The Declaration of War

This post was written 10/8/2001 and was published on a "prayer web" that I wrote and shared in the days before blogs were invented.  I thought you might find it interesting.
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"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rules, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
                                                                                                       Ephesians 6:12 nasb

Ryan and I had just gotten home from church when my neighbor, Sam Wiley, stopped by.  "They said at the store that we had declared war and were bombing Afghanistan," he said.  "Did you hear about it?"  "Declared war? I thought we were already at war," I replied.

As I thought about that part of our conversation later, I realized we were both right.  It IS war, and it WAS declared more than two thousand years ago.  Our battle, however, is not with Osama bin Laden, though he is the obvious target.  The one who has threatened our liberty and stolen life and peace is the same one who tried to defeat Christ at the cross more than twenty centuries ago.  It is the same enemy who defeated Adam and Eve in the garden.  

As believers, we are all soldiers in the battle for the hearts of humanity.  Now, more than ever.  Commit to remain faithful to our Commander-in-Chief in the skirmishes you encounter today.  We have to make it through the battles but, praise God, the victory has already been won!