“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” – 2 Timothy 2:3,4

What a day it was!

The battle lines were drawn.

And when the Christians showed up, they were ready to fight! This would not go quietly into the night, they were ready to stand up and let their might be shown.

They would not be moved.

They would not be bullied or backed down.

For hours they rose up in anger and fought the fight. One by one they stepped up and did their part. One by one they jumped into the fray. One by one they took their best shots without fear or hesitation.

It was a sight to see!

This had been going on for too long and the members of a local church finally decided “enough was enough”. They decided to do something about it!

No more idle talk. No more empty threats. Just an unswerving, unmovable, sold-out commitment to not be shaken, to not be compromised, to not put up with it for another day when they could stand up and get something done!

It took hours. It wasn’t easy. It required effort. But they found the courage and strength to fight the battle.

And when the smoke cleared, the weary brethren went home even more resilient than ever, already planning their attack for the next onslaught.

What was this battle?

Was it a fight for our neighbors and countrymen, as Christians battled against the pull of the world and its influence?

Was it a fight for the rights of the unborn, as Christians battled against abortion to save millions of babies?

Was it a fight for morality and values, as Christians battled against the wickedness of sinful standards?

Was it a fight for truth and holiness, as Christians battled against the liberal lies of the media?

Was it a fight for the restoration of family, as Christians re-centered Jesus as Head of their marriages and homes?

Was it a fight for unsaved souls bound for hell, as Christians battled against sin with the power of the Word of God?

No, it was none of those things at all.

Instead, it was a battle BETWEEN Christians as they argued over style of worship. It was a war raged between two sides of the church over expansion plans for a new building. It was a fight between Sunday school class members who disagreed over about who should be chairmen over the fellowship dinners.

It wasn’t a spiritual centered battleground, it was a self-centered business meeting.

Oh how often we fight for the wrong cause!

Oh how often we fight over stupid things!

Oh how often we fight against each other!

When will we wake up and realize that our fight is not against each other, our fight is not among ourselves . Our fight is against the evil one and his agenda to destroy mankind!

Our fight is in the Army of the Lord, defending Him and His plans!

Our fight is for the redemption of the lost and furtherance of the Gospel!

Our fight is on our knees!

Our fight is with words of love and truth!

Christian, too many churches are fighting over bulletins and schedules and the color of the carpet in the new sanctuary and not enough are going hand-to-hand against the enemy for the lost souls of their neighborhoods and communities.

It’s time to stop fighting among ourselves and start taking it to the devil!

Christian, I encourage you today, put aside differences with your brethren. Stop fighting over petty issues. And if you aren’t in the middle of a fight, step in and make peace with those that you know are fighting.

Hand them this devotional. Read it to them. Reason with them.

There’s a bigger war going on and it’s time to get off the sidelines and into the fray! It’s time to fight the fight worth fighting! It’s time to defend Jesus Christ and further His Kingdom!

We are soldiers of the Lord. Let’s stop fighting each other and start fighting for Him!

See you on the front lines.

Jimmy D. Brown dailydevotional-785@rr.mybizbots.com