“A date which will live in infamy…”
These were the words of President F. D. Roosevelt in wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. While our nation’s attention was focused primarily on the conflicts in Europe, Japan caught us totally unaware. Over 2400 people were killed and 18 ships were sunk.
Several years ago I was able to take my boys to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. The Arizona’s monument is very moving. We saw the oil that still rises from the hull, that many say represents the tears of the 900-plus sailors killed.
We also visited the U.S.S. Missouri which is docked next door. It was aboard the Missouri that the Japanese officially surrendered. I’ll never forget standing on the deck at the very spot where the surrender took place. Here’s General Macarthur’s account of this moment in history…
“When the Japanese captain presented his sword to me, it was evident that he and his officers were taking the surrender inwardly quite hard. Here was a man passing over to a foreign power everything that he stood for. Yet he looked me straight in the eye. He wasn’t haughty. He didn’t turn away. But he was obviously deeply moved.”
Never surrender your sword!
“The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.” (Eph. 6:17). There is nothing more the enemy would love for you to do than to hand over your sword. And many have surrendered their swords without even knowing.
Your sword is used when you speak God’s Word. It is surrendered when you do not. Not knowing the powerful promises of God and making them a part of your confession concedes your defeat. You may survive, but there is no sense of victory.
Take a few moments today and use your sword by saying what God says about you: You are his child. You are highly favored. You have been called to great things. And you will be victorious over every evil plot the enemy has devised!
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