For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
In our children’s program at church the leader was trying to get across to the children that we need to wear the armor of God each day to protect ourselves against the weapons of the enemy. To make it more memorable he made a costume using a cardboard box for the breastplate, a milk jug for the helmet, ropes for the belt, and a baseball bat for the sword! When we were driving our grandson home we asked him about it. He named each one, and what it meant. It was pretty memorable!
War and weapons of war have changed drastically over the years. Think for a minute about teen-aged David with a sling-shot against a giant. Swinging a strong arm that had carried sheep and run off lions was a great part of his weaponry. Now fast forward to the nuclear weapons of today. Just a touch of a button has the potential to wipe out nations! But as believers we do not declare war and fight with our weapons of human design. We fight a different kind of war!
Ephesians 6:10-18 10Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD’s people.
Ahhhh, we fight daily against the devil’s schemes. We fight against the lies he tells us even today, just like he did to Eve in the garden. Sometimes we still fall for his lies too. There are evil schemes being used against us all the time by people who only have THEIR best interest at heart. The scripture says we struggle against rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world. Wait, what? Aren’t we supposed to obey the rulers and authorities? Stop for stop signs. Pay your taxes. Obey the laws of the land. Yes…and NO!
I believe we are coming upon a time in history, and in some places it is already here, where we will have to become ‘conscientious objectors’. We will see that our government is asking us to do something that is diametrically opposed to the Bible, the Word of Truth. When that happens, we must not obey! In some states that is exactly what has happened already. A homosexual couple asks for a wedding cake to celebrate their ungodly union. The Christian baker refuses (that is his right) the couple takes it to court. The baker looses and goes out of business. Yet, what would it profit that baker if he did the wrong thing, went against the Word, and lost his soul for eternity.
I believe in the phrase ‘your body will never go where your mind has never been.’ In a robbery or attack of some kind it helps to have rehearsed something similar in your mind so if it ever happens you can quickly go into defense mode. You have played out the scene in your head, so you don’t have to take the time to figure it out, you already have done it. The same is true for the coming days in our nation. I believe we will see more of the trying times we have seen in several areas in the country. Now is the time to think about how we will respond if we are confronted with any type of altercation that could have volatile outcomes. I think of the teen who wore a MAGA hat and was confronted. He was blamed though he just stood there and smiled. Scripture tells us to do that; ‘when we have done all we can do, just stand! (Ephesians 6:13) The enemy may try to provoke you into doing or saying something unrighteous, don’t fall for his tricks! They are the same tricks he used on Jesus in Gethsemane. He has no new playbook. So, PREPARE! We have been warned.
So if our war is not against flesh and blood, why do we need Armour? Well, this armour is not of a physical nature, though that would have been helpful in some cases recently! Our armour is the Word! The Word is our only defensive weapon. It is the only weapon we have to use to fight back. How? Well, just like in the illustration Jesus gave us when He fought against the enemy, He reminded the enemy every time what was already stated, and done in God’s economy. When the enemy reminds us of our past, just remind him of his FUTURE!
Please remember that even though we will be removed from the world before the wrath of God is poured out, there will still be ‘birth pains’ for those of us awaiting our rapture! PREPARE NOW!
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