The battle is against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens… so resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. *
In the early 1800s settlers came from Mississippi to make a new home in east Texas. Difficulties would accompany their efforts, and it soon became clear that having a peaceful home would not come without conflict. So the first settlement, that later came to be known as Kaufman, was originally called “King’s Fort”. It served as an outpost to protect the residents along the east branch of the Trinity River from enemy attack.
In the early 1800s settlers came from Mississippi to make a new home in east Texas. Difficulties would accompany their efforts, and it soon became clear that having a peaceful home would not come without conflict. So the first settlement, that later came to be known as Kaufman, was originally called “King’s Fort”. It served as an outpost to protect the residents along the east branch of the Trinity River from enemy attack.
Later cotton became “king” of east Texas, but again there were battles with the elements and the dreaded “boll weevil”. The boll weevil was an insidious foe, attacking the livelihood of hard working families – silently, often without notice – until the damage was done.
The days of Indian attacks and king cotton are gone, but Kaufman faces another battle. And like the other battles in our history, unless we recognize it, and address it, we could wake up one day having lost the most important battle of all…the battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of our children.
A community the size of Kaufman that has teen suicides every year, drugs readily available to our youngest kids, families in constant crisis, ongoing abuse and alcoholism happening at home, and with the vast majority of youth indifferent to God and spiritual things, has a battle on its hands. Christians, of all people, should be more united in this conflict. It’s not about our individual churches or whatever flavor and style we prefer in worship. It’s about taking ground from an enemy that is far more insidious than the boll weevil. Instead of protecting our ecclesiastical turf, we need to be protecting the weakest, dearest, and most vulnerable among us.
We have a great school system with many fine Christian teachers, administrators, and support staff. And while they constantly impress us with the labor of love in which they are engaged, the schools are not called to be the front lines of this struggle. The church is supposed to be the front lines. Our law enforcement agencies see the devastating results of this battle every day. But the promise of victory in the battle is given to the church, not the schools, not the city government, nor local law enforcement agencies. The victory is promised to an obedient, aggressive, united church!
This is the “Battle for Kaufman” that we need to recognize. It won’t go away if all we believers do is pursue our own interests, protect our own turf, and ignore the real battle that rages around us. I urge every believer and church to join the battle, unite in prayer, resist divisions, extend a hand of fellowship, and join together in the Kingdom work. Then Kaufman may once again be the “King’s Fort”!
*From Ephesians 6:12-13 HCSB
Copyright 2007 Darril Deaton
