The Plan of Battle Revealed, March 9
            
            
              We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
            
            
              powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
            
            
              wickedness in high places.
            
            
              Ephesians 6:12
            
            
              .
            
            
              Our heavenly Father is presented to us in the character of Christ. In Him the
            
            
              veil is drawn aside which conceals the glory of God from our eyes. The Bible
            
            
              shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence
            
            
              and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
            
            
              thousands of holy intelligences, every one waiting to do His bidding, and taking
            
            
              cognizance of every wrong action against those who are the property of God....
            
            
              Let those who manifest so little unselfish interest in the purchase of the blood
            
            
              of Christ remember that the Lord will treat them as indifferently as they have
            
            
              treated their fellow men in their trouble. Every act of injustice and robbery and
            
            
              oppression is written in the books. Everyone who takes advantage of human
            
            
              beings formed in God’s image is cooperating with the great enemy of God and
            
            
              man and he shall receive at the hand of God double for all these works. The work
            
            
              of Satan is continually driven on with terrible vindictiveness, and men participate
            
            
              with evil angels in wounding and bruising the souls of God’s people. The Lord
            
            
              sees; the Lord hears the cries of His children.
            
            
              The Lord has not concealed from His followers the plan of the battle. He has
            
            
              presented before His people the great conflict, and He has given them words of
            
            
              encouragement. He charges them not to enter into the battle without counting
            
            
              the cost, while He assures them that they do not fight alone, but that supernatural
            
            
              agencies will enable the weak, if they trust in Him, to become strong against the
            
            
              vast confederacy of evil arrayed against them. He points them to the universe
            
            
              of heaven, and assures them that holy beings are wrestling against principalities
            
            
              and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual
            
            
              wickedness in high places.
            
            
              The children of God are cooperating with all the invisible host of light. And
            
            
              more than angels are in their ranks; the Holy Spirit, the representative of the
            
            
              Captain of the Lord’s host, comes down to direct the battle. Our infirmities may
            
            
              be many, our mistakes and sins numerous, but forgiveness is for all who, with
            
            
              contrition of heart, will confess and forsake their sins. Angels of light are sent to
            
            
              render them all the help that is required.—
            
            
              Letter 102a, March 9, 1896
            
            
              , to O. A.
            
            
              Tait, at the time circulation manager of the Review and Herald.
            
            
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