The Art of War

By Andrew Fitchett

“We and the world, my children, will always be at war.
Retreat is impossible.
Arm yourselves.”
– Leif Enger

As John Eldridge and others have written, we were born into a world of sin, a world of chaos, a world at war. The wars of the physical world are only shadows of the real war, the real battles that take place in the spiritual realm. There are numerous references to this war throughout the Old and New Testament: Daniel 10, 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, Ephesians 6:13, and many more.

I want to share with you three truths about warfare. These truths have been proven over and over again in battle.

#1. You cannot gain ground in battle without conflict. WWII, Korea, Desert storm, the Soviet-Afghan war, these are all excellent examples of ground gained and lost through conflict. You are fooling yourself if you think the same thing doesn’t apply to your spiritual life. Because of Satan’s bent on destruction of God’s faithful, EVERY victory, EVERY advancement will be marked by conflict. When we truly realize this, our whole view of tragedies, mishaps, and disappointments change. It’s not that God has forgotten us or that He allows bad things to happen because He is sovereign. Think about it, it took an angel 21 days to get to Daniel because the angel was fighting with a demon of Persia, and even had to get Michael, the Arch Angel to help him. Since then, the battle has only gotten worse!

#2. Battles cannot be won without a supply line. When armies are cut off from their supplies, they perish. It’s simple math, once the bullets are spent, once the food is eaten and the water drank, you’re done. Like a tank running out of fuel. When Satan cuts you off from your supply line (church, friends, family, Bible reading, prayer) he has effectively defeated you. MAINTAIN your supply line!!

#3. To fight effectively, you HAVE to believe in what you’re fighting for. The most effective fighters are those that are fighting for their very lives, family, homes. You always hear that a mama (insert ANY animal here) fights ferociously when her offspring are threatened. In the movie “Cinderella Man” (A true story about boxer James Braddock during the depression), Jimmy was asked in an interview, “Jimmy, what are you fighting for?” His reply was based on providing food and shelter for his family. His reply was simply, “Milk.” Don’t forget that you are fighting for your spiritual birthright.

Enger was right, we ARE at war, and retreat is impossible, or as my buddy says, “Retreat is NOT an option.”

Arm yourselves.