Holy War

   “Be sober and vigilant..  Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5: 8)

   There is a war raging about us.  We don’t see it, we don’t even know it’s happening most of the time.  But it is there, and it is the most important battle of our lives.

   The battle I’m referring to is the battle between good and evil.  The prize being sought is our soul.  On one side stands Satan and his demon army.  On the other, God, the angels and saints.  We never see the fighting though I think we often feel the battle within.

   The Archangel Lucifer, whose name means light-bearer rebelled against God in a heavenly war.  Pride would seem to be the primary cause of the rebellion but the result was that Lucifer and his followers were thrown out of heaven by the Archangel Michael.  Since then Lucifer has been better known as Satan and his former angelic followers as demons.  These beings seek to turn us away from God, depriving us of eternal life in God’s presence.  This is the enemy we face each day of our lives.

   Our defense in this battle is led by Michael the Archangel, our guardian angels and all the angels and saints in heaven.  They are our protection against Satan and his temptations.  They fight with the power of God, but we can weaken their efforts by our actions and the way we live our lives.

   Each time we succumb to Satan’s temptations we harm our defenses.  With every sin we damage our relationship with God.  The angelic forces are fighting to save our soul, but we must help in the fight.  If we betray our own forces by our sinfulness we make Satan’s task easier.

   Instead we must do all we can to reinforce our defenses.  Every prayer we say is a strengthening of our armor in this battle.  The power of God grows within us each time we turn to Him for help.  Every act of love, kindness and mercy we display pushes Satan further from us.  He can’t live in a soul full of prayer and love of God.

   The fight for our soul will continue until our death.  Neither God nor Satan will give up on us.  Let’s fight the good fight and win the battle.  Eternity awaits.

   “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” (Romans 14: 14)