Scripture
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
EPHESIANS 6:10-18
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
1 PETER 5:8
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”
2 CORINTHIANS 10: 3-4
“Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”
2 TIMOTHY 2:3
“The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man;
He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.
He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;
He shall prevail against His enemies.”
ISAIAH 42:13
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 TIMOTHY 6:12
Quotes/Color
“To find peace, you must train your hands for war.”
Ben Stuart
“If devils exist, their first aim is to give you an anesthetic… to put you off your guard. Only if that fails do you become fully aware of them.”
C.S. Lewis
Context
What is the deal with all this talk of war in the Bible anyways? It’s all over the place. Old Testament, New Testament, prophecy, apostles, Jesus himself. Isn’t Jesus the Prince of Peace?
Shouldn’t there be a lot more talk of peace and tranquility and less talk of “armor”, weapons, defensive gear, adversaries who seek to “devour”, “warfare”, fortresses, “soldiers”, conquering enemies and fighting? Just to name a few?
Even our children’s shows are about wars and battles!
*cue legendary Bible Man picture below*
What is the deal with all of the war imagery?
Application
Some questions for you…
- Are you tired and beaten down at times?
- Are you ever discouraged?
- Do you ever battle feelings of loneliness or depression?
- Do you continually find yourself in a losing struggle over your self-image?
- Are there lies in your head that are too loud for you to shake at times?
- Do you feel an onslaught of attack from the world on your beliefs and values at times?
Now an important question that hopefully sheds some light on those questions above…
Have you considered that you might be in a war, whether you prepare for it or know it or not?
Really think about that.
Have you considered that each morning you might be waking up and heading into a battle? And that if you do not prepare accordingly and acknowledge what it is that you are walking into… there might be some injuries/struggles/damage to be had?
Have you considered that lies are coming your way every single day, whether you like it or not? And if you do not guard yourself with the “belt of truth,” those lies might inflict some serious damage?
Have you considered that the devil may hate your walk with the Lord? And do any possible thing to discourage it and tear it apart? And that if you do not guard yourself with the “shield of faith,” he may wound you and your outlook?
Have you considered that in addition to defensive resources, some offensive resources may be needed to fight through your day? And that if you do not equip yourself with the “sword of the spirit,” you’re showing up to a knife fight… without a knife?
Is it possible that some of the fatigue, aches and pains you’re feeling in your life is because you think you are waking up to a normal Tuesday… and you are in fact waking up to a day of battle?
Acknowledge The Battle
War imagery is in the bible because as a Christian… you are in a war.
There is in fact a spiritual battle that happens daily. Scripture points that out to us over and and over again because it wants us to respond and prepare accordingly. If you show up to a war defenseless and weaponless, what kind of result can you expect?
Not a good one.
Acknowledge the battle that you are in. Do not act like it isn’t happening. This is the worst possible response we could have. Engage it. Christ is pointing it out to you. God’s Word is pointing it out to you! Many times throughout Scripture. It is there and repeated so often because it is true. You are in a battle. If you neglect to acknowledge it, you give the devil a leg up.
God’s strength, defenses and help are available to you as a believer. But you have to first acknowledge the battle to be able to take up the battle equipment (the armor of God).
Acknowledge the battle today and engage it.
Do not step into battle defenseless and weaponless. The battle is there no matter what. The only question is if you will show up prepared.
Something to Chew On:
- Do you tend to walk into your normal day “defenseless”?
- What pains do you have in your life right now? Are they from lies? Or from not living in a godly way? When was the last time you regularly guarded against those with the armor of God?
- What steps can you take to greater engage with the daily spiritual battle you’ve been placed in?
GreatValue Proverb:
If you show up to a battle without defenses or weapons, you cannot expect a good result.