Preparation for Battle

Ephesians 6:10-20

"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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (v. 13-17)

I remember when I was younger I would always look forward to Saturday morning. Although it was exciting that there was no school that morning, the real excitement was the Saturday morning cartoons. The entire morning would be filled with cartoons. It was a child's heaven to be able to sit through hours of television. There are many good memories of most of the cartoons. As an adult looking back, I didn't realize how violent they were. However, this is for a different discussion.

One of the famous cartoons is Bugs Bunny. There were many similar episodes where Bugs was "dueling" with a different character such as Daffy. During the duel, each of the characters would run off the screen and return with a bigger weapon. Each time, the other would attempt to "outgun" the other.

In real life, if were in war, wouldn't we prefer to be behind the bigger guns than our enemy. The cartoons are funny, but in real life your life may be at stake. If we knew that war was imminent, then would we not "drop everything" and prepare for battle?

It is clear that we are constantly in battle - not physically, but spiritually. There is a constant struggle, and there are real enemies that want us to fail. Do we want to enter these battles unprepared? How "lucky" do you feel to run into a middle of battle without your helmet and a gun? Well, "it's not time yet." "It's not my responsibility, but the Sargent's." "I don't look good in green." "Let me sleep five more minutes, and I'll definitely do my best afterwards." "Let's compromise, I believe in peace." We may not receive physical wounds and feel any pain, but spiritual warfare does leave wounds and lead to bleeding to death if untreated. We are less effective when we become wounded, and struggle.

Therefore, let us not wait until we feel pain to prepare ourselves. Let us indeed put on the full armor of God everyday. Let us sharpen our swords and use it all times. Let us not just admire it, but exercise it to improve our skills. Let us be prepared and be victorious.