Joining the Battle: Ephesians 6:10-20
A few days ago, I heard a whisper.
Not in my ear, although Joey very much enjoys sharing a good "skee-ret," as he calls it. This whisper, though, was in my heart.
OK, Katy, it’s time to stand up and get back in there.
If I’m being completely vulnerable here, my last few months have been spiritually… well, ugly. No, I haven’t walked away from my faith or railed against God or even doubted Him. I’ve just… given up. Honestly, I feel like I’ve been curled up in the corner while the enemy kicks me, unable to stand up and fight. Every lie that he’s thrown at me, I’ve believed. Every past mistake he’s hurled back at me has landed.
I. felt. defeated.
Until that whisper.
For several months now, God has repeatedly brought to my mind Ephesians 6:10-20, the "armor of God" passage. Through a song lyric, in an off-hand comment from a friend, or even just by popping them randomly into my head, those verses have been on repeat in my mind. And when I heard the Holy Spirit telling me it was time to stand up and fight, I knew just what I needed to read.
Listen. You know that I love to talk about purpose. God has a purpose and a plan for you. He has called—invited—you out of darkness and his glorious light (1 Peter 2:9). He has seated you with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). But being part of God’s family doesn’t mean we just sit around and receive blessings. God’s purpose is not simply to point and say, “You get to go somewhere great when you die.” No, my friend. He calls us to life with him, to action, right here and now.
If we are part of the family of God, then we are called to fight in this spiritual war.
It sounds intimidating, I know. Scary, even. But here’s the good news: God has already won the victory. The war is won. God is the victor, and “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). We know the outcome, and we are invited to participate in the victory with him.
Come on. Tell me that doesn’t get your blood pumping.
And friend? You don't have to fight alone. We are in this together. Paul wraps up this portion of Scripture by reminding his readers to "keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints" (verse 18). In other words, we need to pray for each other. So I'd love to pray for you today in whatever battle you're facing. Would you take a moment to hit "reply" and tell me how I can pray for you? I read every single message I get from you and would consider it an honor to approach God’s throne for you!
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty on fire for this portion of Ephesians right now, so we’re going to be talking about it for the next, well, several weeks. (I'm still walking through this myself, so we'll figure out together, 'k?) If you know someone who would appreciate this encouragement, please feel free to pass this along to them!
And if someone has forwarded this message to you, click here to get my emails in the future. (You’ll also get the first 5 days of my new devotional journal, Life on Purpose: 30 Days of Listening to the One Who Calls You.
