From Earthly Conflict to Spiritual Triumph: Learning with Christ
Matt.26:56b …Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
The disciples were in over their heads! Peter, ready to fight with a sword, was rebuked by our Lord for doing so. Perhaps the reason all of the disciples so quickly fled the scene was because of their lack of understanding of how to fight the battle at hand.
In their minds, Christ just took from them the only defensive weapon they had, and so it becomes apparent that since they could not respond according to their own understanding, that they had no idea how to respond otherwise. This was new battleground for them; a new concept, if you will.
Christ is shifting their focus from the natural realm to the spiritual realm, teaching them of spiritual warfare. I know that they didn’t understand spiritual warfare yet, because Jesus had to convince Peter that, even though they were not to use their swords, they were still protected by God.
Did He not mention that all He had to do was pray to His Father, and His Father would presently give Him more than twelve legions of angels? Christ was helping Peter understand that spiritual battles must be fought spiritually, and since neither Peter nor any of the other disciples knew how to do that, they fled the scene!
What about you? Have there been any recent spiritual battles going on in your life that so intimidated you, that you quickly fled the scene, rather than trusting God and seeking His counsel on how to do battle spiritually so as to win?
If so, you are not alone, for there are many today who not only have fled the scene, but have yet to return. Today, however, I believe that God is calling us back to the scene from which we fled. Yes, it may be bigger than us, but it is not bigger than our God!
Like Joshua, I believe God would speak to us in no uncertain terms, and say to us, “Only be thou strong and very courageous!” You see, as long as we stick by Jesus’ side, we have the same protections that His Father affords Him.
That is why we must learn how to fight right, rather than fighting wrong, or attempting to avoid conflict altogether simply because we do not understand how to battle. Christ is our teacher, and if we will listen and obey, He will teach us how to win, and win every time!
Let’s get back in the fight, fight right, and fight to win! Let Christ teach you how to war.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill
The disciples were in over their heads! Peter, ready to fight with a sword, was rebuked by our Lord for doing so. Perhaps the reason all of the disciples so quickly fled the scene was because of their lack of understanding of how to fight the battle at hand.
In their minds, Christ just took from them the only defensive weapon they had, and so it becomes apparent that since they could not respond according to their own understanding, that they had no idea how to respond otherwise. This was new battleground for them; a new concept, if you will.
Christ is shifting their focus from the natural realm to the spiritual realm, teaching them of spiritual warfare. I know that they didn’t understand spiritual warfare yet, because Jesus had to convince Peter that, even though they were not to use their swords, they were still protected by God.
Did He not mention that all He had to do was pray to His Father, and His Father would presently give Him more than twelve legions of angels? Christ was helping Peter understand that spiritual battles must be fought spiritually, and since neither Peter nor any of the other disciples knew how to do that, they fled the scene!
What about you? Have there been any recent spiritual battles going on in your life that so intimidated you, that you quickly fled the scene, rather than trusting God and seeking His counsel on how to do battle spiritually so as to win?
If so, you are not alone, for there are many today who not only have fled the scene, but have yet to return. Today, however, I believe that God is calling us back to the scene from which we fled. Yes, it may be bigger than us, but it is not bigger than our God!
Like Joshua, I believe God would speak to us in no uncertain terms, and say to us, “Only be thou strong and very courageous!” You see, as long as we stick by Jesus’ side, we have the same protections that His Father affords Him.
That is why we must learn how to fight right, rather than fighting wrong, or attempting to avoid conflict altogether simply because we do not understand how to battle. Christ is our teacher, and if we will listen and obey, He will teach us how to win, and win every time!
Let’s get back in the fight, fight right, and fight to win! Let Christ teach you how to war.
~ Pastor Gary Caudill