We are in the midst of a battle that rages all around us. This battle is fought on two planes of existence, the visible, and the invisible realm. On earth many kingdoms are at war with one another, each of them trying to gain some upper hand against the other. But in reality, these struggles on earth are part of a more significant cosmic battle for dominion over the souls of men and women. What do we mean by the soul? We are talking about our mind, will, and emotions. The enemy of our soul wants to control each of us, the way we think and the way we feel. In the unseen realm, there are only two kingdoms at war with one another, and you are in one of those kingdoms—either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan uses a great deal of deception and ignorance to blind men to the truth. He has been doing this for several thousand years and has become an expert at it. The division and struggle among nations and people groups is Satan’s plan to deceive and deflect you away from the real spiritual battle as to who will rule you—whose side are you on? Jesus put it this way:
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters (Matthew 12:30).
Are you with Jesus Christ? How do you know that you have crossed over to the Kingdom of God’s side of this battle? How can you be sure that when you die you will go to be with Him?
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves (Colossians 1:13).
You may be living under communist rule or Islamic Sharia Law, but who do you listen to and obey—who controls your soul? Have you made a divine transaction with the Living God and crossed over from the dominion of darkness to trusting Christ? What do I mean by a divine transaction? Jesus said that unless a man is “born again” (John 3:3) he cannot see the kingdom of God. Satan has so deceived the world that until you give your life to Christ and receive the gift of eternal life, you cannot see the things of Christ and live in the power of the Spirit of God. Being born again is to receive the free gift of life from the Lord Jesus. This gift of eternal life cannot be worked for or earned. It is a gift given when one repents of sin (turn the direction of your life over to God) and believe or trust in Christ and to live for Him. The apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians also speaks about this gift of life:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In the West, we celebrate Christmas. It is a time when we remember the coming of Christ to give us the gift of eternal life. We celebrate by giving one another gifts. Even if our children do something really bad the day before Christmas, we still provide them with a gift on Christmas Day—why? Because a gift is not dependent on what a person does, it is dependent on the love and grace of the giver. God is the giver of the gift of salvation and no matter what you have done, how severe your sin is—you can receive this gift from God. Go to Him and with your whole heart, abandon your old life and receive the gift of eternal life from the Lord Jesus—the giver of every good gift! Keith Thomas.
To study more on the topic of Spiritual Warfare, click this link for your choice of ten studies. Keith Thomas.
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