God’s Army

There has been a lot of talk and news coverage lately about recent events of martyrdom in the Middle East. We see Christian men standing firm in their faith, singing praises and glorifying God right before their tragic death. What an amazing testimony of faith and devotion! How does one stay faithful to the end? It has to be a supernatural act of God! We cannot, in our own strength, muster up that kind of resolve or resilience. Being martyred for your faith isn’t new, but it sure seems like it is increasing! As much as we try to shelter our children from this outrage, the realities of it will eventually make their way in to the hearts and minds of all ages. Today’s youth, like none other, will need to have the strength of God to be triumphant over the darkness of this world!

As Christian parents, teachers, coaches and mentors, we have a great responsibility to teach what it is like to be a soldier in the army of God, with Jesus being the Commander-in-Chief, and a great example of a warrior.

Isaiah 42:13, “The LORD will march forth like a mighty hero; he will come out like a warrior, full of fury. He will shout his battle cry and crush all his enemies.”

And yet, Jesus is Love. He is kind and compassionate, full of mercy. He is the greatest example of a servant leader.

Are these two opposing attributes (a warrior and a lover) a conflict? No! They are a complete picture of the God of the universe Who was, and is, and is to come. Someday soon He will come down from heaven, riding a white horse, prepared to conquer the enemy and set up His rule and reign on the earth! That is the God I want to serve! That is the God we need to portray to the younger generation…a God of might, power, and valor who is fully motivated by great LOVE!

Teaching children to be strong and courageous like Joshua, and brave like Daniel is just as important as teaching them how to love and show kindness to our family members and neighbors. I love when we teach preschoolers the Armor of God from Ephesians chapter 6. Both males and females relate well to this picture of being dressed in full armor. They love to role play knights in the kingdom, fighting the enemy and rescuing the underdog!

Ephesians 6:10-20

The Armor of God

^{10 “}Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² 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. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

There is some militant, powerful wording from these passages, and we need not fear teaching this kind of strength to the little people in our lives. Video games and most Disney movies are all about good vs. evil and most of the time “good” wins.  There is something that is built inside of us that loves a little competition and desires to be on the winning side. Let’s use these opportunities to show children the perfect plan of God for this universe and how we win in the end! Our Father will fight for us BECAUSE He loves us so much!

Let’s take the hands of the little people in our lives and march forth in victory!

Cathi

PS. March chapel is next week on March 10 and 11. Your children can wear camo clothes, if they have any. We will be teaching on being a soldier in the army of God!

Spring Break March 16-20