Good morning,
God’s weapons locker
We ended last week’s Monday Minute on the reality of the battle that we are all facing with Paul’s encouragement, Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.(Eph.6:10) The Lord God who has given us life and who has called us into his family has promised us his help and strength in the battle against our sinful flesh and our hate filled enemy, Satan. But the good news for God’s family is not good news for just anyone who reads the Bible. God’s armor is kept in his weapons locker and only God’s people will be able to use it.(v.11) Our enemy is very powerful and has been practicing his skills on mankind for thousands of years. The people around us are not the real enemy. The real battle is against, “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”(v.12) These powerful enemies under Satan’s control will do their best to get us to focus on ourselves, on what the culture tells us is right and wrong and the lie that life must be fair and controlled. No ungodly spiritual power or human enemy will ever be able to stand against God’s family using God’s armor.
Remember that Satan used three Bible verses against Jesus in the wilderness when trying to get him to focus on himself instead of doing God’s will, God’s way.(Mat.4:3-10) The point that this brings up is that just because people go to church and know how to read the Bible and may even be able to teach the Bible, they still will not be able to use any of God’s weapons in dealing with the spiritual battles all around them. It was the Bible scholars of Jesus’ day who were used to get Jesus nailed to a cruel cross. Today we are flooded with men and women who draw people to themselves with a twisted version of what the Bible says who tell their followers that they can claim God’s armor. The power that they are offered is really white magic that has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit’s power.
What God requires of us if we are going to be able to use the whole armor of God to successfully resist the enemy, and end up standing firm, is the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through us for God’s glory. Our Father God knows who we are and why we are involved in the battle and will give us all the protection we need if we are living by faith in him and in obedience to the truth he has shown us. So when we are attacked, the truth that God has given us (the belt of truth) in the Bible has to be trusted and obeyed no matter what the cost. The Holy Spirit will be there to help us remember and share His truth with others in an effective way. The important part of righteousness (body armor) is that are we living the kind of life that is based on the truth that we actually believe. Only the Holy Spirit is able to make it possible for us to except and enjoy living our lives God’s way for God’s glory.(Eph.6:14) Only the Holy Spirit can give us peace (His shoes) when we are attacked about the trustworthiness of God’s truth (God’s Good News) that is guiding us through the ungodly mud all around us.(v.15) Another part of God’s armor is the shield that comes from the Holy Spirit when our Enemy attacks us with lies and accusations that are throw at us. Another protection is the Holy Spirit’s wonderful assurance that we really are a part of God’s family and that what the Holy Spirit has shown us from the Bible is eternally true. Finally, God has given us the privilege of prayer that allows us to talk to Him and listen to Him at any time and anywhere.
Ephesians 6:10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.
Roy Wisner
