The War is Raging

As most of you know, in November a series of coordinated terrorist attacks took place across Mumbai, India’s largest city, where at least 188 people were murdered and nearly 300 were injured.

One of the saddest news stories I read related to this was about the deaths of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, who were Israeli-born. In 2003, they left their home in Brooklyn, New York to manage a Jewish outreach center in Mumbai. They were victims of the terrorists’ bloody massacre.

Israel’s foreign minister said: “We know that the targets there that were sought out by the terrorists were Jewish and Israeli targets as well as targets that are perceived as Western targets—American and British. We need to understand that there’s a world here, our world, that has been attacked. And it doesn’t matter if it’s happened in India or somewhere else. We have here radical Islamic elements who do not accept either our existence or the values of the Western world.”

The world is a scary, unsafe place right now. These targets of attack don’t just exist in third world countries anymore. We are the targets. Our Christian values are those they don’t accept and want to wipe out. So how do we respond? What does Scripture say about this?

We must be ready and prepared for Satan’s attacks—physically, mentally, and spiritually. We must have peace and not fear (John 14:27). We must live out our values right now. We must share the love, hope, and peace Jesus gives with our world.

Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy to live in this world. He said, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).

This means we must stay in the Word. We must put on the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). And we must stay connected to Jesus, knowing the difference between the Spirit of God and the spirit of deception (1 John 4:2-6).

Today, pray for those who are suffering as a result of these attacks and the loss of their loved ones. And ask God to prepare your heart, mind, and soul for battling the enemy right where you are.

[By Kaylan Christopher]