Chapter Thirteen:
Gurnall has spent a lot of
time in his book, thus far, preparing us to receive our battle armor, but has
yet to explain to us the various pieces of the armor. I believe it's because he
understood that preparation was just as important as having the armor itself. What use would it be to you to be given a
weapon without having been given any instruction on why you needed it or how it
would best be used to protect you?
This last piece of
preparation, before we learn about the pieces of our armor, is in order to
teach us how we are to position ourselves when we are in the fight. Ephesians 6:14 tells us we must, "Stand
firm...". We are to stand valiantly
in opposition to our enemy, we are to resist steadfastly and to never yield to
the attacks of Satan. In order to be able to do this, we must determine in our
hearts to adhere to whatever orders we receive from our Commander in Chief. Gurnall says, "If we are to be successful
soldiers, the preservation of God's honor must always take precedence over our
fears. Just as an earthly soldier represents his country's honor in battle, the
Christian represents God's honor whenever he is called to contend with
temptation. Such testing quickly reveals how far we are willing to go in
defending our Sovereign's reputation."
We must remember that our
safety lies in resisting, while we stand firm. If we yield to temptation along
the perimeter of our hearts, we are giving the enemy a foothold from which to
create havoc in our inner spirit. For
instance, we may become bitter and angry and say something thoughtless. At that
very moment our unholy words are giving the devil entry and we end up saying
things that surprise even us. The safest thing is to give him no entry at all
so that he acquires no ground from us. "If you so much as hesitate as you
walk by the door where sin dwells, you give Satan more time to entice you to
enter. Then you are on his territory."
Gurnall also warns us of the
importance of being watchful as we stand, "Watchfulness is more important
for the Christian soldier than any other. In temporal battles, soldiers fight
against men who need sleep the same as themselves, but the saint's enemy,
Satan, is always awake and walking his rounds. Since the devil never sleeps,
the Christian puts himself in grave danger by falling asleep spiritually - that
is, by becoming secure and careless. Either the unregenerate part of his nature
will betray him, or grace will not be alert to discover the enemy and prepare
for the assault. Satan will be upon him before he is awake enough to draw his
sword. You should be aware that the saint's sleeping time is Satan's prime
tempting time." If we desire to be
a true soldier for Christ, we must always remain watchful, reserving our time
of rest for when we reach home and are out of danger.
Gurnall goes on to point out
that "we are to stand in our own place and not to usurp another's. To stand implies proper rank, order and
station for each soldier, as opposed to disorder. Military discipline allows no
one to stir from his proper place without special reason. It should be the
concern of every Christian (to remain) in his assigned place. The devil's method
is first to rout (retreat), and then to ruin." Numbers
2:2 shows us that the Israelites were commanded, every man, "to pitch by
his own standard". This meant they were to be arranged in order, as in a
military formation.
To stand also means that we stay
within the bounds of our place and calling. To take even one step in a
different direction from where you are told to be is a departure from God.
Whenever we are in any place, or doing any task that we are not told to do can
cause us to be doing it without God. Paul tells us, " Brethren,
let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God."(First
Corinthians 7:24). If we love to walk in
God's company, we must abide in our place and calling. If we are doing that
which we are told, we will have heaven's protection. But if we wander off or do
that which is of our own choosing, we are opening ourselves up to the surprise
attack that often befalls a soldier that has aimlessly wandered away from his
companions. And just as we are to stay
within the boundaries of our own calling, we may give ourselves more difficulty
if we venture into areas God did not intend for us. Before we venture out,
we must ask ourselves if we are truly
prepared and equipped should any storm overtake us.
Just as the weakest areas of
the battle line need to have the strongest guard, so also does our spirit. We need to make sure we are not among those
who leave the place of their calling. Some do it out of pride as they are not
happy with their calling and are jealous for another. As in the case of
Absalom, it was not the zeal for justice that made him strive for his father's
crown, but rather his greedy ambition which he hid behind his zealous outward
appearance (Second Samuel, Chapter
15). Others will leave because of their
unbelief, or due to their refusal to take orders from another that God has
placed over them. They do not see it as being for their protection, that
another has more experience in God's army than they. So, in disobedience they
leave.
We must remember that as a
soldier we must remain wakeful and watchful. Any duty we perform for the cause
of Christ will oftentimes take us very near the enemy's camp, so we must do our
best to pass by, undetected. If your approach sounds the alarm, he will come
out immediately to oppose you. It is to our advantage to remain watchful. It
will keep us out of Satan's grasp. It allowed the enemy to trap King David, who
was in a state of spiritual slumber when he rose from his bed, walked upon the
roof of his house, and cast his eye on Bathsheba (Second Samuel 11:2). Headlong
he fell, into Satan's trap, and while he eventually repented, it cost him
dearly.
It is in our best interest to
stand and watch. Gurnall gave us a necessary warning when he said,
"Christian, it is so very important to make sure your sentry lamp does not
go out in this darkness, and your enemy catches you unawares. If you drift off
into spiritual slumber, you are an easy mark for his wrath. And you may be sure
if you do let sleep overtake you, the devil will hear of it....Some Christians,
having been injured in a serious fall into sin, will be very careful for a
while as to where they walk and the kind of company they keep. But as the
soreness of their conscience wears off, they forget to keep watch and become as
careless as ever....Be especially careful to watch yourself in those areas
where you know you are weak. The weakest part of the city needs the strongest
guard; watch most carefully the area you find weakest."
Knowing there will be those
who will maliciously put stumbling blocks along your way, you will need much
resolve to get around them. We must rely upon God to guide us. It takes a
trusting faith in our Heavenly Father to continue on when everything and
everyone seems against you, and it may test you to your very core. But persist
to the end we must. Daniel 11:32,
promises us "The people that do know their God shall be strong and do
exploits." Let us make the commands
of God our absolute standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope,
and the light to our paths. It will guide us through this dark world, to the
glorious inheritance that awaits us above.
Gurnall said, "This
perseverance is hard work! Taking up the cross daily, praying always, watching
night and day and never laying aside our armour to indulge ourselves, sends
many sorrowful away from Christ."
Our hearts must be steadfastly fixed upon God, or we will find it easy
to compromise and run when faced with adversity. We must be ready to be called
up by our Commander at any time and to always be ready for whatever task is
laid before us.
When you have done these
preventive measures and have taken your stand as commanded, you will discover
that your house will be secure against any attack of the devil. And you will
still be standing when the enemy meets his end. And one of the sweetest things
you will discover, as you obediently stand as directed, is that the Lord
Himself will come to keep you company. It is the watchful soul that Christ
delights to be with!
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