Every Small Decision Leads to Winning or Losing in Spiritual Warfare

Our lifetimes are lived second by second (86,400 in a day), minute by minute (1,440 in a day), hour by hour (24 in a day), day by day (7 in a week), week by week (52 in a year), month by month (12 in a year), year by year (365 days in a year), and decade by decade (8 decades in an average lifetime; which is the same as 4,174 weeks or 29,220 days). The manner in which we live depends entirely on each and every decision we make in each of those limited spans of time.

Witnessing worldwide hateful motives and malevolent behavior in the news every day, it’s self-evident that we’re in the middle of a cosmic war between good and evil (Ephesians 6:12). Every decision we make—every one of them—determines whether we win or lose in that spiritual warfare—every moment of every day.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Situational Awareness: Spiritual Self-Defense ]

This applies even in subtle ways. Today’s culture has broadly normalized what for millennia has been understood to be abnormal. One mere example is the recent Summer Olympics, where, among a variety of indecent cringe-worthy incidents during the Games, the USA women’s gymnastics team, on the world’s media stage, jokingly gave themselves the NSFW nickname of “F.A.A.F.O.,” which translates to “F*** Around And Find Out.” This decision to self-identify by lightly applying an obscene and fractious word to an inspiring and worthy female sport activity was odious to common decency; what’s perhaps worse is that the world’s media and their audience enjoyed the usage.

Let it not be so with those who commit to the SemperVerus way!  What the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome in the 1st century directly applies to us in the 21st century:

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)

Perhaps you’re thinking right now, “I don’t swear that much. I can tell a little white lie every now and then. I use profanity only infrequently. Probably only 5% of my vocabulary is vulgar. It’s a minor amount.” Consider this: You’re presented with a treat by a friend. He says, “I know how much you like brownies so I made this batch for you. I mixed into the ingredients only 5% of cow manure. It’s a minor amount.” Will you want to eat it? Of course not! You want the ingredients to be pure, devoid of any toxicity, no matter how small. The same purity should be reflected in the decisions we make every moment.

Will you decide to:

   •  Disbelieve that Jesus is a verifiably historical figure or concede his historicity and then determine one of only three possible conclusions about him: whether he was a liar, a lunatic, or the divine Lord he claimed to be (John 14:6)

   •  Ignore the Bible or acknowledge Scripture as your life’s authority (Hebrews 4:12)

   •  Peruse the Bible or ponder the Bible and do what it says (James 1:22)

   •  Neglect God’s directives or do them without delay (Psalm 119:60)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? ]

   •  Merely say you love or demonstrate that you love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

   •  Live unprotected or put on soul armor (Ephesians 6:10-18)

   •  Wear filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) or clothe yourself in noble virtue (Colossians 3:12-14)

   •  Concentrate on life’s negatives or fixate on higher matters (Colossians 3:1-3)

   •  Tend toward dangerous immoral practices or live with healthy rectitude and purity (Colossians 3:5-10)

   •  Watch internet porn or respect and love people as Christ loves us (1 Peter 2:11 and John 13:34-35)

   •  Let pride ruin you or make humility your friend (Romans 12:16)

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Spiritual Fitness: Top 12 Acts for a Christian ]

   •  Hold a grudge or be kindly forgiving (Ephesians 4:32)

   •  Worry or pray (Philippians 4:6)

   •  Lie or make honesty your calling card (Proverbs 12:22)

   •  Be pessimistic or be optimistic (Philippians 4:4-5)

   •  Soak your mind in aberrant thoughts or rivet your thinking on dignified ideals (Philippians 4:8-9)

   •  Choose to use profanity, vulgarity, obscenity, or cursing or speak with honor and intelligence (Ephesians 4:29)

   •  Dominate conversation or actively listen (James 1:19)

   •  Navigate off course with situational ethics or stay true to what is right (1 Timothy 4:16)

As members of the SemperVerus Brotherhood and Sisterhood, may we be who God wants us to be; may we do what God wants us to do.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of SPIRITUAL FITNESS ]

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