“Sound general quarters” ordered Captain Rockwell Torrey played by John Wayne in Otto Preminger’s classic World War II movie “In Harm’s Way.” The movie depicts the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan.

Captain Torrey gave the order to sound general quarters when it was reported to him that a formation of airplanes was north of the island of Oahu in Hawaii and another formation of airplanes was off diamond head. Captain Torrey perceived such formations to be a possible threat. He emphasized that it was not a drill and that all men on board were to go to their battle stations. A call to general quarters is a signal to the crew on a navy war ship to prepare for battle.

Prepare for Spiritual Battle

When a call to general quarters sounds, all members of the ship’s crew, including off duty or sleeping crew members, must drop whatever they are doing and report immediately to their assigned stations and prepare for action. Security is increased in sensitive areas such as the bridge and engineering rooms. The main goal is to be prepared for whatever danger the ship and its crew may encounter. The purpose of this article is to show how we Christians must be vigilant in being prepared for our spiritual battle with our enemy Satan the devil.

Sound the Alarm

Just as the captain of a naval war ship gives an order to sound “general quarters” as an alarm when a possible battle is imminent, God gave instructions to Judah through the prophet Joel to sound an alarm before the day of the LORD. Christians are spiritual Jews (Romans 2:28-29) and we can learn from what is written in the prophets.

Joel 2:1

“1Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand” (KJV)

The priests had the duty to sound the trumpet (Numbers 10:8). The trumpet served as an alarm to the people to come together to seek God. It is the duty of God’s ministers and teachers to warn about the consequences of sin and to call for repentance. What does God instruct the people to do when they hear the alarm?

Joel 2:12-14

“12Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: 13And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?” (KJV)

God will relent from inflicting punishment if we repent and turn to God with all our hearts. The fasting, weeping, and mourning indicate the depth of sorrow for sin. If we turn to God and resist Satan, he will flee from us as shown in James 4:7-8

James 4:7-8

“7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (KJV)

Sneak Attacks from Satan

Our enemy, Satan the devil goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). Satan plans sneak attacks on us individually and collectively when we least expect it just as the Japanese navy attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the day that President Franklin Roosevelt said would live in infamy. If we resist Satan by drawing near to God, Satan will flee from us as shown above in James 4:7.

However, he will look for a time when we are weak to return and tempt us again just as he came back to tempt Christ again after he had defeated Satan with the word of God (Luke 4:13). Therefore, we always have to be watchful so that our enemy does not sneak up on us.

Conclusion

Just as the call to general quarters as depicted in the movie “In Harm’s Way” was not a drill, neither is this life. We are engaged in a real battle with our enemy Satan the devil. We must resist him. We must carry out the mission that Jesus Christ the captain of our salvation has given us.

If we have been sleeping or if we have taken ourselves off duty, it is time to hear the call to general quarters, wake up spiritually, and report to our assignment. Every Christian must fight the temptations of Satan the Devil. We should report to our battle stations and be ready always to defeat Satan. We should seek God’s help in fighting our spiritual battles. If we seek God through repentance and prayer, he will give us the spiritual strength we need to defeat Satan. That is good news.

To learn more about the importance of prayer in defeating Satan the devil, please see the article The Privilege and Power of Prayer,” which was published in the January/February 2006 issue of the Good News magazine [http://www.gnmagazine.org/].