Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Jesus has called you to be a soldier of a different sort, to overcome enemies that this world does not even recognize as dangerous: immorality, greed, envy, malice, deceit, dishonesty, and such things. To equip us to conduct this warfare, Jesus has provided powerful weapons that the world cannot manufacture and does not trust: love, faith, kindness, godliness, hope, joy, and other fruits of the Spirit of God. If we are to please God, who has called us to be soldiers of the Spirit, then we must learn to trust in the weapons Jesus has given us and not to resort to the kinds of weapons this world trusts.
Those who do evil are not our enemies; our enemies are the unclean spirits that lead others to do evil. In man's religious history, many a would-be servant of God has attempted to overcome an evildoer by attacking the person rather than by attacking the spirit that drove the person. That kind of thinking has led to some of the most bitter, bloodiest wars in history, when one leader would be persuaded that another leader was wicked. When men think God wants them to destroy others, mercy itself becomes sin to them. But earthly weapons do not overcome or destroy evil. Sin is a condition of the heart, and nothing but the spiritual weapons of Christ can reverse and heal that condition.
Paul wrote: "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)."
Peace is a weapon; love is a weapon. Against such mighty weapons, there is no defense. The whole world is overcome by the simple love of God. Helping others to overcome the world's pull toward sin is accomplished only by what Paul called "walking in the Spirit", a phrase that simply means to follow the feelings of the good Spirit of God. Showing others the way into eternal life cannot be accomplished by manipulating anybody, or by clever advertising, or use of money, or by threatening anyone with harm, or by claiming things you really have not received from God. That is the way the world tries to attract customers, to be the biggest and richest, and to influence people. The warfare for souls is a battle won quietly, with love, with righteousness, and through simple obedience to Christ.
The enemies of Christ are not socialism, communism, capitalism, terrorism or any other such thing. Those things can't touch him. His enemies are those things that invade his house, confuse his children and divide his family: envy and strife, ill-will, self-will, ignorance of the truth, false doctrines and false teachers, fear and unbelief. And the only weapons that can avail against those evils are the invisible ones of the Spirit.