The Church: A Place to BATTLE — Part III JOIN THE RESISTANCE

The View From Above: Thoughts To Help With Everyday Life

September 21, 2026

Guest Contributor: Pastor Harold Warner — Part 12

The Church: A Place to BATTLE — Part III

JOIN THE RESISTANCE

Uhm, did I say anything about life being a battle?

My motto throughout my life has been “Life Is Tough, But God is Good.”

I was on a roll back a few weeks ago, talking about the church as a place to battle—the reality of spiritual warfare—when I was rudely interrupted by a sepsis event that left me hospitalized for 7 days++.

This piece was on my to-do list to be written the afternoon on August 26, 2026.

Hopefully, better late than never.

I was in the process of debunking the mythos of the “solo warrior” when it comes to spiritual warfare.

American Christianity is highly individualized, but Biblical faith is also a corporate reality.

We hear about “my faith, my walk, my relationship with God, my ministry.” All of which have truth, but when Paul rejoiced over the Church of the Colossians, he commended them that they were anchored in Christ.

Then in Colossians 2:5 he says:

Colossians 2:5

“For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.”

This is a military term for standing firm in unbroken ranks.

This is what it means to join the Resistance: a faith that belongs, a faith that becomes, a faith that builds, is also a faith that battles—the truth of life is that we triumph together.

Where we’re told to “put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil,” Paul leads us to consider the role of prayer.

Ephesians 6:18

He points out, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Prayer reminds us that we are not alone and that we need each other.

Read the text and you will see Paul includes himself and his ministry in this dimension.

One of the things I have been reminded of consistently for over fifty years is that I am being upheld by the grace of God and sustained by the prayers of God’s saints.

Can I admonish you with something: our adversary is a stone-cold killer and predator.

Read with me carefully:

1 Peter 5:8–9

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

The devil is not compared to an artillery commander or a general.

No, he is a predator intent upon devouring its prey.

Predators study habits.

Predators identify weaknesses.

Predators look for the separated.

A lion does not usually charge the ranks of a 1000 buffalo. It waits for the one that limps, the one that wanders, the one that falls behind.

On the African savanna, isolation is not a strength but a vulnerability.

It is the lone animal that becomes the focus of predators.

Don’t you think this is why the enemy is so effective when he whispers:

“Nobody understands what you’re facing.”

“I don’t need fellowship.”

“Don’t let anyone know that you’ve been hurting.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Keep your struggle secret; the church is unnecessary.”

What does this do but cause the shield wall to develop a gap, making the attack much easier?

The Christian life is not a lone hunt across the savanna.

It is life within the herd.

Not because believers are weak, but because God designed them for mutual strength.

Beloved, from this text, our posture is clear.

“Be alert, be sober”—stand firm (resist) against him, and be strong in your faith.

Yes, you’re right, this is saying you can never relax your vigilance in this life, young or old.

It’s like the young man asking his pastor who he admired, “When can I let up in this battle against the flesh?”

His wise pastor told him, “I don’t think I would trust myself until I’ve been dead at least three days.”

This picture is only completed by what follows:

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

We maintain our personal vigilance when we don’t neglect the wider family of believers.

A mature soldier doesn’t leave his unit or formation.

The enemy’s first victory is often isolation. His second is attack. The church exists to prevent both.

This sheds more light on:

Hebrews 10:25

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

We’ve heard this a lot, but it is more than merely describing church attendance.

It is our means of spiritual survival.

To drive home his point, he says, “especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

In the last days, it becomes all the more important to battle together if we are to finish well.