Bit by Bit - Spiritual Checkmate

(Bit by Bit is a series expressing gospel
truths through gaming metaphors. The title refers to our progressive sanctification. And, you know, 1's and 0's)

Like many other people, I very much enjoy games of strategy, whether digital or board games. (in a few years there will probably be increasingly no distinction) I preferred them from childhood onward because I had -and still typically have- rotten luck; if it involved dice, I would lose. For games that depended on skill rather than chance, at least I had only my own abilities to blame, and I had a reliable way to improve.

I've only ever been decent at chess, as having a brain that jumps all over the place is not conducive to carefully considering a series of moves. Also my strategic efforts tend to naturally gravitate a place somewhere between Chess and Go- I tend to focus a little too much on local maneuvering and capturing other pieces in Go, where one has to always keep the big picture in mind, and a little too much on "putting pressure" here or there in Chess, where you have so few pieces in a small area that each move has immediate importance as well as being part of a given strategy or "push." (Some game that involved about 6 additional kinds of chess pieces per side on a board about double the size of a chessboard might be perfect)

But I often lose chess for purely tactical reasons. I recently got a chess app for my phone, and have been playing the computer on the hardest difficulty that's still fun (I lose 3/4 of the time). I found that I will nearly always try to wrest initiative away from the other player by making a series of provocative moves that he can't help but react to. Sometimes I can score an early victory in this way, or at least put him on the defensive and get my own pieces out earlier.

However this tendency of mine typically leads to a loss. The main reason is that when I am focusing on seizing the initiative early and putting pressure on the opponent's king, I am forced to concentrate less on building up a strong defensive position. This means as the game progresses, holding on to initiative and keeping up my attack on his king's position begins to mean sacrificing a pawn here and there, and sometimes making gambits which are numerically equal but weaken me positionally. The result is often a premature checkmate, made possible by the enemy taking advantage of my weak defense to pin and fork my pieces drawing near to his king and force them to retreat to try to protect my own king. It's often then too late to stop the checkmate, and even if I do, I'm forced to surrender initiative and begin a defensive game from my now weaker position.

Spiritual Checkmate

When this happened yet again in a quick chess app match this evening, it suddenly struck me that there was a direct analogy to our spiritual lives as well. As a missionary in the 10/40 window I am generally considered more of an offensive than defensive unit when it comes to the Kingdom of God and the domain of the enemy. I'm on the edge, pushing into new territory (which this shrine-and-idol-filled neighborhood I work in certainly is..) for the gospel. But in my personal spiritual life, if I am always focusing on ministry and evangelism, and neglect my own time with God and His word, I'm making exactly the same mistake I have been making in those chess games.

While I'm maintaining forward momentum in my ministries I don't notice it; I can see there's progress being made, and experience spiritual growth of one sort through my efforts and seeing God at work. But when our little team runs up against difficulties, or a ministry fails, or if repeated salvos of insomnia and temptation of various kinds begin to wear down my spiritual armor, my lack of defensive preparation begins to show. The enemy can start "pinning and forking" me, and suddenly I've lost initiative and can only try to react from my weakened position.

Thankfully, the battle belongs to the Lord, so I am never only thrust upon my own devices. But certainly God allows us much freedom in how closely we choose to walk with Him, and my experience is that, like the Father He is, He is typically willing to let us suffer through the object lessons if we don't do what His word taught in the first place. That is not purposeless suffering, it's sanctification the harder way. (There is no easy way, but there are certainly wise and foolish ways to go about it which lead to more or less hardship relatively speaking.)

But "Spiritual Checkmate" by the enemy can certainly happen when we focus our time too entirely on working for God versus being with Him. In our spiritual life, often the best defense is not a good offense; both are necessary, but if anything it's the other way around. It's frequently noted how much time Jesus spent away from the crowds in prayer and solitude, seeking quiet and God's presence. If He did so, it's arrogant of us to assume we can always be in "attack mode," and not need to draw away and rest, not just physically but spiritually. (We are simultaneously spiritual and physical creatures, so the two are inextricably linked for us) Our spiritual immune system, our spiritual defenses, will be strengthened during those times.

Some people explode onto the ministry scene and make a huge impact in a short time through powerful and dynamic effort, but are brought down by scandal, destructive patterns of secret sin, or are simply worn out by the enemy's attacks. I suspect sometimes their private spiritual life was not strong; they were "too busy doing God's work" to maintain the devotional life that would have strengthened their spiritual defense against the enemy's attempts to stop their progress. Others may be hesitant to step up to ministry challenges and have less impact for the Kingdom than they might, but do continue on faithfully for decades unshaken. Their devotional life is steady, their defenses are strong, and they can weather the enemy's attacks. For them it may be their offensive capabilities that they need to work on, so that more people might be blessed through their faithfulness.

I would have lost if not for those two well-placed pawns protecting my king.
You can't win without the major pieces, of course, but sometimes it's the small,
consistent acts of devotion that keep the enemy at bay and help carry the day.

The Devil's (Desperate) Gambit

Since we have the Spirit, we do not need to look at this as a zero-sum game. Offensive capability does not come only at the expense of defensive capability and vice versa; both strengthen, enrich, and reinforce the other. Our private devotion and time in God's presence will directly improve our ability to advance the Kingdom through our ministries, and seeing God at work in the world and in our ministries brings excitement and passion to our devotion as well. That means we don't need to "balance" them, but increase both, focusing on whichever is lagging behind. Prayer (real, focused, time-consuming prayer) is probably the most straightforward way to simultaneously improve both.

I submit that in 2015, the enemy is pressing hard to bring the battle not just against our ministries but against our personal time in God's presence, when our defenses can be strengthened. Typically it's going to be our "defensive" side, private devotion and time with God, that needs to be constantly protected. A war is being fought to distract/entertain us 24/7, and increasingly I find that it's impossible to prevail by default. I have to actively take steps to push back. (It's one of my personal goals for this year.)

So I'd leave you with the same encouragement. Aggressively stake out time for defensive spiritual recuperation. You may find in doing so you've taken the initiative away from the enemy and put him on the defensive. Don't get cocky, the devil is a better chess player than any of us. But praise God that with Christ's total victory on the cross, he's only able to mount a losing battle. That the attacks look more and more vicious in recent months, as our brothers and sisters in the faith are attacked and killed in many parts of the world, is a sign not only of his evil malice but also of his desperation. The ultimate victory has already been won, but here on earth things will get worse before they get better.
Be neither apathetic nor fearful; shore up your defenses and stand firm.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)