It's Elementary my ol' Chap!

Well im finally feeling better. Pain is gone and the swelling is going down and I can finally focus on something for a change. Have you ever had those moments where God takes you back to the basics? Like something you learned as a kid in sunday school, or maybe when your in middle school...I dont know. But here lately, God has really been breaking me down, humbling me, and really helping me to see the bigger picture. Ive been praying a lot for His help against the devil (or as me and a friend like to call him, "the jerk.") and telling Him that I cant do it on my own. You know at times the jerk really comes at you hard and strong, and its hard to stand your ground. But anyways about the title of this post. Like I said God sometimes takes you back to basics, and for good reasons. Most of the times its because we forget what the basics are. Anyways I was having a conversation with somebody today and they asked the question about the Armor of God. The question was why didnt God give us any Armor for our backs? I mean it seems like a legit question. Something that I hadnt really thought about before. But Let me show you the passage...its from Eph 6:10-18(NIV):

The Armor of God

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For 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. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ok so back to the question. Why didnt God give us any Armor for our backs? Well I sat there, and read threw the passage. Then it hit me. It was sooo simple and right there the whole time. God didnt give us any armor for our backs because NO WHERE in that passage does it talk about giving up or turning around and running for the hills. No, instead it says "....stand your ground..." Now anytime I think about putting on Armor, I always think about all those medevilish movies or maybe even Braveheart where there all preparing for battle, and you see all these nice and shiney Knights in their armor, and you see all these scruffy looking scottsmen with their dresses and wooden sheilds, loading up the trebuchets. So obviously there preparing for something huge. Its a battle! Your supposed to fight against the enemy....a fight to the death! All swords drawn, at all costs, bring out the big guns, balls to the wall, never give up, never surrender, take no prisoners, fight until fight cant fight any longer....thats the kind of attitude you have to have in any battle.

So if God calls us "to put on the full armor of God.." and "...stand firm against the devil's schemes..," why is it that when we are put under any pressure at all we fold? We run for the hills in retreat and fear. See if we do that, our backs are exposed, our own flesh. The part of us that in this sense, God is not covering. So whenever I got done talking to this person, I soon realized that God had put that in front of my face for a reason and that He was trying to get me to realize something so basic, so elementary. And the only reason why I write all these things is not to call out others or talk about something that really gets on my nerves.....no. Its to get out what God has laid on my heart. I say all these things because I am guilty of it too. And hopefully by speaking my heart maybe others wont make the same mistakes I do. But all in all, it was just one of those moments where God says "ya know Chris, look here, lemme show you something that you already know, but seem to have forgoten."

But I thought it was really awesome, and something that I definatley needed to see. Well its late so I think Ill put a close to this post because I have a huge theology test tomarrow. UGH. But Ill leave you with that passage from Eph 6 again, but this time ill show you the paraphrased version from The Message:

A Fight to the Finish

10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

13-18Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.