phesians chapter six tells us that we are at war, plain and simple. Our war is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Which means that when we engage in warfare, our weapons are not of the flesh but they are divinely powerful, and able to destroy every speculation and lofty thought which sets itself up against the knowledge of God. And that divinely powerful weapon that makes us effective warriors is the sword of the Spirit, which is the living and active Word of God. It is sharper than any double edged sword, piercing the heart of the unregenerate and backslider alike, laying them bare before the Judge. It is the very weapon Christ Himself will use to destroy His enemies at His victorious second coming. Unfortunately, however, most professing Christians are completely unarmed on the battlefield and regrettably are nothing more than casualties of war.

2 Timothy 2:3-4
"Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier."

This is exactly where the problem lies. Instead of us focusing on the war that is raging on all around us, so many Christians have redirected their focus to the affairs of everyday life, thus proving themselves to be useless soldiers. Which makes me remember the time I spent in the Marine Corps...

When I first switched from active duty to reserve duty in the Marine Corps, I noticed that the two were worlds apart...worlds apart. While I was active duty, during infantry training specifically, we as Marines took our training seriously for the most part, knowing that how we train today will have an impact on how we fight tomorrow. During our simulation patrols, we were careful in how we walked, always aware that trip wires and landmines could be anywhere. Not only that, but we spent our free time working out, either lifting weights or going on runs, because our physical shape could mean the difference of life and death on the battlefield.

However, the opposite was true during the same type of training in the reserves, the often overweight Reservists carelessly stomped around like children just learning to walk, almost as if purposefully trying to step on each and every landmine and of course stumbling over every trip wire. It figures, since the majority of them were college students, their minds were not focused on preparing for war, but were preoccupied with everyday affairs, whether it be school, sports or their social lives. Being a Marine wasn't a priority, it was only a means to an end, because we all know college isn't cheap. But, the bottom line is that they would have been worthless during battle. They would have done more harm than good if we would have been called up to war. So, with that in mind...we should ask ourselves if we are lazy and useless soldiers. Do we bring reproach to the name of Christ with our lives? Are we so caught up in the world that we neglect the things of God?

Are we making the most of our time? The book of Ephesians tells us that we should be, because it says that the days are evil. Everyday we should be on guard, knowing that sin is crouching at the door, and whether we like it or not we are apart of a war. The book of Romans tells us that we can either be used as instruments of righteousness by God, or we can be used as instruments of evil. It all comes down to submission and obedience, are we dying to self every single day with our mind and eyes focused totally on Christ? Are we starting each day with prayer...knowing that all the pieces of God's armor can not be put on without it? Are we constantly renewing our minds in the Word so that we are walking carefully...in a manner that is worthy of the Almighty? By doing these things we are showing a reliance and dependence on Christ, knowing that it is only through Him that we can be victorious in this war.