Ephesians 6:10-17 (NASB) ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth , and having put on the breastplate of righteousness , and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace ; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation , and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ‘
Attacks will come to us from and endless number of directions and in an endless number of forms. They come in the form of physical ailments, disease, injury and the degradation of age. They come in the form of financial distress. They come in the form of loss or suffering of loved ones. The attacks materialize in the form of distressed, damaged and lost relationships. Attacks can come in the form of injustice, lies, malicious intentions, selfish and wicked intentions by others. The point is, attacks take many forms, and it is often so very hard to bare. It can be very hard to reconcile the “why”. No body wants to experience them, or see others that they care about have to bare them.
The thing to remember is that the attacks are nothing more than an attempt by satan to derail you, your faith and your ability to serve God and the kingdom in the manner in which He would have you serve and represent Him. It’s very easy to lose sight of Him in the midst of the storm. It’s very easy to fall into despair, perhaps even doubt God or His love for you. That’s satan’s goal, to render you ineffective.
I believe as we grow more resolute in our faith, more focused on the Lord, the attacks often times intensify. For it is within these storms that the opportunity to provide our most compelling witness to the power, glory and sovereignty of God. How we walk through these storms, showing the world our willingness to trust God and relinquish all on faith to Him, carries tremendous weight.
In order to do this, however, our focus must be on Him, not ourselves or our circumstance. We live this out by being firmly grounded in His word, devoting time every day to the study of scripture. We must equip ourselves with the full arsenal God has made available to us. We must spend time every day, intentionally devoted to conversing with, praying to and worshiping the Lord. When we dedicate to do this, only then will we recognize the attacks for what they are, and be able to “stand” when the time calls. Have a blessed weekend.
In full pursuit of the greatest Trophy,
Scott Pace
