We are involved in a war, a war against Satan, demons, principalities and evil. If you are a baptized Christian you are in God’s army. What kind of soldier are you? Are you committed? Are you involved? Are you ready for the battle that is going on? Have you taken on the full armament that is available from God? Would you send your football team on to the football field without helmets and pads against a team wearing their helmets and pads? Then why go into battle against Satan unprepared?
One of the tactics during a battle is to take out the leaders of the opposing force. Satan tries to destroy our leadership. We have seen that in the Catholic Church with the priests. It has undermined our faith and trusts in the priesthood. The same thing goes on in protestant churches. Pastors get involved in inappropriate relationships with their parishioners. If we lose faith in our church leaders then maybe we stop going to church. If we stop going to church we stop praying, stop reading the bible and stop fighting the battle against evil.
We have had a rash of inappropriate contact between educators and students or underage children in Kansas. This is a tactic of Satan to continue attacking the leadership in our communities. Remember we are at war, a spiritual war. Satan wants you and your children dead!
What should we do to help our leaders? We should pray for them for starters. Our priests and pastors our football coaches and teachers. Have you ever read the U.S. Soldiers Creed? The American soldier learns that he will never leave a fallen comrade behind. We are in God’s army and these fallen priests, pastors and educators are our fallen comrades. Don’t desert them! Pray for them. Contact them. Encourage them to come back to the faith and repent. Yes, they must pay their debts here to our society if found guilty, but it does not mean we leave them behind on the battlefield of sin.
Several years ago I had a good friend who was being adulterous in a relationship while married. He ended up divorced. I went to him during this difficult time and told him I didn’t know what he was doing, but wanted to tell him I was still his friend and encouraged him to do the right thing. I saw him recently and we had a conversation about that period of his life. He told me only 3 or 4 people came to him and expressed the same feelings and thoughts to him like I had done. He told me his pastor was one of those who kept encouraging him to do the right thing and to keep coming to church. But my friend said most everyone else in the church treated him like they did not want him there anymore so he quit going.
All of us have fallen short of the glory of God and have sinned. Jesus and all of the prophets and saints had one message. The message was and still is repent!
Satan wins when our friends are killed on the battlefield of sin. But if they are just wounded in action there is still hope. Extend your helping hands to your friends wounded in the battle against evil today. Give them hope and encourage them to do the right thing and repent.
Ephesians Chapter 6 versus 10-20.