I just finished reading about the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg as told by Shelby Foote in The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 2. General Grant made sundry attempts to conquer Vicksburg, until finally, he discovered how to besiege it successfully. The siege lasted 47 days. Both residents and confederate soldiers suffered from hunger and scarcity, not to mention a regular barrage of canon fire. The beleaguered confederate General Pemberton waited vainly for reinforcements to come, but they never arrived. He finally surrendered on July 4, 1863.
Every major war–whether it’s the American Civil War, WWII, or the Battle of Marathon–contain some commonalities. There are two sides in the conflict. Soldiers and innocents alike are killed. Brave sacrifices are made. Territory is lost (or won). Soldiers and Generals alike suffer complacency, overconfidence, or crippling fear. Constant bombardment (like the siege of Vicksburg) will succeed if reinforcements fail to come.
Like it or not, you live in a war zone every single day of your life.
There are two sides: God’s side and Satan’s side. Before you decided to follow Jesus, you were either fighting for Satan, or were, at the very least, a resident serving in his kingdom. C.S. Lewis astutely wrote: “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” Unfortunately, you and I are not immune to the overconfidence, complacency, or crippling fear which plague all who fight in wars. We must be on guard until the battle is ended. Don’t aid the enemy or switch sides.
Spoiler alert: God wins the war.
Are you already fighting that good fight of faith? Are you getting tired? Worn down? Weary? Will you refuse to surrender regardless of how fierce the bombardment? Will you rely on the reinforcements sent by the Lord, knowing that–unlike the battle of Vicksbur–they’ll actually come?
This month, we will be writing out the entire letter of 1 Timothy, and it is my hope that you will be encouraged to be a reinforcement to your brothers and sisters in Christ while holding fast to God’s side. In this letter, Paul is encouraging his young friend to help the church in Ephesus. Like every church, they faced the ever-present danger of false teaching, complacency, and surrender to the ways of the world. Timothy was in a war zone, and he knew it. In his concluding remarks, Paul encouraged him to, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6.12)
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Special thanks to my sisters in Christ, Liz Smith and Sara McBroom, who provide their wisdom and support each month.
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