Are you a warrior or a casualty of war?
This is pretty serious business, Peter tells us, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)
The threat is out there, the enemy is real.
We are in a spiritual battle Paul says. Over the years I have seen a lot of unbalanced teaching about how to handle this battle. Because of these extremes, some people avoid the topic altogether. Others practice spiritual warfare in a way that borders on the occult.
But Paul is not telling us anything "out there" when he warns us of the battle and what to do about it. Preparing for this is simply about the choices we make. It means we take on a different lifestyle.
"Therefore 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:13-17 (NIV)
Whole books have been written on these verses. It's easy to get lost in the metaphor of the armor. "How is truth a belt? It holds my pants up? What kind pants? What if I am wearing a gym shorts, where do I put my belt? I'm so confused..."
I find it helpful to start by just looking at the words.
Truth: You both know the truth and live honestly.
Righteousness: Right living, loving God and obeying Him and loving others.
The good news of the Gospel: Who is Jesus and what did He come to do?
Faith: "The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb 1:11 (NIV) trusting in what God tells us in spite of what we see and experience. Putting that trust into action by the choices we make.
Salvation: What are we saved from, and where are we going when we die?
The word of God: Pick up your Bible and read it, study it.
These are the choices that the Holy Spirit empowers us to make, every day. It is not a mystical armor, it is a way of life. It is how we live in this world as disciples of Christ.
On the night before his crucifixion, "when darkness reigns" Luke 22:53, (NIV) Jesus said, "for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me." John 14:30 (NIV)
That's an interesting statement. Satan had no "in" with Jesus. No hook, no way to grab hold of him and toss him around like he does you and I. Why? Read through that list again. Jesus lived every moment of his life like that.
And He empowers us to do the same. Spiritual warfare is far more about being prepared by living as we should. Then we are strong enough, we can resist the enemy and he will flee from us.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7 (NIV)
