Weapons Of War

Weapons of War

Put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Ephesians 6:13

THERE’S A REASON FOR THE WARNING not to bring up religion and politics at dinner parties. They are polarizing issues that highlight differences more than commonalities, and we can avoid speaking of them when we choose. But at a deeper level, spiritual battles rage around us, and we can’t smooth them over so easily. Spiritual truth has always been a matter of contention. Jesus was clear that people would split over him (Matthew 10:34-36). God’s Kingdom is always contested in this world.

Whatever illusions of neutrality we had when we embarked on the Christian life, whatever dreams we had of everything turning out well for us, we soon realized instead that we landed in the middle of a battle. The conflict may be expressed through human beings, but that’s not where it originates. We are in the front lines of a cosmic war. We have to choose whether to stand firm or flee, and efforts to flee are generally futile. We are in this until God takes us out or Jesus returns in final victory.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that we have nothing to fear. The victory has already been won. Fighting continues, and we do have to enforce the victory, but the outcome is not in doubt. The enemy resists the Kingdom of God, but we keep advancing, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. But we have to move forward.

For your current mission, you have been given a remarkable set of armor. It is spiritual, so you have to wear it spiritually, and the only way to do that is through spiritual resources like worship, prayer, and faith. That means you have to learn to see it, count on it, apply it, and believe it is doing something in the invisible realm. Prayer then becomes a vital necessity—your communication between headquarters and the front, your lifeline to your source of strength. You are “special forces” in the Kingdom of God, and your world is depending on you. Learn to envision your armor and sword and refuse to go through any day without praying from the certainty of your security and victory in God.

Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a good Christian weapon.