4/13 To Fight Or Not To Fight

I recently got "into" the book of Revelation, and in my quest to understand it, was attempting to do what the fictional Perry Mason would have called "forcing an identification." So the Lord gave me a real, live, personal experience to help me understand.

For some years, He has been telling me to not get involved in a certain thing. Sometimes when the opportunity to get involved comes up, I heed His command, but just as often I make some excuse about why it will be okay this time. Afterward I always say, "Oh, yeah, that's why He told me not to get involved. Why did I do this again!?"

The other evening, it happened again. As I was lying in bed, the first thought that went through my mind was, "I'm going to stick with it, this time. I am not going to get involved again." That was when the Lord reminded me.

In Revelation, the saints never fight. They are victorious, but never do they wage war. Oh, there is plenty of warfare going on, don't get me wrong, but it is never the saints that do the fighting. The saints are generally around the throne or around the altar, and they are usually involved in some type of communication with God.

I believe that this whole scenario causes a lot of confusion. We read the passage "Christ in you the hope of glory," see that Christ is in us, and we find ourselves believing that since Christ is in us, we have the answers and we can fight our own battles and win our own victory.

Not so.

It's true that Christ is in us, but so also is the beast and the dragon and the prostitute. It's true that Jesus cast down the dragon, but still we must be victorious over him. It's true that "in Christ there is a new creation," but remember that "the beast was, and is not, yet will be." Your carnal human nature has already been dealt a fatal blow, but that does not mean it will never rule you. And if you think that you can fight the dragon and the beast and win . let me introduce you to the prostitute.

All of that not withstanding, it is in you that the victory will come. It is not your pastor or your best friend who will save you. At the moment God has prepared, I will have the victory. I will not succumb to that temptation to get involved in that thing that is wrong for me.

Meanwhile, I'll have to be patient. Meanwhile, I will fail and will hear the dragon's accusations. Meanwhile, I'll attempt to regulate my behavior by means of rules and religion. Meanwhile, I'll be asking the Lord how long He'll wait to avenge my blood. Meanwhile, I'll be saying, "Salvation belongs to our God."

And one day, when I have reached the point of truly relying on God, He will give me the victory.

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