body armor

The enemy is breathing down our necks.

He's in the passenger seat when someone cuts you off, leading you to rattle off a slew of curse words.

He's in the midst of two friends exchanging gossip.

He's in bed with the person who decides sleeping in and having free time are more valuable than getting to church over the weekend.

He's beside the person looking at seductive content on the computer screen.

He's on the arm of the person caught up in an emotional affair.

He's even nearby when you choose to reach for the remote instead of your bible...again.

We, privy to this knowledge or not, are in the midst of constant battle.

We are being attacked from all sides.

He has studied us.  He knows our weaknesses.  He has mapped out our strategies.  He has a rock solid game plan to defeat us.

But 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." (emphasis mine)  God is our commander-in-chief, and his methods for fighting the enemy are clearly laid out in his word.  Paul wrote in his letter to the people of Ephesis on this very topic:

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  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.  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.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:11-17 (emphasis mine)

We find a wealth of resources in Paul's letter about how the Lord equips us to fight the enemy.  There are seven pieces of armor that the Lord says are indispensable to us.

We must wear:

1. A belt of truth - to fight against Satan's lies and deceptions.
2. A breastplate of righteousness - to live in holiness and to give us a way out from the temptations we face.
3. Feet fitted with readiness - readiness to stand up for the gospel and to stand on guard to defend the way we live.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect..." - 1 Peter 3:15

4. Readiness that comes from the gospel of peace - we will not be overwhelmed with fear or anxious thoughts.

5. A shield of faith - trusting that the Lord will provide; that you will be delivered from the hands of the enemy.
6. A helmet of salvation - Jesus has already won the war; we already have the victory in Christ and evil will not prevail.  It's a reminder that we have taken off our old self and put on the new.  We're not who we were yesterday and we will not be so easily consumed.
7. The sword of the spirit, the word of God - This is a knife in the heart of the enemy.  With immersion in scripture, we gain understanding, wisdom, and discernment.  We ultimately empower ourselves to fight on the front lines, the Lord beside us, with invigorating strength and confidence.

So when the enemy invades your camp, prepare yourself.

Put on the full armor of God - truth, righteousness, readiness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.

Then, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." - 1 Corinthians 16:13.

The Lord will deliver the enemy into your hands, and you will have the victory.

the case for Christ

In the fall right after I turned 20, I began to question.

I had just started a History of Architecture II class in my design program, and we were discussing ancient civilizations, their gods, and the monuments they built to honor them.  I began thinking, What makes our God real?  How do we know he's the true God if there are so many other belief systems in the world?

I began to question my faith for the first time.  I questioned the existence of God; the validity of Jesus and the gospel.  I was also overwhelmed by the permanence of death; the thought of eternity.

I began having panic attacks.

This lasted for a couple of months, day in and day out; no respite.  I had to try to navigate the tangled mess of what I thought I believed, what I had learned since birth, what the world tells us, and what I feared about eternity.  Every time I was bombarded with fear and panic, I tried to combat it with thoughts of, "You cannot control it.  There is nothing you can do about it."  This helped to an extent, and would start to calm the storm when nothing else had.

I then began to pray.  Desperately.  Calm my anxious thoughts.  Still my heart.  Grant me peace.  And GUESS WHAT--

Peace, he granted.  Never before have I felt the holy spirit so powerfully as I did when I cried out for solace.  A wave of calm would wash over me, and I could begin to sleep.  I could go about my daily activities with larger gaps between the bouts of fear.  I was soon introduced to the book "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel.  This was life-changing.  The intricacies of the gospel, its prophecies, and the strict adherence to their claims by the disciples, even into martyrdom, sealed my belief in our omniscient, omnipresent God and ceased the turmoil within me.

It's completely natural to question the existence of God or a theistic belief system.  A couple of weeks ago, our 10 year old daughter asked the very questions I never thought to ask until the age of 20.  My initial reaction was that of a bit of fear - I want to instill in our kids a love of and submission to God and was afraid of what her questioning might mean.  After the initial shock wore off, I began my response.

• I told her that in some of my darkest moments, when I was completely broken, hurting, or fearful, God would answer my cries for help with his peace, a peace that transcends any human understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).  
• I shared with her parts of what I had read in The Case for Christ.  Not ONE of Jesus' disciples rescinded his testimony, even to the extent of imprisonment, severe persecution, and death.  Why wouldn't they, unless they had truly witnessed and believed all that they professed to seeing?   
• I also shared with her a couple of other supernatural experiences that our family members have experienced, with no logical explanation.
• I also felt compelled to say this: "No one can make you believe anything.  You can choose not to believe it.  But Jesus has been more real to me than anything else in my life, and I know it in  my heart to be true."

She had tears in her eyes as I finished my defense, and I felt at peace with how I had responded.  I can't force our kids to love Jesus the way I do, nag them into submission, or manipulate them into leading a Godly life.

But I can live it.  

Day in and day out, every single hour.  I can lead by an example of love.  Of service and compassion.  Of complete submission to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I can attempt, with all my heart, to live life with a gentle, humble spirit, being obedient to God.

I don't have all the facts.  I don't have a degree in theology, and I can't always back what I believe with statistics or science.  I have my testimony, though, and the power and spirit of God backing me, which can do immeasurably more than I can ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

I can pray for their hearts.  Pray for the holy spirit to dwell in them.  And pray for them to be a light to the gospel for others.  

Lord, let your light shine in me.  

Let others see you in me and be drawn to you and your presence, for your glory and not mine.  

Help me to be a reflection of your love, mercy, and compassion.

Help me to set a Godly example for my family.

Set their hearts after you and give them a thirst and a hunger for you and for righteousness.

In Jesus' precious name I pray, 

amen.