Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26th, 1776 and was a small but extremely important battle during the Revolutionary War.
The Continental Army had suffered a number of defeats and moral was extremely low. The troops were being thinned by both desertion and death but they were willing to die for the cause and endure tremendous hardships to restore possession of a small town in New Jersey (Trenton) which was occupied by four troops of Hessian (German forces hired by the British) soldiers.
There was a spy stationed in Trenton, however. His name was John Honeyman and he was a butcher and bartender who traded with the British and Hessian soldiers and he pretended to be a Tory (a person who supported the British Government). By doing this he not only gained great intelligence (which he shared with George Washington) but he was able to deceive and convince the Hessians that the Continental Army was in such a low state of moral that they would not attack Trenton.
Although Loyalists had warned the Hessian Commander, Colonel Johann Rall, that the Americans were planning an attack, he publicly dismissed their comments as nonsense. When George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware and did indeed attack (with 1000 more soldiers than the Hessians had) the Hessians were defeated and the Continental Army was revitalized and the Revolutionary War ultimately won. This trek across the Delaware was memorialized in the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by German American artist Emanuel Leutze.
In this world a battle rages on. We are in a very perilous battle. But our’s isn’t for land or rights or riches. Our battle is for the eternal lives of those around us and for those who will come after us. The question is which side of the battle will you be on.
Will we be willing to fight, no matter the cost, for the eternal lives of those we love and care for (And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it Matthew 10:38-39)?
Or will we be on the opposite side, being deceived by a liar and a spy, who desires the death and destruction of all mankind (1 Peter 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour; For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the high places. Ephesians 6:12).
There is no defecting from the battle, no deserting. You are either on the side commanded by Jesus Christ, desiring an outcome of eternal life for all mankind or you are on the side Commanded by the enemy, satan, who desires for the destruction and eternal suffering of all mankind. If you are not sure, it is time to choose.
Our Commander Jesus Christ already won the war. He already laid down His life for us. But the battle rages on. The enemy cannot win this war, but he can take some captives with him. We have to fight for them! (for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcome the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:4-5)
I pray that today we would ask ourselves which side we are on and whether we are just passive sympathizers or soldiers willing to lie down our life for our Savior and ultimately to be used by Him to rescue others. I pray that we would understand the gravity of the battle that we are in. I pray that we would begin to start everyday by putting on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and that we would resist the enemy and glorify our Heavenly Father. I pray that we would be willing to be used by Him for His glory and the eternal salvation of those He is attempting to reach because the battle rages on.
If you are not sure which side of the battle you are on or you are pretty certain that your Commander is not Jesus Christ, I pray that you would go to our life preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. He has already fought the war so that you could spend eternity with Him and He desires that you would be on the winning side. Once you have prayed this prayer, please reach out to me at admin@forgiven-n-loved.com and let me know so that I can be in prayer for you and hopefully might be able to help you grow in your knowledge of and relationship with our Precious Savior, Jesus Christ.
Luv ya!
