Letters of Paul: 30-Day Reading PlanSample

You’re Not Fighting a Losing Battle

You could look at the state of society and lament that “everything’s going to hell in a handbasket.”

Sometimes it seems as if lies flourish while truth is as rare as gold (Psalm 12:2). Yet, Psalm 12:6 reminds us, “the words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground.”

When your work, school, or city starts to feel foreign, keep in mind that your heart matters to God, and so do the hearts of those who are far from him.

The enemy lies and says God has abandoned us to a wicked and perverse world, and our only option is to isolate or assimilate to the culture. But God’s Word shows us a third option — drawing close to Him and allowing His working through us to change the culture we’re in. So how do we do that?

In Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul teaches us to equip ourselves with the same vigilance as a soldier preparing for battle. While we don’t fight against flesh and blood, we do fight against powers and principalities of evil. That requires weapons that cannot be made with human hands.

When we fight with the armor of and weapons in Ephesian 6, we vanquish the enemy, and we gain back ground in this spiritual war, and the best news of all no matter how messed up the world around us seems, this spiritual battle is one fight where we’ve been guaranteed victory.

Reflect:

• How could your outlook on spiritual warfare change if you equipped yourself as Ephesian 6 says?
  
• Have you ever felt alone in your faith? What steps can you take to change that?
  
• Has there been a time where the armor of God would have helped when your efforts have failed?