No, this is not one of those posts about singing feelgood songs and chanting, or "binding" demons hiding under every bush. Stay away from that stuff. This is about a fact that I bring up here every once in a while since this weblog began in 2011. (Originally, it was "A Soldier for Jesus.") We are in a spiritual war.
We do not have to go looking for trouble, it comes for us. Satan wants Christians eliminated or at least neutralized. Those who want no part of the spiritual warfare that we are in every day are actually doing service for the enemy. Whoever is not for Jesus is against him.
Soldiers, Pixabay / Defence-Imagery |
Cowboy up, little buckaroo, and decide whose side you're on (Luke 9:62). Jesus died on a cross for your sins and rose again on the third day, and a Christian is no longer an enemy of God but adopted as one of his children, indwelt with the Holy Spirit. That should mean something to you.
We have work to do. One thing is to train and keep on training, which begins with the written Word of God. There are other aspects, but there are people who profess to be biblical creationists that need to be addressed. Genesis is foundational to the gospel message, and Satan has his minions spend a great deal of time attacking it.
Many professing creationists on social(ist) media "take a stand" by sharing captioned pictures and giving atheists uninformed retorts. When these lackadaisical creationists get their clocks cleaned, do you think they gear up to reengage or do they hide where it seems safe? Some can't even be bothered to do the minimums and share a graphic or a link to a biblical creation science article!
Those of us who know about Christian and creation apologetics are familiar with 1 Peter 3:15, but most seem to forget the first part about keeping Christ as Lord in our hearts. He must be first place in our lives and thoughts. You savvy that, pilgrim?
One thing I should mention is that our culture is dumbing people down. We have our noses buried in smartphones and tablets, taking in short bursts of entertainment to satisfy their short attention spans. How may people can read anything for even twenty minutes? How many people have read a book lately? How many professing Christians read the Book? Cowboy up and break the chains that we forge ourselves.
This is not about our egos and making sparkling arguments against which enemies of God must undoubtedly submit. No, ultimately the gospel is at stake in this spiritual warfare. People are dying every day without Jesus and spending eternity in Hell, and we need to stand up for creation as well as contend for the faith in general (Jude 1:3, Eph. 6:11-12, 2 Cor. 10:3-5).
We must learn what and why we believe so we can stand for the truth, and because there are deceivers out there. Unfortunately, some deceivers or those in error are often in our camp.
Thorough instruction and discipline are the hallmark qualities of a strong military training program. Well-trained soldiers can think on their feet, adapt to their environment, and make sound choices for the mission and obstacles they are likely to face. Much like military soldiers, Christians likewise must spiritually train and become equipped to make sound choices in the face of spiritual obstacles—namely, deception.
I'd be much obliged if you'd keep reading at "Be Not Deceived: Spiritually Train to Overcome Secular Science Obstacles." It's a bit ironic that I'm recommending this article from the Institute for Creation Research about being deceived, because ICR has been giving wrong teachings on natural selection.