Run To The Battle

Steve Camp once wrote, "Some people want to live within the sound of chapel of bells but I want to run a mission about a yard from the gates of hell and with everyone you meet tell the gospel and tell it well, while you hesitate and another soul just fell. Let's run to the battle."

Far too many do just the opposite. They run from the battle. They live in fear and hide in the background. They are content to let others do their fighting for them. This is exactly what the men of Israel did in I Samuel 13. The Philistines marched into Israel's territory and the men of Israel fled from the battle in fear. They did not love their God, family, community, or country enough to take a stand to fight. They did not trust God would help them.

This is a pretty good picture of the church today. Men are fleeing from the battle when Satan marches right under our noses and continues the attack. Our families are under assault. Temptations abound and Satan has many snares set for young and impressionable minds. Seasoned saints are no less vulnerable. Sin looks enticing and before we know what happened another man of God and another respected man in the church falls and brings shame to the name of Christ.

O we have got to run to the battle. What battle you may ask. There are two things fewer and fewer men are doing these days. In effect they are running from the battle. Men do not pray. Men do not boldly witness for Jesus Christ. This is not true of every man. There are a few who are fully engaged in the spiritual battle for their families and communities. Many are content to sit on the sidelines guzzling the Devil's brew and flittering their lives away chasing things that will not matter in eternity.

You do not run to the battle without knowing up front there will be some wounding in the fight. There will be some scars. Some of the wounds run deep. Running to the battle is not the path of least resistance. It is not the safe and secure path. It is not even the path of the majority but IT IS THE RIGHT PATH.

While all of Israel huddled and hid in fear there were two men who had a different spirit. Jonathan, King Saul's son, and Jonathan's armor bearer. These two alone decided to slip out on their own believing God was not limited to deliver with many soldiers are only a few. They slipped stealthily through the mountains into the enemy territory. Courageously they fought and killed only a few men but God worked for them sending the Philistines into confusion. The enemy retreated and when the men of Israel saw this they boldly came out of hiding and pursued the enemy. You can read about all this in I Samuel 14.

Two men courageously running toward the battle inspired a whole nation to fight. Men, does the way your live your life inspire your children, grandchildren, your wife, your friends, and those you worship with to fight or to flee from the battle. Are you content to sit in your easy chair mindlessly watching hours of television when you can engage in the battle through fervent intercessions. Will you spend your days in the telling and retelling of crude jokes while remaining tight lipped about the good news of Jesus Christ. Will you waste your days in a deer blind, on a bass boat, or on a golf course and yet never run to the battle of sharing Jesus Christ and taking a bold stand for Him with those you hunt, fish, and play golf with?

 TO THE PIT OF HELL with cowardly, complacent, compromising, comfortable and compassionless living. TO THE PTI OF HELL WITH SAFETY AND SECURITY, It is time to run to the battle.