This Easter weekend has been a reminder to us that Christ went to the cross and died. And that He rose again. His sacrifice offers the greatest of all gifts—eternal life with God. But between here and heaven lie battlefields, wars to be won. In order to win, we must recognize the enemy.
I wrote a series of books addressing the theme that if we fail to recognize our adversary when He comes and if we’re ill-prepared to do battle then He will have the upper hand and may well destroy us. We need not be defeated, for God has given us the armor for victory.
Ephesians 6:10 – 18 has much to say about this subject. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For 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. 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And 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 saints.
This is not passive living. Two times we are told to put on the armor of God and twice we are told to take up our shield and then our helmet of salvation. We are called to battle. And when we go, we must heed God's instruction, which clearly state that worldly weapons are ineffective. They are useless against principalities and power. We’re to use spiritual weapons—the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit. Only then can we triumph against the enemy.
When we are strong in His power we will stand. Be ready. Do not wait until the day of battle and then, being unprepared, call upon God. Generals never go to war illprepared. They train and practice and build up their strength so they are ready when the time comes.
As soldiers in God’s army we can accomplish all that's required of us. Accept God’s gift of salvation, take on faith and peace, know His Word and stand on it. The enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Be alert. Pray for one another. And fight to win.
We have been offered all we need to overcome the enemy and so let us go forth, standing together with the strength of the heavenlies.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
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