5/30/11
The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable. ~ Sun Tzu, Chinese strategist, on the art of War
I don’t know who Sun Tzu is, but he does reflect what I do know about the importance of positioning in military strategy. The works of Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian whose life was a symbol of steadfastness, have taught me much about strategies for living a spirit filled life in the midst of spiritual battles. In an increasingly hostile world, Nee, too, emphasizes position.
From his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, I have learned the importance of these positional truths:
- Sitting comes first---sitting at the Lord’s feet is essential so most of our pre-battle strategy time should be spent in this position;
- Walking follows sitting---the Lord will move us out in His timing and strengthen us to walk in truth as we are lead by His Spirit;
- Standing in His strength, coupled with His truth makes our position unassailable.
I also know that life is one continuous battle after another. Step 1 is realizing that our battles are against the evil one. Step 2 is keeping my mind filled with God’s strategies by meditating on His truths and walking in them. Step 3 is my stance, which is made possible only by following steps one and two. WARNING—Don’t reverse these steps!
The only way my position is unassailable in the warfare of my own life is by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18)
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13)
That’s my military position what’s yours? Meditate on this verse this Memorial Day because as always, it falls on a Monday and meditation is what we always do on Mondays.
