Theoden: I will not risk open war.
Aragorn: Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not.
— Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Many people today are as naïve as King Theoden. (If you have never watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I highly recommend it.) In the scene referenced above, King Theoden seems oblivious to the invading army bent on the destruction of his people racing across the land destroying everything in sight. Aragorn reminds him that all other decisions are off the table. The only decision left to make at this point is to engage the enemy in battle. He was arguing that the best course of action was to ride out and meet the enemy before they would reach the civilian population.
When I read the words of the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, I am reminded of the scene above:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. — Ephesians 6:10–20 (NIV)
There is a spiritual war that is taking place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and many of us are burying our head in the sand as if the fight has not reached our homes, our schools, our place of work, or the culture as a whole.
This is to be expected by those who profess not to believe in God or the supernatural. However, we have far to many followers of Christ that have grown apathetic, complacent, and spiritually lazy. We need someone like an Aragorn in our lives to jolt us back into reality. To help us realize that there is no other option on the table but to fight because the danger we face is imminent.
This is the plea the Apostle Paul is making to the church in Ephesus. You can hear the battle cry. You must stand and fight. There is no other choice. But, as you can clearly see from the Apostles words, he is not calling for bloodshed in the streets. He sees the necessity for a different kind of fighting.
A primary battle strategy revolves around prayer. Prayer is the means by which we step from the natural into the supernatural world. It is where we connect with our Father in heaven. It is where we gain spiritual wisdom and discernment. It is what invites the presence of God into our circumstances.
If you are reading this, war is upon you. If you are a Christian, you are not helpless. You have weapons to fight back, and prayer is one of those weapons. I want to invite you today to engage the enemy through prayer. Pray often. Pray for your pastor and others that proclaim the gospel that they would have the right words and be without fear. Pray that you would be bold and faithful to make God known. Pray that all God’s people will have moral conviction, strength of character, and courage of heart. Let us take the fight to the enemy.
May God guide you and strengthen you for the fight!