The Scriptures tell us that God's people are soldiers in His army. The reason for referring to us as soldiers is simple-we are at war. The war in which we engage ourselves is with Satan and his messengers in this world. Consider these passages: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." {1 Timothy 6:12} "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." {Ephesians 6:11} "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members." {Romans 8:23} "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier." {2 Timothy 2:3,4} Make no mistake about it; Christians are at war. From the time we become part of His body, the church, until we leave this world, we must fight against Satan! How do we win this fight?

The battleground. First and foremost, we need to know where the battle is being waged. Solomon gave us some insight: "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." {Proverbs 4:23} Every day, the battle is being fought in men's hearts. The one who is able to gain control of your mind has the upper hand. Satan constantly seeks for ways to enter Christians' hearts so he can corrupt and defile them. How does he do it? Truth be known, he cannot do it without our help. We make daily choices that allow Satan to enter our minds. It begins with our thoughts, what we read, that to which we listen, and what we watch. All seek to control the Christian's heart. The devil plays the game of divide and conquer. This is why Jesus told us, in His Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." {Matthew 5:8}

Satan really uses his lies to take advantage of God's people by seeking to convince them that he is telling the truth. Jesus referred to the devil as a liar and the father of all lies {John 8:44}. Satan cares nothing about our needs; he wants only for us to spend eternity in hell with him and his angels. Therefore, he relentlessly seeks to get into our hearts and entice us to transfer our affections from God to the things of this world {1 John 2:15-17}.

Many of God's soldiers go AWOL for one simple reason-they fall asleep on watch! One of our adversary's cunning traps is to lull us to sleep and convince us that there are no dangers about which we need to be concerned. Make no mistake about it; Satan is the master of his craft! Unless we constantly guard what we allow to enter our hearts, he will take advantage and gain a foothold. Fight-don't allow him to win you over {2 Corinthians 2:11}. Fellow soldier, are you waging a successful warfare against the enemy? Who is winning the battle for your heart?