Fully Prepared

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives].” Isaiah 59:19 AMP

I’m pretty much a coward. I don’t like conflict.

In a perfect world, I’d live in Peaceville just down the road from Content and around the corner from Tranquil.

But, I don’t live in a perfect world and neither do you. Like it or not, we are in a life and death mêlée against Satan and his angels. Our fight (and make no mistake, we are in one) is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

To fight a battle and win requires access to the finest armaments and armor. Frankly, my personal arsenal is laughable; there’s not much there. Left to my own devices, I have one battle plan for every difficult situation – retreat and isolate. A poor choice, as that defense plays me right into the enemy’s hands. He knows if I am hiding, I’m not making a difference in my world.

To depend on my store of weapons would be foolishness personified. I tend toward cowardice, but I’m not dense. I know that I am up against far more then I can handle on my own. I know that my enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, with an insatiable appetite seeking to overcome and destroy me (I Peter 5:8). He fights dirty – at times he stoops so low as to disguise himself as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11:14).

Wisdom pushes me to acknowledge my weakness and to petition the Father for help.

As a child of God, there’s a well stocked armory available to me filled with the best weaponry and a protective armor, powered by the Divine, that can’t be beat (II Corinthians 10: 3-5). I put it on, and I am covered head to toe. The only part of me left unprotected is my back (there’s no allowance for retreat). I don’t pick and choose the pieces I will use . . . I put on ALL of God’s armor.

Life is hard and I want to be prepared to take a stand. Fully armored, I do all that the crisis demands and I stand firmly in place against anything Satan throws my way. When my heart is right with God, I can fight with courage because He goes before me. I venture forth with His anointing upon me and praise for Him on my lips and in my heart. He says, “Follow Me!”, and I follow. I obediently follow Him into battle knowing that He is worthy of my total dependence on Him. Whatever difficulty comes my way, I am fully prepared because Christ strengthens me.

Prayer: “Father, help me to hold my ground,

having tightened the belt of truth around my loins and having the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God. I shod my feet in preparation to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news of the Gospel of peace. I lift up over all the covering shield of saving faith, upon which all the flaming missiles of the wicked one are quenched. I take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God. I will pray at all times on every occasion, in every season, in the Spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty. To that end I will keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints – Your consecrated people. Amen” (based on Ephesians 6:14-18 AMP)