Crash. Boom. “Fire!”

The assault was fierce. I had never before seen such an enemy come upon us. They climbed over our carefully fortified walls like frenzied ants on a trail of honey. There was no place to run. But we didn’t want to. We would fight—fight to the end. The clash of swords was constant. We were able to hold them at bay, but we needed reinforcements. My arms grew tired. I lowered my sword for just a moment, and it was then that I sensed a shadow closing in. I looked up. A company of the strongest and most vicious of enemy hordes was about to attack us on another front. I checked my armor. My helmet needed adjusting. And my belt—my belt was loose! I pulled the girdle tight. Finally, my shield. I clenched my fist to hold it in a firm grip and raised it high. The approaching army began to launch a sea of fiery darts. My shield deflected every one of them. We could not lose. I gripped the shield still tighter even as the onslaught intensified. I knew the victory was ours.

Weary? Yes. The battle never ended. It rages still. But there is reinforcement. There is renewed strength: in the truth of the Word, through faith, and through prayer. I pray for strength every day in the battle. I study the Word so to be able to draw this sword at a moment’s flash. Knowledge and confidence are my shield. The battle is all around, far and near, and nearer still. The battle rages—in my soul. The war is spiritual.

Yet, let us never fear. Armies of this world may boast in their strength, but do they really know who will win the war? We do. We know who the victor in this battle will be. He decided it already. Our three-fold enemy, Satan and his hosts, the world of wickedness, and our own sinful flesh, is defeated. We battle not in our own strength. Let us stand, therefore, and fight in the victory our Lord Jesus has already won.