The Man Who Fought A War He Never Saw

Aven leaned to Tom’s ear. “How many people on this bus know Christ? How many are headed to eternal separation from their loving God?”

Tom pointed to the verse. Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

“We’ve got a code red!” Darleek fluttered his black demonic wings. His putrid breath filled the city bus.

Aven’s soul raced. They couldn’t see him. No demon could spot an Angel unless they chose to reveal themselves. But they could see Tom, the human, and now they knew what God was laying on his heart.

Skelter, the other demon in the bus, roared in anger. He abandoned the poor young man in the back of the bus with black hair and blond streaks and charged Tom.

Aven knew Skelter, though that was not the name God gave him. Shaminuel was his name before he turned against God and fell with the other demons. They used to praise their Creator together in the City of Light. Now darkness and lies clothed him. Only the perverted joy of watching another fall spurred him on before the final judgment locked him away forever.

“Who are you to speak to these people?” Darleek growled into Tom’s ear. But he didn’t know Tom’s thoughts. The Seal of the Lamb guarded his heart and mind. “You’ve sinned just like them. You are no better than they.”

Tom’s mind swirled in confusion, so Aven stepped in. “You are God’s child, it doesn’t matter what they think. You bear his message, and these are his lost sons and daughters who need the good news.”

Skelter shoved Darleek aside. “Do you know how crazy these people will think you are? Have you ever seen anyone else stand up in a bus and make a fool of themself? Besides, you need to study for the test today. Doesn’t God want you to have good grades in college?”

The darkness of Skelter’s words seeped into Tom’s brain. Tom looked up at the others around him. He noticed they were all busy doing their own thing as well.

Aven gently nudged Tom’s head back toward his Bible. “No, don’t look at them. Look to your Savior.”

Tom read the verse again. A light sprang forth from his mind and choked out the darkness. This light didn’t come from Aven’s words but from the Living Word. From his Creator speaking directly to Tom through a manuscript written long ago.

Tom launched to his feet, startling the man next to him, and the businesswoman behind him. They stared at him, and soon others joined them as Tom faced the back of the bus.

“Is everything alright?” The man asked beside him.

Tom thought for a moment. The light in his soul darkened, but he took a deep breath. A shield of protection appeared around him, crackling and popping with a power that could only come from prayer.

Tom looked down at the man and then at the others in the bus. “Everything is not okay, and you all know it.”

People in the far back of the bus perked up.

“I know you all can feel that there is something terribly wrong with life. Don’t ignore it. Don’t distract yourself. Despite how hard you try to convince yourselves and others, you are not satisfied and you never have been. That’s because this is not the way it’s supposed to be.”

Golden light spewed out from Tom’s mouth like a thousand droplets. Two more demons flew into the bus, passing through the walls and people as if they were mist. They couldn’t see the golden droplets of truth, but they didn’t have to see them to fight their progression and feel their sting on their immortally decaying beings.

“Traglath and Kalrick, shield the onlookers. Darleek, take care of this maggot, I’ll guard the back.”

Darleek charged up to Tom, but the prayer shield stopped him two feet short of reaching Tom. “Wow, look at you. Truly you are a faithful Christian. You should be proud of yourself. Do you hear how eloquent your words sound? How many Christians do you know who would stand up in a bus like this and preach the gospel?”

The other demons attacked those listening. They convinced many that Tom’s words weren’t worth their time as they continued reading or put back in their headphones. For others, they jumbled the words so they didn’t understand the message. And for a select few more they enraged against Tom and his message so every word had an added and twisted meaning. “Grace” and “love” they heard as things a hostile authoritarian god would only offer them if they behaved according to his strict rules.

Meanwhile, Skelter flashed to the back of the bus. Two dozen arms grew out of his core-being to cover the ears of every person in the back two rows. But, the darkest of these arms covered Gerrick, the young man in the far back left with the black hair and blond highlights.

Another angel flew in. Who called him in? Aven spotted an older woman with light spewing from her soul. Praise God for faithful prayer warriors. “Shalomel, stop their distortions.”

The bulky angel nodded, then, made himself known to the demons and lunged in to attack.

The droplets of truth stopped flowing. Aven turned to find Darleek right beside Tom, speaking into his ear with now shield blocking him. Though Tom still spoke, the light didn’t flow from him.

“Yes, good, Tom, make sure they know how much they need your savior,” Darleek spat the words with distaste. “They are wretched beings. They must sleep around. You are so much better than they.”

Aven dashed to the older woman. “Pray for the preacher. For protection and humility.” Then, he turned to Tom. “Your Savior loves these people. He died for them. Don’t accuse them. Don’t condemn them. Let the Spirit show them their sin, you show them the way out of it. You are no better than they.”

Passing through Tom, Aven tackled Darleek and kicked him out of the bus, but he’d be back.

Light flowed from Tom once more. Again, the shield of prayer crackled around him. But enough of Tom’s prideful words escaped. These, the demons could see. While the words of life they could only block, or add on an additional false meaning, these words were theirs. Over them, they held power.

These droplets of pride they supercharged with hate. They opened up the bus patron’s ears to them. They made these words slide through headphones, and distract the readers from their books and phones.

One man stood. “How dare you call us sinners? You don’t know us.”

Another lady jumped into action. “Why would we want your oppressive God?”

Minutes after the spiritual battle began, the physical battle commenced.

Despite the growing chaos, Aven felt a soft touch on his shoulder. One droplet of light gleamed extra bright.

“Make sure this truth reaches its destination,” said a soft, deep, and powerful voice.

Aven glanced up. “Yes, father.” He charged ahead of the droplet to the back of the bus. The droplet angled toward Gerrick in the far back left to the young man Skelter held an extra close bond with.

Aven readied himself, then exposed his position.

Skelter jumped. Immediately, his grip over four readers vanished as his focus shifted.

“Shaminuel, how you have fallen. Is this the life your prince promised you? Do you still believe his lies?”

Skelter grinned and gave a dark, raspy laugh. “Aven. Look at you, still tied like a puppet to your king. Tell me, do you miss getting to choose for yourself? Remember that day you handed over to him your will so he could destroy your ability to choose to walk your own way?”

“Only so I’d never fall and become cursed like you. You too are tied and bound, only death is what binds you.”

“Oh, my poor old friend.” Skelter shook his decaying head. “We grow stronger by the day. The hatred, pride, and fear of these vermin fuel us. It won’t be long until we are strong enough to use His own creatures to overpower Him.”

Aven’s heart broke. If only his old friend could see his condition. “So you are still deceived.”

“And so you continue to hang tethered to Him.”

“Tethered by love and by choice, so that his light and power might flow through me!” Aven yelled as he channeled his Creator’s force, and blasted Skelter with a concentrated beam of truth and righteousness.

Skelter gasped as the purifying force slammed into him, throwing him out the back of the bus and burning his corrupted being.

The droplet moved within feet of Garrick. However, another pair of dark hands clenching Gerrick’s ears: Darleek. “Leave him, Aven ordered.”

“You can’t have him, he’s given us authority over him. We control him now.”

“Your power over him is but that of allowance. You have no title to him. And his right to choose the darkness is his same right to hear the truth.” Aven grabbed Darleek’s arms and pulled them from Gerrick. The demon was strong, but no demon—no matter how strong—could match the might of an Angel when filled with the King’s strength.

The moment Darleek’s hands separated from Gerrick’s ears, the droplet slipped in.

“There is a God,” Tom’s voice rang over the other patron’s shouts of opposition, “and angels are fighting his cause, and demons who desire to torment you and beat you down into fear and defeat.”

Gerrick perked up. At this, Darleek hissed. Aven let go of Darleek and backed away. The droplet entered Gerrick’s soul and solidified into a seed. A seed that would hopefully grow and produce fruit.

Aven didn’t understand why those were the words his King wanted Gerrick to know. And why did the Almighty pick Gerrick out of all these people? But, his Creator had his own way with this young man, and at the end of time, it would all make sense.

The bus reached the end of the line, and everyone piled out.

Gerrick passed Tom without a glance and went on his way.

As more left, Aven noticed dozens of other small seeds. Some would be choked out, but others would grow and mature.

Tom gathered his things and left at the back of the line. He felt confused. His thoughts rippled outward: “Why didn’t anyone respond? Didn’t I follow what you called me to do, God?” Yet a deep peace filled him. A peace that confirmed the divine origin of his actions and signified the pleasure of the Creator. Tom smiled. “Thank you for using me.”

Shalomel stepped beside Aven as they watched the group leave. “I won’t forget that battle. Praise God for faithful believers.”

Aven smiled and put his arm around his comrade’s shoulders.

Skelter reached the scene and took his place at Gerrick’s side. Not even he could see the planted seed, nor could he stop it from growing. The other demons scurried away, chasing the pedestrians to do their best at suffocating the seeds before they could take root.

“You know,” Shalomel, began as they walked toward their next assignment, “As intense the battle was, Tom will never understand what happened in that bus, nor will he know the immense impact God made through him.”

Aven nodded as they ascended to report the victory in the King’s throne room. “They never do.”

 

The End

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I know there might be elements in this story you disagree with theologically. When writing about spiritual warfare and things beyond this world, we are forced to fill in the details of our limited understanding. Differences aside, I hope this story encouraged you to take wild steps of faith. Eternity is altered when we open our mouths to speak God’s truths. Let’s not let the fears and doubts of the enemy silence us.

Let’s live wilder.

 

If you liked this story, then you’ll love my short story Dear Soldier, Do You Remember?

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