Fight the Good Fight

If I were the devil, taking stock of my battle plan to wage war on souls, I think I’d keep up the same tactics - for these tactics seem to be working. If I were the devil, my primary aim would be to stop people from taking the Bible seriously. I would publish doubts about the truth and reliability of the Bible. And if anyone should persist in reading it I would lure them into thinking that the best benefit to reading Scripture is to get a winsome tranquil feeling out of it.  That way no one would focus on what Scripture actually says. I would do all I could to surround the Bible with the spiritual equivalent of pits, thorn hedges, and traps, to frighten people off. I would try to distract all preachers and teachers from sharing the Bible and to spread the opinion that this ancient book is a burdensome “extra.” I would work overtime on the Christian families to keep them from loving to go to church. 

Since when the church gathers, the demons shudder, I would fuel a fire that says religion is in the same category of politics- don’t talk about it if you want to keep people as your friends. I would entice the families to make excuses seem very legitimate for skipping church. I would make church seem so lame that Christians prefer to be idle or get into mischief rather than go to the House of the Lord. Six long weeks of Lent? Couldn’t it just be a few midweek services and get it over with. At all cost I would want to keep people from the Gospel of salvation.

Be honest with yourself—how much time daily does God’s truth get proclaimed in any form in your home on a weekly basis? It is more than a little frightful isn’t it? Do you properly concern yourself with the Word of God, devote yourself to it earnestly and reverently?

The Word of God penetrates the heart and heals it like a scalpel.  In fact it is called “the sword of the Spirit.” To quote Martin Luther, “Take heed that you do not despise the preaching and neglect the Word of God! Secondly, see to it that you speak of it seriously, hear it, sing it, read it, use it, and learn it!” (Luther’s Works, vol. 51: p.145)

A soldier wouldn’t go anywhere without his sword.  It is the sword of the Spirit that cuts through the clutter of our sinful excuses.  Knowing that God’s Word teaches people to know and love and serve the Savior, how about this for a Lenten resolution? Fight the good fight. We have such a sharp blade to use against our enemy the devil.  Armed with this sword we can fight the good fight.  

No matter what the devil says to us, we can respond in full confidence with the Word of God suited up in God’s full armor. No matter how he tempts us, we have a weapon that cuts deep into the devil. In the Lenten season, we see Jesus fight for us. Jesus won over the devil.  We have the Sacraments – Baptism and Lord’s Supper – and they protect us completely.  Connected with Jesus by faith, we become sharers in the victory over the devil.  We are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us!  On our own we could never be victorious. But Christ fought the battle and Christ won the war.  Using the sword of the Spirit, we stand victorious in Christ Jesus We will stand victorious over the devil. So onward, Christian Soldiers, don’t let the sword be blunted, fight the good fight.

Pastor Carl Schroeder, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Sturgeon Bay