Sleeping Giant

"We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve." As the shipmen on his boat celebrated their successful attack on Pearl Harbor, these were the words that were uttered by Japanese Admiral Yamamoto.

The church in America is a sleeping giant.

While warfare occurs all around us, we are oblivious, or like the 80% of Americans who did not think that our country would war with either Germany or Japan in World War II, we are incredibly naive. Sometimes I wonder if a Pearl Harbor-sized attack on the church is enough to arouse the sleeping giant that we've become.

We have an enemy. Scripture teaches us that Satan "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He's after God's people, and he shoots to kill. Knowing the enemy - that's one of the primary rules of combat. But if you don't think you're in a war, then there's no reason to study the enemy. What enemy, right?

This is my homework assignment for a class - to amass what I can from Scripture regarding Satan's worldview, his views of God and of people, and his purposes and methods. Knowledge is good, but it needs to be applied in order to serve any good. Now, I'm no Jedi knight or ninja warrior, but I want my life to be used to "kick in the gates of Hell." So I'm a little excited about this assignment.

Do we have a "terrible resolve" as the church? Are we urgently spending our lives for the sake of the Gospel? Are you diligently engaging in prayer both for yourself and for all of the saints? The Apostle Paul challenged the Ephesians to "keep alert with all perseverence, making supplication for all the saints," (Ephesians 6:18). This is crucial because we are not fighting this battle alone, and we need to support our fellow comrades by interceeding for each other. The members at my church made the commitment to pray for the nations each day of this year, and as I've been reading the prayer requests and the stories of what believers are going through on the other side of the globe, I am seeing the great need experienced by my brothers and sisters and am convicted to support them through my prayers.

Check out Operation World if you want to join in receiving prayer updates for the nations.

We are engaged in a spiritual battle. First of all, I hope you know what side you're on. Second, do you dress out each day for war (Ephesians 6:14-17)? Third, do you know how to wield your weapon, and are you using it (Ephesians 6:17)? Fourth, are you battling on your knees?

Alertness asserts the need for prayer, and through prayer, the believer remains watchful, which is important when our enemy is prowling around. Recently, one of my professors has begun prefacing his call to arms (he's the one who tells us to "go kick in the gates of Hell") with the reminder to "pray before you do" because living proactively for Christ is not a matter in which we engage lightly or without thought or prayer. As soldiers go through boot camp and train, prayer is our preparation as well as our power in the trenches.

In his prayers in 1:15-23 and in 3:14-21, Paul prays that the church would understand the great power that God has placed at their disposal to enable them to live according to God’s calling. God equips the church with the power and the means to live victoriously, which is why Paul reminds his readers to utilize the mighty strength that God has already provided for them (6:10). God gives this armor to believers for the purpose of defending themselves from the cosmic powers, but each believer is responsible for taking it up and putting it on (6:13). The church lives in the evil day (6:13), and only by using what God has provided can the church stand firm against the evil powers.

Don't be caught unaware. Don't allow the enemy to perform his own version of Pearl Harbor in your life. Don't be a "sleeping giant." Being on the winning side should instill in us a "terrible resolve" to take up our armor, to pray, and to fight against our enemy. By utilizing the armor that God has provided and by remaining watchful and in prayer, believers can defend the church’s position while it awaits for God to accomplish the final destruction of the evil powers.

"Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13).