Bible
Study: Ephesians 6, 10 to 20 and Luke 13, 31 to 35.
Dear
friends, do you still remember that song: “We are soldiers, soldiers of the
Lord, we are soldiers, fighting for the Lord, in the name of Jesus, we shall
conquer…” Yes, we are soldiers. And the war we fight is not against flesh and
blood but against principalities and powers. Just as the war is not a physical
one, the weapons of this particular war are not also physical.
To succeed
in this war, we must first REALIZE THAT WE ARE ON A BATTLE GROUND. We live in a
world that is not our real home and we are surrounded by enemies and thieves.
Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal, to kill and to
destroy.” In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus refers to Herod as a fox. Woe
betides the soldier who goes about eating and drinking freely not knowing that
he is in the midst of a battle.
Secondly,
we must realize that LIFE IS BEYOND THE NATURAL REALM. Just as your thoughts
control your physical actions even though you cannot see your thoughts, there
are invisible forces and powers responsible for the events of the natural
realm.
Thirdly,
we must be KNOW WHO OUR ENEMIES ARE. Our struggle is not against people, it is
not against our so-called enemies, next door neighbours, co-workers, colleague,
competitors in business etc. Quite often, we attack human beings rather than
the principalities and evil spirits responsible for their actions. You cannot cure
a sickness by treating the symptoms, you only cure it by attacking the virus or
bacteria itself which is the root cause of the sickness.
Fourthly,
we must be FULLY DRESSED UP FOR BATTLE ALWAYS. Just as no soldier would run
into a battle field without being properly dressed and armed, so also, we
cannot afford to fight without the appropriate battle kits. And these are:
1. THE
BELT OF TRUTH. Never tell a lie. Speak the truth at all times. Being truthful
is itself a weapon that many Christians do not know about. Some of us are
chronic liars and because we tell lies, Satan, the prince of liars is always a
guest in our hearts.
2. THE
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. To be righteous is to have a ready disposition to
do the right thing at all times even when it entails sacrifice on our part.
Righteousness is living above sin. It is outright refusal to compromise with
sinfulness all in the name of “we are only humans.”
3. SHOES
OF EVANGELISM. As St. Paul says, for your feet put on whatever will make you
ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. Another strong weapon against the
enemies of our warfare is the proclamation of the Gospel.
4. THE
SHIELD OF FAITH, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows
of the evil one. Faith is a shield. When
trials come your way, it is like bullets from the devil, but with an unshakable
faith, the bullets do not penetrate your spirit.
5. TAKE
THE HELMET OF SALVATION. Just as a helmet protects the head thereby giving the
soldier confidence to press on. We must fight knowing that salvation is already
assured because Christ has won a victory for us on the Cross already. This
battle is a won battle, we cannot afford to be crushed. We must renew our
confidence in God everyday.
6. The
SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD. Pray with the Bible everyday.
Never let a day pass without reading something from the Bible.
7. PRAY IN
THE SPIRIT AT ALL TIMES in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep
alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Prayer is the
key. Imagine a soldier on battle field fully armed for war standing face to
face with the enemy yet he refuses to pull the trigger. That is how many of us
Christians are when we refuse to pray.
Let us
pray:
Lord
Jesus, by your blood on the cross, grant us victory over the enemy. Amen.
Be Happy.
Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you.
Fr. Abu
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