A definition of warfare: armed conflict between enemies; conflict, especially when unrelenting, between competitors or rivals.
Normally, when I think of warfare I think of two opposing sides-offense & defense. One side desires or covets something that another has; the other side doesn't want to give that something over to their enemy. I also think of warfare as having two levels, physical & spiritual.
Recognizing the war-It's pretty hard to fight a war when you don't realize there is a war going on! It's extremely hard to fight a war when you cannot identify your enemy or enemies. As abuse survivors, we may have always looked at our enemies as being our abusers; and, of course, that is very true but not completely.
The Physical Side:
Often times, I try to think about how our veterans remember war. Especially the Vietnam War, since I was a youngster at that time. Our young men trenching threw the jungle in the smothering heat and rain and trudging through unfamiliar territory not knowing where their enemy may lie in wait (at least that's the way they portrayed it in the movie Platoon!). Because of the unfamiliarity of their enemy, defending themselves, I'm sure at times, seemed almost impossible. They realized the war and knew who the enemy was, but because they were at another human being's disposal, the direction of their lives at that time could have been at the mercy of others.
My heart aches when I think of people defenseless, alone, abandoned and set up as prey--being at the mercy of others and those people rendering you powerless.
The Spiritual Side:
There is also a spiritual side to warfare. For myself, as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I learned that there was an enemy that went unrecognized. That enemy was the evil one. Yes, that's right, satan himself. He uses all of us. Our abusers are victims also. Their minds and bodies are being used as his tools. They may not know it or even care. They probably think every abuse they commit is their own idea!! They made the "choice" with their own freewill to commit the crime, just as all of us have freewill to make good or bad choices, but be assured since the beginning of the fall of time the old devil has been planting seeds of evilness into the minds of the human race. Then again, some people freely serve satan and gladly give him all the credit. Truly sad!! From the time of the Fall until the end of this life as we know it, it will always be this way. Keeping us in prison and in the dark is his main job. Let them think I'm not real. Let them think it was their own idea, I can hear him saying. He laughs as he sees innocent children being victimized by the people he uses as his eyes, ears, hands, feet and mouthpieces to do his dirty work. And after the physical and psychological abuse is over at that time, even years down the road, we are still allowing him to hold us emotionally and spiritually captive. Don't continue be a prisoner of war. God loves you and wants to set you free. You are either for God or against God; for the enemy or against the enemy. It's your choice to continue in a prison of darkness and despair or to reach out for freedom and hope. God is calling you to reach for Him and He desperately wants to give you life and give you life abundantly through His Son Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God always allows us to make the choice. He is a true gentleman and will never force you or trick you into anything. Take your step of faith that God has freely given to you. Satan may have been allowed to win a few battles, BUT he WILL NOT WIN THE WAR. Satan may have blindsided you, but GOD WILL SET YOU BACK ON THE RIGHT TRACK. With God there is victory.
My HOPE! Step of Faith Contact Me |
