We have been given weapons… not the physical weapons like the bullets, bayonets and bombs of the battle in the Valley… not physical breastplates, shields and swords… these are spiritual weapons… seems like I was taught (and therefore taught others), that we used these weapons to protect ourselves… we used them defensively… note the words in this scripture…
“…take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 [f]in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
It reads… to resist your attacker… to stand firm after we have done everything we can to protect ourselves…. then the breastplate that protects my vital organs… the shield to protect myself from all those flaming arrows he is shooting at me... the helmet to protect me from attacks on my mind… and, of course, the sword… to protect myself whenever the enemy got close.
I am excited to say that we can use these weapons offensively… not just to protect ourselves… but to attack the enemy. I watched Colonel Moore lead the charge on the enemy position… overrun their forward position… organize a coordinated attack on the base camp… and the gates of hell could not prevail against that attack!
My daily prayer has evolved over this past ten years from that beginning in 2006… I am on the attack every day now I am physically able…. at 4 different times each day I go on the offensive against the evil one and his principalities and powers. The gates of hell cannot prevail against that.
🙂
