Keep Moving Forward

During a call-in segment of a radio program I was doing, a man asked, “Does there come a point in the Christian life where somehow you just don’t get tempted to think evil thoughts anymore?”

“Yes, it’s funny you should ask that,” I told him, “because I just reached that point yesterday. It’s great.”

I was kidding, of course. In reality, this doesn’t ever happen in the life of a Christian. Some believers are surprised to discover that the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground. It isn’t easy being a Christian, because immediately we discover that we have an adversary, the Devil, who wants to bring us down. The spiritual battle is raging every single day.

As I have often said, the Christian life is a constant process of moving forward. And the moment we stop moving forward, we will start moving backward. We need to put our spiritual armor on. We need to suit up. As we are told in Ephesians 6, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (verses 11–12 NLT).

And you know what? This wrestling match won’t end until we are safe in the arms of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be great to think that as a Christian, you somehow could reach a plateau at a certain moment in your life where you would be above it all and no longer be vulnerable? This spiritual fight will rage on until the final day. So keep your armor on. Be aware and alert. And constantly move forward.