We Are Disciples on the Spiritual Battlefield

This fall, SCFBC is featuring seven Life Groups – four on Sunday mornings and three on Thursday evenings – that will study Dallas Willard’s book, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship. I hope you will sign up for one of these Life Groups, and join the journey to grow to be more like Jesus together. Whatever season of life you are in, Jesus is always there to be your guide, your teacher, your "Rock," and your friend. Whether your spiritual life is thriving or stagnant, full of life or worn out and tired, His promises are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Jesus promises us an eternal glory and an inner renewal when we fix our eyes on Him day by day. It is the daily walk with Jesus that empowers us to grow deeper in spiritual maturity and to be spiritually prepared for whatever challenges we face in life. 

In preparation for writing this article about discipleship, I read about "putting on the full armor of God," in Debbie McDaniel’s blog on crosswalk.com. The Spirit opened my eyes to what it means to be a disciple of Christ, and to be aware of the constant spiritual warfare that is happening all around us. There have been more times than I’d like to admit when I haven’t prayed before beginning my day. The spiritual warfare we battle is often not seen, but unseen. For example, the enemy wants us to feel defeated. His goal is to kill, steal, and destroy the lives of believers and the disciples of Christ. The enemy wants us to be confused, to have doubts, and to feel separated from God. He wants to entice us with the temptations and distractions of this world. The enemy wants to keep us from reading the Word of God, from praying at all times, and from giving thanks to God in all circumstances. So let us not give the enemy an opportunity to get inside our hearts and minds. Let us, instead, equip ourselves daily with "the full armor of God."

Ephesians 6:12-18 – New International Version (NIV)

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Now, I will share with you some of my thoughts about these Bible verses:

The Belt of Truth: A belt holds weapons of warfare, such as a sword or a dagger. It holds up clothing, so that it doesn’t get snagged. The belt is the symbol for our integrity. As God’s disciples, let us be men and women of truth and integrity, by putting on the belt of God’s truth daily. Spend time reading the Bible, and meditating on His word, so that you can discern what is true and what is a lie. Let us have integrity in both the small and big things in our lives.

The Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate protects our vital organs, especially our hearts and our minds. Righteousness, as it is used here, refers to our purity. The enemy wants to attack us with impurity and to find our weaknesses. Don’t be fooled by lies and deception. Keep your heart pure before the Lord.

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace: If we have our feet firmly planted in God’s provision of peace, we will not make war. War is the opposite of peace. Satan will discourage us, create doubt, and place thorns of conflict in our way, so that we will stumble and fall. As disciples of Christ, we can cling to Jesus, our Prince of Peace, in times of difficulty. And when we feel challenged, we can do what Christ has taught us to do. Don’t let anger, bitterness or resentment take a foothold in your life. Don’t let unforgiveness harden your heart. Justice belongs to the Lord, and He has a plan that is much better than ours. God can provide us with His divine peace, no matter what situation we may be facing.

I encourage you to sign up for a Life Group this fall semester, in order to learn more about how to be a disciple of Christ in the spiritual battles we face every day. Let’s "put on the full armor of God," so that Christ can give us what we need to stand firm as His disciples in this world. God is on our side, and we are never fighting our battles alone. He is always working on our behalf, He shields us, He guards us, and He gives us strength. Christ is our peace. The peace He gives is not as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27).