The Battleground

Life is a battle; our souls are the battlegrounds. Our beliefs are the weapons; our faith is the strategy. And the enemy we fight against will stop at nothing to capture, torture, and darken our hearts. The battle is inevitable. It faces us the moment we wake. It faces us even in our dreams -- the darkness of doubt that questions our core beliefs and threatens our understanding of existence. Life is the fight to discover where we came from, who we are, our purpose, and our ultimate destination. It is a war only won or lost through death. Did you live and die knowing your Creator, your purpose, and your destination? Or did you chose to suffer in blackness, suffocating and dying by your own denial? Did you pursue the path set before you and protect your heart with weapons of truth? Or did you wander aimlessly through the blood-soaked war grounds, imagining away the conflict, and ignoring the enemy's stabs at your own heart? Have the courage to search your heart; feel its wounds and cry for the heartache that is anchored to your soul. Hold your shattered dreams, your bleeding ideals, and your shredded hopes, and tell me there is no fight. Yes, life is a battle...And we need a Savior.

This search for purity -- for true beauty -- is no exception from life's war. In all honesty, this journey could be the hardest battle ever encountered. Why? Because to understand that purity stands at the heart of beauty is to be victorious over many, many of life's conflicts. But I am getting ahead of myself. The battle for purity has not yet commenced, for we still stand on the battle ground of decision: will you begin this journey? Or will you stand on the field of indecision and let the enemy continue to steal pieces of your heart?

If you decide to commit to the fight for purity, consider my previous posts as necessary weapons for your armory. Consider them as preparations for the struggles that inevitably burden this road. Consider them as a strengthening for the fight ahead. But regard this post as a warning. A warning that bears the unpleasant duty of relaying the dangers to come. And yet, regard it also as a challenge -- a challenge that will require nothing less than your whole heart. Because that's what this journey is about: your heart and what you will do to protect its beauty.

Still with me? Good. Let's begin:

Perspective is essential to success. Caution your mind against wandering away from the truth, or exchanging the truth for weak substitutes. And this, my dear friends, is where the battle begins: How will you arm yourself? What truths will you attempt to deny? And what compromises will you try to lean on? You know that you have been wonderfully created and that you are nothing less than beautiful in God's sight; take this truth and fasten it to your heart. You know that you are cherished, loved, and sought after by a Savior; allow this truth to be your shield. You have discovered that you deserve honor and respect, that you are a child of the Most High God and, accordingly, no man has any right to treat you differently. Will you hold onto this truth and wield with confidence?Also, your heart and your body belong to God and God alone -- the Creator who formed every fiber of your being. Bind this truth to your soul and commit it to your memory. And finally, Christ's grace is there to catch you every time you falter. Perfection is not a requirement -- but a Savior is. Anchor this truth to your core and permit nothing to sway it.

Let nothing distort or weaken the fact of who you truly are. Permit no one to confuse your purpose. Refuse to be ashamed. Shatter self-condemnation against Christ's sword of redemption. And pursue this adventure of purity and beauty with passion and confidence. This is your armory. Will you dare to use it?

This is the war. Will you dare to fight it? This is the challenge. Will you accept? This is the battle ground of life. Will you take Jesus' Hand and embrace the fearlessness of being beautiful?