Discipleship Journal,
issue 40, 1987
…Go into the battle equipped
Finally the Lord reminded me that I am in a battle. To go into it without the “full armor of God” (Eph.6:11) is as
foolish as walking onto the front lines dressed for a game of tennis. I need to pick up and use the defensive
weapons God provides for my protection.
So every morning, for the past ten months, I’ve been “praying the armor
on”. It’s become as much a part of my
morning routine as getting dressed and brushing my teeth.
The belt of truth.
“Lord,” I pray, “help me to gird myself with Your belt of truth”
(Eph.6:14). “Give me discernment that I
might immediately recognize the enemy’s lies and half-truths. Help me to refuse to receive or believe
them.”
The breastplate of righteousness.
Next I mentally pick up the breastplate of righteousness (Eph.6:14). It protects my most vulnerable area—my heart,
the home of my feelings and emotions. It
is so easy for me to be wounded by others, to allow myself to be influenced by
fear of what they might say or think.
“Lord,” I pray, “help me today to consistently choose to do what is
right in Your eyes. Thank You for
protecting me from the judgment and criticism I may receive.”
The shoes of the gospel. Just as I would not walk out of the house in
the dead of winter barefooted, I take the time to have my “feet fitted with the
readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
John
MacArthur, in his study notes for The Believer’s Armor, describes a
common military practice of the Roman soldiers:
“planting sticks in the ground which had been sharpened to a
razor-point, and concealing them so that they were almost invisible. This was a very effective tactic because, if
the soldier’s foot was pierced, he wouldn’t be able to walk—and if he couldn’t
walk, he was totally debilitated.”
To
protect their feet, Roman soldiers wore boots with heavy soles. Pieces of metal protruded from the bottom of
the boots, acting like today’s football cleats, to give the soldiers firm footing.
The
shoes God provides for me give me a solid foundation upon which to stand. He readies me for His work by instructing and
teaching me in the way I should go (Ps.32:8).
When I choose to follow His plan instead of asking Him to bless my
plans, I find my feet do not become bruised and weary from going
places He never intended for me to go. I
also find that when I say “yes” to what He wants me to do rather than to what
others tell me I should do, I am filed with peace instead of tension.
The shield of faith.
Next I prayerfully pick up the shield of faith to stop the “flaming arrows of the evil one”
(Eph.6:16). I ask God to make me mighty
in spirit—to help me walk by faith, not by sight. I also ask Him to help me not to lower my
shield by nurturing doubts. A soldier can be fatally wounded if he lowers his
shield for only a moment.
The helmet of salvation. This piece of the armor (Eph.6:17) protects
my mind. As I ask God to fit it snugly
over my head, I am protected from indulgence in the negative thinking that
tears me down. Each morning I thank God
that I do not have to be bound by old habits and thinking patterns. I ask Him to continue His work of
transforming me by renewing my mind (Ro.12:2).
The sword of the Spirit.
Finally, remembering that God has not provided any armor to protect my back, I
ask Him to help me stand and face the enemy in His strength. I know that God does not intend for me to
turn and run. Rather, He wants me to
take the offensive by picking up the “sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph.6:17).
Just
as Jesus defeated Satan by quoting Scripture, I can speak God’s promises and
see the enemy flee. When I’m exhausted
and the pressure is on, I can claim Phil.4:19—God will meet all my needs. Or 1 Cor.1:7-8—I do not lack any spiritual
gift; He will keep me strong to the end.
There is a promise for every lie Satan would use to try to intimidate
me. I may still feel overwhelmed, but
when I go into battle praising and thanking God, I am victorious.
There
are still days when I feel completely drained —when I fear I have
nothing to give. If I fail to recognize
I’m being tested, if I do not rely on God’s power, and if I go into the battle
unequipped, I suffer and my family suffers.
But praise God, it doesn’t have to be that way. I can know the joy Paul wrote about. I can “delight
in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2
Cor.12:10). Feelings of exhaustion and
defeat will flee as I choose to draw closer to the Source of my strength.
Taken from an article by MARLENE BAGNULL who writes for
Christian periodicals and leads small group Bible Studies. She lives in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
