Training for Battle

Ephesians 6:10-17

Verse 13  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

    Now that we know we are in an invisible battle we can talk about putting on our invisible armor.  Each piece has its own purpose in the battle and must be fitted for each user.  The warrior must also have a thorough understanding of how the piece of armor works and how to use it.  Just as a soldier in a nation’s military, a member of God’s army needs to be prepared for every situation.

    To be prepared for every situation enables a soldier to withstand the onslaught of the enemy.  Sure, there may be battle scars and there may be setbacks but it isn’t because of the armor, it is because of lack of training, not seeing the truth about the enemy’s tactics and because of lack of practice with the piece of equipment.  While a physical army isn’t guaranteed the victory, as Christians we have already gained the victory through Christ.

    This is the thing every soldier of Christ must understand and remember, He has already won but we must stand strong in the battle we are in.  While the enemy would like us to believe we are defeated, we are on the winning side.  The enemy is not going to retreat and so the battle lines are still drawn and the armies are busy in defending their sides.  We must hold the line and when possible advance it.

    To hold this line requires knowing our Commander’s battle plan which means understanding and holding to His theology in the whole of our lives.  If we don’t understand what it means to hold firm to the faith of who God is, who Jesus is, what Jesus came to do, His death and resurrection, and who the Holy Spirit is and how He works in our lives we will not be able to hold the line no matter how much armor we have.

    The first three chapters of Ephesians give us the theological truths we need to be grounded in to be able to use the armor and the next two and a half chapters will give us the practical ways to live out those truths.  The armor does us little good if we are not fit for battle.  Just as a soldier needs to go through a regime of physical exercise we have a responsibility to stick to a regime of faith exercise.  We need to work hard to show the evidence of our salvation, growing evermore like our Lord.

Making It Personal

    How deep are you in your training of Scripture?  Do you see the Lord as your commander?  Are you a warrior He can depend on?

Making It Personal Kids

    How important is it to you to learn the truths about Jesus?  What do you think it means to have Jesus as your commander?  What are some things the soldier of Jesus should do?

Closing Prayer

    Father, thank You for calling us into battle with You.  Give us the courage to gear up and stand up for You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.