MY PLACE IN BATTLE
War is not pleasant. No one I know likes war. War is nothing new to the Christian. Since the Fall, children of the Heavenly Father have been engaged in one battle after another. It is, as Henry Morris calls it, the long war against God. It is a "struggle...not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12).
It is not people that you and I battle, but ideas. There are Godly and ungodly ideas... in direct opposition to one another. Goals are the same: to capture the souls of men, women, and children. But, what will be done with those souls after they are captured is very, very different. C.S. Lewis helps us get a clear picture of these opposing ideas in his book The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape, a fallen angel (or demon), explains to his nephew, Wormwood:
"He (God) really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself - creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."
Satan and the other rebellious angels not only opposed God, they thought they could be God. To this day and until Jesus Christ returns, the war rages between good and evil; between life and death. On every battlefield in this war, the struggle is between God's Word (Light) and deception (darkness).
Years ago, I found myself pulled onto the bloody battlefield of abortion. How could I ignore what I saw? How could I turn my face away in search of pleasantries? Tiny, precious children - knit together by God and redeemed by Jesus Christ - were being pulled apart, burned, poisoned, and torn from the secret place of their mother's wombs. Mothers were abandoned to suffer the guilt and grief in silence, never imagining that forgiveness and healing were possible. I was compelled by God's Word to speak against death and for life. My appeal was made to groups of men, women, boys and girls in congregations and schools. I visited with pastors; served on a synodical sanctity of life task force; wrote Bible studies, curricula, and letters to the editor. In time, it was not enough to speak. I was motivated to act. Partnering with others, I hosted retreats for single moms, befriended single moms, co-founded a local caring pregnancy center, and reached out to women who grieve their aborted children.
Like many others, I've matured in this battle for life. God has taught me valuable lessons about trust, patience, humility, and selflessness. He asks me to "let my manner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27); to "be kind to everyone" and to "correct opponents with gentleness" so that God may lead them "to a knowledge of the truth" and an "escape from the snare of the devil" (2 Timothy 2:24-26). He has shown me that "two are better than one... for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow... and though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him" (Ecclesiastes 4:9, 10, 12). He has reminded me to "look to Jesus" and "run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1, 2). He has invited me to encourage others "to love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24) always remembering that we don't battle friends or relatives or neighbors, but ideas.
In the battle of ideas, it is easy to feel discouraged. It is easy to grow weary and fainthearted. There are, after all, so many ungodly ideas - each one packaged in the wrappings of progressive sophistication. But every time we poke ungodly ideas with the weapon of Truth, something happens. The wrappings fall away to expose deception: lies and distortions of truth. The darkness is always exposed by light!
Does this mean the war will soon be over? Only God knows. In the meantime, I see that battles are being won - one heart, one mind, one soul at a time. As I gaze upon the next generation, I see great reason for hope.
My sons and daughter-in-laws, nieces, nephews, and countless young friends tell me that abortion is a bad idea. They ask: How has it helped society? Then they answer their own question by noting that abortion has only led to other bad ideas of infanticide, suicide, and euthanasia. These young people hold an opposing idea: the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death.
It is because of the next generations that I am renewed in my zeal. It took William Wilberforce most of his adult life to make slavery unfashionable in England, but it was accomplished. Abortion, too, can become unfashionable. And that's exactly what Planned Parenthood, the National Abortions Rights Action League (NARAL), and the National Organization of Women (NOW) fear. A new generation of women is troubled by abortion. Young women and men are less supportive of the idea of abortion than were many of their parents. You can be sure that those who seek to profit from abortion are sharpening their weapons.
Even as the battle intensifies, I grow more optimistic. What, you say? Has she gone mad? No, I haven't taken leave of my senses. And, no, I'm not naive. It would seem that much of my life - and the lives of many, many others - is being given to help make abortion unfashionable. But, I believe the Holy Spirit is indeed accomplishing this - one heart, one mind, one soul at a time. To be sure, I am disappointed that Roe v. Wade remains the law of the land. I am disappointed that many Christians defend abortion as a "choice." But, just as my grandparents and parents had hope, so do I have hope in children and grandchildren. With that future of hope in mind, I press on, my orders for battle in hand:
Linda, "tell the next generation of My power and the wonders I have done. Tell them to put their trust in Me. Tell them to always remember My deeds and to tell their children, even the children yet to be born. Tell them not to repeat the mistakes of an older generation, but to keep My commands" (my paraphrase of Psalm 78:1-8).
If you look closely, you'll discover that your orders for battle are the same.
By Linda Bartlett, 2003