A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. (2 Timothy 2:24-26)
Maybe this is a guy thing, but I like a good battle. There's something inside me that likes watching the movies where there is a battle scene - especially when good is battling evil. It doesn't matter if the warriors are wielding swords or guns or light sabers. As long as the battle ends with good winning over evil, my heart is satisfied. (Usually, a part of me wishes I had been there fighting along side of the "good guys".)
As a man with these feelings, I have often struggled with them in my walk together with God. Is that instinct to "fight" for good a God-given instinct or an evil-temptation? Am I supposed to throw away these thoughts, hold on to them, or act upon them? How do I honor God with thoughts that want to go to battle?
At times I would find comfort in the fact that God called King David to go into battle. He had "slain his tens of thousands," yet he was described as a man after God's own heart. The problem would return, though, when I would read the teachings of the Bible where I was called to do "wimpy" things like "love my neighbor." I would be right back where I started in my struggle over these thoughts.
Over time, though, I've come to the conclusion that the instinct to battle is actually a God-given gift. I simply need to see the battlefield the way He sees it. Often times I would see people as my enemy, because they would fight against me or (worse yet) God. I'd be ready to "fight them" to win the battle for God. Unfortunately, I found myself fighting the very people I was supposed to be rescuing from the real enemy.
God tells us to look at people as "captives" to be saved, not "enemies" to be slain. The real battle is not against flesh and blood, but against others in the spiritual realm. Even if a person is fighting me (or God), I need to fight for them not against them.
I guess I found it reassuring (and a little exciting) when I learned that God really wants me to go to battle. I just need to focus on fighting the right enemies and setting the right captives free. I also need to learn to use different weapons like kindness, patience, and gentle instruction of the truth. At times the battle can be quite overwhelming, but then I remember...it's the only battle worth fighting.
Do you find yourself with the instinct to battle? How do you deal with it?
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