This morning I found myself in the book of Ephesians reading about the Armor of God and being reminded that everyday is a battle. Some small. Some large. But each one set into place to thwart any work that I would do for the Lord. As I read through the pieces of armor, each one had a stronger meaning to me this morning in thinking about several of my recent battles. 

I’ve never been a fighter. I’m mouthy, which often causes me to be in some contentious conversations, but I’ve never been in a physical altercation. But when it comes to some of the spiritual battles I’ve absolutely felt as if my body was physically beaten. 

IN HIS POWER

Ephesians 6:10-20 KJV

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

In the power of HIS might.  And not without it. I know this because there have been many battles that I’ve attempted to fight on my own. God never intended us to fight alone. If the battle was meant to be, He meant to be in it! Every day I struggle with the purpose of life. I know God called me to be a voice for not only Him but the people that I serve through Ridgeview News. That gets me in a lot of hot water. So much so that I backed off a little in that fight because I grew weary of being accused of causing trouble, in stead of what I was actually doing, which was bringing it to light. Satan and his minions love the cover of darkness. They love it when leaders are doing things behind closed doors where the people are clueless. He loves the internet where faceless people can stir with a big spoon and not have to face the consequences of their adversary face to face. So it’s time we put God back where He belongs, in the front of the battle to go before us. 

AGAINST HIS ENEMIES

 [11] Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [12] For 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. 

We’re not really fighting the people in our day to day lives. They’re just vessels that Satan uses as weapons of warfare. Any time that we can be preoccupied with trivial arguments, is less time that we’ll be shining the light of Jesus. We inadvertently find ourselves in dark places that God did not intend for us to be in. Most people love to think about the angels of God being these beautiful creations that come and rescue us from harm, minister to us and encourage us… which they can be. But there were also countless angels that fell at the time that Satan fell and they too are powers to be reckoned with, but in the darkness. And being that one angel in the Old Testament killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in the book of 2 Kings 19; I personally don’t want to fight them without God in the equation!

USING HIS ARMOUR

[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

For the unsaved, they’re wide open to the power of the spiritual world and the darkness. Even as a kid I did not like the darkness. I remember one time convincing my Mother to let me go into the haunted house at the county fair. Bad idea. Number one, I was alone. As soon as I stepped into the carnival house it was pitch black and I knew I didn’t like it. So I turned around and walked back out and pretended that I had walked through it, not wanting my Mother to know that I was a weenie. Of course she knew, because you did not come out the same door you went in! That darkness was nothing compared to the darkness I would face as an unsaved woman in my twenties and thirties. I experienced the power of demonic forces in my life, although at the time I just thought it was how life was. I don’t know if Satan knew the plans that God had for my life, but I know that he and his minions did everything in their power to keep me from turning to God. Discouragement. Depression. And then finally fear. And when it got to that point, and I began searching for God, He came running to me and placed that Armour on every part of my spiritual body.

 [14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  

WITH HIS PEOPLE

When I got saved in 1996, God placed me in the body of Christ, in a Church with His people that were ready to fight right along side of me. But not only that, they taught me how to fight those spiritual battles on my knees, and through the study of the word of God. 

[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; [19] And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, [20] For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

The Bible is this amazing tool of insight that fills us with the knowledge of God, but also provides us the weapons of warfare to fight and the soldiers that will come along in battle beside us. I cannot count the times when a brother or sister in Christ came along beside me in a battle that I did not even tell them about, but the Spirit must have! They came along at the right time and in the right way and helped me through some of the toughest days of my life. And they’re still doing it. It is because of those experiences that I have the strength to speak boldly about what Christ has done in my life and saved me from. 

I didn’t always have people in my battles. Sometimes it was just God and I. But regardless I was still with the majority. How about you? Are you fighting a battle? Don’t do it alone. God’s right there waiting for you to pick up your weapons of warfare from Him and then the victory.