As Believers, we are living in enemy occupied territory (Note 1). And, as passport carrying citizens of The Kingdom, our responsibilities are to love God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His injunctions.
Keep Calm And Carry On
As advance troops in enemy territory, we cannot afford to panic. Listen to God speaking to Joshua as the Israelites prepare to go into The Land:
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9 NRSV
So, the first rule of survival in enemy occupied territory is “don’t panic.” But how? Peter gives us three tactics:
“Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”” 1 Peter 1:13-16 NRSV
- Be disciplined in our thinking;
- Be reliant on God’s grace; and,
- Be obedient in our conduct.
So, What Now 2 Do? We have been sent into enemy territory to influence and occupy. Under no circumstances are we to panic. Onward Christian soldiers.
(1) C. S. Lewis