My husband, is snuggled down in his recliner, our newest members of the family - kittens Cleo and Cloe' - are sleeping on his lap, and the television announces to me that his favorite team is on the field waiting for that first kick.  I can hear the referee call out the results of the coin toss and in the background the other team's cheerleaders are shouting out, "Defense!  Defense!"

As the game progresses, Duane's comments directed to the television screen tell me that the defense is not ready for the onslaught they are receiving from the other team.  His shouts of: "Stop him!"  "Cover your man!" and "Tackle him!" relay the message that his team was not prepared for the game.  They are not accustom to playing a full game in the heat, the artificial turf on the field, or the tactics being used by the opposing team.  Combining all these factors, defeat seems inevitable.

I don't know a lot about the history of the Vietnam War.  I do know that a lot of Americans were deeply opposed to our involvement, and many young men fled the country rather than be drawn into a conflict they didn't believe in.  I also know that a lot of young men and women, whether they agreed or not, submitted to our country's authority and served.  Many of them lost their lives.  Others returned from their tour of duty physically scarred and somehow were never able to regain the lives they had left. 

If I understand the history behind the war, the purpose of our involvement was to protect.  It that is correct, our soldiers went over in the position of defense.  However, from the news releases I heard and read, it sounded like our army was really not prepared to be over there.  They were not accustomed to the weather, the jungle terrain, the customs, culture, or tactics that they enemy used.  I particularly remember one story on the nightly news.  Our soldiers could not conceive of the fact that even the children had been trained to hate and destroy them.  So, combining all these factors, defeat was inevitable.

The Church today, in general, is not prepared to play and win.  As with the soldiers, too many are ill-equipped to fight the enemy for many of the same reasons:
1.  Many Christians are against any kind of involvement in spiritual warfare.  Because of fear and ignorance, they believe that if they keep quiet, and don't do anything to stir the waters, they'll be fine.
2.  Many Christians would rather "flee" than make a commitment.
3.  Many submit to the authority and fight, but lose their "lives" or come out so badly maimed that they never seem to recover.  Because:
    a.  They were not prepared.
    b.  They were never taught about the enemy (Satan), his tactics (lies), his battleground terrain (our minds).
    c.  They cannot fathom that the enemy would use things and people who seem to be innocent to hate and destroy them.

Jesus told Peter that "...upon this rock He would build His church, and that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."  (Matthew 16:18)  He is talking about a Church on the move - not one that is unprepared and waits for the enemy to come against it.  That type of strategy makes defeat inevitable.  He is talking about a Church that is prepared with His weapons, His armor - the Word  - so prepared they don't wait for the enemy to come to them, but go out to meet him!

Christ wants a "team" whose "cheerleaders" are shouting, "Offense!  Offense!"  And when we go prepared in Him, victory is the outcome!