Excerpts from Battle Cry Good vs Evil
Introduction
God is, and always has been, a loving God of relationship. Although God’s Word reveals His love for us, His action speaks louder. Because we couldn’t save ourselves, He took action by sending His one and only Son to die for us and save us. Because we are weak in Spirit and predisposed to follow our sinful nature, He took action by sending the Holy Spirit to provide spiritual strength and guidance. Because He wants us to know and feel His love, He continues to take action by pursuing a personal relationship with us. Matthew 9:10–13 (NLT) says, “Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with such scum?’ When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.’ Then he added, ‘Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.’” When Jesus says “sick people need a doctor,” He is referring to spiritual sickness. Spiritual sickness manifests itself in sin. Does the thought of you being spiritually sick bother you? Do you think you are righteous, or do you know you are a sinner?
Author’s comments: During this unprecedented time of so much physical sickness, let’s also think about this unprecedented time of so much spiritual sickness. Spiritual sickness manifests itself in sin, and we have been sinfully spiraling out of control for some time now. How many mass shootings? We’ve all heard the horrific stories of pedophilia within the priesthood. How many prominent members of the clergy have given in to infidelity and sexual promiscuity? How much alcohol, drug, spousal, child, and elderly abuse? How much physical damage has been inflicted as a result of drug, alcohol, sex, and food addiction? How much wounding is associated with the abuse of women, children, and the elderly? How much wounding is associated with pornography, prostitution, human trafficking, rape, and child molestation? How much wounding is associated with bullying and cyberbullying? How much wounding is associated with the hateful and violent response to a person’s religion, race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation? Since action speaks louder than words, what does our action say about the love for ourselves and the love for each other? This is the perfect time to lean into, ask for, and depend on Christ, for the spiritual healing we so desperately need.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out; Bruce would love to help you grow in your spiritual journey! To contact Bruce personally, go to battlecrygoodvsevil.com. Battle Cry Good vs. Evil is available in paperback or eBook on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes. To get the weekly blogs, be sure to “like” and “follow” Battle Cry on Facebook.