War Ready
Have you ever seen The Lord of the Rings movies? I have… a few times. What can I say? I love a good ol’ “good vs. evil” story. One of my favorite exchanges in these movies is between two characters named Aragon and Theoden.
Theoden: “I will not risk open war.”
Aragon: “Open war is upon you whether you’d risk it or not.”
Many Christians today seem to think like Theoden. They think they can avoid war. More specifically, they think they can just go to church (or watch it online), read their Bibles (occasionally), try to be good people (mostly), and everything should generally go well with them. Yet, from a spiritual perspective, Aragon’s sentiments are spot on. I can confidently say to every true follower of Christ, “Open war is upon you…”
Granted, there can be a fine line between Spirit-filled and spooky. And sometimes, when preachers and teachers discuss spiritual warfare (if they discuss it), they drift into spooky territory. This may be why many Christians seek to “put their heads in the sand” about spiritual warfare. Yet, we are in a war whether we acknowledge it or not. It would be wise, then, to prepare accordingly. This truth begs the question: how do we prepare for spiritual war?
In his letter to a church in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul explains this very matter (Ephesians 6:10-18):
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 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. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Let’s briefly unpack a few of these verses and our spiritual warfare strategy:
Be strong in the Lord: This part is sometimes left out in “Armor of God” discussions and sermons, but it is very important. After all, if you take the best armor available and put it on a weak person, the result will be defeat. Indeed, the best armies train their soldiers to improve their physical strength before giving them any equipment. So how can we “be strong in the Lord”? Perhaps we can do as David did during a time when he was greatly distressed: “…David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam 30:6).
There are likely many ways we can strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God, but it should likely include (1) actively remembering who God is (His character), (2) actively remembering what God has said (His Word), and (3) actively remembering what God offers us (His loyal, enduring love).
Question to consider: How can you strengthen yourself in the Lord your God every day?
Remember the true source of our struggles: Paul makes it clear that even though we experience conflicts with people, the true source of our conflicts is not the people. These struggles originate in the spiritual realm. We cannot see our enemies in the spiritual realm with our physical eyes, but that does not make them any less real. After all, there are many real things we cannot see with our physical eyes (e.g. love, wind, the common cold, etc.), but we can see and feel their effects nevertheless.
I know, my friend, I know—you can clearly see that family member, that coworker, that church member, that person who irritates you. But just remember, that “problem person” in your life is not the true problem in your life.
Questions to consider: Who are you viewing as your enemy right now? Your spiritual enemy or the people with whom you have conflict?
Put on the belt of truth: As the Roman soldiers dressed for war, their belts were one of the first items they’d put on. Their belts helped hold all their other garments together. Paul advises us that truth should be what holds our spiritual lives together. Indeed, truth is powerful in our spiritual battles.
This is how Jesus Himself described the devil: “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44b). These words reveal that lies are prominent weapons in our enemy’s arsenal. How do we defeat lies? By being girded (encircled or surrounded) with truth. And what is truth? God’s Word (Jn 17:17).
Questions to consider: Are you encircled and surrounded by God’s truth or by people’s opinions (including your own)? How can you improve in surrounding yourself with God’s truth?
Put on the breastplate of righteousness: The beautiful thing about this righteousness is that it does not originate with us. We should aim to live righteous lives, but the true source of our righteousness is Christ Jesus. When we place our faith in Him, our new spiritual identity is found in Him. This means that what is true of Jesus is true of us. Jesus is in right standing with God the Father, so we are in right standing with God the Father. Jesus’ righteousness is our righteousness.
Not only is our enemy a liar, but he is also an accuser (Rev 12:10). Unfortunately, some—if not most—of the enemy’s accusations against us may be valid. We do fall short of God’s glory. This is why we must actively remember that we are covered in the righteousness of Christ.
Question to consider: Does your confidence come from Christ’s righteousness or are you trying to be the source of your own righteousness?
Be sure to tune in for the next blog where we’ll discuss the rest of our armor. In the meantime, let’s be war ready!
Your Sister-Friend,
Leah
