Thoughts Along The Journey

A helpful post from Karry which we will re-post here:

It seems all the world is united. We are waging a climactic battle against one common enemy. It is a virus about one-half micron tall. A few hundred years ago nobody understood. Certainly, when Paul wrote Ephesians, people knew nothing of germs.

Of course, we all should battle the Covid-19 virus. Let’s sequester ourselves, flatten the curve, and wash our hands. We believe, however, there are even greater things in play than our health or individual survival. Our ultimate concern has to do with eternity. We wrestle against the “rulers … authorities … cosmic powers over this present darkness … spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” As serious as the Covid-19 virus is, our ultimate battle is more serious. It has eternal consequences.

The whole world is living this trauma in different ways. Several times each day, we have to stop to remind ourselves. God has not lost. He has not lost a battle. He has not lost control. He has not lost sight of us. We have not slipped out of His protecting hands.

When anxiety encroaches and fear sneaks in, we stop, and we remember. We are wrestling a spiritual battle for minds and affections and allegiance — starting with us. The identity of our enemy is the devil and his evil spirits who operate under the cloak of this present darkness. Their strategy is to deceive our minds and hearts and, ultimately, to weaken our faithful allegiance to Christ. Anxiety and fear are their allies.

God supplies us with armor against such thoughts and emotions and impulses. The text says we are to take up the “full” armor God supplies. The first thing on is the warrior-girdle of truth. It is bound strong around the waist beneath all the other equipment and anchors everything in place.

Take truth. Bind it thick and strong around your core. Connect your thoughts to it. The warrior-girdle of truth will protect you from the devil’s lies and the fear he means to incite. The truth is, our perfect Father keeps his eyes on us. He has us always and forever in His hands. The world shakes now. But his love is unwavering. His intentions are undeterred. Our hope is certain. That is truth.

Lashed securely to the girdle of truth, our impenetrable breastplate is Christ’s righteousness; we have all of it. The devil cannot accuse us of sin. Jesus paid for our sin. This virus is not sent by God to destroy us. Jesus died for our sin. On our feet is the gospel of peace. This virus is not hostility from God. His anger was expended at the cross.

Faith is the shield that protects us from the fiery darts of the devil. Those lies are extinguished by faith. The reality and finality of our salvation in Christ is like a warrior’s helmet protecting our minds from the attacks of our enemy. Our salvation is sure.

While we battle to defeat Covid-19, we also remember our ultimate battle. Our primary means of wrestling comes in verses 18-20. We pray. God is our sovereign. Christ is our redeemer. The gospel is our peace. Our faith is in Him. Our salvation is settled. God’s Word is in our hands. We stand in this armor…to pray. We pray for each other, and all the saints. We pray for their protection. But we pray for more.

This armor of God is really for people like us – people who have aligned ourselves with God’s mission in history. This is a missionary’s text. It is missionary armor. I don’t want to lose sight of that. Especially in this time of crisis.  God, please grant us all boldness in witness.

All around the globe, we World Team members are quarantined. Paul himself, wrote this in chains. But he remembered, even in chains, he was Christ’s ambassador. While we wait, let’s pray and ask God to embolden our witness. Now while we are confined. And later once the quarantine is lifted.

Filed under: Prayer, Sharing the Gospel story |