(Today’s Pulse is written by one of our elders, Duane Mackey.  As I preach through Proverbs this summer on the subject of wisdom, I am trying to use this space to give voice to some of the more experienced members of our congregation, so that they might share what they have learned from their journey with the Lord)

Fighting the Battle

One of my favorite movies is Mary Poppins.   This movie showcases a dysfunctional family set in 1910, in the city of London.  George Banks and his wife Winifred are completely self-absorbed, he with his banking job and excessive punctuality and she with her women’s rights movement.  Neither care for the needs of their marriage or their two lovely but lonely children, Jane and Michael.  They have abdicated all family responsibility to house servants and a series of nannies.  In the beginning minutes of the movie, Admiral Boom warns Bert of the storm brewing at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, the Banks’ home.  George proudly struts into his house oblivious of the latest crisis with the children and launches into a song that paints a vivid picture of his world view.  All around him is a battle with warning signs of the impending disaster but he blindly marches toward the cliff.  Toward the end of the movie, following a few rather bizarre influences of Mary Poppins, George’s perfect ordered life had crashed and burned but in the wake of this chaos he gains a new perspective toward life.  George had been in a long battle; his heart had been taken out by an enemy he was unaware of.  An enemy that had kept his heart engaged in the things this world values at the expense of what the Kingdom of God values. 

Jesus said to his disciples that “the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn. 10:10).  He is clearly telling them and us that we have an enemy; we are engaged in a ferocious battle.  A battle against an enemy who is trying to steal our freedom, kill our heart, and destroy our life.  For the first 10+ years of my spiritual journey, I lived more like George Banks when it came to spiritual matters, fast asleep concerning the battle for my heart and my family.  Yes, I was aware of references to Satan in the Bible, heard a few sermons about a battle that we are all in, even engaged in conversations about a spiritual war, but I lived my life on the sidelines, seated in a comfortable chair, and ignored the enemy that was silently destroying me and those I loved.   

The spiritual battle is very difficult to understand.  Unlike a conventional battle where the opposing forces typically wear distinct uniforms and follow certain rules of engagement, we cannot see Satan or his henchmen with our eyes, we cannot see the weapons he uses, and we struggle to hear the sounds of the battle.  However, we do experience the wounds, the scars, and the fatigue of this unseen but very real spiritual war.  Have you ever asked yourself, “Why does Satan hate me?  What have I done to him to deserve his unending wrath?”  My belief is that the enemy does not hate me because I am a super spiritual man with great power and ability to threaten him.  He does, however, hate God, His glory.  We were created to reflect God’s glory, born to bear His image, and ransomed by God from death to reflect His glory again.  Satan’s fear is that if we walk intimately with God, if we allow God to transform our weak, selfish hearts into brave, fearless warriors, we will join God in the greatest battle ever fought, His mission to rescue and restore mankind’s original glory and live a life of love.  This is what the enemy hates and he will do whatever is needed to steal, kill, and destroy God’s spiritual offspring.

My journey with Christ is nearing 26 years.  During this time I have learned that the battle for life is fought in the heart.  The wise man King Solomon understood this clearly when he wrote “Above all else protect your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23).  Did you catch the words “above all else, and protect?”  Stop and think about this, think deeply from your heart.  What does that mean to you? 

In the Bible we read that the heart is the source of all creativity, courage, and conviction.  Following is a short list of words in the Bible that describe the heart: troubled, wounded, pierced, broken, divided, frightened, faint, cowardly, wandering, forgetful, dull, stubborn, proud, hardened, wicked and perverse.  It can also be cheerful, glad, merry, joyful, good, whole, and pure.  The heart is the source of our faith, our hope, and our love.  It is the “wellspring of life” within us, the very essence of our existence, and the center of our being. 

Let there be absolutely no doubt….the enemy knows how vital the heart is, even if we do not, and all of his wicked, evil forces are fixed upon its destruction.  If Satan can disable or deaden your heart, then he can effectively foil God’s plan to create a world where love reigns.  Jesus made is quite clear what is required of us…loving God and loving others.  This is the real point of our existence.  We cannot love God and others if our heart is dead.

I can divide the spiritual journey of my heart into two major chapters.  The first chapter, roughly the first 12 years, my heart was filled with pride, self confidence, stubbornness, and control.  My heart had been formed by about 35 years of worldly influence. I had learned to talk the spiritual life but my heart was not awake.  These were the dark years when the light of God’s truth and love could not penetrate my heart of stone.  The second half has been the journey of life; the spiritual life The Good Shepherd promises those who come to Him with hearts that are hungry and thirsty for righteousness.  The turning point was when I surveyed my life, especially when I looked into the rear view mirror and saw the effect of a neglected spiritual life.  Additionally I opened up to a few trusted brothers and sisters to help me understand the path I was walking.  Even when I discovered the spiritual battle raging for my heart, I struggled to get out of the deep ruts the years had formed.  I wanted intimacy with God, for Him to change my heart of stone into a heart of flesh, for Him to write His words of life and love on my heart, to become a joy to Him.  Spiritual disciplines became very important to me because they allowed me to tune out the world and spend solitary time with God so He could begin the process to soften my heart.  I also had to be open to a few others who loved me and wanted to see my life transformed for God’s glory.  This was very hard for me because I had to trust others to paint a picture of my life that I could not see and did not want to see because my heart was so polluted.  The beautiful rhythm of spending more and more time with God and the accountability with others over about a two year period brought me to a new place in life.  A place where God and others could be trusted, a place where kingdom life was more real than earthly life, a place where the King of glory reigned in my heart and transformed me into the man I was intended to be. 

I have learned that the heart is the most important part of the body and must be protected from an enemy whose sole purpose is to kill it.  The heart is protected by learning how to walk intimately with The Father who loves me and with others who love me as their brother and friend.  None of this is easy…that is why it is a battle, a battle of life and death.  A battle that must be fought and won if we are to live life to the fullest in Christ.  

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