On a last minute thought, we found an empty cabin at a nearby state park. I never dreamed anything so pretty could be found in the middle of the mosquito infested flat lands! We also discovered that some dear friends were staying at a nearby cabin. That is when the war started!
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The battle lines were drawn and the boundaries clearly marked- or as much as could be in the dark of the night. The adrenaline was pumping through each warrior's veins. Some felt the cold wave of raw fear. Others just wanted it to begin so they could carry out their well planned battle strategy.
Each team had their precious "flag". The object: Bury your flag and defend it. Mission: Find the other team's flag and take it back to the central command station - aka - the bonfire where the mom's were.Jackie and I were the central command station officers. Our job was to maintain the fire and nourish the troops with roasted marshmallows and s'mores as they were "imprisoned" for the required one minute sentence after being tagged by the enemy's flashlight. It was cold out and we volunteered for the job since rolling around in the woods playing war games was not on our list of one million things to do before we die! :)
Sitting by the crackling fire, I had a perfect view of my kid's war base. I watched them cleverly hide and defend their flag. If the enemy (my husband's team) approached, one brave warrior was responsible for sounding the alarm and tagging the intruder with the flashlight. I was quite impressed with their strategy. One tagger, one defender, and two spies who went in search of the enemy's flag. They also were successful in targeting the "enemy's weakness" - two who would not venture far from the fire or from a "dad".
Sometimes the warriors were loud and could be heard by every cabin in the park I am sure. Other times, they operated like stealthy agents. It was quite entertaining to watch both sides maneuver around to outwit the enemy. Just as the fire was dying down and the s'mores supply was dwindling, a flag was captured and the war games ended.
As I went to bed that night, I was replaying the War Games in my mind. Although, our scenario was all fun and games, it was eerily reminiscent of warfare I have experienced - not in the physical, but in the spiritual realm.
Some people would think I am crazy. Others, experienced warriors themselves, know that spiritual warfare is not a tale for literary works only. Spiritual warfare is real and there is much more at stake than a flag - or even a country. At the heart of spiritual warfare is the welfare of eternal souls.
Our enemy, is none other than Satan and his legions of demons. His primary weapon? Deception. My Commander in Chief is Jesus Christ Himself! He is Truth. He doesn't hide his banner afraid the enemy will find it and take it away. Truth itself shreds the deception of the enemy to pieces. That is why He says, "Then you will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set you free!"
I posted a week or so ago about being handed an introduction to a prayer warrior mentality on a silver platter by my parents and grandmother. Prayer. So simple, yet so powerful. We win the battle by simply crying out to our Lord and Savior- because He has already won the War!
But spiritual warfare is war waged daily against the enemy of our souls. Paul tells us in Ephesians to "be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Ephesians 6:10 -19) He tells us our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, - against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Do not get me wrong- Satan IS defeated! But this real enemy desires to drag with him to the eternal flames of hell as many souls as he can. How does he do it- through deception! Every wonderful and beautiful thing God has planned for us, the enemy finds an evil and ugly counterfeit. He deceives God's creation into believing that the evil and ugly is good, thereby rejecting the Holy One who loves with a perfect love.
So, how does one wage "spiritual warfare"? By taking God's Word, the Truth, and quoting it in prayer. In January I posted on "Spiritual Warfare". In December of last year, my husband wrote a blog on "The Power of Speaking God's Word". (Both of these are tools to utilize if you are unfamiliar with the subject of spiritual warfare.)
There is so much I could write on this subject, but that would take a lot longer than you are willing to read. But please allow me to encourage you to be a prayer warrior. Pray daily to God in heaven, through the power of the blood of Jesus and in the wonderful name of Jesus! Lift up to Him the names of those who need deliverance from the strongholds of the enemy. Intercede on behalf of those who do not know Christ! Bind the enemy and release Truth in those situations. Ask the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit to teach you about spiritual warfare. Above all, READ GOD'S WORD- daily! You cannot even think of being a prayer warrior with out knowing how to use your "sword".
I love you all! And I missed blogging! I am glad to be back in the loop of cyberspace!
dorinda
Out of My Treasure Chest:The Invisible War by Chip Ingram
Spiritual Warfare for Every Christian by Dean Sherman
and of course-
A Good Old Fashioned game of Capture the Flag!- a must for every family! :)
1 comment:
Sounds like you had a blast! Such fun memories!
AND speaking and praying the WORD, for me is the best form of that spiritual warfare!
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