And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. ~Ephesians 6:10-18 (MSG)
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ~2 Corinthians 10:4
Even a little boy playing “army” in the backyard knows that you need a battle plan when you are waging a war. How much more true this is as we battle for the dear treasures we have been promised? The battle I choose to fight is not one where I will stomp my feet or demand to get my way. The treasure I seek is much too precious for manipulative game play of which our world is accustomed. The situations I battle against I have no power to change. I am not big enough, strong enough, or influential enough to cause a shift. In all reality—I don’t want to be. I know that if I am big enough to change something, then I am also big enough to mess it up. If I am incapable of changing something, then I know any change that occurs is because of my God intervening in the situation.
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open. ~ Revelation 3:7
That’s the kind of battle strategy I am going for. I want the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords to fight for me. I want him to be the One that brings about change.
The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. ~Exodus 14:14
This is a tough concept for us as humans. Our natural inclination is to “do something,” to “force the issue.” Does this mean that I am to sit idly by and just passively wait to see what happens? Absolutely not. My job is to seek, to fall on my face and humble myself before the One that makes all things possible. My job is to keep myself in right standing before Him, to ask Him to purify my motives with His fire. Seek more. Trust more. Sacrifice more.
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ~Luke 11:9
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