Fight the Good Fight

Our battle is against the Invisible world around us - unseen by our physical eyes

Wow, it's been too long since I wrote in this blog. I'll be honest and say that I've neglected keeping up with it, and favored other projects of mine instead. But after a long internal battle, that took several months out of my year, I'm back to my old self and ready to learn and share again! I may write a separate post altogether about what happened to me recently that caused both heartache and growth, but for now I wanted to speak my mind on something that's been stirring in my heart.

 After watching The Hobbit, and subsequently having a Lord of the Rings marathon, I thought a lot about War. Specifically "Spiritual Warfare", as a lot of Christians like to say. I've been taking a course at my Church lately about Spiritual affairs for Women, more or less. And you learn that it's not exactly the right phrase because the War was already won on the Cross (Thank you, Lord Jesus!) and what we do now is more "Spiritual Maintenance" or "Upkeep" than anything. We aren't trying to win a War, because it's already been won. But even though the enemy has been defeated, there are still daily battles that we encounter, from the soldiers from the other side and also our own flesh. (1 Cor. 15:55-57)

I suppose it's difficult to phrase it the way I want in text, but what I mean is that while we are still fighting the enemy today, the Enemy has already been defeated. We are still fighting battles, but the War is already decided. We have the benefit of fighting an Enemy that has already lost. So, there is nothing to fear. What we need to do now is fight for our Salvation, to strive to be more like Christ, our Rabbi, and to fight for others who cannot fight for themselves. If the War was already won, why should we even have to fight? Because we still live on the Earth, which is under Satan's rule. When you are inside of the Enemies camp, doesn't it make sense that you will have skirmishes with them? After all, we are not of this world (John 17:16). And until the day that Christ comes back we are "holding the fort" in ways, against the Principalities, Powers, and Spiritual Forces of the Heavenly Realms. (Eph. 6:12)

I hope I haven't confused you by any of this introduction, but my main point is that we are doing battle with powers not of this world, that is still a fact. But we have a God who is infinitely more powerful than them, and Christ is already the victor. Yet, until He comes back, we are still in the Enemies Land, and need to set captives free (Isa. 61:1) and continue to work out our Salvation (Phil. 2:12). It should be obvious that Satan and those with him aren't fond of us doing that. So when we are attacked, or those we care for are attacked, we need to be prepared to fight back. Now I can get to the main point that has been on my mind.

Put on the FULL Armor of God.

"Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take a stand against the devil's schemes." Ephesians 6:10-11 (NIV)

This verse sums up what I was saying before. We put on the armor so that we can "take a stand against the devil's schemes". He schemes are summed up very simply, he wants to kill, steal, and destroy. (John 10:10) To steal your heart's response to God, to destroy your salvation, to keep you spiritually dead and numb, steal your talents and God given gifts, and to overall ruin your life (spiritual as well as physical) to get to your Abba Daddy, and hurt Him that way. Something that Christians need to take to heart and fully realize is that Satan hates you, and everything about you. There is no good in him, there is no "grey area", he hates Humans because we are in the image of God, and he hates The Body of Christ especially! It is not a battle that can be won peacefully where the Enemy will change their mind about you and decide to leave you alone out of the kindness of their heart. They want you dead in every possible way, so you are taking a stand against that and saying "No, I am alive in Christ, and You cannot steal my Joy, or my response to God." We submit to God, and resist the Devil, and then he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

"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." Ephesians 6:12 (NIV)

Let's get this straight. We are not battling people who are Gay, our President, the people who bullied us in school, that mean neighbor that we have, the protesters that come outside of events and churches, or anyone else who is Flesh or Blood! Instead of posting things on Facebook all day, we need to be praying, fasting, and reading the Word of God to fight against the REAL enemy, not the distractions of this world. (Luke 6:32-36) God loved us while we were Sinners, and we are called to love others as He loves us, so shouldn't we love Non-Believers as well? (John 13:34-35, Romans 5:8) If we can't love people who are "perfect" or who "believe everything we do" and "act the right way", how does that make us any different than other people? Instead of focusing your hatred of Sin on other people, focus it in your Spiritual life, and fight the battle there. Instead of fighting the captives, shouldn't we fight the captors instead, and strive to set them free? The photo at the top is from my trip to Seattle, and the prayer I did there was against the unseen Enemy that was all around me. Our battle is in cities and towns, but not necessarily against the people who live there. 

"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." Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)

The Message version says, "So that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet."
If you want to last in battle you need to be prepared and protected, otherwise you won't last very long. You want to withstand as long as you possibly can, and for every piece of armor you neglect, you will last that much shorter. The Word doesn't say, "Put on some of the armor. The pieces that aren't too heavy, that are easy to keep with you, and don't inconvenience your day. Even if you just have one piece, you'll be fine." It says "FULL armor" for a reason, because every piece of The Armor of God is necessary.

"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 of 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 6:14-17

As you read The Word, you realize that many aspects that we are called to have are repeated in several different ways. The Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), Aspects of Love (1 Cor. 13:1-13), and Armor of God share a lot of qualities. Truth, peace, righteousness, faith, etc. They must be important if they are mentioned over and over again.
We should have Truth wrapped around us and fastened tight. Righteousness should be right at the front, protecting our Heart. We should have the Gospel of Peace at our feet (Romans 10:15/Isaiah 52:7), walking in it and spreading it wherever we go. Faith is our guard against the Arrows/Darts and Lies of the enemy. We have Faith out before they can even get to the rest of our Armor, because if you have strong Faith they cannot even reach you. We have Salvation covering our Heads, as if an anointing that protects us. (Eccl. 9:8, Matt. 6:17) If protects our thoughts and is always on our Mind. Finally, we fight with the Sword that is of the Spirit. A Bible, as in the book that is full of paper and bound together, doesn't look to dangerous in the Physical world. But in the Spiritual world it is a dangerous weapon that can be used against Enemies in that realm, and helps aid Angels and Servants of The Lord as well. (Heb. 4:12)  It is the most powerful weapon that we own, which is why Believers around the world are so desperate to have it, and memorize it so that they can always have it. Because the Bible is more than just a physical item, it's the Words that are powerful, not the paper. It should be in our minds, on our lips, written on our heart, and at our fingertips, safety off, and ready to use. (Josh. 1:8, Psalm 119:1, Deut. 11:18, Psalm 40:8)

Notice something else, there is no "Back-piece" listed. Why don't we protect our backs, if everything else is covered?
1. Because The Body of Christ should watch each other's backs. (1 Cor. 12:25)
2. Foremost, because God is our Rearguard. (Isaiah 58:8)

Some people say it is because we are to never flee, that we are to always be fighting and that is why our back is open. As if God didn't protect our backs to "teach us a lesson". In actuality, we need to take rest from battle. A benefit of being in a Body of Believers is that there are many of us. In an Army people takes shifts when fighting or standing guard/watch, and rest between fights. If even God rested on the seventh day, who are we to think that we never need rest?
God is our Rearguard, so that when we need to recharge and rest from the Battle, He is keeping us safe from the enemy. Our back is never really "open", it is just protected in a way that we don't "activate" because it is always guarded. If we don't take time to work on ourselves, we will get burnt out. Many ministries fail because the people in them never take time for their own souls, to rest in the Lord and find peace for a while in the midst of a battle. (Matt. 11:28-30, 2 Thess. 3:16, Eccl. 3:1-13, Psalm 62:5)
But we also cannot spend the whole battle resting. We have armor for a reason. Soldiers have armor to fight. Why would we need Armor if we weren't Soldiers? (2 Tim. 2:3)  We need to learn balance between fighting and resting. We are called to "Fight the good fight" (1 Tim. 6:12, 2 Tim. 4:7), so why don't we get to it?

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all of The Lords people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel." Ephesians 6:18-19

I really dislike the phrase, "Put down your sword and love and pray for people instead". Why would we need to drop our weapons to pray for others? I would think that we should keep The Sword of the Spirit close when praying for others. That is what "Spiritual Warfare" really is, it's protecting ourself and fighting for ourself and others. We should never surrender our weapons or armor, putting it down only makes us weaker, it doesn't make us more or less loving to others. We need to pick up our swords again, not lay them down. We are not timid, but powerful in Christ. (2 Tim. 1:7)

This verse is connected with The Armor of God. "And pray", "Also pray","Pray as well", not "instead of doing that, pray instead at times". "With this in mind", keep the fact that you need the FULL Armor on in mind while reading this verse. While you have on your Armor, pray for all occasions, for all kinds of prayers and requests, and for all people. This is the Battlefield. Pray for the Missionaries to be able to bring the Gospel to others, and pray for the Body to be strong. Pray for healing, blessings, peace, salvation, pray for everything. Out battle is not against Flesh and Blood, but there is still a battle. So dust off your Sword, equip yourself, and join the other Soldiers. We have Armor because we are Soldiers, not because we are bystanders.

Something clicked in me and I really understood what it meant to put on the Armor. It's not as much as a responsibility as it is an Honor to fight for Our King and Savior. You have to pick a side, and once you choose it's time to suit up. Take breaks at times to build your strength, but don't forget to use that strength. And pray continuously (1 Thess. 5:16-18) with The Word, and work out the dents in your Armor, making it stronger whenever you can, so you can fight more intense battles over time. Just as if you were in a physical war, prepare, study the enemy, learn their weaknesses, learn your own and work them out, and always report to the Commander.

I'm putting on my Armor now, because I am tired of sitting scared on the sidelines. What do you say? Will you put on yours as well? If so, I'll see you on the Battlefield.

Refining the Faith,
-C.A.M.