Battle Ready

Each struggle we face, every single conflict, and the tough stuff of life give us opportunities to grow. I know this. But somehow this realization, I thought, would keep me from the pain of them all. For whatever reason, I was sure I could handle more because I knew God was going to use it to grow me and to glorify himself. Silly me. Knowledge is good. Wisdom is great. Understanding is vital. Nowhere in God‘s word does it say we will skate through life pain-free just because we are saved by His grace. As a matter fact, the opposite is true. Depression, persecution and the enemy attacks are to be expected. There is still a temptation, even as a believer, to take the wheel and try to go it alone; to push through on our own strength.
 
God does not, however leave us alone in these battles. His Holy Spirit remained with us when Jesus left the earth, and comes into each and every battlefield of each and every war in which we are engaged. I remember the first time I heard about the full armor of God. I was a new believer. I was teaching Sunday school to preschoolers. One of the kids came with a costume, the full armor of God, and we reviewed the scripture. I thought it was cute. I had no idea at the time what power that scripture held or how much It would be needed in my Christian walk.
 
 Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God
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. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
 
Being strong in the Lord and in his mighty power is quite different from doing it alone with internal fortitude and a “hear me roar” mindset. That will never be enough. Be confident. Be strong. Be mighty. But acknowledge that you are those things because of who you are as a child of God. The world says bigger, stronger, and faster; blaze your own trail and look inward for strength. But left to our own goals and our own power sources, we will fall short. God calls us to look to him for strength. God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made and to do all things as if you do them for him. He really does have a plan to prosper us. We need only call on him and seek his will.
 
The full armor of God will help us fight the real enemy, Satan. Think of every conflict, bump in the path and road block you have or are experiencing. Look at how Satan is using people and circumstances to undermine and destroy. Look at any conflict or negative in this world, and realize who is behind it all. Only God can defeat the Devil at his games. Only love will drive out hate. We can stand firm in truth, righteousness and readiness without fear because we have the gospel of peace as our end goal.
 
The shield of faith and the helmet of salvation protect us from the enemy’s attacks. The sword of the spirit and prayer are the only weapons we need and they are always available to us as we face challenges, big and small. Praying earnestly for God’s will in our lives, for his strength to face adversity, and his power to be all we were created to be is the basis for success. That is real power. Supernatural power! So it’s ok to be a rockstar warrior, to blaze a trail, if it’s for the right reasons and with the right motives, giving glory to the one who made us able.
 
I praise Him daily for moving me forward, out of my comfort zone and sometimes right into battle. I remember that His Power is at work, His armor shields me and His weapons protect me as I fiercely drive through the battlefield of this life. The victory is His-It’s Mine-It’s Ours. I share in it because He loves me.
 
Let prayer preface every day so you are battle ready!