Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Eph 6:13 ESV

Armour Ready – Part 5

Go to  PART 1  |  PART 2  |  PART 3  | PART 4

There’s a story in the first book of Samuel where a young David declared in front of the whole Israelite army that he would fight Goliath in hand to hand combat to the death. At this stage, David wasn’t a king or a military mastermind with years worth of experience. He was a shepherd with an instinct for courage, an eye for strategy and an eager heart to outwork what he felt was so natural within him. When wild animals came to take his flock for food, he attacked them, killed them, conquered them. On his own. With his own hands and weapons. One day he found himself at the front line of battle, where his brothers were stationed and saw Goliath threaten the freedom and lives of his fellow tribesmen. So he did what he was born to do. Protect, with courage.

King Saul was thrilled that finally someone was going to take the fight to Goliath. But I can imagine that as David came close enough to be seen by King Saul, the King would have noticed his youth, his shepherds clothing, his lack of armour and weapons; David's inexperience showed. So the king offered David his armour. It was not the armour of a normal soldier, it was the armour of a king. It came with a bronze helmet and chain mail and a heavy sword. Saul was said to be a foot taller than all in Israel, while, at the time, David was a teenager, not yet fully grown. David tried the armour on, and it wasn’t right. Not the right size, the right fit and height, or weight for him to carry. Saul's armour didn’t belong on David's shoulders. He took it off and went out to fight Goliath with what was his own.

We do this daily. We face battles, oppositions, people, struggles, situations and circumstances that seem to be against us with ill-fitting armour and weapons that are too heavy to carry. Armour that’s been produced by a broken and pain-filled world, reeling from the onslaughts it’s suffered from a history that keeps on repeating itself. Like David, take that armour off, don’t fight with it. It will weigh you down and increase losses on all sides.

Take up what has already been given to you; what is already yours.

“Stand, therefore with truth like a belt around your waist and righteousness like armour on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.” – Eph 6:14-15

And then pray. Pray and pray and pray. For everyone, everything, everywhere. Make your whole life a prayer, open to the divine, a flow of communication and strength from the infinite, of the infinite.

Don’t fight fire with fire, hate with hate, violence with violence, fear with pain, anger with confusion… lay down those weapons. Take off that ill-fitting armour that looks awkward and hard to carry. Remember who are you, whose you are, and that he has inbuilt into you, the things you need to fight the darkness that persists to threaten the actualisation of the peace and love of God in the lives of those around us.

Fight the good fight.

To be continued…
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