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Day 16: Pastor Howie

Fight Not Flight

 

Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”

Fight or Flight. We’ve all been in situations where we have an initial reaction to either flee or become confrontational. For much of my life I did not like confrontation. I would choose to avoid confrontation all the time. Sometimes I would physically leave a situation, and sometimes I would just emotionally and mentally check out. As I’ve hopefully matured a bit, what I’ve learned is that confrontation can actually be a good thing. Sometimes it’s good to fight. Fighting for justice is a positive example of fighting. Standing your ground, choosing to battle for the right thing is beneficial to you and those around you.

When it comes to the schemes of the devil, we’re told in Ephesians 6 that we need to be able to stand against them. There is a sense of aggression in this passage. We are told we are to wrestle, and that the battle requires armor. 

How do you stand against a scheme?  A scheme is a plan of deception. The way to fight a plan of deception is to know reality – otherwise known as the truth. 

I think for most of us we’re not confrontational against the schemes of the devil. We’re pretty content living our lives as though an evil force does not exist in this world, that there is an active agent pursuing our downfall. We’re  fine with going about our business. But we’re supposed to stand against. Standing against requires facing the enemy, bracing ourselves, leaning into the force against us and driving forward to oppose it.

We put on the whole armor of God because it’s a battle. This armor provides protection, but also provides weapons for the fight. We have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Bible, and the shield of faith. With these two things in hand, it puts us on the offensive against the schemes of the devil. We have no way to fight except through the word of God. and The Shield is not only a defensive object but it is an offensive weapon. It protects us from the darts of the devil and allows us to keep moving forward.

And then we are called to pray. Ephesians 6:18 states, “praying at all times in the Spirit…” Be ready for the fight. Scripture, faith and prayer are your weapons. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

 

Prayer

Lord, I want to be ready for the fight. I ask for the faith to stand strong, the perseverance to continue standing even when the fight is at its toughest, and the knowledge of your word so that I can fight back. Thank you for providing all I need to stand against the schemes of the devil.