I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” It’s hard to win a fight when you don’t have the right weapon or worse, no weapons at all. You couldn’t survive that way. Somehow, many of us lose sight that we’re in a war daily with principalities and spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). We’re constantly under attack, and when we aren’t armed or blind to the battle, we tend to give up ground. We also can’t afford to let fear keep us on the sidelines. We must equip ourselves daily, be ready for battle and fight on behalf of ourselves, our family and others so that we gain ground rather than lose it.
I love the story of David and Goliath because it’s a great representation of the spiritual battles we face. The army of Israel had everything they needed to defeat Goliath, but fear kept them on the sidelines for forty days. They tried to give David the wrong armor and weapons which would have cost him the battle. Thankfully he was wise enough to know what weapon he needed to win. He stepped onto the battlefield with confidence in God rather than his abilities. He then ran toward the giant sling in hand. When the giant fell, his faith and the faith of others around him grew.
Romans 13:14 says, “But take up the weapons of the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop paying attention to your sinful nature and satisfying its desires” (GNT). God has provided us with armor and weapons, but we must put them on and take them up. I like to go through the physical motions as I put them on. I’ll pray, “Lord, today I put on the Helmet of Salvation… Finally, help me to wield the Sword of the Spirit to win victory for my family.” I do the physical act of a spiritual process to remind myself that I’m dressed for battle and ready to stand against whatever comes my way. Through Christ Jesus, and His weapons, you and I can defeat whatever we’re facing today, but you need to arm yourself first.
Photo by Henry Hustava on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 