Are You Ready for the Battle? (Ephesians 6:13-17)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 6:13-17

On Friday, we talked about our being in a battle, and it's so very true. You don’t need a gun or a tank or a bomb to fight this battle, but you definitely need to be equipped.

I was encouraged several years ago to pray these verses every morning to prepare to meet that day’s battles, and although I often neglect to do so, when I do, it makes a world of difference.

The first piece of our armor is the belt of truth. God is the only real truth, and when we put on what Paul calls the "belt of truth," it means we’re going to strive to be truth-tellers—tellers of God’s truth.

Then we’re to put on the breastplate of righteousness. We aren’t righteous on our own. In fact, without Christ, we are fallen, frail, sinful creatures. Yet when we accept the gift of salvation and the forgiveness of our sins, God sees us as righteous, as cleansed, as pure.

In a suit of Roman armor (don’t think about those big metal suits from medieval times!), the breastplate covered from the throat to the hipbones. While arms and legs would remain vulnerable, the vital organs—heart, lungs, stomach—were protected. When we think about putting on the breastplate of righteousness, we are protecting our most vulnerable parts—our emotions. We protect our hearts from the enemy’s lies and the world’s influences. And as we do, we remain clean before our Lord.

Then it’s the shoes that prepare us with the gospel of peace. And where does our peace come from? From the gospel. The "peace that surpasses understanding," as Paul describes in Philippians 4:7, is ours because we know the Giver of peace. We can choose peace, no matter the circumstance.

We’re then to take up the shield of faith. While the breastplate covered the most vulnerable parts of a Roman soldier, the shield covered all of him. We’re not talking about a small handheld shield here. We’re talking about a huge, hide-covered barrier that a soldier could crouch behind and find protection.

Our shield is our very faith, and we must continue to grow in that faith. The Message paraphrase of  Hebrews 11:1, says it like this: Faith is “the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s the handle on what we can’t see.” Faith is trusting God in everything, being confident that He has a perfect plan for each of us. And the Bible tells us that “… without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).        

Then the helmet of salvation. The helmet protects the head, the center of what makes us human. We must be ever-careful of what we put in our heads. The Bible tells us how to keep our minds focused on the right things: “… whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Finally, we hold tightly to the sword of the Spirit—the very word of God. I can’t begin to tell you how very important this piece of weapon is for keeping the enemy at bay. If we know His word, if we meditate on His words, we begin to recognize His will, especially those things that are not His will.

We need to meditate, actually feast on His word. God’s word to us should be like bread for our bodies. We should delight in His word (Psalm 1:1, 2). And as we meditate on God’s word, we'll begin to take some words to heart. Memorizing God’s word is a great way to wield that sword.

So I have to ask … are you equipped for today’s battles?

Walking the Right Path (Ephesians 4:17-19)

Today's scripture: Ephesians 4:17-19

Read any newspaper or listen to the news, watch the latest movie, or do some internet surfing, and you immediately see a world “excluded from the life of God.” Everyone living according to his or her own rules. No truth. No absolutes.

Futile minds. Dark understanding. Hard hearts. Calloused spirits. Devoted to sensuality. Practicing impurities. Greedy.

Makes you think the enemy is winning … and yes, he’s winning a battle or two. Therefore, those of us who follow Christ must be ready for each day’s battle.

We need to put on our defensive armor every single day (Ephesians 6:10-17). The helmet of salvation to protect our thoughts and mind. The breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts and emotions. The belt of truth so we can live according to God’s truth. The sandals of the gospel of peace so we can revel in the joy of knowing what Jesus did for us and so we can be showered with His peace. Finally, the shield of faith, the very foundation of our relationships with God.

We must take up the one offensive weapon in our arsenal: the sword of the Spirit, which is the very word of God. We must study and meditate on and memorize God’s word to us.

So when the enemy comes and tries to attack us with all those enticements of the world, we can withstand. We can stand firm.

We can shine the light of Jesus. We can have strong minds. True understanding. Loving hearts. Willing spirits. We can be devoted to loving God and others. Practice the fruit of the spirit. Be generous.

Prepared for Battle (1 John 5:19-21)

Today's scripture: 1 John 5:19-21

John concludes his first letter by reminding his readers of the daily battle we face: children of God versus the enemy of this world.

And we can’t prepare for battle if we don’t have the proper garb and weaponry. For a long while, I’d pray the armor of God every morning. I’ve fallen out of that habit, and I feel convicted this morning. I need to start again, and I invite you to join me. In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul described our protective gear: the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes shod with peace, and the shield of faith. He ended with our one offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Every morning, we should pray that the Lord will prepare us for the day. We should pray that He’ll help us guard our thoughts. Our emotions. Our words. And when the enemy attacks, we’ll be able to defend ourselves with the strength of our faith. And we’ll be able to cut down his lies with the very words of God.

How prepared are you for the battle? Are you ready to guard yourself from the wiles and lies of the enemy? Is your armor on today? And are you armed with God’s word?

You’ve been given what you need. Just take what God has given you, and arm yourself. And be prepared.

Prepare for the Battle (2 Tim. 2:3-4)

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
(2 Timothy 2:3-4, NASB)

We are in a battle, folks. Ephesians 6:12 says it well:

We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world (CEV).

Every day we need to put on the full armor of God as Paul described in verses 10-17 of that same chapter.

Then in today’s verses, Paul reminded Timothy of two things a soldier—someone in battle—must be aware of: He suffers, and his focus must be on the battle.

We’re God’s soldiers, and we too must be aware of the same things.

We will suffer. We are not promised smooth and easy lives. Not at all. Think of a soldier in combat. You may not be in the military, nor may you personally know someone who is, but you’ve seen footage of men and women on the frontlines. Their daily lives can be difficult. Tough environments. The constant threat of attack. Being away from loved ones. Even watching fellow soldiers wounded—or die.

So how do those in active combat survive their hardships? They remain “untangled” of the “affairs of everyday life.” They recognize their commitment to their superiors and to the reason for the battle. They put aside other concerns and remain focused on the battle itself.

As we face our own battles, we must also focus on combating the enemy. We can’t let the daily concerns of life steal our focus from gearing up for battle, which we do by spending time in God’s word and in quiet communion with our “superior officer.”

Today—and every day—you’re heading out into battle. Are you prepared? Are you ready for suffering? And are you focused on winning the battle alongside your Sovereign God?