It is a weapon few in the flesh are able to wield. In order to wield it, to be able to conquer with it, one must possess a degree of wisdom that is given to few, and even of those rare humans who obtain to the requisite wisdom, still fewer may obtain this fearsome weapon. Wisdom alone is not the absolute constitution for a man to be entrusted with such power; one must be endowed with a rare and abiding degree of faith in the Almighty to be allowed access to – hence possession of – this mighty weapon. Through all of human history only a select few have been allowed to brandish such lethal power.
To be able to appreciate such a formidable threat, one must first understand some conditions and differing types of engagements of the battlefield. There are, as is well known, multitudes of tools in modern military arsenals with which men may be killed, deprived of mortality from the living, the breathing. Humanity has contrived an endless number of devices intended to kill, or at least harm fellow humans. If wielded properly however, the weapon of which I write is intended instead, to disarm an opponent; to take away his very desire to cause harm to his adversary. In fact, this great device when properly used, has the potential to cause a fierce enemy to become a friend and ally, and lay down his own weapon as well as his intent to harm.
This greatest weapon is of course, the Providential love of God. Think of those places in scripture where it says God is love. Thus, if one has Godly love in his heart, he will have at his disposal the very nature of the Almighty Himself. That kind of love must be bestowed upon a man (or woman) by the Lord – it is available nowhere else in all creation. [2 Thessalonians 3:5]: “Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.” Our hearts are directed by Him into His love, the love that God has in His own heart – a special kind of love of a very profound nature. The same love with which we are commanded by Jesus Christ to have for the Father with all our heart, soul, and strength, but still only a hint of the profound love God has for us – but we can embrace no more.
God has fearsome abilities. He is able to create volcanoes and earthquakes. When a star out in space explodes, they call it a nova and some of them can take out half a galaxy. That would make anything mankind has devised to be puny by any measure, even the hydrogen bombs of which everyone is so terrified. God is all-powerful indeed, but we are told God is love. If we have God’s love in our hearts, then we have access to the very essence of this Being of unlimited power. We’ve learned of the powers of the prophets of old, how they could do miraculous things – because of their access to God’s power.
The mighty power of God is available to those of faith who love Him. When a man finds the love of God, he will not be a fearsome warrior out to terrorize a fellow traveler. Love can disarm the mightiest of enemies. Jesus admonishes us to pray for our enemies, and when we pray the right prayer for them, they might just find they no longer have the heart to wreak destruction and death. They might instead find compassion and empathy for those whom they once abused. God’s love is quite capable of such – look at the experience of the apostle Paul who once persecuted the church to the point that he advocated for the death of believers, but once confronted by the love of Christ, he changed and went on to be a great disciple filled with a hitherto inexplicable Spiritual love for his fellow humans.
God’s love is doubtlessly the greatest force in all creation, for God is love. [1 John 4:8]: “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” We all have access to Him through Jesus Christ, thus we all have access to His mighty power. One day God will visit extreme retribution on those who have persecuted his people, and those who are creating the greatest devastation on this earth today are ultimately going to go after Christ’s followers. We are told they will prevail over the saints for a while, but this will be our opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty, our faithfulness to Him by not only enduring the hardships the enemy lays on us, but by showing Him we are willing to even pray for them, to love them – as Jesus did and as He admonished us to do. These actions will not be done out of weakness, but out of the strength of a people who understand that He whom we serve is mightier than the one who leads our enemies; a people who have come to realize the awesome power of which they may avail themselves.
It is always a mistake in warfare to underestimate the strength of the enemy. It is a far greater mistake to underestimate the power of God’s love. Embrace it – it’s the key to victory in the most critical of battles – that for the soul. In this endeavor I struggle also, it’s not an easy pursuit, but we have this task before us. Fortunately, we have His succor for this mighty endeavor. God’s love is a mighty force with which to be armed and certainly worth the effort to wield.
May the blessings of the Almighty Father find and keep us.
MK