"I Am the Prince of Wales"

As we all know, many times the enemy - be that Satan himself, his henchmen in the world, or our own wicked flesh - tempts and seduces us via subtle trickery and sensuous lies. Just one more. Only for a minute. It's not that bad. This is the temptation I most often face in my life, because it is the temptation to which I am most susceptible. I easily fall for the just for a minute line.

But sometimes, the enemy comes charging up to us with hideous banners streaming, blazing eyes, standing ten feet tall in front of us and demanding our surrender. I am powerful and mighty. Look at you cowering before me in fear and impotence. Surrender your arms to me, puny sinner.

In both of these cases, it certainly is tempting to cower and break. The subtle attacks that wear us down day after day after day with no victory in sight, or the full-out smoking ruin that tears us down with one flaming blow - the pain and discouragement of either kind of sin can bring us to our knees. Maybe he's right. I've tried to conquer that sin for years. Nothing's working. No matter what I do, I just keep falling into it. Maybe I should give up.

But in that moment, we forget who we are.

At 2:45 in the video I posted above, young Prince Henry V of England, or Hal, is fighting in the midst of a desperate battle, and he comes face-to-face with Hotspur, or Harry Percy. In this scene, Hotspur defiantly confronts Henry with the intent of killing him and seizing the throne; and Henry responds boldly with one of the great speeches of English literature:

"I am the Prince of Wales; and think not, Percy,
To share with me in glory any more:
Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere;
Nor can one England brook a double reign,
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales."
~ Henry IV, Act 5, Scene 4, William Shakespeare

This should be our response when Satan tries to wrestle us into the dirt and tell us we are powerless and weak! "I am a Princess with God; and think not, Satan, to wield thy power over me any more: Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere; nor can my heart brook a double reign, of the Prince of Darkness and the King of Light."

I am a princess. It isn't just about the sin-fighting tools I have; it's also about who I am - I am the daughter of the King, with armor on my chest and sword and shield gripped in my hands, in training to rule with my Father after He comes to vanquish Satan's forces once and for all. I am powerful, because my Father is powerful. He battled Satan's forces long ago and won my heart with His own blood, pulling me out of my slavery and lifting me up in His arms. I should move with dignity and confidence because have the rights, privileges, and freedoms that come with being a royal daughter - and that, most importantly, means I am completely free from any power that Satan would try to exert over me.

Does that make it easy to fight off these temptations? Of course not. God may have won the war, but there are still battles to fight every day to rescue others and to get us safely home. Prince Hal battled valiantly against enemies from outside himself as well as against the demons in his own past. My spiritual life looks very similar. I have battles to fight, and I will get muddy, I will be injured, and I will sacrifice to protect my fellow soldiers and rescue prisoners from the other side. It will be tough and grueling.

But in the end, like Hal, we will get to our feet, raise our hands to the sky and cry, "The day is ours!"