War Is Hell

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Today I ran across a quote by Winston Churchill that seems particularly relevant to my life: “Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer master of the policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.” I find myself guilty of believing that the battle of my sin nature has been won and expecting my war against flesh in this life to be smooth and easy. I find myself battered against the tides of conflict and flattened by the hurricanes in my life, and I have been bewildered by them because I thought (falsely, in pride) that I was either knowledgeable enough or strong enough to withstand them. I think I need to remind myself (yet again) of some scripture that I know. The following passage is from I Peter 4:12-19 (NASB):


Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.


The fiery ordeal Peter speaks of is a war. War is hell (trope of Wm. T. Sherman’s quote on the burning of Atlanta). All wars involve conflict, skirmishes, battles, bleeding, and death. I don’t like conflict, so the idea of me liking a war is laughable; however, I am in one and must fight the battle while I am in the flesh. I need His armor for the skirmishes I must fight, not my own flimsy version of protection. I know I won’t win all the battles; in fact, I am aware that I must lose many in order to grow beyond where I am and learn the lessons He would teach me. Some of the blood is mine, but Christ covered my sins, and His blood required a much higher price than anything I will ever be required to pay—death. Through His death, the war that matters most has already been won--I have life eternal, regardless of my "performance" during this time of testing in my life. Most wars do have a winner; if I don’t learn to “fight” properly in His armor, I know I will lose this one big time. Peter says to rejoice in my sufferings, which is a battle I have been losing severely lately, but I don’t want to lose the war, so I will keep getting back up and taking up the fight.

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