The Need for Spiritual Power
Good morning. Many years ago, my family lived in the far north of MN in a little town called Pit. It had a population of 6, so when the Harris family moved in there was a population explosion of 40%! At the time my dad worked for Reserve Mining Company with the daily job of surveying the rail lines supporting the trains that hauled raw ore to the taconite plant in Silver Bay, MN. The rail lines took a beating since the trains hauling the ore were incredibly heavy. Scheduling work crews for repairs was Dad’s main responsibility, but there was a sideline, an unscheduled and unreported benefit.
This extra element of the far north rail lines was to arrange the pick-up and division of the occasional dead bull moose. You see, a fully grown bull moose is the biggest, baddest, dude in the woods…until he meets a train. The bull moose would hear the whistle of the train and it would sound (to his ears) like another moose challenging him. He would then climb up onto the tracks, lower his massive head with its grand antlers, dig in his feet and wait for the collision with the oncoming challenger, which in this case was a train loaded with raw ore.
The great bull moose can win pretty much every battle in the northern woodlands, but not one with a train. After such a collision, my dad would find the moose and arrange for a new distribution of fresh moose meat among the rail workers.
I share this unfortunate story (unfortunate because I prefer to see moose alive and well), because it comes to my mind when I consider the 6th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In verses 6-18 we are told about preparing for battles that are not unlike those of the moose versus the train: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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. Therefore, 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.Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And 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 Lord’s people.
In this passage of scripture our Lord is warning us that there are battles that we are absolutely not suited for no matter how tough and well prepared we think we might be. The problem is the nature of the enemy. As the moose finds out, his battle isn’t with another of his own kind, it is with an entirely different class of weight and power. So it is with us. Our fight 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.
For a battle of this nature, we need an entirely different type of power and armament. We need to Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.In other words, you fight a battle against a spiritual opponent with spiritual force and protections. These are readily available to the servants of the Lord, but they are spiritual resources that must be actively sought and applied.
I don’t know what your battle will be today, I don’t even know what the enemy will throw at me today. But this much is certain: if we are to have any chance at victory, we must be fully armed and readied with the full armor of God. We are given a list of these armaments, and every piece is vital. Take a look at the list and make yourself ready. You know the enemy is coming for you, he always is. But you also know that in Christ Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit within us the victory is secured when we call upon His holy name!
God bless you in your battles today!
Vern