Day 1: Do you have a battle plan?
READ IT
Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.
TAKE IT TO HEART
You Plus God is Always a Majority
Former President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” He also said, “No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one.” One more well-known quote about planning is “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Dwight Eisenhower, one of the most successful generals in American history, said it himself that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. In our war against the darkness that fills this world, we must plan for conflict. We have to expect it, and it is not going to be easy. No battle ever is.
When I became a Christian as a child, my pastor told me that until that day, Satan had not worried that much about me. However, when I became a Christian, I sided with Satan’s enemy. He knows he can’t defeat the Lord Almighty, but His children are susceptible to attacks. Verse twelve says, “For our struggle.” Webster’s Dictionary says a struggle is “to proceed with difficulty or with great effort” or “to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition.” The verses also say we will struggle with more than a couple of things in this world. So, how do we get through this? Verse ten and eleven say it all. Those verses tell us to be strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God. Notice it did not say put on “your” armor. We are commanded to put on the armor that belongs to God.
Let’s go back to the Old Testament about a time where someone was offered someone else’s armor. In 1 Samuel 17, the shepherd boy after God’s own heart, David, offers to fight the Philistine champion Goliath after several insults hurled at God and His people. Prior to the biggest underdog battle in history, King Saul offers David his armor. He attempts to give him a helmet, a coat of armor, and a sword. David said, “I cannot go in these because I am not used to them.” So, David goes to battle with a giant wearing over 100 pounds of armor in probably a tunic and sandals, armed with a sling and some stones. While the over nine-foot Goliath carried a bronze javelin on his back, a 15-pound spear, and probably a sword as well, he was not the most equipped for battle that day in the Valley of Elah. David quickly showed Goliath and everyone else watching that the Lord definitely had David’s back. David might not have been used to Saul’s armor, but he was definitely used to God’s presence.
What is your battle plan for today? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there will be a struggle today. We can’t get away from it. However, like David, we can go into battle with confidence knowing that the Lord is with us. While our armor is not visible, we must wake up and equip our armor each and every day. People can’t see Christians’ armor, but make no mistake, it is there. What is our invisible armor made of then since we can’t see it, you may ask? Well, that is tomorrow’s devotional.
LIVE IT
• How well are you prepared for the day’s struggle as a Christian? What do you do to keep God’s presence close?
• What is a struggle you have been experiencing lately that you could use some help with? Reach out to a Christian brother or sister and ask them for guidance and prayer.
• Pray: Lord, thank You for being strong and mighty. Thank You for equipping us to battle the struggles of our world. Thank You for being the ultimate Victor over death and the grave.
GO DEEPER
Read 1 Samuel 17 and the story of David and Goliath. Notice how confident both David and Goliath were in their potential victories. Also notice how confident the Philistines were in their chosen champion. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord.
Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.
TAKE IT TO HEART
You Plus God is Always a Majority
Former President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” He also said, “No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one.” One more well-known quote about planning is “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Dwight Eisenhower, one of the most successful generals in American history, said it himself that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. In our war against the darkness that fills this world, we must plan for conflict. We have to expect it, and it is not going to be easy. No battle ever is.
When I became a Christian as a child, my pastor told me that until that day, Satan had not worried that much about me. However, when I became a Christian, I sided with Satan’s enemy. He knows he can’t defeat the Lord Almighty, but His children are susceptible to attacks. Verse twelve says, “For our struggle.” Webster’s Dictionary says a struggle is “to proceed with difficulty or with great effort” or “to make strenuous or violent efforts in the face of difficulties or opposition.” The verses also say we will struggle with more than a couple of things in this world. So, how do we get through this? Verse ten and eleven say it all. Those verses tell us to be strong in the Lord and put on the full armor of God. Notice it did not say put on “your” armor. We are commanded to put on the armor that belongs to God.
Let’s go back to the Old Testament about a time where someone was offered someone else’s armor. In 1 Samuel 17, the shepherd boy after God’s own heart, David, offers to fight the Philistine champion Goliath after several insults hurled at God and His people. Prior to the biggest underdog battle in history, King Saul offers David his armor. He attempts to give him a helmet, a coat of armor, and a sword. David said, “I cannot go in these because I am not used to them.” So, David goes to battle with a giant wearing over 100 pounds of armor in probably a tunic and sandals, armed with a sling and some stones. While the over nine-foot Goliath carried a bronze javelin on his back, a 15-pound spear, and probably a sword as well, he was not the most equipped for battle that day in the Valley of Elah. David quickly showed Goliath and everyone else watching that the Lord definitely had David’s back. David might not have been used to Saul’s armor, but he was definitely used to God’s presence.
What is your battle plan for today? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there will be a struggle today. We can’t get away from it. However, like David, we can go into battle with confidence knowing that the Lord is with us. While our armor is not visible, we must wake up and equip our armor each and every day. People can’t see Christians’ armor, but make no mistake, it is there. What is our invisible armor made of then since we can’t see it, you may ask? Well, that is tomorrow’s devotional.
LIVE IT
• How well are you prepared for the day’s struggle as a Christian? What do you do to keep God’s presence close?
• What is a struggle you have been experiencing lately that you could use some help with? Reach out to a Christian brother or sister and ask them for guidance and prayer.
• Pray: Lord, thank You for being strong and mighty. Thank You for equipping us to battle the struggles of our world. Thank You for being the ultimate Victor over death and the grave.
GO DEEPER
Read 1 Samuel 17 and the story of David and Goliath. Notice how confident both David and Goliath were in their potential victories. Also notice how confident the Philistines were in their chosen champion. Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord.