This Means War!
- Feb 18
- 2 min read
Dear Faith Family,
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, (1 Peter 5:8).
Sixteen young men. Eight per team. Sixteen nerf pistols each loaded with three nerf bullets. Eight guys in one classroom. Eight in the next. Ready…? Go! The object? Defeat the opposing team, the enemy. You might be surprised at the lengths these young men will go to defeat their enemies and to defend themselves. It’s a great spectator sport! Just listening to their plans puts a smile on my face: “We need to form three groups of three.” The response? “We have eight guys!” (ok, do the math!).
Adrenaline levels high, they navigate on extreme alert! There’s an unmanned, lighted flashlight in the hallway as a diversion luring the opposition out into open vulnerability. Nooks and crannies serve as shields. The battlefield (ok the hallway) is littered with bullets (ok nerf darts). Casualties of war moped as they departed. There’s a flash, a rumble, and a “what was that?” moment. One of the soldiers launched himself out of hiding from one side of the battlefield to the other. I do mean launched. It was a dive, a summersault, and safe (well he didn’t get shot) grand entrance into hiding across the battlefield.
What’s in your small group meetings?!
Are you loading up? Are you suiting up? Are you strategizing? Are you supporting your teammates? Are you defending? Attacking? I’m not talking nerf gun wars! You are aware that you are on the battlefield, right?! Every day! I can’t help but wonder if we’re as intense in the real-life battle as the small group guys are in a not so real-life nerf battle?
And here’s another thing. There are no earthly bleachers for spectators. The rightful spectators have fought the battle and finished their part in the war, (Hebrews 12:1). To them belong the heavenly bleachers.
In the meantime, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood (with nerf guns), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 6:12). Sounds daunting! But don’t forget, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world, (1 John 4:4).
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