Never Stop Fighting

By, Jamie Warner

Snow dappled mountains and rushing rivers coursing through vast plains greeted the twelve Warriors that made the trek to Wise River, Montana, for the latest Men’s Legacy Program. The team sensed it was going to be a big week for this group as reports of the men going through new trials and challenges kept coming in.

We at Mighty Oaks recognize these kinds of trials and challenges as a form of spiritual warfare. After all the Bible tells us in Ephesians 6: 12 that “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” There are dark forces at work, always trying to prevent people from submitting their lives to Christ. For those who are already in Christ, the attacks are aimed at discrediting and destroying their walk with Christ in an attempt to prevent them from influencing others for the Kingdom of God. We see these attacks begin before every session, and they are usually a sign that God is going to do something big. And we expect these attacks against our Warriors and our staff because 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

During the Legacy Programs, we emphasize the four key elements to remaining successful in their walk with the Lord: Be in the Word; Be in prayer; Be in fellowship; and Be in community. Like the four legs of a table, if one leg is missing, it’s only a matter of time before the imbalance causes the table to fall.

And guess what? God did some amazing work at the Freedom Ranch for Heroes this week. Life-changing decisions were made that will move these men towards freedom, redemption, and restoration; and their loved ones will feel the positive effects of those decisions. The devil is a liar and a thief bent on our destruction. Therefore, we must never give up the fight. And we are never alone in the fight, and the fight is worth it because Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”