After Martin Luther's famous declaration at the historical Diet of Worms, he hid in the Wartburg Castle. While in "exile" there for 11 months, he undertook the monumental task of translating the Bible for his countrymen to read; but it was still a time of great spiritual trials for him.
We, too, are in a spiritual battle; and if we rely on our own strength, we will lose. Our strength must come from the Lord. Our culture tells us to "look within," and then we will be strong; but the Apostle Paul teaches us that it is in Christ that we can do all things. If we are outside of Him, we belong to the prince of darkness; but He has purchased us to Himself, and made us alive. And He is our source of strength -- just as He has been for all His saints and martyrs in all ages.
Who is our enemy? The devil himself! In different ways and methods -- tyrannical governments, cultural pressure, advertising, trials, heresies, and even prosperity -- he is always working to attack and deceive us. We are also faced with many various temptations from inside of us, which is why we can't "follow our heart" and look for strength therein.
But these attacks do not place us in a hopeless situation! We are to wrestle with the devil, but only in the power of our Lord Jesus. Because of His victory that He has already won, we can succeed in this battle -- even though some days may be harder than others. On the cross, Christ came out on top as the Conqueror; but as we wait for Him to come and consummate the victory, we must still continue fighting -- in His strength! |
