FREEDOMTRUTH RADIO
The War is Real
You may not realize it, but you are in a war.
This war affects every part of your life. You wrestle with it every day, and it has affected you since the day you were born. This war has resulted in the pain, failures, sorrow, discouragement, and weariness that afflicts all of humanity. Most of us are blind to this war. We think this experience is "normal" because it's all we've ever known, but God wants us to wake up! He wants you to know and experience something so much better! But your enemy... he wants you to stay asleep. If you are unaware of the war and blind to your enemy’s activities, how can you ever hope to be free from his controlling influence? It gives him an easy victory.
What war do I speak of? It is the war in the unseen, spiritual realm. A war for your soul, heart, and mind. This is the war between good and evil, and it affects the entire globe and the entire human race. It is light versus darkness, truth versus lies, love versus selfishness, freedom versus slavery, and clarity versus confusion. For the person whose eyes have been opened, the effects of this war are recognizable all around us and in our own hearts and minds.
The Misunderstanding
Most people have some belief there are forces of good and evil in the world, but they don’t give much thought to what these forces are. They don't understand how these forces operate. By nature, we focus on what we can see… so we typically assign “evil” to people who disagree with us in politics and religion, or people who treat us badly, or people we see doing bad things on the news. To us, these are the forces of “evil”.
And what about “good”? We usually automatically assume we are good… or at least not that bad. Therefore, we believe that people who agree with us in politics and religion are “good”, and our friends are “good”, and people who do nice things are “good”. To us, these are the forces of “good”.
But here is the truth: human behavior is not the war. Human behavior is only a symptom of the war. Human behavior exists in the realm we can see. The great war occurs in the unseen realm. This is what the Bible tells us:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and spiritual powers, against the rulers of darkness in this world, against spiritual wickedness in unseen realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The forces of good and evil aren’t even physical! We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood. People are not your enemy. People are not your savior. The real battle happens in unseen realms, and the battle is ultimately for your very soul!
To help make this clear, let’s identify these forces and look at each one.
True Goodness
Goodness, real goodness, is stunningly beautiful. It is truth that dispels all confusion, exposes all lies, and exposes all rebellion… even our own rebellion (and therefore can make us quite uncomfortable!). Goodness is love. Not insincere love, but true love that is patient, kind, humble, long-suffering, forgiving, protective, trustworthy, consistent, and strong. It is not selfish. Goodness is light that expels the darkness. It is mercy and grace to those who seek God. It is judgement to those who refuse to turn from evil. It is justice. It is righteousness. It is encouragement. It is hope. It is abundant and eternal life.
At the center of good is God.
Still uncertain about the existence of God? For you, the ultimate proof of God’s existence is your own existence. Your human body is an amazing physical creation of organs, blood vessels, fluids, nervous systems, muscle and tendon, bone and cartilage, a brain with scorching fast neural networks, eyeballs that rival the most complex cameras, and ears that rival the most complex microphones.
Your body makes the most complex Tesla sports car look like a rubber bouncy ball by comparison. The Tesla was only able to exist because a team of thousands of engineers and mechanics designed it and planned its manufacture.
So how did you, being infinitely more complex, come to exist? Who designed you? Your body, mind, and soul are absolute marvels of complexity, balance, and beauty.
And you’re alive! You possess literal life. Unlike a rock, mineral, or Tesla sports car – you are a living, breathing soul. No engineer can create that. No scientist can explain it. Atheists will try to bluster their way through it, but they are deceived fools. You evolved from ancient microbes living in a puddle of primordial goo? Ha!! Don’t insult yourself by believing that science fiction. Those lies degrade your worth. Did you know the Tesla evolved over millions of years from a single plastic molecule? That sounds stupid, right? That’s because it is.
The reason you are beyond precious and beyond spectacular is because you are God’s handiwork, created in His image.
Yes, there is a God.
And He is good. Very good. In fact, He is the creator of goodness. Good cannot exist without God. He is the supreme commander of the Kingdom of Light and is its chief warrior.
God’s Character
“God is the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - He remains faithful forever.” (Psalm 146:6)
“The Lord your God is supreme over all other gods and powers. He is great and mighty, and He is to be obeyed. He does not show partiality, and He cannot be bribed.” (Deuteronomy 10:17)
“The Lord is upright, He is my rock. There is no wickedness or evil in Him.” (Psalm 92:15)
“You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; evil does not dwell with you.” (Psalm 5:4)
“Every good thing, every perfect gift comes from above – coming down from the Father of Light, who does not change like the shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)
“When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, neither does He tempt anyone” (James 1:13)
“God is not like men, who tell lies. God is not like human beings, who change their minds. When God speaks, He acts! When God promises, He fulfils His promise!” (Numbers 23:19)
This is a very concise explanation of God’s nature. He is powerful. He is good. He cannot be bribed or tempted. He is the creator. He cannot lie; therefore, He is trustworthy. There are many more things I could say, but for the sake of this article, I will keep it concise and short.
God’s Warriors
Just as God is very real, His army is very real, too. Millions of angels are active in the invisible realm we cannot see. These angelic beings are His creation, and they serve God alone.
“Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding and obey His word.” (Psalms 103:20)
“Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to help those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)
“For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalms 91:11)
These angels are sent to help us, minister to us, and fight for us. We do not worship them or pray to them, for they are God’s creation just like us… but they are a different type of creation. We exist in the earthly realm. They exist in the spiritual realm. They serve God and battle the forces of evil.
True Evil
Just as goodness is stunningly beautiful, evil is grotesquely ugly. Evil speaks lies and deception meant to confuse us, hide the truth, and make us comfortable in our rebellion and sin. It is hatred that poses as love. It poisons your heart and mind with a smooth voice and a smile on its face. It sells pleasure as a replacement for God. It is prideful, selfish, accusing, vicious, unforgiving, bitter, and dangerous. It calls good "evil" and calls evil "good". It hates the light. It tries to mislead and confuse those who seek God. It affirms and comforts those who love their evil ways, and even celebrates their rebellion. It perverts justice. It perverts creation. It discourages. It tears down. It brings death and destruction.
At the center of evil is Satan.
He is truly evil. He is not like God, and he is not nearly as powerful as God. The Bible explains that he was initially a cherub angel, one of the most powerful angels in heaven. He is a created being, just like the other angels, and his original name was Lucifer, meaning “shining one, light bearer”. Lucifer saw God sitting on the throne, receiving the worship and praise of heaven and he said, “I want that for myself”. He wanted to usurp God and sit on the heavenly throne. He wanted to be the object of heaven’s glory and praise. He wanted God’s authority, so he rebelled. Lucifer is the creator of pride, deception, accusations, perversion, destruction, and murder. All evil originates from him. He lost the battle in heaven and was cast out. He hates God. He hates good. He hates mankind, for he sees how precious we are to God. His consuming passion is to tempt us, deceive us, blind us to the truth, turn our hearts against God, and influence us to go our own way and live as rebels... living for ourselves just like he did. He wants us to follow in his footsteps.
Just as God is real, Satan is real. Just as goodness is real, evil is real. This is not a child’s fairytale. This war is reality and it is all around you. It is inside you. It affects you every day. I pray God shows you the truth of what I am writing.
Satan’s Character
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the holy mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High God.’ But you were cast down to the realm of the dead, the depths of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:13–15)
“Satan comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (Jesus, John 10:10)
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Jesus, John 8:44)
“The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called Satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
This is a concise explanation of Satan’s nature. He is not as powerful as God, for God overcame his rebellion and cast him from heaven. He is pure evil. He is a liar, a murderer, a thief who leads the world astray. He is a lion looking to devour, deceive, and destroy anyone he can. His end is certain. At the end of the age, he will be cast into the lake of fire where he will live forever with no escape or rest. Those who follow in his footsteps will meet the same fate.
Satan’s Warriors
Satan does have an army: millions of angels who believed his lies and joined his rebellion against God.
“Michael the Archangel and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called Satan who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him”(Revelation 12:7-9)
We don’t know how many angels followed Satan in his rebellion, but there are many… enough to cause a great war in heaven, which Satan lost. He and his angels were cast down to the earth, where they now roam and work to lead people astray. Christians often refer to these fallen angels as demons. They follow their evil leader and partake in his evil deeds. They will also share in his eternal judgement.
The Battlefield
Where does this great battle happen? It is occurring on earth, and it affects everything - governments, social institutions, and people like you and I. The battle occurs in all of us. It takes place in our minds and souls. We are influenced by external, spiritual forces. Satan tempts us toward evil, but the Spirit of God speaks truth. Satan makes rebellion look sexy, but the Spirit of God draws us back home, to a relationship with God our Father. Satan teaches selfishness, but the Spirit of God teaches “Love God, and love your fellow man”.
The battle also occurs in what we watch, listen to, and read in social media, movies, and music. Satan and God both know that what we feed our minds is very important. Does the media you consume influence you towards rebellion, or influence you towards following God? Does it lead to confusion, or does it lead to truth? Does it lead to perversion and selfishness, or does it lead to purity and love?
Unfortunately, we have all listened to Satan. I am just as guilty as everyone else. He has convinced us that going our own way is the best way. We have rebelled. The signs are all around us - a damaged world of pain and suffering. There is dysfunction and confusion, and we feel it in our own lives. Be honest with what you see...
Why do corrupt governments and politicians lie to their citizens and steal from them? Why do power-hungry men start wars that kill millions of people? Why does the modern-day human trafficking industry even exist? Why do media establishments lie and distort the truth? These things are darkness caused by rebellion.
Let’s make this more personal. I know I am guilty. I see it in my actions, words, and attitudes.
Why do we seek money more than we seek God? Why do we fight and argue with other people? Why do we tell lies? Why do we complain rather than being thankful for our many blessings? Why do we gossip about others? Why do our relationships fall apart? Why do we refuse to forgive? Why do we rebel against authority? Why do we consider chemicals (prescription drugs, illegal drugs, or alcohol) our best plan for happiness?
What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with all of us?
We have rebelled and gone our own way. This is where the pain, failure, sorrow, discouragement, and weariness comes from. It affects the entire world, and it affects our souls. Joy, satisfaction, peace, and healing come from the King of Goodness. When we rebel against Him, these things go missing from our lives.
DO NOT DESPAIR MY FRIEND! Please read the good news:
God has a plan. He always does. He knows. When He created us, He knew this would happen. He has a plan to rescue us and restore us back to Himself. This is why Jesus came. This is why the Bible says, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:17)
For those who are willing, God has made a way to restore us back to Himself and replace our hurting hearts of rebellion with a healed heart of love. Please read the other redpill articles (in sequential order) to understand God’s plan of restoration.
The Big Question: Why?
Why does God allow evil? Why does God allow Satan to exist? If God is stronger, why doesn’t He just snuff out Satan and extinguish all the temptation?
God allows evil because of free will. We are created in God’s image. Part of this means we are created with a free will. We are created with the ability to make decisions. God allows us to decide. God influences us to follow Him. Satan influences us to rebel. Having both influences allows us to make our choice freely. Will we submit, or will we rebel?
Imagine going to a debate, but only one side is allowed to speak. If you only hear a one-sided argument, how can you make a genuine choice? That wouldn’t be free will, that would be censorship! God allows Satan to exist so you hear and see both sides. This allows free will.
We had free will and we used it to become our own gods. Now humanity lives in sorrow and suffering, but God is a God of second chances. He has made a way for us to be restored though His Son, Jesus Christ. He only wants willing children. He will not force anyone. The choice is very real, and it is yours.
Go to the next article to find out how.