Stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. At all times, carry faith as a shield, for with it, you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. Accept salvation as a helmet and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. Do all this in prayer, asking for God’s help.
Ephesians 6:14-18
Seven tools have been given to each one of us to get through this life’s journey and still stand firm at the end. We can all agree that life can beat us, drag us, pull us, do all sorts of things to us, and if we are not fighting with the right tools, it can destroy us.
What tools are we fighting with? And remember, this is not a physical fight. It is a spiritual fight. As we see in Eph. 6:12, we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.
The enemy fights nonstop, and therefore we should prepare and constantly stand ready with God’s whole armor. Not one piece of it, not two out of the seven, but the entire armor to protect us from the crowns of our heads to the soles of our feet.
The soldiers wear their full-body gear on a battlefield, from their helmets down to their combat shoes which protect them. They are constantly training and always alert. They have to be alert because they do not know when their enemy will attack and not want to be taken unawares. It also helps to know the means their enemy attacks, so they train even more in that area. They might rotate shifts, but the point is someone is always alert and watching.
Same scenario. The world is a battlefield, and just like the soldier, if we are not constantly training and staying alert, there will be no fight because we will be defeated. We have to know how the enemy attacks. He might be cunning and decisive, but he is mostly predictable. Any area that is our weak spot is where he tends to attack most. When we win the fight, we get even stronger and more confident to face the next.
We build up our strength (not our physical strength) with the power of God, who gives us victory. So do not worry if you think you are not strong enough for all the challenges you face. You are not alone. We have to start from somewhere. Verse 10 of Eph. 6 says, “build up your strength in union with the Lord and through His mighty power.” We train using the seven tools that have been made available to us.
These tools are:
- Helmet of Salvation (protects our mind)
- Breastplate of righteousness (guards our heart)
- Belt of truth
- Shield of faith
- Sword of the Spirit
- Shoes of peace
- Prayer
We all have access to them; it is up to us individually to use them. We (parents)cannot teach our children how to use these tools if we do not know how to use them ourselves. With all the things happening in the world these days causing people, even children, to be afraid, depressed, anxious, and so on, we must utilize the unique gifts we have from God. The first step will be to humble ourselves, ask God for forgiveness, make that declaration to do His will with the help of the Holy Spirit, and continue to feed our souls with the word of God. Let God take care of the rest. Believe me, when I say it is worth it.
I will be going over each of the tools and how to use them in subsequent posts.
Let us all arm ourselves with the whole armor of God so that we will be able to fight off the evil one and all his evil tricks and still hold our grounds at the end.
May God bless us all and our families as we strive to do His will.
Ngozi