“The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
At times it can be
numbing to consider innocent individuals being beheaded on a regular basis by
terrorists who continue to run free. For many of us, it’s appalling to think of
how a person could even carry out the acts that we see on TV. Our enemy will seek
to do anything that they can to demoralize us as a nation. And unfortunately,
our enemy is not someone whom we can simply seek to avoid. If we don’t fight
the battle on their territory they will bring the battle to us on ours just
like they did on September 11, 2001.
The point of this
article is not to consider the politics of the war we are involved in. The
point is to recognize that all of us are in a battle that demands our
attention. Scripture teaches that Satan is at war with us as believers (Rev. 12:17).
For non-Christians,
the enemy has blinded their minds so that they are unable to recognize that
they are even in a battle (2 Cor. 4:4). Meanwhile, he steals our joy, peace,
love, hope, purpose, and ultimately our eternity. And unfortunately, a few of
these things, our enemy has even been known to steal from us as believers.
Therefore, this
article is a call to arms, for God has blessed us with all the resources needed
to overcome and thus live the full life that Jesus promises in John 10:10.
Thus, I encourage you to put on the full armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20).
When one carefully
considers the armor of God, they realize that it is all about putting on
Christ. Jesus is our belt of truth (John 14:6). Let His truth support you.
Jesus is our
breastplate of righteousness (Rom. 13:14). No one is righteous by themselves.
We all sin and fall short of God’s perfect standard. Yet as believers, we
receive Jesus’ perfect righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Therefore, let His
righteousness protect you.
Jesus guides our
feet in peace (Luke 1:79). His peace keeps us calm and guides us through the
middle of our storms. Let His peace equip you for the journey of life He has
you on.
Jesus is our shield
of faith (Heb. 12:2). The enemy may throw all sorts of arrows to take us out of
the battle. Yet Jesus remains faithful to us. He will never leave us nor
forsake us. So let His faithfulness protect you when the enemy attacks.
Jesus is the helmet
of our salvation (Heb. 2:10). He began the work of our salvation and He will
complete it (Heb. 12:2). Let His salvation reform you.
And Jesus is our
sword of the Spirit as the Word made flesh (John 1:14). Our enemy will seek to
attack us, but we can overcome him with the Word that is sharper than any
two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). So let His Word defend you. When we put on the
full armor of God, we are able to enjoy the blessed life of joy, peace, love,
hope, purpose, and ultimately eternal life.
In His service,
Matt
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