In the heat of the battle

In the beginning of creation of the earth and of man, a line has already been drawn, a line separating God from His enemy, Satan, or perhaps a line that separates God from sin. Sin will never be part of God. God is God. And, sin is not in His nature. That line is already drawn, and still exists to this very day; A line which may be much more pictured, as The Spiritual Warfare.

As Christian, one who is saved, is called to the field of battle, the spiritual battle against the enemy of God. Paul reminds us of this in the book of Ephesians 6:10-18.

Ephesians 6: 10-12
(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.

“Be strong,” an encouragement that we should listen to and take heed, for surely there are battles to face and challenges to confront. This verse also reminds us to first, put our mind, heart and focus on our Lord and in His mighty power. For through out our battles, we can never do it alone. As the verse continues on,

(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 saints. (19)Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

The verse continues to show us God’s provisions, and Paul’s encouragement to stand.

Belt of Truth. There is a saying “The Truth sets you Free,” same perhaps with our belts. It helps us to feel comfortable and fix our loose clothes esp. on our waste, therefore setting us free of discomfort. Without our belt, we feel uncomfortable. Now, if a soldier has no belt, truly his focus will not be on his enemy but on his clothes or on his discomfort. But with a belt, he fixes his eyes on the enemy and with confidence he makes ready. More about the truth, Truth gives confidence and may free us from doubts and fears, and fixes our confusions. So therefore we need to put and fix truth in our lives to help us focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Truth.

Breastplate of Righteousness. As Christians should know, one who is saved and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, must also understand that he is cleansed and justified through faith. Satan is known to be the “Accuser of the brethren.” Therefore times shall come that believers will feel the guilt and may be haunted by old sins or even new sins. But God has always provided His forgiveness if we ask, and Christ has become our intercessor, our own attorney in the Courts of Justice of God. Therefore we must put and remind ourselves that we are justified by faith, and that we are made righteous before God in Christ. A promise we ought to claim in times that the accuser comes in our lives.

Shoes of the gospel of peace. Surely our shoes have great use, much more to a soldier. Imagine a soldier without his shoes. Definitely it may lead to critical situations. Or the enemy will catch the soldier off guard. Therefore we Christians should put on our shoes, the gospel shoes, and be ready, ready for anything, especially to share the Gospel of Christ that brings peace.

Shield of Faith. The shield is the number one defensive item against an attack. And so is our faith against doubts and fears. With faith, doubts and fears fly. Even if we have the biggest doubt, with faith it loses its grip. Just like the light that shines in the darkness, darkness fades away. So carry with you the shield of faith, Faith by which we put our trust in Christ.

Sword of the Spirit (Word of God). Truly the Word of God is like two-edged sword, piercing our hearts that we may take heed to His words and change us for God’s purposes (Hebrews 4:12). It is also a weapon to counter-attack the enemies’ attack. Just like the Lord Jesus Christ in the wilderness with Satan. Christ won against Satan’s fiery and deceptive words, because He used God’s Words. Therefore we too should take the Word of God and hide it in our hearts, to be used against the enemy, against lies, deceptions and accusations of the enemy. Words that will guide us throughout our lives.

But, in all these things, forget not to pray. For Prayer is our line to our God. A provision God has given us, as to not forget that we need Him still. We need His strength, His power, His wisdom, His understanding and everything, for He is the greatest source of these things. For time will come, we might fall apart and lose the battles of our own, experience the failures of our lives, and so, much more do we need to cling to God and ask for restoration or simply asking God to fight for us. Just as His people, shouted and blown the trumpet or stood in the midst of the battle field, their God fought for them. The same God Who will fight for us, therefore in Christ, we shall win.

Forget not as well, to pray for others, for simply they need prayers, nothing more, nothing less. For at times, others may be so burdened and discouraged not to pray. It is this time that we need to intercede for them and pray for them, especially the ones who minister for the Lord. For lo, who shall pray for them?

All these things God has provided. But then, if we are in the heat of battle and it seems we are at the feet of our foe, I delight to point you still on this verse.. Ephesians 6:10 (King James Version) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might… The finality of the battle is in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the Captain of our lives, our Lord, our King. Putting our eyes on the One Who can help us go on, lift us when we are down, strengthen us when we are weak, encourage us when we are discouraged, comfort us when we are troubled, enable us when we are disabled or simply listen to us when no one cares to listen. The One person whom we must put our focus on…

John 3:14
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

Numbers 21:9 (New International Version)
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

Just like the bronze snake Moses made and was raised and whoever looked upon it, they lived. So as to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was raised on the cross to die for you and me. May we not forget that day, when God displayed His great love, by letting His one and only righteous Son, to feel the shame, pain, sorrow and die for us all.