Luis Alberto Alves
Fight! This word sends shivers down the spine of any Christian. Throughout our lives, we are conditioned to live in the shadows. When difficulties arise, many give up the battle and accept the negative result of defeat. Insisting on changing the situation is something that only a few people can do.
Currently, with the emergence of social networks, millions of Christians make the mistake of believing that the ideal model of life is the one that exists on the internet. There, men over 35 years old show off “six-pack abs,” and wrinkles do not exist on women’s faces. Everything is beautiful.
Few remember the Word described in John 16:33 (In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world, and you will overcome it). The rule is to ignore the warning of Jesus Christ and try to overcome situations with the strength of your arm, or by resorting to the tools used by the world.
Effects
The problem is that many people do not see the opportunities that exist within the fight. They focus only on the fight. They refuse to think about how that battle came about, and what the negative and positive effects are after the fights come to an end.
Imagine someone who has the habit of talking to everyone about their life projects. Instead of holding back, they decide to share their strategies and even future projects. They fail to see that many people will not be happy with our victories. On the contrary, they secretly root for our defeat.
Like a teenager who believes that everyone wants us to be happy, they refuse to use caution. They are malicious. They are quick-witted and never offer gold to the bandit. They never count on the chicken to give them an egg before they lay it. It is in this context that the fight arises, with God's permission, to give us experience and to learn how to see life from another perspective.
War
Jesus Christ knows us. He will never allow His servant to enter a war to die. To emerge from that conflict annihilated, spiritually quadriplegic. The proposal is for this person to evolve. Climb a higher step to glorify and exalt the name of the Lord. There are people who get used to the environment of war, of suffering and being beaten.
When the day comes to sing, to celebrate victory, they become suspicious. They refuse to accept the blessing. It is like someone whose life the Lord places in their life a very handsome man or woman, full of anointing, and this person refuses. They say they do not deserve a person of this stature. They will not be able to be by their side.
It is like the Christian who has gotten used to eating fried eggs for lunch every day, which is normal during wartime, and when he goes to the butcher he buys poor quality meat that takes a long time to cook, in addition to being tough to eat. They refuse to buy a good fish to grill or even take their family out for lunch.
Time
They are servants of God who did not have the wisdom to take advantage of the time they spent on the battlefield. They focused only on combat, leaving aside any learning from those dark days.
For example: someone who lived through a horrible marriage that resulted in divorce needs to analyze what caused that situation.
It is necessary to undertake a long process of meditation. Analyze coldly how they behaved financially, sexually, professionally. Were they supportive of their partner? Did they try to help or did the tasks fall only to one of them? How was the money divided? Did they always humiliate the other? When illness struck, were they supportive enough to take their partner to the doctor?
Was their sex life only to satisfy one of the parties or was there solidarity in thinking about the other? What were the moments of affection like? Was it intense or just formal? Was there sacrifice for the sake of the union? To keep quiet when the temperature was high or the argument was something normal, including swearing and verbal and physical aggression?
Luís Alberto Alves is a pastor.
