Sitting Still or Standing Strong?

“Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the LORD has given them…? Numbers 32:6-7.”

This is a question that every Christian needs to be asked. Are you as a Christian who chooses to not sit on the sidelines, while your brothers and sisters are engaged in spiritual warfare?

Moses asked this question of his brethren, and it has application for us today. Yes, we have to be refreshed at times and take time out for rest. Jesus even took time out with his disciples, when He said…”let’s go and rest a while in Mark 6.

Many of us are engaged in hand to hand combat with the enemy. As Christians, we are called to fight a fight that will not stop until the day we die. We are up against an opponent, who is very powerful; an adversary that cannot be defeated with carnal weapons. We must fight Him with the “Whole Armor of God.” (See Eph. 6:10-18)

The children of Reuben and Gad had settled on the east side of the Jordan River. Their refusal to cross over the Jordan with their brethren was not only a betrayal of duty, it became a source of discouragement for the remaining tribes who were about to fight for their very existence as a nation and as a people.

When we sit out of the battle, or simply give up, we not only experience defeat in our personal walk; we may cause others to lose heart as they seek to go into battle.

If you have become comfortable sitting in the pews, I want to encourage you to suit up for the battle for the souls of men and women. Christianity is not a spectator sport; it is a war between the people of God and the adversary of our souls. But through Christ we have the victory!!

The time is short, and the return of the Lord is near. When Christ returns, will He find you in the midst of the fight, or on a spiritual vacation?

God bless you,

 kk

Keith