This Is A War Cry

Are you sick and tired of the devil trying you? Are you ready to take back everything he stole from you? Well, it won’t be an easy victory, to say the least, but God has given us everything we need to win. Brothers and sisters, this is a ‘War Cry’.

We’re in week 4 of introducing what reFRESH is all about and this week we’re covering S, which stands for Strength.

One of the weirdest things about this pandemic is that I seem much busier now compared to when the world was ‘open’ and free of this virus. With all the tasks set before me, I truly seek the Lord and His strength daily.

And while trying to be all that God has called us to be, here comes Satan with all his schemes to try and throw us off course. But when we say “Not Today, Satan”, have we made sure we’re equipped to fight Him off? Well, today will be the day we learn (or revisit) what our weapons are.

Ephesians 6:10-20 breaks down The Full Armor Of God: a belt, a breastplate, shoes, a shield, a helmet, and a sword.

I love how God uses different metaphors and analogies in the Bible because it gives everything a nice perspective and in the end, it makes so much sense! Here we have the full armor of God, and some may wonder: “Why didn’t God just plainly tell us what we need?” I believe the Lord wanted us to grasp the concept that this ain’t just any kind of fight. This ain’t no fistfight in the streets or something we can resolve on our own strength. We have to be prepared and dressed for a battle! Suited and booted, if you will. Verse 10 tells us that we are to gain strength from the Lord. And what we have to understand is that we aren’t fighting against flesh and blood. (v. 12) Forget fighting people or anything physical. We are literally battling evil spirits!

I remember being back in grade school and one of my classmates, for whatever reason, wanted to fight me. I can’t remember exactly why she wanted to fight, but I’m sure it was over something petty. She was very upset and yelled in my face, practically begging me to get up and hit her. I moved not one inch. You know why? I got bigger battles to fight. I remember thinking, “I’m sorry sweetheart, but you are not worth my time and definitely not worth my energy,”. I praise and thank God for giving me wisdom at such a young age and I can say that I’ve never been in a physical fight in my life because I know 1) ain’t nothing worth me putting my hands on anyone and 2) the Lord already told me my battle ain’t even with people.

(Y’all excuse my improper grammar. This is how I talk, so I gotta keep it 100 here on the blog. I pray you’re still able to receive what I’m saying.)

I say all this to say that the Lord wants us to understand that we shouldn’t be wrestling with flesh and blood, but preparing our hearts and minds to go into battle with the real enemy. People may try to provoke you into fighting them and Satan himself may even try to convince you to do so, but he’ll only do that to blindside you. Remember that God has already handled any physical battle. God basically said, “Look. Don’t even worry about them. I got that. I need you to prepare for this spiritual battle. And don’t even trip. I’m giving you everything you need,”

The Amplified Bible does a nice job of explaining the armor and what each component represents. First, there’s the belt or band of truth, which gives us integrity and courage for the fight. Notice how the Amplified Bible says ‘moral courage’, not physical courage. Moral courage gives us integrity and helps us to remain honest during tough situations. Then there’s the breastplate of righteousness that gives us an ‘upright heart’. Let us not forget to equip our feet with readiness for the gospel of peace. And above all of this, hold up that shield of faith confidently! Boldly put on the helmet of salvation and prepare to slay those evil spirits with the mighty sword, also known as the Word of God. We need to actively study the Word of God to prepare for battle.

Remember, this is not something that should be taken lightly. We must stay in His Word. We must maintain a spirit of integrity. We have to continue to hold on to faith, because our eyes may deceive us. We must keep our focus on the Lord as He guides us through this thing.

I know people be trying you! Trust me! I know! But that ain’t nothing but the enemy! As we like to say, “We got bigger fish to fry”. You must use the “shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” (v. 15, AMP) Don’t allow the enemy to break your focus.

Like I said in the beginning, THIS IS YOUR WAR CRY! ARE YOU READY FOR BATTLE?

If you aren’t, as my brother or sister in Christ, Imma need you to get ready, Amen? We are in this together! It’s time to pick up our weapons and FIGHT! God is looking for His warriors who won’t back down in the face of the enemy. And He knows it’ll be challenging, but He didn’t leave us hanging. Hold on to His strength today and use what He’s given you to make it through.

reFRESHments

Read Ephesians 6:10-20 (I highly encourage you to read from the Amplified Bible. The footnotes are a great addition to the scriptures as well.)

Read Psalms 46:1

Read Chronicles 16:12

Song: War Cry - Micah Stampley