Going On Offense
Many women in the life of Highpoint are currently studying Ephesians 6 through Priscilla Shirer's The Armor of God, and learning about the weapons we’re given to guard ourselves in spiritual warfare. It’s a fantastic study that I recommend for both men and women.As we tackle this important topic, however, it’s critical that we don't simply stay in student mode. Whether you’re doing the study or not, we must all realize that the enemy isn't waiting on us to get our act together and find our weapons before he picks up his![bctt tweet="When learning about spiritual warfare, don't just stay in student mode."]When our family plays ping-pong, one of our favorite ploys is to try to serve before the other person is completely ready. If you can send the ball flying over the net before the other person is set, you can often catch them off center. Without their weight equally distributed, they can’t reach the other side of the table and are usually unable to return a well-placed serve. The enemy is just like this. He isn’t waiting for us to get our feet set, or even practice our return. He’s already striking the ball and preparing his spike. He’s just hoping he can catch us off balance so he can score.In ping-pong, there are a couple of reasons to use this sneaky approach. One reason is to speed up the pace of play. If you move from a lazy game of ping-pong and add a little energy, it’s easy to grab the ball after the last point and quickly serve. The person on the other side of the table is usually just a half-step behind. A half-step is all you need… and it’s also all that the enemy needs. Sometimes the pace of our lives speeds up out of our own busyness. Be careful: it’s often in the busy seasons of life when we become oblivious to many things around us. We start getting tired and irritated with circumstances and people. In our hurry, we lose focus on the fact that:
… our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.Ephesians 6:12
Unfortunately, busyness is not the only time we get caught off guard by the enemy. Usually, before we start a game of ping-pong, we lob the ball back and forth several times and then start keeping score. If you play by the rules, you’re supposed to have one set to determine who serves before the game begins. The problem is that the enemy doesn’t play by our rules. Often, we think we‘re just casually practicing when he’s already started keeping score.[bctt tweet="Spiritual warfare is not a one-way game."]To the enemy, this is not a game. He’s serious about disrupting the children of God as much as he can. We cannot make the mistake of thinking we’re just in a casual warm-up. We need to be prayed up and we need to be on alert. We also need to realize that God gave all of us the tools we need to play offense, not just defense. Spiritual warfare is not a one-way game.Take a few minutes today and read Ephesians 6:10-19 and evaluate which weapons you may have accidentally dropped along the way. We’re in a war. The enemy can’t steal our salvation but he is the king of destroying our peace, our relationships, and our hope. Don’t go another day without the tools you need to be victorious.Then get specific:
- What do you need to do to protect yourself and your family from the enemy’s attempts to discourage and disrupt?