Weapons for Spiritual Warfare

“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.” – Ephesians 6:13-18

The spiritual Marine is fighting in God’s army and must be prepared for war. The Marine for God must be proficient in the tools of the spiritual fight.

Let’s look in depth at this list. Remember that these weapons are like any other, they are only useful in the well trained hands of a committed Marine. It does no good to simply have a sword laying around collecting dust. A real warrior keeps their sword sharp and their swordsmanship even sharper.

Belt of Truth

Even today the warrior on the battlefield wears a belt. Attached to this are all of the necessary items, canteens for water, ammunition clips, maybe a small pack for food and other things, a gas mask etc. The belt ties everything together. In the same way truth is essential to spiritual warfare. We must know the truth, believe the truth and have confidence in the truth to win the lifelong fight against Satan. The enemy's weapons are based on lies. We cannot defeat lies with lies, we must use the truth. We gain truth by asking the fundamental questions of faith. We gain truth by searching diligently for our own answers. Like the belt that holds the scabbard the truth of God's message is the support for all our other tools.

Breastplate of Righteousness (flack jacket of righteouness)

A breastplate is used to protect the heart. Today we call these bullet proof vests and flak jackets, so it could be the bullet proof vest of righteousness. The heart and the head are the most vulnerable points on the body. The breastplate is intended to protect our hearts. Scholars suggest Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians in a hurry but I am sure that he spent a great of time chewing on this entire analogy. Lonely days making tents or lonely sleepless nights in prison would give him the chance to think deeply about the similarities between his early soldier days and the his later role as spiritual leader. I don’t believe that he simply rambled off a bunch of military analogies just to pump up the ‘NASCAR Dad’ demographic in Ephesus. I believe that he likened righteousness to a breastplate because righteousness protects our hearts.

When we engage the enemy but we refuse to protect our hearts we become vulnerable. Satan exploits this vulnerablity through the compromise of our personal moral standards and our acceptance of shortcuts in the fight. The shortcuts are temptations from Satan! Have you ever felt that if you could make Christianity just a little more palatable then surely a close friend would become a Christian? Maybe a few more drinks than usual at the bar, maybe meeting them at their favorite restaurant even if it is Hooters, or maybe even lying to them and treating your faith as just a minor part of your life, something to ‘keep the wife happy’ or ‘teach the kids.’ You convince yourself that you will be more serious when this friend is actually interested in becoming a Christian. We have all heard these lies and most of us have given way to the temptation to use them. We figure that there is a shortcut to winning hearts and fishing for men. We may even complain that God’s rules make His mission too hard to achieve.

There are no shortcuts. On the battlefield the same temptation exists. A vest is heavy and constricting. The Marine may say to themselves, wouldn’t I be a better warrior if I removed this burden? Couldn’t I shoot straighter without all this padding? We all see the failure in this logic. When we engage in battle we must protect ourselves. When we engage in spiritual battle we must protect our hearts and minds from temptation.

Shoes of readiness (combat boots of peace)

Do you have a sturdy pair of boots? Something that you rely on for hiking or camping? You put them on your feet and you don't work about what you might step on or in. With those boots on you are ready to do anywhere and do anything. The fact that the boots are on your feet give you peace of mind. When we concentrate our daily walk with God upon achieving peace we are ready for whatever may come. Therefore like our daily ritual of putting on our shoes for work each morning, so too we ready ourselves with peace in our hearts.

Shield of Faith (body armor of faith)

Our faith is our shield. Paul was certainly familiar with David’s psalm, ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield.’ (Psalm 28:7). Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Heb 11:1). Our breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts but it is our shield of faith that is the first line of defense.

On the modern battlefield the infantry no longer carry a shield. There is little beyond the bullet proof vest and a Kevlar helmet to stop enemy bullets. Instead we use armored vehicles to get close to the enemy. The modern armored vehicles are equipped with technology called ‘reactive armor’. The armor is actually a blanket of C4 explosive placed on the outer panels. The C4 charge is placed in such a way that it explodes away from the vehicle. This protects the vehicle from a projectile by causing a large explosion that slows or stops the round from penetrating the vehicle skin. It is effective at stopping many weapons. In fact there are several reports that the armor on the Abrahms tank is so strong that accidental friendly fire left several of our own tank rounds embedded in the armor of our own tanks. In other words our shield are so good we can’t even stop our own tanks!

For the infantry this type of armor instills confidence. The infantryman feels protected when inside that vehicle. Without this kind of confidence they are unwilling to trust anything but themselves. So too we must trust in our own faith to protect us. The flaming arrows of Satan may come like enemy fire but the armor of faith will hold firm.

When we take our stand against the devil we are sure to receive even greater temptations than we previously had. Flaming arrows of lust, envy, greed, laziness and selfishness seem to come with greater frequency. There is a temptation to run. Imagine that infantryman inside of the vehicle, the sounds of ricochet bullets on all sides. The temptation to get out and run is overwhelming. Can you really trust the armor to hold? You say to yourself, surely I will be able to survive better if I get out and run. It takes patience and strength of character to stay on the battlefield and hold your ground, when the bullets start flying. As Marines for God we must have the strength of character to rely on God’s shield, our faith. That is the moment when we understand Paul's command to, "stand your ground." Don't compromise, don't let your heart be overwhelmed by temptation. God will protect us, our faith is our shield.

Helmet of Salvation (Kevlar helmet of salvation)

Our hearts and our minds are inextricably linked. We cannot believe in our heart if we do not believe in our heads. Satan’s main weapon is deception. Deception is not an attack on our hearts but on our minds. He wants to turn our hearts from God by first leading our minds away from belief.

Paul also uses the breastplate and helmet analogy in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, ‘But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (1 Thess 5:8)” The helmet is hope and hope is based in our minds. We must believe that something can happen before we have any hope of it happening and it is the prospect that we will be saved from God’s wrath that provides us hope, through Jesus Christ.

The ‘helmet of salvation’ is the constant recollection of our salvation. When we remember and believe our salvation, we protect our minds from Satan’s lies. Paul wrote to the Corinth church, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all and therefore all died.(2 Corinth 5:14)” We are convinced that Christ died for us and that is what saves us. We are given salvation in Jesus' act. It defies logic and even defies our human emotion to forgive at such a price. In other words we would never sacrifice our own child for only the possibility of reconciling with friends and family who acted against our wishes. Our salvation will never ‘make sense’ to us. We constantly need convincing. It is our reason for regular communion, it is our reason for yearly celebrations and rituals, it is our reason for re-reading passages we may already know by heart. This is the helmet of salvation. We keep it on our heads in battle to defeat the temptation to question our own faith.

Sword of the Spirit (M-16 of the Spirit)

"This is my rifle. there are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of my enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen." - Rifleman's Creed, Major General William H. Rupertus

No warrior can enter the battlefield without mastery of the offensive weapon. The standard issue weapon is the M-16 assault rifle (today there are many different versions for urban warfare). It fires a round just larger than a .22 caliber. The rifle has no special scope or defining characteristics. In fact it was originally created for the designer’s wife since it was light and gave very little kickback. Despite this very unassuming portrait, it is one of the most feared weapons on the planet. Every Marine is trained to use the M-16 to pinpoint accucracy. The rifle qualification requires hitting targets at 200, 300 and 500 yards. Every Marine can use the M-16 to deliver a 'headshot' at 500 yards (5 football fields or around ¼ mile).

The Marine of God must be this proficient in the use of the Bible. This is much more than Bible trivia. It is even more than the memorization of a few scriptures. Proficiency is a lifelong commitment to learn, grow and use the Bible in everyday life. The first few things a new Christian ought to learn is how to use the Bible to help their own heart. The Bible however doesn’t become a weapon in the war against evil until we can use it to help others around us. In order to do this we must have a repertoire of scriptures and Bible studies at our fingertips. Does that seem like a daunting task? It should. Consider learning Kung-Fu or an new language. How long would you plan to spend? When would you consider yourself proficient? It would take time and constant practice. We are required to be in the same state of training.

Far too often we become Christians then in our daily studies we lose the motivation to train for helping others. We either rely on the notes and references that others have given us or we rely on the training of others. The Bible is a sword. It divides soul and spirit. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart, we must be proficient to be ready to use it in an ever increasing number of situations.

Marines must re-qualify using a rifle annually. If you don't qualify you may be kicked out of the Marines. How would you stand up with your Bible proficiency today compared to your first year or two as a Christian. Are you more proficient, have you mastered your sword or has it grown rusty in its scabbard?

Summary

Paul understood the analogy between the spiritual fight and physical battle. How proficient are you in the tools of spiritual battle? Do you put on your armor every day or is it a burden? Do you practice your faith as a though training with a weapon? Would you put more glory in learning a martial art or pride fighting than in the discipline of faith? If so, why?

Bloodstains

Sitting in church a few weeks ago I came upon the thought of bloodstains. Blood is an uncomfortable topic. We know that is causes deep stains. Despite Billy Mays would have us believe it is not easy to remove. Nor is it simply just an external impact. Blood is more encompassing than that. When blood is removed, so is life. Blood on our skin exposes us to many of the diseases in that blood. Blood can be exchanged between us. It is tested for our health. Its appearance makes many of us faint. It changes color with exposure to oxygen. It contains so much of who and what we are. The impact of blood can stain much more than our clothes.
Yet blood is also a unifying substance. Consider whose blood you have actually touched. It is likely to be a short list. Most, if not all of the people who's blood you've touched are very close to you. A friend, child or spouse. Maybe they cut themselves, maybe they got a bloody nose. Perhaps you helped them change a dressing after a surgery. Regardless it was very personal.
As Christians we believe that we are washed by the blood of Jesus. Do we often consider what it means to be washed in blood? Do we consider the exposure to his blood part of our unification with him? Has his blood stained your conscious, your life, your heart?

Giving of one's self

Do you volunteer? I mean really volunteer, like second part-time job kind of volunteer. Every week you sit down and make the world a better place without asking for anything in return. My wife volunteers like this and my heart is guilty. I stand guilty of secretly plotting against her efforts to volunteer. I get my little green visor and start counting the household beans, then I become a person of greed. I want so desperately to put every penny against our debt. I want to own our house and our car as soon as possible. I can become so set in this goal that I start to despise my wife's nobler pursuits. She is so talented and could be raking in the money for the work that she does. Instead I see us subsidizing her charity at 12% APR. Jesus taught of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-14). The man who generously gives from money that isn't even his. I realize that my wife is simply following her heart and who am I to stop it.

Mind you we aren't falling behind, in fact we are finally on the road of financial recovery (after so many years in college). My grumbling comes from the speed that we are paying down debt. But ask me if I would rather forego my hobbies for a year to support her volunteer efforts and I will tell you, yes.

Sniper for Sin

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believeon him and receive eternal life.” – 1 Timothy 1:15-16

In the Marines we trained to make every shot count. “One shot, one kill” was a constant refrain. It seems very cold blooded but in many ways it is actually quite humane. While artillery and bombs may kill hundreds in an instant, the infantryman must kill one person at a time. In this fashion the infantryman more easily separates innocent bystanders from enemy combatants. Of course there is a down side, it is messy, extremely difficult and exhausting. The effort of the infantryman lessens with his increased efficiency. Therefore he sets his goal to make only one shot for each kill.

Precision and accuracy win the emotional battle much faster than death tolls. Just consider playing the basketball game of H-O-R-S-E. Ever played with someone who was really good at shooting? They were very precise and accurate. They could call, “All net” or bank-shots at will. They could shoot three point shots and hook shots. Did you have to wait until you lost before you felt defeated? No. The same is true in war. The Marines know that they only need to prove their skill and the battle will be won. No one will continue to fight when they are certain that every bullet will find its mark.

Marines for God must strive for biblical accuracy and scriptural precision. We are fighting for the soul of men, we must drive the demons of sin from the heart. These enemies are also discouraged by our skilled application of God's word. "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete."- 2 Corinthians 10:5-6.

The epitome of Marine marksmanship is the marine sniper. Marine snipers are responsible for targets that are 600 to 1000 yards. They have been known to hit targets over 1 mile away. For a little perspective, Marines qualify each year with the M16A2 rifle at 200, 300 and 500 yard targets. At the 500 yard range, you are required to take 10 shots at a 4 foot tall silloutte target from a prone position (lying on stomach). The effects of wind at the relatively short distance can be severe. Breathing incorrectly can cause the bullet to miss the 6foot by 6 foot target area completely (let alone the 4foot silloutte). Therefore a shot made to twice that distance or more is the result of significant skill.

The Marine for God should strive for this level of skill. We must be prepared to provide more than a simple answer. We must be surgical in our argument. As Paul writes, we aim to demolish arguments made against God. We are not shooting to wound, or scare them off, or make them think twice. We are not leaving room for negotiation with Satan. Marines don't fire 'warning shots'. It is one shot, one kill efficiency.

Does your evangelism reflect this level of accuracy or are you more of the secret agent Christian?

Can you compassionately listen to a co-worker's rants without agreeing with their sinful emotions; patiently waiting for the opportunity to open God's word?

Does your daily bible study prepare you for delivering a convincing blow to Satan's lies entrenched in the heart of your neighbor?

I am convicted as I write these words and hope that you are inspired to join me in re-doubling our efforts. It will take training, patience and courage to overcome our inhibitions.

Never Tired

"Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but
those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar
on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk
and not be faint." Isaiah 40:30-31

Marines are not allowed to be tired. I heard this phrase throughout
Boot Camp. There we lived on just a few hours of sleep and 3 rushed
meals each day. I was exhausted, but didn't feel it. Boot Camp is
designed to break any person. Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe
lasted 7 days at Marine Corps Boot Camp.

To this day I can push my physical limits. I recall the strain of the
15th mile in an 18 mile forced march, the 70th straight hour without
sleep on guard duty, or the 3rd hour of standing rigidly at attention
for a uniform inspection. At the time following orders was my
motivation. I convinced myself that I was not allowed to be tired.

I combated exhaustion with mental toughness; the belief that I could
not fail, I could not let down my band of brothers, I could not let
down the Corps. The Marine for God fights spiritual exhaustion. Have
you ever become tired of doing the right thing? Have you every felt
tired of helping someone else? Do you grow weary with the
stubbornness, arrogance and selfishness of others? It is spiritual
toughness that overcomes these times. Spiritual toughness is our
ability to find potential and goodness in everyone. With God's love,
it is amazing how much more we can accomplish than we thought we
could. The Marine for God is motivated in the same way as the US
Marine; the belief that failure is not an option. We can't let down
our brothers and sisters in Christ, we can't let down the church and
we can't let down God (we don't actually let Him down, rather we
motivate ourselves as loving response to his unconditional love). Our
love of God and our desire to serve him are our motivation. When we
put our hope in God we will not be tired. (Isaiah 40:30-31 "Those who
hope in the Lord will renew their strength.")

Let me re-iterate my main points: First, spiritual perseverance is
much more than physical perseverance. Second, God is our motivation.

The concept of perseverance permeates the bible. Every letter in the
New Testament speaks upon the subject in some form or another.
Classic admonishments are Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:1, James 1:2-4,
James 1:12, Revelation 2:3. These we cannot ignore.

Consider also the ending to both of Peter's letters,

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore
you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. (1 Peter 5:10).

"…be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error
of lawless men and afall from your secure position. But grow in the
grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…"(2 Peter
3:17-18).

Consider God's confidence in Job. It was Job's ability to withstand
the trials of Satan through perseverance.

The conclusion of Solomon's life experiment in Ecclesiastes, "Fear God
and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

Joshua was commanded to, "not let this Book of the Law depart from
your mouth…" (Joshua 1:8).

Jesus spoke on keeping faith alive and strong repeatedly. In the
gospel of Luke, Jesus admonishes us to remain watchful, "Be dressed
ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for
their master to return home from a wedding banquet, so that when he
comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him." (Luke
12:35).

The common theme to spiritual perseverance is the requirement it
places on us. We have to be willing participants in this 'battle for
our souls' and we must be willing to fight through the tough times.
Do you want to feel that teeth gritting, heart pounding persevering
feeling akin to the 15th mile of the 18 mile hike, the 25th mile of
the marathon or the 70th hour of foot partrol? Good, you should!
Love the world and feel it's pain. Cry when you see someone on the
street begging for money. Persevere in keeping sarcasm from your
lips. Be positive in the face your negative attitudes. Love the
unloveable when it hurts to love them. These are the battles in which
the Marine for God must never grow tired.