THE BATTLE OF YOUR SOUL

(Saved or Lost)

In the large city of Paris, France, stands a monument erected to

the memory of that famous war lord Napoleon. In the closing years of

the eighteenth century and the fore part of the nineteenth century he

became the most feared man of Europe, and in fact of the world through

his prodigious victories in battle and consequent engulfing conquest

and political power which reached such an extent that practically all

of Europe was under his control, with the exception of England. In

addition to Napoleon's great power already attained he was entertain-

ing the ambition and aim to control the world. In Paris on the

monument of the Arch of Triumph can be read the list of his battles

fought and won. There is, however, one very important battle missing-

Ah, yes!-The historical battle of Waterloo. It was lost. The tide had

turned. His ambition and aim were shattered, for he had lost this all-

important LAST battle. With the loss of this LAST battle his aim, his

goal of life was lost, and all the victories of the past did not avail

this FINAL crushing defeat. Upon this he was sent into exile. We ask,

what would it have availed the exception of Waterloo, there in last

awful conflict to receive his final doom of crushing defeat and then

to die exiled and hated? Hence, we must agree, to lose the last battle

is to lose all. Yes, far more than that, for when we think of the

awful doom throughout eternity which shall be the inevitable conse-

quence of a self-centered life it behooves us to consider the loss, a

tremendous and eternal one.

Dear reader, are you going to lose your last battle? The battle

between life and death? The battle between heaven and hell? The battle

between yourself, you better self -your soul and the devil? Jesus

says: "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and

LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?" Mark 8:36.

Most people have very little of this world in their possession and

then to think of them still losing their own soul. Oh, what a dismal

failure! They have lost the battle of life and also the battle of

eternity, a total loss and a terrible doom. This is transpiring in the

lives of many people without the keen realization that there is much

of the battle to wage. Satan and the world have so blinded their

spiritual understanding that they are practically asleep to the

realities of the battle for the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ against

sin. The Word says: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the

dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Eph. 5:14. Shake off the

chains of sin and Satan, dear reader. Make it a fight to the finish

over sin and death! You can not escape the natural death but you can

escape the awful, the final death. "Where the worm dieth not and the

fire is not quenched." Mark 9:44. "And death and hell were cast into

the lake of fire. This is the second death." Rev. 20:14. If you lose

the battle of salvation, dear soul, this is you final doom-an eternity

in everlasting hell and torment.

Did you ever stop to consider there is but a step between you and

death? Are you ready to pass over the threshold of Time into Eternity?

To gain the victory which leads to you home in heaven you must come to

Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners. I Tim. 1:15. "God now

commandeth all men everywhere to repent." Acts 17;30. NOW! Not

tomorrow or some other convenient season "Boast not thyself of

tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Prov. 27:1.

If you are yet without Christ in your heart, if your past condemns

you, if you have not experienced the New Birth John 3:3 do not by any

means rest at ease, but repent, come to Jesus just as you are while He

stands knocking at the door of your heart. He said: "If any man hear

my voice and open the door I will come into him, and will sup with him

and he with me." Rev.3:20. You may ask- "Can a sinner really be saved

if he repents?"-Yes if through faith in Christ he comes to Him with

his whole heart and accepts Him as his personal Saviour, confessing

his sins and obeying the voice of the good Spirit, he shall eternally

live. Even as the prophet, thousands of years ago said: "If the wicked

will turn from all his sins that he hath committed . . . and do that

which is right he shall surely live. Ezek. 18:21. "Now is the accepted

time; behold, now is the day of salvation." II Cor. 6:2.

If you mean to enjoy the pleasures of a sinful world or if you aim

to live a moral life, treating no man ill, thereby hoping to win the

precious goal of eternal bliss, you will find yourself losing out in

the end, as Napoleon did in the battle of Waterloo. You are as the man

when overboard grasped a cane thrown to him and went down. You will

likewise perish. You will lose you LAST battle. What a fate! Eternity

in hell! Another drowning man grasped for a life preserver and was

saved. Grasp hold on Jesus Christ the great life preserver, without

delay. "He can save to the uttermost." Heb. 7:25. Eternity in Heaven!

Then you'll say concerning the last battle like Paul: "Thanks through

our Lord Jesus Christ." Cor. 15:57.

Dear soul, yours is the choice. Victory or Defeat, Heaven or Hell,

the living God or the devil, a Joyous, glorious eternity or endless

woe and torment. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." Joshua

24:15 Oh do choose the Lord just now!

GOSPEL TRACT AND BIBLE SOCIETY

of the Church of God in Christ, Mennonite

Moundridge, Kansas 67107 U.S.A.