We wrestle not ...

Submitted by Drew (Canada), Dec 5, 2006 at 10:37

As usual, Dr Pipes is bang-on with his assessment of the makeup of terrorism and ways of battling it in the flesh, but there is one important point missing. If people are unwilling to be terrorized, terrorism loses its sting. How does one become unwilling to be terrorized? By refusing to be afraid of dying.

Jesus says, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). In receiving Christ, one renounces fear of death and with that, a terrorist has no power. Psalm 91 says that 11,000 can fall all around me and I'll be untouched (that applies to anyone who walks in God's ways); Daniel 3 (the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago) encourages us to declare that our God can and will deliver us from the hands of those who would kill us, BUT IF NOT, we still won't bow our knee to anyone or anything else -- including fear of death.

But unlike Christians, terrorists do not have victory over death -- they have a desire for death, which is a perversion. As Dr Pipes points out, this is an ideological battle, and while individual terrorists can and are picked off by counterterrorism measures, more keep rising up because they believe they have a higher calling. So people need to take their battle against terror into the spiritual plane, and refusing to fear, thereby blunting the terrorists' purpose.

As Paul writes, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Ephesians 6:12). In fact, Ephesians 6:10-18 gives the "recipe" for standing on faith. You'd be surprised -- and relieved -- to see how well it works!

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