Light or darkness. Good or evil. Angels or demons. Friend or enemy. One or the other.
There is war in the spiritual realm, and this rebellion has been raging since Genesis 3. Its leader is a usurper, a sly and scheming snake. In the aftermath of his attempted coup in the heavenly realms, he set his sights on stealing from us our authority – authority given to us by our Creator – to stand at the intersection of the heavenly realms and planet earth as rightful rulers of this world, to have dominion over it, to fill it and subdue it. He was successful in the garden, and now this snake fights furiously – tirelessly – against the Most High God and everything He loves, tormenting all with his mock rule, cruelly doing his worst. Some of us have broken free, run into the the liberating ranks of our Maker, and accepted His terms of peace. And in so doing, we have switched sides, changed allegiances, and committed ourselves to the King’s Army. We now wage war with the Prince of Peace against the snake, and we fight under His banner of love.
We’ve heard of the snake’s strategies and schemes, how he destroys relationships, steals joy, and kills hope. Our King warned us of these tactics millennia ago, tactics old and worn but still today perpetrated against our precious sisters all around the world. In the jungles of Costa Rica, we’ve heard the lament of a pregnant teen, the new life growing in her womb the product of incestual abuse. We’ve heard the anguished cry of her heart and the torturous reality she faces that her child is destined to be either abused or abuser. You see, in some dark corners of the world, you are either one or the other.
But that is changing.
We heard her cry, but God heard her cry too. And He sent help. He sent hope. And these young women are no longer powerless victims, collateral damage in the snake’s war. They switched sides. They are in our ranks now. In their dark corner of the world, they fly the flag of the Kingdom of Light. And they are fighting back. Fighting for a future for their children without abuse, without fear, without a soul-crushing hopelessness. They fight for justice. They fight for dignity. They fight for hope.
And even though the darkness sometimes presses in, rest assured, the Light will win.
We win because we will not shrink back.
We win because our weapons are far superior to anything our enemy can wield: FAITH. JUSTICE. FORGIVENESS. PEACE. HOPE. LOVE. AND THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
We win because our message is this truth: that we, exquisitely valued by our Creator, are rescued from the bondage and depravity of our enemy through the death and resurrection of our King. FREEDOM.
We win because our King is named Faithful and True. And He is coming to make all things right. Settle all scores. Balance all scales. To finish it once and for all.
And that snake? He does not win. Jesus wins.