We Are Called to War

A Reminder to Be Strong

Oct 12, 2025

opened book on white textile — Photo by Jessica Mangano on Unsplash

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.”

Ephesians 6:11-13, HCSB

The battle lines are drawn. The war rages around us, and we are called to choose what side we are on. There is only one winning side.

Someday, men will realize that there is a God. That Yahuah is He. That we have “sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly . . . and rebelled.”

Somewhere it has been said, “There are two ways: the way of light, and the way of darkness. Good and evil.” What way will you walk? Which side are you on?

We are living in a War Zone. Every day we choose whether we will be Warriors of Light, or complacently sit on the fence . . . or worse, be soldiers of darkness.

We are all familiar with this idea. We’ve all heard the clichés, memorized all the bible verses. We know that we are called to “fight the good fight,” “put on the full armor of God,” and “share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

But what does that actually mean? How are we called to act as soldiers of Christ? And how can we take the mindset of a warrior and apply it in a practical sense in our daily lives?

We are called to war.

That’s a pretty chilling reality to consider.

We’re not tin soldiers in a playroom; we are active duty in the line of fire, struggling against the principalities of darkness, locked in a battle to the death.

Are we alone? Not at all. But neither are we exempt from the war that rages on every side of us.

When we choose to follow YAH, we are enlisting in an army. In the short term, our mortal lives are in the balance. In the long term, eternal life is in the balance. In order to win the war for the second, we loosen our grip on the first.

You Only Live Once? No. Rather, we live our lives now in such a way as to be worthy of the life to come.

“Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes exercises self-control in all things. Thus those do so in order that they may receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-25, LEB

Anyone who has read my fiction or gotten into a deep theological conversation with me knows I often return to this topic. Maybe that’s because I am a fighter at heart, maybe it’s because if I commit to something, I am fully committed . . . or maybe I’ve just studied enough history that drawing comparisons between real life and historical military tactics comes naturally now. Regardless, I tend to see my faith—and by extension, every aspect of my life—through the lens of the war between good and evil. The conflict between the light and the dark. The fight to the death because of The Life.

When I committed my life to following Yahuah, it was with the belief that this is something worth dying for.

My prayer since I was fifteen has been, “Lord, give me a martyr’s faith.”

There are a few verses that come to mind almost daily for me, calls to action and perseverance.

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God's throne. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart. In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”
Hebrews 12:1-4, HCSB

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.”
Revelation 12:10-11, HCSB

I want to be dedicated until I draw my last breath. That’s the strength I pray for.

It’s also my prayer for others—my prayer for you.

When I say this is in my mind constantly, I mean almost every time I think of someone, I pray they’ll be strong in the Lord, that they’ll have the courage and strength to keep going, and that they will be guarded and guided in every step they take, no matter how steep the edges of the Narrow Road seem.

We know that many are called, but few are chosen.

It’s not an easy road, guys. We have to be strong, we have to be persistent. We have to hope for the best, but be prepared to hold onto the truth—to fight for the truth—through the worst of the worst.

Sometimes the truth divides us from friends and family.

Sometimes it tears apart our understanding of the world.

Sometimes it puts us in the line of fire literally, not just figuratively.

One month ago, the world was shaken up by the loss of Charlie Kirk, a brother in the faith and soldier for Christ. In the month since, we’ve seen revival sweep the United States and many other places in the world. We’ve seen Christians popping out of the woodwork, standing up and speaking out about their faith, vowing to take up the banner that Charlie dropped and carry it forward.

All honorable and incredible responses to such a tragedy, honestly. I’m continually in awe of how our world has changed in a month’s time and the way that so many people have said they are ready to answer the same calling that Charlie did in his life.

We want to remember the martyrs, Charlie included.

But brothers and sisters, this ought to be our mindset with or without the poignant reminder that Charlie’s death served of the battle we face on a daily basis. He was an inspiration, but memory fades.

Don’t get caught up in trendy revival for the moment and fall away when the hype fades or persecution knocks on your door.

Be strong, not because of Charlie, but because of the One he served.

Have a martyr’s faith even if you never face martyrdom.

That’s a call we’re all given. We are warriors not only when we can see the battle, but in a way, even more when we can’t. It’s when others forget the fight that those of us who remember have an even tougher battle on our hands to hold to the faith.

I could go on in this vein, exhorting and reminding you that it’s no light calling to be a soldier of Christ, or I could end this here and leave it to you to do with what you will.

Are you ready to count the cost, pick up your cross, and follow Christ? Even to persecution and death?

Are you ready to forsake father, mother, brother to serve where you’re called? To leave Ur and live as a wanderer in a land promised to your descendants?

Are you ready to put on the armor of God and take up the offensive, no matter what the outcome?

Are you ready to let your faith bleed into every aspect of your life? Because every aspect of life is being attacked by the enemy, and somehow, the American church as a unit is only defending the front of “Jesus loves you.” Our forces are scattered on every other front.

“All that matters is the gospel.”

“It’s not a salvation matter.”

“Christians shouldn’t be wasting their time on that.”

Yes, they should, because it’s not a waste of time.

This is war, and we have to be prepared for attack on every side.

I don’t care whether it’s politics, church, work, family, science, or any other area or topic in life. We are at war, and we will be held responsible for our decisions and what we tolerated when we should have been taking a stand for the truth. The family unit has been attacked, the commands of God have been attacked, the nature of creation has been attacked, . . . even the biological realities of mankind and the value of human life have been attacked.

Not ready to die on “that” hill (you fill in the blank), but call yourself a Christian? Why aren’t you ready? Yes, that’s an uncomfortable question.

You know what’s more uncomfortable? Hearing, “Depart from me; I never knew you.”

Count the cost and pick up your swords. Not because of Charlie, because as Christians we carry the responsibility to put our lives on the line for the sake of Truth.

What are you willing to die for?

In Conclusione

This post has been in my drafts for a while. I second-guessed posting it, not because I have any hesitation in the message, but because I doubt my own ability to do that message justicve. I can only say now, as I send it out, that it will remind, inspire, and encourage someone to be strong in their faith, unafraid and unashamed to set deep roots in the Word and send strong branches into the world. I pray that, at the least, you can take what is true and valuable in it and that that blesses your life, regardless of any poorly written portion that has no benefit.

Here are a couple favorite calls to war of mine: a poem I wrote, and a video that made a lasting impression on me.

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