By Nimmy Merlien Philip
Many a times, I am awed by our soldiers’ steadfast dedication, physical and mental toughness, and valiant sacrifice — And it has always kept me wondering, despite being fully armored, they never have a protection for their back. I believe it is because a soldier is taught not to turn back and run away from the battleground. Rather, he is encouraged to move forward and win the battle, irrespective of the circumstances he is in. If at any point he turns back and runs away from the battlefield, he will be shot in the back and killed.
For a Christian, life here on earth is both a testing phase and a battleground. We are fighting every day against our spiritual enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. How true it is, when Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 6:12, that “we wrestle against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” To stand up against these evil forces, it is important we surrender ourselves to the Lord, and ask him to take control of our life, to lead us, guide us and strengthen us in our everyday battle against our spiritual enemies. In Ephesians 6, the Lord calls us to put on the full armor of God. Note, he doesn’t say partial, or one or two armor of God, but he says full armor of God — so that we may stand firm and strong.
Satan is very much determined to shame you and he will not miss any opportunities to put you down
Satan is very deceptive and manipulating, there is absolutely no doubt that he is your enemy. The bible says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”. Satan is very much determined to shame you and he will not miss any opportunities to put you down.
For further reading about some common strategies of the devil refer to: https://renewinknowledge.org/2018/01/26/schemes-of-the-devil-the-director-of-evil/.
But that doesn’t mean you are defenseless. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:13-17 “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,” meaning have integrity always; “with the breastplate of righteousness in place”, the Lord is asking you to keep yourself pure and “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace” the Lord desires you stay calm and in tranquillity while in a battleground. In addition to all this, he urges you to “take up the shield of faith,” with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of doubts and temptations the devil shoots at you. Furthermore, He says, take “the helmet of salvation” meaning carry yourself with sanctity throughout the battle and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Interestingly, the Lord doesn’t provide a shield for your back, and my dear friends that is because, He doesn’t want you to turn back and run from the Christian warfare.
God has been equipping his children with these armor for ages now, and it has only been proved and testified by many from our Lord’s great army of believers that this is the only way we can stand against the devil’s schemes. Remember, we are not called to quit the battle and run away from it but rather to endure hardships (James 1:12) and be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power (Ephesians 6:10).
The next time, you are discouraged while in a battle against your spiritual foes, don’t give up nor turn back and run, lest you be defeated. Instead, put on your full armor of God, go down on your knees and fight the battle, for the victory rests with the Lord.
Nimmy Merlien Philip – Guest Contributor
Nimmy Merlien Philip is a freelance journalist from Manipal, India. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Media and Communication.