learning the art of war

*
Believers have only one Enemy, The Devil. He and I have never met per se, although I'm well acquainted with several of his henchmen. They invade my dreams now and then (an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone), but more regularly they perch on my wide-awake shoulders: Heckle and Jeckle. "Caw, caw!" They chirp away reminding me of every mistake I've ever made. God convicts so that we will repent; once forgiven, he forgets. Not The Enemy though. Oh, no. Demons needle. They even try to berate the good stuff. The on-going battle of my life is a fight against these voices.

A year or so after my conversion the war was at a fevered pitch. I couldn't go anywhere without my petal-pink NIV, the one Fred gave me for Christmas, balancing it on the handle of the grocery cart, sleeping with it under my pillow. For weeks I stabbed back at my unseen foe with every verse that came to mind, but the voices only got louder. In desperation I dumped self and bible to the ground, opened to my favorite chapter—John 15—and started reading. When my eyes hit verse four, things got interesting. The familiar words Remain in me, and I will remain in you, blazed on the page. Inside, a bomb went off: KAPOW! Imagine a farmer firing a single shot to rid his cornfield of crows. Same thing. Every single ugly bird flew far, far away. The result: peace. No more mental bile.

John 15:4 has been my life verse ever since. At the time I didn't understand why God used those particular words to fight for me, but I do, now. Jesus defeated Satan. That work is done. As long as I am tight with my Savior, he will protect me. Time spent with him in bible study, prayer, and life in general is spiritual coaching. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze (Psalm 18:34).

As it turns out, the crows weren't gone for good. They circle over head, sometimes getting too close for comfort, tempting me to fall into the old habit of self-hatred. Every day I shoo them off. Temptation itself is not a sin—Jesus was tempted, after all—it's the way we respond that matters. Birds may land on my shoulders, but I've learned not to let them nest in my mess of a hair-do. Resist the Devil, and he will FLEE, as will every member of his evil army. All it takes is a little resistance. They're only crows, after all. 

God left certain enemy tribes in the Promised Land, using them to test the Israelites who had no experience in the Canaanite wars. He did it to train the descendants of Israel, the ones who had no battle experience, in the art of war. ~ Judges 3:1-2, The Message

*