We Are In an Unconventional Battle for the Heart of Our Nation

I have to admit, there are times when I feel like giving up in the fight to save our nation.  Also like all of you, I work hard getting out the word on the issues, which candidates I believe offer the best solutions, and most importantly, leadership to lead our nation in the direction it must go.  Then either my candidate loses or he or she does not govern as he or she campaigned. 

However, the more I look at what is going on in our nation and the direction it appears to be going, the more I realize that this battle we are in for the heart of our nation is not just a conventional battle.  As such, waging war in this battle requires unconventional weapons and an unconventional strategy.  The good news is that we have access to these weapons and are not alone in waging this unconventional war. 

The battle for the heart of this nation goes beyond what we can see with our natural eyes because it is not just a battle for the nation and its constitution but also a battle for the hearts of individuals.  Since we are not God and unable to look into the hearts of men and women, conventional weapons are not sufficient.  Granted, we may be able to win a few elections and battles but in the end, our efforts fail.  This is because the hearts of men and women are inherently evil (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6).  However, the good news is that there is free heart surgery available that is not subject to Obamacare (Romans 10:9-10). 

I know secular thinking teaches us that men and women are born innocent and good but that is actually not so.  Any of you reading this that have children know this.  We may be the best parents on earth and yet our children will misbehave at times because of the inherent evil or sin in their hearts.  This sin and evil in their hearts is not our fault and has its root back with our original parents, Adam and Eve.

When God created the earth and everything in it, including Adam and Eve, God declared that it was good (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,24).  God put Adam and Eve in the perfect Garden of Eden and gave them one simple command "You may freely eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  If you eat of its fruit, you will surely die.”  (Genesis 2:16-17).  (NLT)  Unfortunately for all of us, Adam and Eve did not heed the Lords warning for they fell for the serpent, Satan’s, deception. 

The deception began when the serpent twisted God’s words to mean he would not let Adam and Eve eat from any of the fruit in the Garden (Genesis 3:1).  Eve responded by saying that they were only forbidden from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the center of the garden (Genesis 3:2).  Satan responds by telling Eve she will not die but will become just like God and know everything, both good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5).  The deception was complete, Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, and evil entered the world and the hearts of men and women.  However, even in the middle of this tragedy, God provided hope when he told the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."  (Genesis 3:15 NKJV)  Since the woman does not have the seed, the man does, this must be speaking of a special man and a special birth.  That man is Jesus the Messiah who was born of a virgin just as foretold in Isaiah 7:14 (Matthew 1:23) and it is only through Him and his death burial and resurrection that the evil and sin can be removed from the hearts of men and women. 

The deception of the serpent in the Garden of Eden has not changed.  The evil we see in our world, including in the politics and government of our nation and other nations of the world is rooted in pride and a desire to know everything and be in power.  This is why our efforts alone using the conventional political system of elections and government are insufficient to solve the problems with our government because it does not address this inherent lust for power.

In Ephesians 6: 11-12 we are told, “Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  (NLT)

God’s armor consists of the following

1)      The belt of truth

2)      The breastplate of God’s Righteousness

3)      Shoes of peace that come only from the Gospel

4)      The shield of faith

5)      The helmet of salvation

6)      The sword of the Spirit

This does not mean we are to totally abandon the conventional parts of the battle (i.e. elections, rallies, etc.) but we must also engage in the underlying spiritual battle for the heart of our nation.  This will be the purpose of Wednesday’s postings for the next six weeks.  These postings will take an in depth look at each of these weapons and how we can become more effective in their use.  Let us consider it spiritual weapons training.  Until next Wednesday, continue praying for our great nation.