Prepare for Battle

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of he devil.”- Ephesians 6:10-11

The Apostle Paul is a master of using imagery to get his point across.  In today’s verse he not only draws on allusions from the Old Testament, but that of the weaponry of a Roman soldier.  The Christians life is a constant war against an enemy that is determined to make us stumble.  To fight this spiritual force we need spiritual strength, because if we try it on our own we will ultimately fail.

Prayer is a key to drawing on the strength that only God can provide.  Reading scripture is another.  The average person spends between 3-7 minutes per day in prayer.  Is that enough to overcome an enemy that is attacking 24 hours per day?  I will let you decide the answer to that.  We must never underestimate our enemy.  We must be like the Roman soldier who is constantly ready for battle.  We must always reinforce our armor with prayer, and sharpening our swords which is the word of God (Hebrews 4:12).