Praying through the Struggles in Life

Several years ago, I played in a softball tournament.  What makes it memorable for me is that it rained the day before the tournament started.  The grounds people put sand down on the infield to help manage the water.  They tournament was a special five on five tourney.  We played with a dead field and had five people on a team.  We ran alot.  I am not now, nor have I ever been a runner.  We ran forever.  All of it in that sand.  I hurt for a week after that tourney was over.

Sometimes life can feel like we are running in the sand.  We are moving as fast as we can, but we just don’t seem to be getting anywhere.  Afterwards, we are sore and wore out.  What can we do in times like this?  Over the last few days, we have looked at the battle behind the battle in our lives (if you want to read the whole series, click the ”Armor” link under Tags).  The Bible tells us that we are in a nasty “hand to hand” struggle with the evil one.  To prevail, we must use all of the resources God gives us.

Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us about the warfare we are in.  It also details for us the resources we need in order to prevail.  The final item listed is prayer.  The Apostle Paul writes, “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18, ESV).  Simply defined, prayer is our communication with God.  It is one of the tools He uses to interact with us.  In order for us to get anywhere in our spiritual lives, we must learn the discipline of prayer (see “Prayer” under Tags).  Paul reminds us that we are to pray at all times.  Good times.  Bad times.  All the stops in between.  Pray when we feel like it.  Pray when we don’t.  Pray is the medium God uses to shape us and to strengthen us.  Through prayer, we grow closer to Him.  We develop a keener insight into His will and His ways.  We need to take the time to pray.

The First Century Light Saber

I was watching Star Wars this weekend.  Notice I said Star Wars.  No roman numerals.  No subtitle.  The Star Wars from my youth.  The one I stood in lines around the block to see.  Jawas and Sandpeople.  The Cantina Band.  The Death Star.  The Star Wars where light-sabers were first introduced.  I always thought that light-sabers were so cool.  That zzzzzt sound they make when you turn them on.  The hum.  The crackle when they hit something.  Way cool.  I would love to have a light-saber.

As you know, light-sabers only exist in a galaxy far, far away.  The romantic weapon of our world is the sword.  For hundreds of years the sword served as the primary sidearm for soldiers in battle.  This is especially true for those in the Roman Legions.  The Roman’s primary weapon was his sword.  With it he could deflect the blows of an opponent and go on the offensive.  His short thrusting sword helped conquer the known world.

In the Bible, the Apostle Paul challenges us to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11, ESV).   Once we have buckled our belts, grabbed our shields, and put on our helmets, we are to pick up the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17, ESV).  The Bible is the weapon of choice for us as believers.  God has given us a record of Himself and His work.  We are to use it well.

It’s interesting to note that out of all the pieces of armor Paul lists, this is the only item used on offense.  It is the truth of Scripture that serves as our weapon in this hand to hand battle with the evil one.  It enables us to deflect the misconceptions he authors.  It gives us the insight we need to prevail in battle.  The author of Hebrews tells us, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, ESV). 

In an age where truth is subjective and relative, it is important to know that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).  We are to be wise in our use and application of Scripture.  Anyone can hack and slash.  We need to handle Scripture with grace and kindness.  We need to use it skillfully (2 Timothy 2:15).  We must know what the Bible says.  We need to read and study it.  It must be more than something we set on a bookshelf.  It is part of our arsenal.  It is our lone weapon.  It protects us and helps us move forward.  It cuts through all the half-truths and misconceptions that swirl around us.  Take up your sword and use it well.

Put on Your Helmets

When I was in high school, I played football.  Well, to be totally honest, I played football one year and didn’t really get in much.  I will never forget one game in particular.  We really got thumped.  It wasn’t even close.  What I remember most is after the game.  We began to line up to shake the other team’s hands, and one of our coaches ran along beside us saying, “put on your helmets and put in your mouthpieces.”  The next thing you know, punches are flying and both teams were in a melee.  I don’t remember a single play from our playbook.  I do remember that call to “put on your helmet.”

The Apostle Paul tells us that we also need to put on our helmets.  He writes, “take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17, ESV).  He draws his imagery from the Roman soldier that is probably sitting next to him.  A Roman soldier’s helmet was a key in keeping him alive in battle.  The helmet, made out of metal (typically bronze), protect the soldier’s head in combat.  While a soldier may not have worn one frequently outside of combat, he would have always put one on when he engaged in it.

As believers, we must protect our minds.  The helmet of salvation does this in a couple of ways.  For one, it reminds us of the assurance we have in Christ.  John writes, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, ESV).  When we doubt, the helmet of salvation assures us that the God who saved us is the God who keeps us saved.  We are secure in Him.  Paul writes that we can be “sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:6, ESV).

Furthermore, the helmet of salvation suggests the need for us to guard our minds.  We have often heard of the ”battle of the mind.”  What fills our minds is important.  Paul writes to the Romans, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, ESV, emphasis added).  We must protect our thought lives.  We must be on guard against the things that could prove damaging to our walk and our service.

As Christ comes into our hearts, we must also let Him renew our minds.  We must think differently.  We cannot give a foothold to the things that might corrupt our hearts.  We must lean on the assurance that comes from Jesus.  His assurance is what helps us overcome the fears and the doubts the evil one swings at us.  We must guard our minds.  We must put on our helmets.

Grab Your Shield

One of the things that makes superheroes great is their gadgets.  You know.  Spider-man has his web-slingers.  Iron-man has his armor.  Daredevil has his billy-club.  And Captain America has his shield.  That shield is so cool.  No one else has a shield.  There is just something special about it.  I remember that as a kid I would cut shields out of cardboard, decorating the front with one design or another, and then running off to win the battle and save the world.

As we continue talking about the tools we need to stand firm in our faith, we turn our attention to our shield.  Paul writes, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16, ESV).  The shield was vital to the survival of a Roman soldier.  Typically, it was four feet high by two feet wide and was covered in leather.  It could be dipped in water to help extinguish the flaming arrows that enemies would shoot at it.  For centuries, Roman soldiers sought protection behind their shields.  It could protect virtually from head to toe.  Their formations depended on it.  The shield was absolutely essential. 

Paul tells us that faith is our shield.  It is faith which protects us from all the things Satan throws our way.  It is fatih that saves, and faith that helps be confident in our salvation.  The Bible tells us that we are made right with God through faith.  In Romans, Paul writes, “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, ESV).  Furthermore, our confidence is rooted in faith.  It gives us assurance.  The author of Hebrews says, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, ESV). 

At its most basic, faith is trust.  It is not simply believing.  It’s more than that.  It is a complete surrendering.  It is trusting God to do what He claims He will do.  It is believing that Jesus is who He said He is, and did what He said He did.  It is the confident expectation that God will keep all of His promises.  Not some.  Not most.  All of them.  When we doubt, we are encouraged by faith.  When we fear, we are strengthened by faith.  When we hurt, we are comforted by faith.  When we are tempted, we are delivered by faith.  We we are stagnant, we are motivated by faith.  The evil one will attack.  He will shoot those arrows dipped in pitch and set ablaze.  When those arrows approach, it is our faith that knocks them away.  It is faith that extinguishes those flames.  Grab your shield.  Head to the battle.  Stand firm in your faith.

Specialty Shoes

When I was a kid, shoe buying wasn’t the all-day experience it is now.  Back then, shortly after fire was invented, there seemed to be two kinds of shoes.  There were dress shoes and there were tennis shoes.  Or, as my mom described them, “good shoes” and “play shoes.”  Now, you walk in to buy a pair of tennis shoes and stand in front of a wall with sub-categories and flow charts.  Cross-traininers, basketball, tennis, walking, and running shoes (what, no standing shoes?) are all options.  Once you pick a category, you get into the breakdowns of the breakdowns.  High-top, low-top, mid-top, no top, leather, nylon, air soles, gel, on and on and on.  Shoes have become so specialized.

Continuing to look at what we need to stand firm in our hand to hand engagement with the evil one, Paul reminds us to put the right things on our feet.  He writes, “and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:15, ESV).  Roman soldiers wore special shoes that enabled them to move and to stand with stability.  Their shoes had spikes in the bottoms of them to dig into the ground and give them traction.  They were a precursor to the modern football cleat.

As believers, we are to stand firm in the peace that comes from knowing Christ.  We are not to be tossed around by every wave and speculation that presents itself.  Paul writes that we are to ”no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14, ESV).  A growing relationship with Jesus gives us a certain stability. 

Standing firm in that peace, we then are to be prepared to tell others about who Jesus is and what He has done.  We have the wonderful opportunity to let the people in our lives know the difference He can make.  The prophet Isaiah writes, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7, ESV).  The gospel of Jesus is indeed “good news.”  As a matter of fact, that’s what the word “gospel” literally means.  It’s good news we can share.

We must be ready to take advantage of the opportunities we have.  In the New Testament, Peter tells us, “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV).  Every day we have chances to point people to Jesus.  A distraught co-worker.  An overwhelmed neighbor.  A frustrated classmate.  A questioning spouse.  All of these are opportunities.  Make the most of them.  Be prepared to tell someone about the peace that’s available in Jesus.  After all, it will probably be easier than buying a new pair of shoes.

Protect Yourself

I few years ago I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease.  I had suffered with kidney failure for years, but it finally reached the point where I had to start dialysis.  I was extremely fortunate because my time on dialysis was short, and  I was able to receive a kidney transplant.  I say all this because I know firsthand how important our internal organs are.

Warriors yesterday and today alike realize the same thing.  In places like Iraq and Afghanistan, our troops where protective vests designed to guard their hearts, lungs, and everything else.  The idea is not new.  Roman soldiers wore armor to protect the same things two thousand years ago.  Their breastplates were made out of leather or layers of metal, and they served as protection in the soldiers’ upclose style of combat.  As Paul continues his call for us to stand firm against the schemes of the evil one, he calls for us to put on the whole armor of God.  As he lists piece after piece, he challenges us to, “put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14, ESV). 

When we come to Christ, the Bible tells us we are made righteous.  God declares us righteous.  In a legal sense, He has removed our sin.  That is the basic meaning of the word “justification” (you can read more about that here).  The practical result of Jesus coming into our lives is that not only does He declare us righteous, but He enables us to live righteously.  For simplicity sake, think of the word righteous meaning “right.”  In other words, Jesus makes us right with God, and then He empowers us to live our lives the right way.

If we do not put on the righteousness of Christ and seek to live in a right manner, the chances of us taking a “fatal” blow go way up.  We are vulnerable in all the wrong places.  Satan, who seeks to engage us in this hand to hand struggle, will find a way to cripple us.  We must, therefore, wrap our lives in the righteousness of God.  In the book of Romans, Paul writes:

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.  Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14, ESV).

Don’t let Satan manipulate or tempt you into the wrong things.  Instead, strive to live a life obedient to God.  Protect yourself.  Guard your heart and everything else that matters.  Shield yourself with the righteousness that comes in Jesus.  Do the right thing.  Live in His power.  Walk in His way.  He has made it possible for us to that.

Buckle Up

From time to time, safety agencies run campaigns to encourage people to fasten their seatbelts.  As a result, phrases like “what’s holding you back” and ”click it or ticket” become part of the public consciousness.  One of the more simple slogans was “buckle up.”  Simple, but effective.  Right to the point.  You are safer when you buckle up.  We see that in our Christian life, we too are to buckle up.  Only, our primary concern is found beyond the confines of our automobiles. 

A few days ago, we asked and answered the question “Who Are You Fighting?” (click the link to read).  Once we identify who the enemy is, we must begin to implement biblical principles in order to be effective in combating him.  Returning to Ephesians, we read, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth”(Ephesians 6:13-14, ESV).

Paul writes this letter while he was in prison.  He may very well have been chained to a Roman soldier as he talks about a Christian’s need to put on armor.  It’s not hard to imagine Paul looking at the soldier and thinking about how the various pieces correlate to the Christian life.  He begins an examination of those pieces by encouraging us to buckle the belt of truth.

A Roman soldier’s belt was the piece that held everything together.  Other pieces of armor fastened to it.  Swords hung from it.  It was essential to the whole.  As the Roman belt held everything together, truth is essential for the Christian’s ability to stand and prevail.  Jesus said He was, “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).  When He prayed for His disciples, He asked God to, “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth” (John 17:17, NLT).

One of Satan’s great weapons is deception.  As far back as the Garden of Eden, Satan has been using lies to distort God’s word and to deceive God’s people.  If we are to stand effectively against him, we need to buckle on truth.  We need to know Jesus.  We need to know His Word.  Until we do, we will constantly be tossed back and forth by the things of this life (Ephesians 4:14).  We will walk tentatively and fearfully through the trials of our lives.  We will be easily tempted and deceived by the evil one who seeks to derail us (Psalm 119:9).  Be strong.  Be safe.  Buckle up.