During the past week I have been reading and meditating on a New Testament passage
from the letter to the Christians in Ephesus written by the Apostle Paul while
he was in a Roman prison (Ephesians 6:10-20).
This Scripture passage has become especially meaningful to me because of
its relevance to my Parallel Journey experience.
No longer do I have a vague, nebulous concept of the forces of darkness but understand that they are real and active in our world. Paul makes it clear that we as believers in Jesus are being opposed not by “flesh and blood” but by powers, authorities and forces. In my post, “Open Your Eyes,” I related how my attitude toward the people who seemed to be my tormentors changed and I began to pray for them, realizing they were merely captive tools of the evil one, in bondage to his power and were destined to an eternity of horror.
In 2 Corinthians 2:4, Paul says plainly that the truth of the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, “…in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Think about it! That means that every atheist, member of a cult or false religion and every dictator, murderer, rapist, thief, extortionist and criminal of the worst kind, potentially, could come to see the light of the Gospel. They are not our true enemy. So how are we to deal with the real enemy of the human race?
Paul uses the analogy of the Roman soldier’s armor to explain the spiritual readiness that followers of Jesus are to equip themselves with to do combat. Being chained to a guard 24/7, he had a lot of opportunity to develop this imagery, borrowing also from Old Testament metaphors, which he knew so well.
The most important role for the Christian in spiritual warfare, Paul insists, is to “stand firm,” mentioning it three times in the passage and “resisting” once. Foremost in the believer's armor is the foundational “belt of truth.” This “belt” for the Roman soldier was probably more of a wide leather band around the hips, not what we normally think of as a belt about the waist. Its purpose was to provide a very stable stance in battle, forming with the legs a sort of “A” frame base from which the soldier would fight and to which the rest of his armor would be anchored.
Of utmost importance, then, for being able to stand against the devil and the forces of evil is knowledge of the truth, the Word of God. Jesus, praying to the Father, said, “Your word is truth.” And, He said of Himself, “I am…the truth.” So then, knowing the Scriptures and their author is vital to staying in the battle.
So many times during my shadowy journey those forces tried to take me down with doubts: Was God present with me? Would He even hear my prayers from that place? And with threats of accusations for sins when they began to download all the images, thoughts and actions recorded in my brain’s memory cells. Thankfully, in each case there were verses that came to mind that put a stop to the attacks.
On this earth, then, if we are to be effective and remain standing in the spiritual warfare that rages around us, it is vital to be well grounded in the Word of God…to study, meditate on and memorize it. Interestingly, the only offensive weapon mentioned in the passage is the “sword of the word.” Thus, the Word of God is both the foundation for our defense and the only basis for offense against the might of the devil’s forces. Don't leave home without it!
Be diligent to present yourself approved of God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15
No longer do I have a vague, nebulous concept of the forces of darkness but understand that they are real and active in our world. Paul makes it clear that we as believers in Jesus are being opposed not by “flesh and blood” but by powers, authorities and forces. In my post, “Open Your Eyes,” I related how my attitude toward the people who seemed to be my tormentors changed and I began to pray for them, realizing they were merely captive tools of the evil one, in bondage to his power and were destined to an eternity of horror.
In 2 Corinthians 2:4, Paul says plainly that the truth of the Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing, “…in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Think about it! That means that every atheist, member of a cult or false religion and every dictator, murderer, rapist, thief, extortionist and criminal of the worst kind, potentially, could come to see the light of the Gospel. They are not our true enemy. So how are we to deal with the real enemy of the human race?
Paul uses the analogy of the Roman soldier’s armor to explain the spiritual readiness that followers of Jesus are to equip themselves with to do combat. Being chained to a guard 24/7, he had a lot of opportunity to develop this imagery, borrowing also from Old Testament metaphors, which he knew so well.
The most important role for the Christian in spiritual warfare, Paul insists, is to “stand firm,” mentioning it three times in the passage and “resisting” once. Foremost in the believer's armor is the foundational “belt of truth.” This “belt” for the Roman soldier was probably more of a wide leather band around the hips, not what we normally think of as a belt about the waist. Its purpose was to provide a very stable stance in battle, forming with the legs a sort of “A” frame base from which the soldier would fight and to which the rest of his armor would be anchored.
Of utmost importance, then, for being able to stand against the devil and the forces of evil is knowledge of the truth, the Word of God. Jesus, praying to the Father, said, “Your word is truth.” And, He said of Himself, “I am…the truth.” So then, knowing the Scriptures and their author is vital to staying in the battle.
So many times during my shadowy journey those forces tried to take me down with doubts: Was God present with me? Would He even hear my prayers from that place? And with threats of accusations for sins when they began to download all the images, thoughts and actions recorded in my brain’s memory cells. Thankfully, in each case there were verses that came to mind that put a stop to the attacks.
On this earth, then, if we are to be effective and remain standing in the spiritual warfare that rages around us, it is vital to be well grounded in the Word of God…to study, meditate on and memorize it. Interestingly, the only offensive weapon mentioned in the passage is the “sword of the word.” Thus, the Word of God is both the foundation for our defense and the only basis for offense against the might of the devil’s forces. Don't leave home without it!
Be diligent to present yourself approved of God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15
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