We are God’s Warriors

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.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

A few mornings ago as I woke up I said to myself, “I am God’s warrior” and then I crawled out of bed to start my day. It was really weird, but in fact, the little phrase is true. We are all God’s warriors, and together as a body of believers, we make an army, but not in the violent sense.

In Ephesians 6:10-18, it talks about the “armor” God has given us in order to fight the bad guys in our lives. Many times, these bad guys can be temptation from the devil or false teachers. We are called to wear the armor of truth and salvation in battle, to uphold our faith within all circumstances, and resist temptation.

The one thing I like to think of as the biggest bad guy in my life, and I think in a lot of our lives, is this – worry. Worry can essentially tear you farther away from God, and it is always a huge battle to overcome. But in Ephesians, it mentions a very important armor God has given us to overcome worry – the gospel of peace. God’s Word and God Himself, bring us peace. Knowing we are loved beyond compare by our Father in heaven and that He will provide for us gives us a sense of comfort. We can rest in these truths and seek them always, especially at those times when we are caught up in worry.

The most important thing isn’t knowing what’s ahead, but it is trusting in God and surrendering our lives to Him.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for dressing us in armor and creating us to be your warriors. Help us to not get caught up in worry, but to seek the gospel of peace always. We love you, forever and ever, Amen.