomfort because I deemed the reward valuable.  But what happens when there’s more at stake than a small slice of suffering?  What happens when the cost turns from personal mental and physical muscle strain to entire lives?  History shows us that when it comes to discomfort, getting involved in a raging battle is generally not the first option.  Countries spend time strategizing and preparing before entering any war zone.  Leaders send warnings and leverage advantages, anything to push their opponent toward surrender and to avoid an attack on either side.  Even in WWII while Jews were being killed at the hands of the Nazi Regime, the United States patiently waited.  We calculated the cost.  No one wants to fight in vain.  No one wants to be in a war.  It takes effort.  It takes energy.  It takes resources.  It takes bravery and strength and an ultimate acceptance of unavoidable potential losses. 

Once a war is deemed a worthwhile effort, no country has ever gone into battle with an enemy they didn’t first come to know or understand. The leaders would send spies into the opponent’s territory.  They would analyze every nook and crevice and even scope out bunker locations.  They would locate the best open blasting areas and the most secure and camouflaged sniper zones.  They would research manpower, tactics, weaponry, leadership, communications, field data, etc.  They would watch their enemy’s behavior to spot the weakest links.  They would pick out the ones who would be the most vulnerable targets.  After all, competition isn’t worthwhile if neither side is doing their best to well, compete. 

So, now, as I sit by myself staring past my reflection in the darkened window down into the gently lit street below, I wonder how long it’s been since I conquered the snooze button.  I wonder how long it’s been since I felt the cold wind brush my cheeks.  Before I can catch it, my mind drifts off like a lost balloon back into the fog of childhood.  I remember my old self straining to win races and trophies and medals.  Day and night, I dreamed of championship celebrations and gold confetti finishes.  I spent years training through sweat and tears to be the best when in reality, I was running for the enemy the entire time.  With trophies in my hands, I lost day after day.  I didn’t even know it.  All that time wasted.  Likewise, every moment Hitler sided with his well thought-out plan to eradicate the Jews, he could collect territories like worldly trophies.  Ironically, even though the Nazi’s spent all that time winning, the real battle was a total loss.  Every trophy put a point up on the board for Hitler’s ultimate defeat in a much bigger battle he didn’t even know he was in.  The real battle is beyond any realm of rational thought in this world.  It’s bigger than all of us and none of us are equipped to handle its severity. 

I wonder how many of us focus on fighting battles in life and don’t realize that we’re losing sight of the unseen war?  Some strive to fill in the blanks of Christianity.  Attend church.  Fellowship.  Volunteer.  Pray.  Every year, there’s fall break and winter break and summer break, and of course that exciting family getaway.  Meanwhile, nobody sends in spies to the enemy camp.  There’s no preparation or strategizing.  And then the restless nights come and the mind thrashing comes and believers end up on their knees with a soft message and no sword.  Christian, if you haven’t studied the character and tactics of your enemy, how do you know how to battle?  How do you know how much strength you need?  Satan dangerously convinces many Christians that they can’t be oppressed by him and his dark army.  Some have decided that he is a weak competitor.  Meanwhile, he restlessly fights a battle day and night against God hoping many get caught in the crossfire.  He’s devious.  He’s strong.  He’s fierce, vengeful, and fuming.  He’s here to steal, kill, and destroy.  He’s here to distract you from knowing anything about him, so he can craftily take over your church, your home, your media, and your children’s video games.  He wants your time.  He wants your thought life.  He wants you drifting away from God’s church, God’s people, and God’s will in your life.  And if he can isolate you and manipulate you into destroying yourself, even better. 

The devil cannot continue to be the Christian’s dirty little secret that no one talks about.  If the enemy is not a topic of discussion in your home or your church, there’s a possibility he’s winning a battle you didn’t even know you were in.  If your preparation only consists of sitting in a church pew listening to someone give you a motivational speech about your life, you are not prepared for the spiritual battle that will be ramping up against an enemy who has generations of training and nothing to lose.  He’s winning if his existence and character go unfounded and he continues to win every time he isn’t brought to light.  If you are in Christ, you are on the winning side, but know this.  You signed up for a battle.  A battle requires that you strategize and count the cost.  Winners show up prepared.  The enemy wants to make sure that Bible keeps gathering dust, so you won’t have any ammunition when he comes to spiritually annihilate you.  He wants to make sure you don’t have the Word that Jesus used against him in the wilderness.  He wants to make sure you feel isolated. He knows you can’t handle him on your own. He knows what you need to fill your soul with sustenance and strength.  Satan knows how powerful God’s Word is.  Do you? 

Just remember this every time you want to reach for that spiritual battle snooze button.  The devil is real.  He’s a fit competitor coming at full force and when you’re not training, he is.

“Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
– Ephesians 6:11-12

CHARACTERISTICS OF SATAN:

• Serpent, a crafty deceiver. (Genesis 3:4, 2 Corinthians 11:3)
• Deceiver of the whole world, accuser, great red dragon, ancient serpent. (Revelation 12:3-10)
• Adversary who steals, kills, and destroys lives, affects physical and mental health to deplete hope, uses relationships to manipulate and convince people to sin. (Job 1)
• Satan, devil, tempter, promises worldly things, tempts people to sin and turn away from God. (Matthew 4:1-11)
• Beelzebub, commander of demons, prince of devils. (Matthew 12:24)
• Enemy. (Matthew 13:28)
• Father of lies, murderer, distorts the truth and leads people to first and second death. (John 8:44)
• Ruler of this wicked world. (John 12:31)
• Evil one. (John 17:15)
• god of this world, blinds minds of unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
• Belial, wicked and worthless. (2 Corinthians 6:15)
• Angel of light, appears good on the outside. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
• Prince of the power of the air, spirit of those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:2)
• Power of this dark world, creator of dark activity. (Ephesians 6:12)
• Adversary, roaring lion seeking to devour people. (1 Peter 5:8)