Armor up!!

"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." Eph 6:12-13 (Emp mine)

I remember hearing these verses as a young child and hearing my parents and their friends discussing warfare and it scared me to death! Of course, in my little mind I could only see knights and dragons (the kind of images you get talking about armor). I spent a lot of my Christian life somewhat blind to spiritual warfare because no one around me seemed to be putting on a literal armor so I guess I just never really got it. Thank God for His protection! When God restored me to fellowship with him in my early 20's He placed a girl in my life that would FOREVER change how I saw spiritual warfare. She was in my singles group and had been rescued from the dark world of witchcraft - I mean like animal sacrifices and everything! She really enlightened me to how the "powers of this dark world" are so subtle to luring people in. I had my own "dark" experience while visiting my best friend at her college.

Some girls on her floor had been messing around with an Ouija board (ooo I don't even like typing that word!) and given the way I was raised - in church as a Christian - they were dying for me to come down and get on it. Now, it was taboo to me. My parents had warned me against it, but I'd never actually even seen one so when I got there and they began telling me all the weird things that had been happening my curiosity got the best of me. I don't want to share the details of what happened because I REFUSE to glorify any evil spirit but we'll just say that what happened frightened me to my core! I never touched another one - and never will as long as I live! (neither has my best friend!) So I'm sharing with the single friend about my experience and she just sits there nodding her head the whole time. I can still see her face and remember her words like it happened yesterday. "Yeah, Valarie, that's how they draw you in. They start with something that seems innocent and sweet, even fun and the next thing you know..." Well, I won't tell you what she said, but you get the point.

I share all of this with you today because let me tell you sister's a battle is raging over us!!! A battle to take our lost loved ones. A battle to break up our homes. A battle to distract us from leading the lives God intends for us. This battle is real! I think if God would open our eyes to it, we'd all armor up and get ready to stand. Instead, I think, like I did for many years, if there's no obvious signs of the battle we live life with our rose colored (worldly) glasses on completely naive to the war!

Please know that I'm writing this more for myself than anyone else - as most of my posts are! It's time to armor up! It's time to buckle on the belt of truth (which you can't know if you're not opening the Word to find the truth), snap on the brestplate of righteousness (practicing what we preach), slip on those shoes of readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (can't go into battle without peace in what we're fighting for), strap on those shields of faith (again, if we don't know WHAT we're fighting for, how can we have faith in it?), protect our heads with the helmet of salvation (without salvation thru Jesus Christ we will be defeated!), and pick up our Sword of the Spirit (can't just carry it around, we need to open it to know it!), and get ready girls!! My favorite verse in this passage comes after the description of the FULL armor of God.

In verse 13 it says "after you have done everything" and I admit that I used to think that this was after I had tried all of my own efforts in the battle - my last resort - THEN stand. OH BUT WAS I WRONG! (sorry for the yelling! haha) What God is telling us here is that our effort is in putting on the armor! THAT'S IT!! After you have done everything - putting on this armor - then comes verse 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 saints." Do you get that? It doesn't say 'after you get all armored up, you run into the battle and start telling everyone how to fix their lives. Then you go sling the Sword and knock a few of their heads off. Then take that shield and spank them with it.' It says PRAY! Pray for everything. For all occasions. Bringing all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and KEEP ON PRAYING!

We're not to be sitting ducks out in an open field waiting for the attack, siesta's! On our own effort we need to armor up - then IN THE SPIRIT pray. Stand, be alert and pray. Don't bury your head in the sand. Don't be naive to what's going on around you. Pray! Know your Word. Know the Truth and pray! The Father will fight the battle for you. You need only "Be still and know" and pray!