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This is War.

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
      I'm reading I Never Thought I'd See The Day, by Dr. David Jeremiah. I chose the passage in Ephesians before I read the chapter I'm reading, but Dr. Jeremiah makes a point that fits the text. We tend to forget we're in a battle or we don't understand what it means that we are in a battle. Even when we remember that we are in a battle, we can lose track of who and what the enemy is. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. it's not against people, though people are involved. We know what to do when the battle is against people. You use physical force and physical weapons. When American entered World War II, it didn't just send its military personnel. It scaled up production of  the things the military personnel would need. It rationed items for civilian use so the military would have what it needed. Civilians accepted this as doing their part in the war. Old folks, parents and children dedicated time and effort to be part of the cause. I seem to recall my aunt saying that they were air plane spotters in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania. Women went to work to fill vacancies made by men going out to fight. The war was a big deal in people's lives.
     Today, unless you have a relative in the military, for the most part was is something that involves them over there. It's not here. It doesn't affect us much. And that is our big mistake. We may realize that this war isn't like those other wars we read about. The enemy is hidden. The enemy works behind the scenes, within our communities and homes. Words, ideas and emotional manipulation are weapons as never before, and guns and tanks won't stop them. They were fine for industrial wars, but now as never before, we are in a war of information and misinformation.
     If you read through Scripture, you'll find that the weapons Satan uses most often are words, ideas and emotional manipulation. He is a liar. This is not only his kind of war, it is his war. The outcome is clear, but we don't know how many battles will be fought before that. Whether we go to war, or it comes to us, we need to be ready to fight, and fight effectively. We must learn to use spiritual weapons, and armor against ideas and emotional manipulation. Over the next few days, we'll be looking at some of them.

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Birthday of Franklin Delano Roosevelt






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