I know that I am a Christian, saved from the widespread epidemic of evil because of what Jesus did on the day of his execution, so many years ago. But there are times as I get older that I feel haunted by my past. I look back at the brutish young man I was and cringe at the dark choices I made at the time. The lack of respect shown to others and to myself. People hurt me and I hurt people. Back then, I had no understanding of the spiritual battle influencing the world around us: “The natural man understands not the thing of the Spirit.” Memories shake me and it’s hard to live free of guilt. But I know that Jesus justifies me through his blood. I walk in that truth.
The day of my baptism in the summer of 2002 stands out too. Surely the greatest day of my life, standing by a baptism pool in the city of Burton upon Trent in northern England with two men of God and surrounded by a group of fellow “DNAers” – brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I trained in theology and real world application. I wore a white shirt to signify the forgiveness given to me by Jesus and I was pulled gently under the water symbolising the cleansing power of grace. It was the most wonderful feeling ever – a sense of true freedom.
Restored and friends with Christ – the forgiveness of God means more to me as the years go by. I am also more aware of the spiritual battle around me. Every morning I thank God for dressing my family in the armour of the gospel given so liberally at the cost of Jesus’s own life: salvation as a helmet protecting our identities; righteousness like a breastplate for our hearts to be secure; the truth of God’s story akin to a belt holding us firmly and lovingly; faith as a shield to take cover from the enemy’s attacks; the Word of God (both spoken and written) as a sharp sword of anointed truth to take the offensive and strike hard and powerfully; and the good news of Jesus himself, like a pair of shoes running towards him.
“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there,” the author LP Hartley once wrote in the opening chapter of his famed novel, ‘The Go Between.” Jesus has won salvation for us and we’re truly forgiven and loved. We are also repurposed to wage a war of love and advance His kingdom of grace in any way we can. Judgement is coming. Let’s fight for Him, forget the past and advance!
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6)
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