Ever read the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as a kid? I remember this book from 1st grade I think. Anyways…that was yesterday…well for a bit. Anyways, I awoke to realize that my alarm hadn’t gone off when it was supposed to. It was 7:10. I needed to be at class at 7:30. I live 30 minutes away. That means basically an absence. So I decided that I would just wait until I needed to leave for my 9:30 class. So I left actually a little early, getting me there on time…until I realized once nearly there that I had left my backpack at home. It was one of those days.
Lucky for me, after realizing I had missed my opportunity to attend my 7:30 class, I laid in my bed. I have made it a deal that I read my Bible in the morning while still in bed from my phone. (thank God for Bible apps) So a month or so ago, I started out in Romans and worked my way through the New Testament. Friday was Ephesians chapter 6. This chapter first talks about children obeying their parents (a good idea for sure), but the major portion of this chapter deals with the Armor of God. It is a neat text for sure and it would prove crucial. Verse 12 of chapter 6 says this:
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
We don’t think about this much but I find it very true. Especially when I am in seek mode right now. I am definitely trying to figure out what God wants to do with me. I want to know that His Spirit is guiding me and I want to allow Him to do so. I know that when I do this, I tend to get attacked in the way this verse describes. It is a very real attack we as Christians take. I am not trying to blame the devil for all I do wrong, but at the same time, he would love nothing more than to see my fall.
So after coming all the way back home, I decided to skip the whole day of school. Good decision or not, I did it. On my way back to Springfield (to do non-school stuff), I remembered what I had read that morning. Then it occurred to me that I was not gonna let that scary old devil beat me. I have the God who created me, the God who created everything, even the devil himself. How can the devil beat someone who created him? That’s like my lego masterpieces leading a revolt against me and winning. It isn’t and can’t happen. So, out loud, as I’m driving I basically tell the devil he doesn’t scare me and that he can’t beat me as long as God is on my side. I then crank a song that basically describes the battle between the devil and God.
The song is by Oh Sleeper, a Christian metal band and it’s called Son of the Morning. Song is about the devil telling God that he is basically gonna win. All the while, the chorus of the song says “If you could see like me you’d see, you haven’t won anything. If you could see like me you’d see it’s by my grace you’re breathing.” This is God saying, “you only get to stay around because I’m allowing you to.” Why should we then fear the devil if we have God on our side? Should we be aware of the devil and his schemes? Yes. Should we be concerned with what he is doing? Yes. Should we be so scared that we don’t leave the house? No. We have God’s Word and his Spirit to guide and protect us. We know how it is going to end in Revelation 20-22, with Jesus victorious. In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with the whole passage about the Armor of God. Read it. Soak it in. God’s Word is life-changing.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
