logo

Notes on Spiritual Warfare: Bulletin from the Front Lines
By David Campbell

William T. Sherman once said, “War is hell.” After spending a year in a war zone as an army chaplain, I strongly disagree with him. Rather, war is war and hell is hell. And it is the chaplain’s job to help people understand the difference. At the beginning of the current war in Iraq, I had been a chaplain in the Army Reserves for several years, but my unit was not scheduled to go to Iraq. There was, however, a chemical battalion preparing to go when their chaplain developed blood clots. That’s when my phone rang.

In a matter of days, I would fly to Ft. Hood. I met my unit and within a week we were on a plane headed to the desert. This is how I found myself based at the airport in Baghdad during the first year of the war.

I will never forget the first night we came under attack. It was 0415 and we were awakened by a series of explosions. We stepped outside and saw a huge ball of fire over the area of our motor pool. It would become an all-too-familiar experience.  Mortar and rocket attacks were the most popular. We could be sound asleep, and suddenly there were loud explosions and the ground was shaking. The first few times it was like kicking over an ant hill. People would run in all directions. It didn’t take long for everyone to be clear on their responsibility. For most people, it was to get to the closest shelter and stay put. Only a small group did otherwise. Our commander had to make sure all of his people were accounted for. Our intelligence officer went to the Tactical Operations Center to try and figure out what was happening. The medics mostly lived at the clinic, so they were where they were supposed to be. As a chaplain, my normal job was to go to our medics, in case there were injuries. As it happened, my bunk was next to that of our intelligence officer. In addition to being a colleague, he was a good friend.  When we came under attack, we both knew where we had to be. Since our destinations were side by side, we always went together. It was not uncommon for the two of us to run down the road in the middle of our base during an attack and not see another soul.

It was this experience that taught me the most important lesson I learned in Iraq. It was also the lesson that has had the most applications back home. During the year my colleague and I responded to attacks, there is one thing we never did: we never blamed each other. Not once did I say, “You are the intelligence officer, why didn’t you do something to stop this?” Nor did he ever say, “Okay chaplain…why isn’t God protecting us?” The reason was simple: because we always knew who the enemy was and we knew that the enemy was responsible for the attack. When you know that, you don’t blame the wrong person. When you are clear that there is an enemy and that enemy is attacking you, you never look for someone else to blame. You focus all your energy on defeating the enemy.

It was only after I returned home that I realized the implications of this. I look around today and see marriages under attack by the enemy, but couples do not recognize it. They don’t even know they are under attack, much less do they recognize the enemy. What do they do? They blame each other. I see churches under attack, but they are totally oblivious as to what is going on. My intel officer and I always knew we were on the same side. Families forget that. Churches forget that. Jesus prayed in John 17 that the Father would protect us from the evil one. Why is it that so many Christians don’t even realize there really is an evil one? 

Knowing this makes all the difference. We can never forget that we are at war and that there is an enemy. We have a caricature of a devil in a red suit and pitch fork and don’t take it seriously. We listen to Charlie Daniel’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and laugh. But there is an enemy. We can never forget.

Knowing that, we must learn to recognize him for who he is. And that is not always easy. The Bible says he is disguised like an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14). Remember when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness? He used Scripture. Sometimes he is difficult to recognize. When you come under attack, remember to look for him. Our inclination is to look at the people closest to us and wonder why they are mistreating us. That reaction has to change. The attack is not coming from a husband or a wife or parents or a boss. We are at war with an enemy. We must learn to recognize that.

And we must remember how to fight—not on our own. Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me…” (John 17:11). Why would we take on the fight on our own when the power of God is available to us? Ephesians 6 tells us, “Put on the whole armor of God.” Read verses 12-18 from The Message: “This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.”

Remember that we are at war. Learn to recognize the enemy. But be assured you have the protection and the power of God on your side.

I am convinced that if those of us in the church could remember the truth of John 17 and Ephesians 6, our lives would be very different. Marriages, families, and churches would all be stronger. We would not invest our time fighting one another. We would invest our energy defeating the enemy. The bad news is that we are at war. The good news is that we are on the winning side.

David Campbell is the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Rome, Georgia. Dr. Campbell served as a chaplain in Iraq with the U.S. military.



Click here to send your response plus the title of this article to us at Good News.

Good News | 308 East Main St. | P.O. Box 150 | Wilmore, KY 40390 | 859-858-4661 | 1-800-487-7784
info@goodnewsmag.org | About Us | ©2007 Good News magazine