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Day 7: Offence, Not Just Defence: Is The Battle Won?

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:1-16, Ephesians 6:17

We’ve had some really incredible thoughts through Surge Armour this month! There couldn’t be a better way to start the month and gradually close out the year! And as we wrap up today, we’d be looking at the last Armour piece listed in Ephesians 6, which is the Sword of the Spirit- the Word of God

Typical African parents always have a good hold on final words in a serious or heated conversation with their children. You’ll hear things such as “remember the child of whom you are”, and it usually comes with all the seriousness and emotions of “you will see me trailing you if you try to do anything wrong”.

As we get to the last Armour described by Paul in Ephesians 6, I can’t help but pause to see how Paul is closing out his letter to the church in Ephesus. In this letter, he had largely encouraged and instructed the church around God’s calling and the need to walk worthy of the calling, breaking it down to everyday living and relations with the people in our world (Parents, Spouses, Slaves, Masters etc) and then he caps it up with how we should prepare for and fight the Christian battle! 

There couldn’t be a better conveyer of this message than Paul, who is writing from prison, a place of persecution. He truly earns the right to tell us all to “remember the child of whom we are”

The last amour today isn’t one meant to only defend, but one for offence also. 

Paul likens the last armour, the Sword of the Spirit to the Word of God. Every other piece  that we have studied about (the belt of truth, helmet of salvation, the boots of the gospel and the shield of faith) protects, wades off, keeps away, holds us in, and so on. But a Sword doesn’t just defend us from another sword or anything coming at us but it avails us the opportunity to fight and slay!  

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart  Hebrews 4:12

My paternal Grandmother had a dog while we were growing up and she named it “Siddon Look” (means sit down and look) because the dog never barked or fought back- it was either always just sitting, staring, sleeping or eating and being friends even with the strangest of strangers. In converse, my parents had this dog “Jack” that was a true Jack. You can’t visit if you don’t give prior notice!

We aren’t just Christians for the tag or title. If anything, we need to defend the title as champions. 

If you’ve ever seen a wrestling or boxing bout, the fighters don’t merely protect their face and other parts of their body. What is a dog that only sits and watches, and can’t scare people/animals/stuff away or even bite them to death! Our Christian battle isn’t complete if we don’t fight the battle. And what’s more, fighting right- fighting with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. 

We are constantly faced with battles, you probably have even faced battles in these few days of Surge Armour, some mild, some major, but can I remind you that the Christian battle is not for meals, bills, health, a career, business, relationship… it is a fight for your faith!

What the devil is after is not to take our money, or pencil, or sewing machine, or laptop- he’s fighting hard to steal what he can never have- our faith, our walk with God, our right standing with God. It only makes sense to brush your teeth with tooth paste- I mean, use the right tool. 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

We can either fight back being fully kitted with the Full Armour of God or set up a pity party and have as many guests as possible and watch the enemy thrive over us. 

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. Jude 1:3

“Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well 1 Timothy 1:8

God’s word is filled with God’s treasurable, precious, priceless promises that carry us through our Christian journey and help us to fight a good fight. 

We fight from a place of Victory!

The battle we fight here is won already! there are battles beyond people’s strength and ability, but the battle that the Christian fights is one that has been won. We are fighting from a place of victory and not defeat. Jesus won this battle over 2000 years ago and we are only reinstating this in our time and day and in every varying form that they appear.  

“In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us Rom 8:37

We build, we fight

who were rebuilding the wall. Everyone who hauled building materials kept one hand free to carry a weapon Nehemiah 4:17 (CEV

 We don’t just wear one piece of the Armour and leave the other, we are fully kitted fighting right.

We must wake up everyday with the renewed burden to put on the full amour that God calls us to. Keep yourself reminded of these elements of the Full Amour again. Do not be unaware of the devices of the enemy but even beyond that, stay aware that God has won the victory already, so allow God to work in you such a resilience, strength and vigour to fight from a place of victory. 

 

Something to pray
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Pray that as you do life, you will constantly stay aware that the all-conquering, victorious God is with you, and that you are victorious in Him.. 

 

‘Debola Moody

2 Comments

  • Blessing Ojo
    Posted November 7, 2020 at 6:27 am

    Thank you ma’am. Great insight

  • Czar
    Posted November 8, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    I fight from a place of victory!
    Thank you ma!
    I really needed this!

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