The Real World War

During the last few weeks, North Korea has dominated international news. I've been watching with interest because I was born in South Korea and came to United States when I was 4 years old. I still have relatives living in South Korea.

Daily, North Korea continues to ratchet up its rhetoric, declaring a state of war on South Korea, plans to restart its plutonium production reactor and threats to deliver a nuclear Armageddon to the United States. While most analysts agree that the threats from Pyongyang are more bluster than reality, they can't be lightly dismissed. In fact, a recent CNN poll indicates that the majority of US citizens take North Korea's threats very seriously. Despite the fact that we are separated by over half a century from the most recent world war, the situation in North Korea reminds us that our world still contains the possibility of an all-out nuclear holocaust.

Probably none of us will lose sleep tonight over the possibility of a nuclear world war being imminent, but most of us do not realize that every day we are involved in a real world war that is aimed at our personal destruction. It is a war being conducted in stealth under the radar of our awareness, and it is highly successful in accomplishing its objectives.

Father God warns us in John 10:10 that “The thief comes only to steal, to kill and to destroy.” He was referring to Satan and all the powers of evil in their vendetta against the human race. Now you may think, “Well nobody is trying to kill or destroy me and I haven't been robbed of anything.” Are you sure? Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have difficulty sleeping at night because you are worrying about finances, a relationship, or your work situation?
• Are you or someone you love battling a serious health condition?
• Are you unemployed and having difficulty finding new employment?
• Do you struggle with habits like compulsive eating or shopping, smoking, alcohol or drug abuse, gambling, or online pornography?
• Do you often feel down and have difficulty shaking “the blues?”

These life situations are so common that we tend to accept them without questioning their origins. We attribute them to lack of self-control, self-defeating habits or bad luck. We seldom consider that there may be an opposition force that is also affecting our lives, attempting to destroy our peace of mind, steal our happiness and kill our hopes for the future.

Ephesians 6:12 tells us: “We are not fighting with flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

In His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ obtained victory over these powers, and has given us the authority and dominion to disarm them and render them helpless. (Luke 10:19; Ephesians 1:20–23) in order to do this, we must become aware of our enemy and how he wages his warfare against us. We must learn how to use the weapons of spiritual warfare that Father God has provided to us, and understand the commission He has given to us to usher in His kingdom on this Earth.

I invite you to join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM during the month of April as we start a new series on Spiritual Warfare. Our topic this Sunday is “God at War.”

Pastor Che