“As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai … all that were able to go forth to war” (Numbers 1:19-20).
Danny BurnleyIt is on July 4 of each year when we are reminded of the great freedoms we celebrate as we fly our flags and enter our places of worship. We are also reminded that we have our freedom because there have been those who fought and died in wars for the freedom that we now enjoy.
In Numbers 1, we find the people of God, called by God to go to war. As the call went out, there were those who were ready to go and prepare for war. There were family men, keepers of the vineyards and flocks. They had their social duties and responsibilities and yet, they were ready.
As God’s people today, we should be ready to leave our vineyards, our flocks or whatever to go to war and do battle. Every Christian should realize that we, too, are in a war – a spiritual war. We are told clearly in Ephesians 6:10-20 to “take unto you the whole armour of God – that ye may be able to stand in the evil day.”
To those who are willing, we should consider three things in every war:
There is a cause
When David was ready to go out and fight Goliath, he asked the question: “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:29). David was willing to take what he had to go and do battle. Every Christian should understand that we are in every bit of a real war – Satan is our enemy, and he is out to kill, steal and destroy. As our men and women have been stirred to go and fight for what they realize is a cause, so should we be stirred and be ready to stand and fight against the devil and his allies.
With liquor flowing like a river, pornography on every hand, with the morals of our land decaying each day, with prayer and the Bible being removed from every public place and with a deterioration of basic principles throughout our land, I submit unto you we have a cause!
There is a cost
According to some figures I have, World War I cost $18.6 billion; World War II cost $267.29 billion; the Vietnam War cost $140.8 billion. Think about the cost of all our wars. Was it worth it? Praise God for the wonderful freedoms we experience in America! In many nations of the world, millions are trying to find a way to live in America.
In our spiritual war, it will take time – time on our knees, time in God’s word, time to gather with the people of God. We need to learn to tithe, give our offerings and to become living sacrifices for our Lord (Romans 12:1). There is a cost!
There are casualties
Consider these figures: In the Revolutionary War, 4,435 were killed in battle; the War of 1812 – 2,260 died; the Spanish-American War – 1,733 died; the Civil War – 184,594 died; World War I – 53,513 died; World War II – 292,131 died; the Korean War – 33,651 died; the Vietnam War – 47,369 died; the Persian Gulf War – 148 died; and in the Iraq War, more than 3,500 have been killed. Think about it: More than 623,000 men and women have died so that we might have our freedom today.
Let us also remember that in our spiritual warfare, more than 40 million innocent babies have died since Roe v. Wade. More babies have been killed since 1973 than the number of men and women killed in all our wars combined!
Many missionaries, pastors and other Christians have become casualties either through physical death or by some sin that destroyed their testimony.
Let me say to every pastor first of all, and then to every believer: This is no time to play church or to become discouraged, but, rather, it is time for us to take our stand, claim our ground, nail down our stakes and say, “By the grace of God, I will stand for Christ and fight for my Lord!”