The Battlefield
I can see the grime on his face, the streaks where sweat has poured through soot, caked on dirt, and days worth of stubble. He wears his helmet and pack on his back with pride although the days of endless marching and fighting off unseen enemies around each corner have taken their toll. His walk is intentional, careful, always on guard. His eyes dart to the perimeter and constantly reassess the threat as he moves forward without fear, but always on guard. He is, and always will be, at the core of his being, a soldier.
I admire the men and women who have become such solid defenders of our country, but I know it has come through discipline, toil and difficult circumstances. In the same way, when we face challenges in our lives, when the world closes in as if to choke us, when the enemy presses us on every side, when temptations seem to jump out from every corner, we must remain strong.
Where does your strength come from, Christian? How do you stand strong in the face of opposition and turmoil? How do you keep from falling and what enables you to fight off the accusations of the devil and find the strength to keep moving forward when it seems as if everything is against you?
When a young follower of Christ goes to school and constantly bears the criticism of teenagers for maintaining a godly lifestyle, where does her strength come from? When gossip stings and slander flies, what is our defense? When serving God’s people begins to feel like a battle, where is the refuge?
First, we must realize that we do not fight against each other (even if it feels like your enemy is your neighbor at church). Our lives are battlefields, but that destruction comes from three enemies: sin in general, the world, and Satan. So, when the battle is at your doorstep, remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but this battle is fought in the heavenly realms. We are soldiers for Christ and therefore, we have an automatic target on our backs.
Second, we must be armed for battle. We can’t be walking around lackadaisically-our stance should be like a soldier, on guard, aware, prepared. Put on your armor daily:
Helmet of salvation: May our minds, our thoughts and our meditations be guided by the salvation God so graciously granted us.
Breastplate of Righteousness: May our hearts be guarded by God’s gift of righteousness and by a desire to live rightly.
Belt of Truth: May everything we do be tied together with truth. The enemy’s language is lies, so our best weapon against falsehood is absolute truth. When the lies are coming, wrap yourself in the truth of God’s word.
Feet ready with the gospel of peace: We aren’t trying to start a fight, so let us have that inner calm that only comes from Jesus. Let us be peacemakers, eager to share peace and reminded that our only hope comes from the gospel.
Shield of Faith; We must have hope that God will prevail in our circumstances and not lose faith that He has purposes we cannot imagine.
Armed with the sword of the spirit, which is the WORD of God. In trying times, we must go to the Word for support, for strength and hope. This is our defense and our offense.
And always pray. Lifting our hands like Moses, asking others to support us, hold up our weary arms, and stand beside us in the struggle.
As I pray through the armor of God, I realize that it could all be summed up in one name: Jesus. Jesus is my helmet of salvation; Jesus is my righteousness, Jesus is the Truth, Jesus is peace, Jesus is the source of faith and Jesus is my refuge.
May we be wrapped in Jesus as we face the battles of this day.
Heather, this is just what I needed this morning as I prepare to face what has already started as a difficult day. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent post today, Heather. As women, we are all His Princess Warriors preparing for battle everyday. Thanks.
Amen to that, Heather. It sure is a battlefield and we do need to be prepared for that. Only Jesus can give us the strength we need on a daily basis.
Fantastic post.