Battle for our Souls
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Ephesians 6:10-20
10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15. and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; 16. besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. 17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19. and also for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20. for which I am an ambassador in chains; that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Notice Paul tells the Ephesians to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” This life we’re living is not a practice run—this is the real deal and we only have one chance to get it right! Knowing that, shouldn’t we call out the “big guns?” Everything is at stake here! If you want to haul a heavy load somewhere, you don’t put the load in the trunk of your Honda! You get a truck, with power! OK, I probably shouldn’t use vehicles in an example, as this is about the extent of my knowledge about them!
Satan was in heaven with God a long, long, time ago. He and his followers know the secrets of the human heart, and of God’s mind! That makes for a formidable enemy! He wants our hearts and minds—more—our very souls! And he is well-equipped to acquire them—to steal them away! So we have to use every single weapon at our disposal to fend off Satan’s attacks! God is the only one in all of creation who is more powerful than that fallen angel! So that’s who we must turn to and call upon!
I’m a very visual person, so I really can picture a soldier dressing out for battle. And when my children were small, I literally envisioned them being dressed in the Full Armor of God before they left the house each morning. I don’t know when I stopped doing that, but I believe I’ll start again—and include my husband and myself!
Prayer is really the most powerful of all the weapons, because it allows us to communicate directly with God. Continual, ardent prayer is so powerful that Satan puts any distraction at his disposal to prevent us from praying!
The noise of the world can drown out God’s plans for us—how could we possibly hear him over the evening news and the video games, and cell phones, traffic, and all the other noise!? We must clothe ourselves in the love of Christ, fortify ourselves with the protection of God’s power, and call upon the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our path. Life is just impossible without this protection, guidance and direction. And prayer is a direct channel from the mind of God to our hearts.
I hope today you call upon the Triune God to guard, protect and direct your path. And that you’ll be impenetrable to Satan because you’re clothed in the Full Armor of God.
Mary
