Equipment for Spiritual Warfare
Robert Louis Stevenson once said: “You know the Caledonian Railway Station in Edinburgh? One cold, east windy morning, I met Satan there.” We do not know what actually happened to Stevenson. What manifestation of Satan is not definite. It may have been a person being used by Satan or even a demonic presence. We have all experienced the force of that evil influence.
Our loving Lord knowing this has provided us with what is needed to counter Satan. The Apostle Paul was the penman used to describe it. He was in prison in Rome at the time chained to Roman soldiers. Using the equipment used by the soldiers as a ready-made illustration he describes our equipment.
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation. and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 10 – 17)
We are to:
Have our waist girded with truth. A wide belt was worn around the midsection. From it, readily accessible, were other weapons and provisions. They represent the truth upon which we are to rely.
Wear the breastplate of righteousness. Our lifestyle is to protect our reputation. Once a man accused Plato of certain crimes. “Well then,” said Plato, “we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie.” The only way to meet the accusations against our character is by a superior lifestyle.
Have our feet shod with the gospel of peace. The sandals worn by Roman soldiers had short spikes like on older golf shoes. They enable him to be surefooted in battle. The gospel of peace enables us to be surefooted.
Utilize the shield of faith against the fiery darts of the wicked one. These were not the smaller oval shields. These were the larger oblong ones providing a defense against fire tipped lances. Faith is our shield against the assault of the evil one.
The helmet of salvation is essential. Our salvation provides us forgiveness for the sins of the past and strength to conquer sin in the time of temptation.
The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. We can never conquer in a contest without the word of God. Study to know this asset.
Like Robert Louis Stevenson you are sure to meet Satan in some form daily. Now that you are mindful of your armament, go forth and conquer.
Mountain High
My wife and I set out on an adventure going from Salmon, Idaho to Dillon, Montana. Separating the two towns was the formidable Rocky Mountains. To get there we were to travel the Lehmi Trail used by Lewis and Clark to cross the Rockies. It was an ancient route used by Shoshone Native Americans to go from their home range in Idaho to the plains of Montana to hunt buffalo. As a young Lehmi Shoshone girl named Sagaweea had traveled it. For that reason she knew of it and later led the Lewis and Clark expedition on the way west.
We soon found out why it is still called a trail. It didn’t qualify to be called a road. About an hour out on the trail I noticed there were no car tracks and I soon learned why. At points the trail which was one vehicle wide ran along cliff edges with dramatic drop offs. Belatedly I realized it was not wise to travel it.
When we finally topped out we were captivated by the vista that lay before us. How thrilling it must have been for the Shoshone each time they looked at the Montana plane teaming with buffalo. They hunted there and took their store of meat back to Salmon at no little effort. It was a supplement to their salmon diet.
On the summit was a small National Park of only a few acres with a picnic area. In the park we were amazed to find a small spring with water trickling down the mountains. I stood with a foot on each side for a reason. That trickle flows into the Jefferson River which flows into the Yellowstone River which flows into the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico. I can say I stood with one of my feet on each bank of the Mississippi.
I was reminded of a story I heard when living in New Orleans. A young man was seen running across a wharf and jumping as far as possible into the Mississippi River. He swam back and did it not once but three times more. When asked why he was doing it he said he was offered $10,000 if he could jump across the river. When assured that was an impossibility he said he thought so, but it was too good of an offer not to try.
Had he only known that if he had gone further north it was small enough he could have jumped it.
That comparison has lived with me. There are some offers too good not to try. We often frustrate ourselves by not thinking of how to accomplish things.
“Seek” is still good advice. Show me how Lord is a good appeal. Don’t give up on that daunting challenge facing you without a trial. The trail may be challenging and the mountain high, but try.
Perseverance is often a cause for success, therefore, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
Keep jumping.
Life Is a Class in Character Building – Part Two
Joshua 1: 8, 9
We are what we are because of what we do with our opportunities.
Can you imagine the emotions and apprehension of young Joshua that night in Egypt when the death angel passed through the land and he was helping his parents pack for the trip into the unknown? Nevertheless, he was faithful.
Think of how he must have felt on the shores of the moaning Red Sea as the army of Pharaoh pressed in on them, still he was faithful.
As one of the spies sent into the land of promise, he observed there would be adversaries; and while faint-hearted companions cowered, still he was faithful.
Faithfulness today is as rare as an albino peacock.
Be faithful. You never know what God is using present circumstances to prepare you for. The aloe plant blooms once every 100 years, but every hour of that century is needed to prepare it for that moment of blossoming.
Remember, Jesus said we should labor with such faithfulness that it might be said of us, “You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler of many.” Faith is trusting God even when you have no reason to.
“Faith, might faith, the promise sees.
Looking to God alone
Laughs at impossibilities,
And shouts, ‘It shall be done.’”
God not only isn’t against you or even neutral about you, He is enthusiastically for you.
Memorize this verse from Sidney Lanier’s poem, “The Marshes of Glenn.”:
“As the marsh-hen secretly builds on the watery sod,
Behold I will build me a nest on the greatness of God:
I will fly in the greatness of God as a marsh-hen flies
In the freedom that fills all the space ‘twixt the
marsh and the skies:
By so many roots as the marsh-grass sends in the sod
I will heartily lay me a-hold on the greatness of God.”
Joshua uses the expression “the Lord your God.” Lord translates the Hebrew name JEHOVAH which the ancient Jews reverenced so much they would not even articulate it. God translates the word ELOHIM which is used for God 2,555 times in the O.T. It was plural for ELOHA. Elohim not only speaks of the trinity, but helps reveal the character of God. It is a reference to the limitless increase of His power and glory. It meant the mighty one. It was to show that not even 10,000 other god’s were equal to Him. This is the God who is present with you.
The God who conquered Canna is the God who is for you.
Life Is a Class in Character Building – Part One
Joshua 1: 8, 9
Jesus lovingly is offering you a set of circumstances, which if responded to properly, will build in you character that which is pleasing to Him and profitable for you.
Do you believe that? Whether you do or not is evidenced by the way you respond to what happens to you.
You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it. In doing so you reveal your character. A little verse depicts the difference in people. Two persons looking out a prison window indicates how different people can respond to the same circumstance:
Two men looked out bars, one saw mud, the other stars.
We were created by a loving God who intended us to look up and see the stars. The Greek word for man “anthropos” means “the up-looking one.”
This little verse takes that point further.
“Man cannot live until he sees
The stars through the cypress trees.”
The stars symbolize hope and the cyprus depicts sorrow. Only when you can demonstrate hope amid sorrow do you have the character needed for life. It is character pleasing to the Lord.
The O.T. character Joshua confronted character building circumstances in the face of adversity. By studying him and his response, we can learn proper responses to adversity.
Moses had died. Joshua, his assistant for years, emerged as God’s chosen leader. Joshua put his foot on the platform of history so loudly that all ages echo with the tread.
The exhortation given him and the people he was leading indicates their state of mind. So, God said: “Be strong….” Literally, stop being weak, or don’t freak out. As a follower of Jesus, you need to remember He said, “You shall receive power…”
Resultantly you can say, “I am strong in His strength.”
“Be of good courage…” Do you, like them, ever lack courage? Don’t.
“Do not be afraid….” Literally, “stop being afraid.”
“Don’t be dismayed….,” meaning, don’t quit. The greatest barrier to faith that leads to excellence is the tendency to quit. Excellence is more than a wish, it is a pursuit that never stops.
Got it? Be strong, be of good courage, don’t be afraid, don’t quit. By following that formula you, like Joshua, can conquer the walled city you face.
Joy, Joy, Joy
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15: 11
Happiness is dependent in large part on externals. Joy is the surprising by-product of an intimate relationship with Jesus.
The deeper the relationship with Jesus, the fuller the joy. Conversely, when the joy runs out the relationship has been allowed to run down. Is your joy brimful? Our adversities give occasion for joy to bloom as a lovely flower in a sidewalk crack.
Even persecution for Jesus’ sake enhances our joy. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5: 11)
As the branch can’t keep from producing what the vine provides, so we will inevitably reveal the qualities of Jesus that flow through us.
If you are a Christian and joy is absent from your life, there is a reason. It is simply that you have become more circumstance-centered than Christ-centered.
Disobedience to Jesus drains life of its joy. David learned this bitter lesson and serves as an example. When he repented of his sin, he cried to God, “Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation.” (Psalms 51: 12) When he greedily sought happiness, he lost his joy.
In Psalm 51:2 he prayed for cleansing and in verse 7 he pleaded for purification. Then he prayed for the joy which follows such cleansing. (Vss. 8 & 12) Confessing consequences in cleansing which gave occasion for joy.
David in fellowship with the Lord declared, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” (Psalm 16:11)
The prophet Jeremiah stood and looked over the desolation of Jerusalem resulting from God’s judgment on the sins of His people. His lament was “The joy of our heart is ceased….” (Lamentations 5: 15). A judgment heavier than the desolation of the city was the departure of joy from the people resulting from sin in their lives. One of God’s judgments on His people was to replace the joyful note of the singer with the doleful dirge of the mourners.
Later Jeremiah recorded a source of renewed joy: “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight….” (Jeremiah 15:16) The reference to eating the word of the Lord means to assimilate and digest it.
A life in Jesus is a life of joy. A religion that wears grave clothes begs to be buried, and the sooner the funeral the better.
The basis of our joy is expressed by Jesus in John 15: 4 and again in verse 7. “Abide in me…” Abiding and obeying are the essentials for joy.
Joy is Jesus’ antidote for emptiness, hollowness, and loneliness. This joy is a wonderful by-product of fellowship with Jesus. Make this day, and every day a day of fellowship with the Lord.