Living FearlessSample

Annie Get Your Gun

Years ago God spoke to me in a dream about the importance of being thoroughly prepared to do battle with the enemy. The images were so vivid and intense that they have remained with me ever since. In my dream I was inside the comfortable old farmhouse of my childhood. Normally full of warmth, charm, family love, and belonging, the house was now a place of fear and panic.

I was alone in an upstairs bedroom and an intruder had entered the house. Spread out on the bed before me were several handguns of different styles and calibers, along with bullets for each. The intruder began coming up the stairs. My mind screamed, Which one? Which one? I fumbled with the weapons, trying frantically to figure out which bullets went with which gun so that I could load one of them and use it to defend myself. Before I could do so, the bedroom door burst open and the intruder entered pointing a gun at me. Rushing over to the bed, he quickly overpowered me and dragged me to the floor. Then he was on top of me, and I was fighting desperately to get him off.

My dream ended at that point, leaving me with a terrible ache in my heart. I realized that I did not know the weapons of my warfare. Oh, I knew that I had some, but I wasn’t familiar enough with them to use them effectively. I didn’t even know which bullet went with which gun, much less have any of the guns loaded and ready. How could I possibly be prepared for attacks from the enemy? I couldn’t very well say to him, “Wait a minute! You can’t come after me yet. I have to load my gun!”

This started me on a major quest of asking the Lord, “Please, God, show me what my spiritual weapons are and how to use them. Help me to be ready to use them against the enemy whenever he comes against me.” I needed to be a trick shooter like Annie Oakley, as skilled with my weapons as she was with hers!

Courage on the front lines of faith requires a thorough knowledge of the spiritual weapons and other resources that we have, as well as supreme devotion to and confidence in the One for whom we fight and who fights for us, taking our battles upon Himself.

We can be encouraged in the assurance that God’s banner is over us, His blessings are upon us, and His boldness is in us.

Reflect & Pray

1. What spiritual weapons has God given to you? Which do you use when the enemy tries to overpower you? Which do you want to use more?

2. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:8 and write what this armor of God means to you in your battle against evil.

3. All of us go through bad experiences, and if we are not careful, Satan uses them to eat away at our faith. What can you do to keep Satan from poisoning your thoughts?

4. Meditate on this verse: “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in compassion and loving-kindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever” (Psalm 103:8–9).

Dear Lord and Savior, thank you for your strength and power. Teach me how to keep my spiritual weapons loaded

and ready. I will remember that you said, “ Little children (believers, dear ones), you are of God and you belong to Him and have [already] overcome them [the agents of the antichrist]; because He who is in you is greater than he (Satan) who is in the world [of sinful mankind]” (1 John 4:4). In Jesus’ name, amen.