A Soldier Equipped - Steven Schall
In the book of Ephesians, Paul warns his audience to remember that our war or “battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand…” (Ephesians 6:12-13)
Recently our youth have begun a focused look at this passage and the Armor of God. What does it look like in application of this passages to equip ourselves with the full armor of God? Before we are able to dissect what, it looks like to ready ourselves for battle, we must first understand why we need the Armor in the first place. Our fight cannot be against our unsaved brothers and sisters, but we must dig deeper and observe the root of their unbelief. The first step in being able to take our stand “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” is recognizing who the real enemy is. Then we recognize the need to suit up and help rescue our lost brothers and sisters who are caught in the crossfire and held in bondage as prisoners of war. Our battle is against Satan and the sinful nature that seeks to destroy the Church. Although we may be assured of our victory as evidenced in the words of The Cathedral Quartet, “I’ve read the back of the book and we win,” knowing the outcome that our God is bigger than anything, is no excuse to neglect spending time in the trenches spreading the gospel. I for one would prefer to do that as a prepared foot soldier of Jesus Christ!
A soldier cannot afford to get lax on the battlefield but must remain disciplined, knowing that the fight is not yet concluded and there are many that still need to be saved. We are called to spend time in the trenches, but we are not called to go into the field of battle unprepared. No soldier yearns to go to battle without their equipment. No soldier yearns to go into battle alone either. A big part of the book of Ephesians is the idea of church unity. Remember to suit up but remember that you are not alone! Just as soldiers engage together in battle, let us turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ and fight as one through the Spirit of the Living God. So, let’s fight for the lost souls around us because they need us to point them toward the Gospel of Peace. As we continue to discuss Discipleship on Sunday mornings, let us take a stand bringing up our young soldiers and help them to stand firm rooted in God’s Word and in His mighty power!
-- Steven