A Christian’s Reflection upon the Death of Osama bin Laden

For nearly 10 years I served in the Armed Forces of the greatest nation.  I was greatly blessed by my Lord that I never had to serve in war and take a life or had my life at such risk as our young men and women do today.  My heart swells with pride at the sight of one our great Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen or Marines in uniform.  They and their families have sacrificed so much for the cause of our Freedom and Justice World wide.  No matter one’s political views we should take great pains to recognize the sacrifice that has been made on our behalf. 

When I heard the news that the “mastermind” of the 9/11 attacks had finally been found and killed, like many in our nation I rejoiced that justice had been fulfilled at least for the moment.  I felt the patriotic tie to my brothers in arms who have sacrificed so much for this moment.  I am proud of them and our nation.

As the days following the news, I saw many in a frenzy of excitement celebrating, some for justice, some for patriotism, and some in what seems to be blood lust over a dead man. Before anyone considers the thought that I am not patriotic or unconcerned for justice let me explain my struggle.

My first thought of the news of bin Laden’s death was that justice has been done, but my second thought was of his eternal destination.  This man was a Muslim; He worshiped a false god named “Allah.”  Whether he was a good Muslim or a bad Muslim as to his beliefs and practices are for others to judge.  I can only speak of the fact that he believed in a lie of the devil.  For the Bible is clear in John 14:6 when Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” and in Acts 4:12 Peter declared of Jesus, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."  No matter how well intentioned a man’s faith is, no matter how much he lives or dies for that belief, if his faith is not in the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ to wash away his sins through belief that Jesus died on the cross for him and was raised from the dead for him and ascended to the Father in heaven for him and will one day return to take him home with Him, he has no true hope.

After 9/11 and the news revealed that Osama bin Laden masterminded the attack, I prayed that the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit would convict him of his sin. Not just the mass murder of thousands, but for the sins we all are guilty of; dishonoring our fathers and mothers in how we live our lives and in our behavior, the hate and anger that fills our hearts that Jesus said was the same as murder, the lust in our heart which Jesus said was the same as adultery, the taking of things that are not ours no matter how small and regardless of their value, the lies we tell even the “little white” ones, and missing of blessings that the Lord has brought into our lives because we covet what is not ours. 

What of the sins that we as Christian fail the most in at times; the sin of not making God first in everything, the sin of putting other things and even people before Him, the sin of taking His Name in vain whether in using His Name as a curse word or simply calling ourselves Christian and then living our lives as if God did not care, or the sin of not setting time aside for God and worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth.  Jesus summed up all of this in Matthew 22:36-40 when he was asked “what is the greatest commandment in the Law,” Jesus said, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  

I prayed for his sins to be convicted of, not for the simple purpose of making him quit his vile behavior but that he would come to know Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, that the angles in heaven would rejoice over another lost soul saved from hell’s clutches and that we would celebrate a new brother in Christ. 

I don’t remember the moment I stopped praying for his salvation, when I suddenly decided he was unworthy of being my brother, I don’t remember making a conscious choice in the matter.  Now I simply weep for another soul lost to a devil’s hell.      

Preparing for Spiritual Warfare

Far too often it is spoken, “the world does not care about spiritual things.”  This could not be farther from the truth.  Movies and television shows depicting demons, spirits, the paranormal and monsters of every sort bombard us at every turn.  For the world to say it does not believe in or care about spiritual things would be a complete and utter lie. 

                                                                                             

The most frightening thing about this issue is that so many, in ignorance, “play”, “dabble” or completely give themselves over to spiritual forces not realizing the danger to their well being and to their very souls.  Tarot cards, Ouija boards, palm readers and astrology; were once condemned by the body of Christ, but now it overlooks, jokes about, tolerates or worst of all participates in it.

The church has written off the demonic influence in this world as non-existent or something that only happened in “biblical times.”  The devil is alive and well and he still seeks to devour whom he can.  The devil is smarter than we are, he has been around for a very long time and he has learned to adjust his tactics for the war he rages.  Imagine in your mind a person squalling in unintelligible words, screaming or squealing like an animal, drooling with eyes rolled back dancing and jerking about, falling and flailing on the ground, fighting unseen forces.  What would happen to such a person, would we surround him with the body of Christ, would we cry for mercy for their soul, would we bathe them in prayer and fasting, would we in the name of Christ Jesus cast out the demon or would we call the police demanding this person be placed under the care of a psychiatrist to be treated for some mental disorder and drugged until they are compliant to what we deem normal behavior in our society.  Who would win this battle over the precious soul of a man?  To choose the latter gives a clear victory to satan. 

  We are part of a war that has already been won by the Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross, Christ has bruised His heal while crushing the head of satan.  The question often raised is, “if the war has been won, why be concerned over the spiritual?”  Though the war has been won, the war rages in the form of personal skirmishes and battles, for the believer a loss means disrupted fellowship with God and his people, for the lost they will continue being enslaved to their sin and will be rewarded with death and hell, victory will come only through a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Why should we be concerned over spiritual things?  We have an enemy in the spiritual realm that goes by the names of devil, satan, lucifer or any other of the numerous names he may be known by.  satan either knows he has lost the war and seeks to destroy as many lives as he can before his day of judgment or he is so stupid and ignorant to believe he can still win. In either case he is still the most dangerous creature to roam the earth. 

Our only hope is to be strengthened through faith in Jesus Christ and to be clad in the armor of spiritual warfare He provides.  The following is a prayer based upon Ephesians 6:10-20, the Scripture’s revelation of how we are to deal with spiritual forces of wickedness.  May the Lord bless you and keep you.          

Father I seek to be strong in you and in the strength of your might

For I seek to stand against the schemes of the devil who prowls around as a lion seeking whom he may devour

For my struggle is not against flesh and blood, except for my own, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places

I take up the full Armor of God that I may stand firm in the evil day

It is not for decoration, parades, ceremonies, or pomp and circumstance, it is for war

Forged in the fires of a righteous life, dependent and obedient to God

Molded and shaped upon a bloody cross

Cooled and hardened in a borrowed tomb

Fashioned and issued by the King of kings to His saints

I put on the Belt of Truth

For You Lord Jesus are the Truth

Your Word is Truth

And all things shall be measured by that Truth, both the world and my life

I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness

The selfless-righteousness of Christ

Unearned, but declared through faith in the Son of God

I shod my feet with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace

            A Peace with God that comes only by faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Jesus born of the virgin Mary, the incarnation of the Son of God

He made the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the blind see,

He cleansed the leaper and made the dead live,

He lived a perfect life and was crucified for our sin

He was buried in a borrowed tomb three days and rose again

He commanded His people to evangelize the lost and disciple the brethren

He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of power of His Father

He will return for His people and bring judgment upon the World

It holds my feet firmly in place against the devil’s attacks

And it is my marching orders in this World

I take up the Shield of Faith which will extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one

The Faith of which You Lord are the Author and Finisher of

It is the Faith upon which if I do not stand I will not be able to stand at all

I put on the Helmet of Salvation

It reminds me not only that I have been saved, but I am being kept saved

And will be fully saved when You come and take me home

And I take up the Sword of the Spirit which is the very Word of God

I will meditate upon its truth both day and night 

I will hide its truth in my heart that I may not sin against my God

I will fulfill it through my hands and life

It is my only offensive weapon against the devil and his demonic attacks

With all prayer and petition I pray at all times in the Spirit

And with this in view

I will be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints

And I pray that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth

To make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

For which I am an ambassador in chains

That in proclaiming it I may speak boldly

As I ought to speak

It is the precious name of Christ Jesus I pray

From Living Waters..."Are You A Good Person?"