Matthew 16:18
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Take a drive through any large city and you will see Satan at work. Even on my way from my home to my church, I’m appalled by Satan’s craft. On one major street, I pass by several bars and an establishment that showcases topless dancers. Recently, I even passed by a couple young women on a street corner wearing skimpy bathing suits and trying to lure drivers into getting their car washed.

Even though I’m frustrated with the success of Satan’s schemes, I’m more frustrated that Christians aren’t doing more to stop him. Yes, we have won a few battles against Satan. But, if we’re to win this war, we need to go more on the offensive. We can’t sit idly by and allow Satan to destroy our cities. We need to get up out of our comfortable pews and crash the gates of hell.

We need the attitude of William Booth who said, “While women weep, as they do now, I'll fight; while children go hungry, as they do now I'll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I'll fight, I'll fight to the very end!”

The Christian life is not a stroll through the park. It’s a battle with Christ as our general. Listen closely and you can hear his trumpet calling us into battle. We need to fight as soldiers of Christ for his honor and glory.

Satan may be armed with hate and deception, but we need to be armed with love and truth. We need to enter his dark territory and bring the light of Christ. Only the light of Christ will end Satan’s darkness. And if we’re not shining it, who will?

Onward, Christian soldiers! Grab your sword of truth and shield of faith! A battle rages and our general calls us.