Partisans
The earth quakes before them, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great. ––Joel 2:10-11 NKJV
n. partisan – also partizan (Italian), 1550s, “one who takes part with another, zealous supporter”
During World War II a groundswell of everyday people rose up across Europe to combat the Nazi war machine. It’s estimated that 500,000 French men and women worked for the Resistance during Germany’s occupation of France. Resistance workers carried out thousands of acts of sabotage against the German occupiers. Many of these freedom fighters—called partisans—died doing so.
We don’t really hear the word partisans much anymore. However, I recently saw it in an article about the number of everyday folks in Ukraine fighting back against Russia’s bloody, illegal invasion of their sovereign nation. The Ukrainian Resistance includes old women—called babusyas—and old men, many of whom report Russian troop movements and materiel via encrypted social media channels.
Partisans is also a great word to describe those who unflinchingly follow Jesus. Just as the European Resistance fought the Nazis, we are in a full-blown war against the kingdom of darkness. As God’s man, never doubt your place and your power in this epic struggle. You are, truly, one of God’s partisans on the winning side against spiritual tyranny. We all know how the war ends—Jesus returns triumphant and Satan is cast down for good—but we still have battles to fight.
So what does it look like to be a partisan for God? It starts with each of us, with the internal war for possession of our minds and souls. Are we winning the war of integrity regarding our thought life and what we do in private? As we walk in victory over Satan and his plans to wreck our lives, God uses us to our fullest extent. Once we are free, we can help other men still struggling with doubt, fear, addiction, and spiritual uncertainty. You are called to be a partisan—a warrior in the struggle to sabotage the enemy’s plans and defeat his strategies.
Father, thank You for equipping me with all I need to be a victorious partisan for Your Kingdom.
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https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/d-day/the-resistance