The battle plan (fight) 3

When we are in a spiritual battle, it is important that we have our battle armor on. Paul, in writing to the church in Ephesus, said, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles [schemings] of the devil." (Ephesians 6:11) Do you have your armor on? You should! Paul went on to list the pieces of the armor and here they are:
1. The belt of truth- This part of the armor keeps our Christianity held up. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. The way we combat his lies is by truth.
2. The breastplate of righteousness- The breastplate protects our heart and chest from the fiery darts of the enemy. Satan would love it if we would trade in the righteousness of Christ for the sinfulness of Satan.
3. The shoes of readiness- The shoes are the message that we take to others (the gospel). Satan loves it if we leave the house without our shoes on. He doesn't want us to share our faith with others.
4. The shield of faith- The shield is what we use to block the arrows of fear. It stops them before they hit our body.
5. The helmet of salvation- The helmet protects our mind. Satan loves it if we are constantly questioning our salvation. The Bible says that he is the accuser of the brethren. This piece of head gear also protects our eyes and ears.
6. The sword of the spirit- The sword represents the Word of God. This is our offensive weapon. If we have all the other pieces of the armor on and do not know how to use this one, we will be protected but we will not be able to fight back.
7. The power of prayer- This is in addition to the armor. When we are in the battle it is important to be in prayer. This is like calling for back up. This creates a spiritual shield around us.
Make sure you put on the whole armor of God!

The battle plan (fight) 2

I once heard a story of a Christian who had enlisted in the army. He shared the barracks with a bunch of non-Christians and they gave him a hard time. Every night, when he would begin to say his prayers, they would curse at him and throw things at him. He decided to let his Sergeant know about it. The Sergeant said, "Well, if you don't want them messing with you, just say your prayers in silent." The soldier gave that a try, but as he began to pray that night in silence he felt like the Lord wanted him to pray audibly. He responded by falling on his face and talking to his God about those in the barracks. He prayed for their salvation every night. And within a few weeks they stopped throwing things, three of them had given their life to Lord, and he was teaching a Bible study in the barracks. Can you imagine if this soldier would have stayed silent? Paul writing to Timothy tells us, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (I Timothy 6:12) If we stay in the battle and do not let our voice be silenced, lives will be changed.

The battle plan (fight) 1

As a Christian are you ready for a fight? Are you ready to go toe to toe with the enemy? Some people think that being a Christian is a non-confrontational relationship. There is nothing farther from the truth. We are engaged in a daily battle. It will sometimes feel like you are walking around with a target on your back. That's okay, because God is with us. If God is for us who can be against us? Paul writing to young Timothy told him this, "This charge I commit to you, Son Timothy, according to the prophesies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare." (I Timothy 1:18) It is good that we engage and not retreat, knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord and that He is going to give us final victory!